44 THE VOYAGE OF THE JEAXNETTE. 



lowing summer. Inquiries were made in all available 

 quarters for an American vessel, but none could be 

 found ; and in December Lieutenant De Long obtained 

 a two months' leave of absence from the St. Mary's and 

 went to England on the same errand. It was expected 

 that Mr. Bennett would join him shortly, but he was 

 detained in America until just before the expiration of 

 Lieutenant De Long's leave of absence, when he joined 

 him in London. 



Meanwhile Lieutenant De Long personally, and 

 through confidential agents, was employed in diligent 

 search for a vessel. Special effort was made at the 

 northern ports from which sealers and whalers were 

 sent out, and he was constantly examining such vessels 

 as seemed to give promise of fitness, but the difficul- 

 ties seemed to increase. Poor vessels were offered at 

 high prices ; good ships the owners would not sell, as 

 whalebone was so his-h that one cruise to the Arctic 

 more than paid the first cost of a vesseL The only 

 suitable one which seemed to be in the market was the 

 Pandora, owned by Sir Allen Young who used her as a 

 pleasure yacht in trips to the Arctic regions. Sir Allen 

 was indifferent to the sale, and the purchase had not 

 been effected when Mr. Bennett arrived in London. 

 Mr. Bennett wished Lieutenant De Long to ask an 

 extension of his leave of absence, but this would have 

 worked, at the time, so much injustice to the officers 

 of the St. Mary's that Lieutenant De Long refused to 

 make the application and returned to America. 



During the season that followed a constant and vigi- 

 lant watch was kept up, but the Pandora continued to 

 be by far the most available vessel. Sir Allen himself 

 was an explorer of note. He was with Admiral Mc- 

 Clintock when the first records of the Franklin expodl- 



