THE NARES EXPEDITION 249 



longitude. He was known as one of the best navigators 

 in the Navy, and when called upon to go to the north 

 was in command of H.M.S. Challenger, then on her 

 famous voyage of scientific exploration in very different 

 seas. With him in the Alert was Commander Albert 

 Hastings Markham, whose experience, varied and con- 

 siderable, gained by his spending much of his spare 

 time within the Arctic Circle, rendered him especially 

 well fitted for the position. In command of the Dis- 

 covery was Captain Henry Frederick Stephenson ; and 

 the officers of both ships were, like the crews, all 

 specially selected. There was no difficulty in the 

 manning. One commanding officer called at the office 

 at Portsmouth where the men were being entered and 

 asked for advice. " An order," he said, " has come on 

 board my ship, directing me to send volunteers for 

 Arctic service to this office. What am I to do ? The 

 whole ship's company, nearly eight hundred men, have 

 given in their names." 



The three ships left Spithead on the 29th of May, 

 1875, and were all at Godhavn on the 6th of July. 

 Nine days afterwards they left for Ritenbenk of the 

 curious name, which is an anagram of that of Berkentin 

 who was in charge of the Greenland department when 

 it was founded. Here the Valorous parted company to 

 return home after filling up with fuel at the coal 

 quarries on the north side of Disco Island, while the 

 two ships went to Proven to pick up Hans Hendrik, 

 who this time left his wife and children behind him. 



Through Smith Sound, almost choked with ice, 

 progress was slow and difficult ; but the passage was 

 safely accomplished, and so across Kane Sea and up 



