ARCTIC ICE-TRAVELS. 471 



makes life, even in Melville Bay, charming and enjoyable. In former 

 days the monotony of the detention in this bay was indeed wearisome, 

 and the laborious work of tracking the clumsy, unwieldy ship, or cut- 

 ting docks in the floe, was fatiguing and irksome in the extreme. 



In the latitude of Cape York the " North Water " is generally 

 reached, and this, so far as we know, has always been navigable to the 

 entrance of Smith's Sound, and to a much higher latitude. 



We will now assume that the month of September has arrived, and 

 that the expedition has succeeded in reaching, we will say by way of 

 illustration, the latitude of 84. We are, of course, anticipating an 

 open season, and a most favorable and prosperous run. Bay or pan- 

 cake ice, which is newly-formed ice, is now forming, and it is absolutely 

 necessary to seek winter quarters. A snug harbor is, if possible, found, 

 protected as much as possible from the prevailing northeasterly winds, 

 and arrangements are at once commenced for securing and housing- 

 in the ship. One part of the ship's company is told oft' for this latter 

 duty, which consists in unbending the sails, unreeving running rigging, 

 sending down upper spars, and housing the ship in with a covering 

 made of tilt-cloth. This is spread on spars that are secured fore and aft 

 between the masts about fifteen feet above the deck, sloping down to 

 the bows and the stern, and ridge-ropes set up to the rigging, about 

 seven feet above the bulwarks. One entry only is made as a gangway, 

 on what would be the lee-side of the prevailing wind. An observatory 

 is built, and an ice-wall made to inclose the ship, the space inside the 

 wall being kept free and clear, to be used for exercise, and as a prom- 

 enade during the winter months. In the mean time, the other part 

 of the ship's company will be preparing the sledges, and making the 

 necessary preparations for the autumn sledge-traveling, all of which 

 will have been carefully organized beforehand. 



We now come to the most important feature of arctic work, name- 

 ly, the sledge-traveling, which was first introduced by the late Admi- 

 ral Sir Edward Parry, but which is most indissolubly associated with 

 the name of McClintock, whose perseverance and energy have brought 

 this system of traveling to such a state of perfection that we rely 

 chiefly on its aid to procure for the forthcoining expedition that suc- 

 cess which all England heartily and eagerly desires, and hopefully 

 anticipates. Before describing the arrangements for the autumn trav- 

 eling, let us take a brief retrospect of the sledging undertaken by 

 Parry fifty-five years ago. 



Parrv at Melville Island, in 1820, did not commence traveling 

 operations until June. He used a cart, in all probability formed of 

 the field-piece carriage and limber supplied to the ship. He was away 

 only fourteen days, having traversed a distance of about 180 mile?, 

 averaging 12' per diem. His party consisted of twelve, including him- 

 self, out of which five were ofiicers. On account of the excessive glare 

 caused by the sun on the snow and ice, the party traveled during the 



