A DANGEROUS EXCURSION. 287 



day. "Yesterday evening (January 20tli) one of the Indians 

 made an offering of some tobacco to the moon for the safety 

 of the ship." The effects of the cold at this time when out 

 on the ice was to freeze the moccasin soles and mittens 

 while on feet and hands. Nose-guards were worn Ly many. 

 After walking perhaps an hour or so, a feeling as of lump in 

 the stomach from indigestion would be experienced." Under 

 date of January 24th I wrote : " Ice now about ship is 

 bulged and pushed under her from ten to eighteen feet thick 

 in accumulative masses." For the '25th I find : " The sun 

 was seen to-day for a brief period after an absence of seventy- 

 one days. Wrangel Land is visible." 



As an illustration showing the danger always attendant 

 upon going any distance from the ship I quote : " February 

 16th. Off with one of the Indians to the northwest; some 

 twelve miles ; found only old tracks of bears. When about 

 half a mile from the ship, on our way back, we found that 

 where we walked over solid ice in going out there was now 

 a lead or lane of water some forty feet in width. This 

 looked serious, as it was in old heavy ice and increasing. 



"After taking a smoke we struck off east some three- 

 quarters of a mile, where we found it much narrower, and 

 succeeded in jumping from piece to piece, and thus crossing 

 safely to the floe in which the Jeannette was fast, soon 

 reaching the vessel, and very glad to get out of an awkward 

 situation." Lest some reader may think the above sensa- 

 tional, I would say that the wind, though light, was against 

 us, daylight short, the water widening, and a temperature 

 45 degrees Fahrenheit. The exception to the rule occurred 

 next day when, at a temperature of S3 degrees Fahrenheit, 

 a gale of wind sprang up, blowing some forty-five miles per 

 hour in squalls, with thick, blinding snow which one could 

 not face. 



On the morning of February 1st, one of the Indians shot 

 a fine white fox ; we were some fifty miles northwest of 

 Herald Island, and nearly as much from Wrangel Land at 

 the time. This animal is decidedly a rover. On the morn- 



