218 NANSEN, THE MODERN VIKING 



which was specially constructed so the ice, instead of crushing her, would 

 slide along her sides. 



In March of that year, after the party had endured the longest polar night 

 ever seen by man — owing to their long stay above the 70th parallel, — Nansen 

 decided on a sledge journey. He had concluded the drift project was too un- 

 certain. The greatest risks attended this venture, and Nansen determined to 

 make it himself, with only one companion, a man named Johansen. On March 

 3 the sun appeared, and eleven days later the two started out. The trip was 

 one of the most trying any explorer has suffered, but it was also one of 

 the most triumphant, for it was by this means Nansen achieved his 

 "farthest north" — 86 degrees, 14 minutes, north latitude. The best previous 

 record was that of the Greely party. Nansen reached to within 225 geograph- 

 ical miles of the north pole. 



Nansen writes : "In order to investigate the state of the ice, and the pos- 

 sibility of advance, I went further north on ski (slender snow-shoes that re- 

 semble sled runners) but could discern no likely way. From the highest hum- 

 mock I could find, I saw only packed and piled up ice as far as the horizon. Here, 

 as during our whole journey, we saw no sign of land in any direction. The ice 

 appeared to drift before the wind without being stopped by mainland or islands. 

 If it were like this in the direction of Franz Josef Land, we might have dif- 

 ficulty enough getting there, and the ice grew so bad that I thought it unad- 

 visable to continue our journey any further toward the north." 



The loneliness of the trip was somewhat relieved by the hunting of game, 

 in which the two had many thrilling experiences. One of the most notable of 

 these was an adventure which Nansen describes as follows : 



"We were just about to cross a channel on the ice in our kayaks. This 

 was generally accomplished by tying the two kayaks together on the ice, then 

 placing them on the water, and after creeping with the dogs out onto the decks, 

 paddling across. Suddenly I heard a noise behind me, and turning saw Johan- 

 sen on his back with a bear over him, he holding the bear by the throat. I 

 caught at my gun which lay on the fore-deck of my kayak ; but at the same 

 moment the boat slid into the water, and the gun with it. By exerting all my 

 strength I hauled the heavy laden kayak up again, but while doing so I heard 

 Johansen quietly remark, 'You must hurry up if you don't want to be too late.' 

 At last I got the gun out of the case ; and as I turned round with it cocked, the 

 bear was just in front of me. In the hurry of the moment I had cocked the 

 right barrel, which was loaded with shot ; but the charge took effect behind the 



