31G FOUR YEARS IN THE WHITE NORTH [Aug. 



Sixty years before, almost to a day, the little Fox, 

 sent out by Lady Franklin in search of her husband, 

 Sir John, became tightly locked in the ice of Melville 

 Bay. For 252 days she was held a prisoner, drifting 

 1,194 miles before she was released. 



A few hours of offensive work with very little marked 

 progress justified our captain in retreating to the lee of 

 Cape York to await a favorable change of wind. Seven 

 kayaks were soon alongside and the occupants were 

 made extremely happy with the gift of apples, bananas, 

 tea, biscuit, and tobacco. 



At noon of August 13th the Neptune swimg on her 

 heel for another effort to penetrate the ice-field which 

 lay between us and home. At five she was in open 

 water and going rapidly southward. It was with a 

 strange feeling of almost homesickness that I watched 

 that northern land dropping below the horizon. Savage 

 at times, and wild and desolate, yet altogether kind to us 

 from the Southland, it holds a warm place in my heart. 



Our last letter received from Ekblaw, who left North 

 Star Bay in December, 1916, announced his safe arrival 

 at Upernavik; however, his feet were so badly frosted 

 that he might possibly be compelled to await our ar- 

 rival. If possible, he would go on to Godhavn. 



We had passed Upernavik. W^ould he be at Godhavn, 

 was the important question, as we steamed in by the 

 old whaler's lookout and rounded the rocky point in- 

 closing the snug little harbor of Godhavn, the capital of 

 the Inspectorate of North Greenland. 



Hardly had our anchor touched the bottom before 

 Governor Ohlsen and Inspector Lindow stepped over 

 the rail to bid us welcome. Mr. Ekblaw was here, they 

 informed us, at the home of a Mr. Porsild, a scientist 



