160 MR. JENSEN. 



sight, and not a speok is to be seen upon the unhappy 

 waters which roll and tumble through the darkness 

 around Cape Alexander. 



The temperature during this gale has been, through- 

 out, very mild. Although the wind was northeast, it 

 has not been below zero at any time. 



November 3d. 



The travelers are off at last, and at ten o'clock this 

 evening they disappoint me by not returning. Since 

 it is evident that they have gone around Cape Ohlsen, 

 which I had some reason to doubt, I see no cause why 

 they should not reach their destination. They will 

 have, however, cracks which have been opened by the 

 recent gales, and doubtless heavily hum mocked ice, to 

 contend with ; and I hardly know how Jensen will get 

 on with this sort of traveling. Bad enough for those 

 who are accustomed to it, it will be a sore trial to him. 

 He is a splendid whip, and drives his dogs superbly 

 when the ice is reasonably smooth, and the sledge 

 glides glibly over it with the dogs at a gallop ; but this 

 lioundering through hummocks and deep snow-drifts, 

 where the sledge has to be lifted and is often capsized, 

 where the dogs are continually getting into a snarl, — 

 their traces tangled, their tempers ruffled, and a gen- 

 eral fight resulting, — is a very different sort of busi- 

 ness, and is what he is not used to. To get through 

 with it one requires an almost superhuman stock of 

 enduring patience ; and if Jensen returns from this 

 journey with a good record, I shall have no fears for 

 him in the future. He is a very strong and able- 

 bodied man, standing six feet in his shoes, and is of 

 powerful muscular build. The knowledge acquired 

 by some eight years' residence in Greenland, of hunt- 



