CHAPTER XL 



THE LAST OF THE JEANNETTE. 



January — 9 June, 1881. 



The Old Year out and the New Year in. — The Solid Snow. — Im- 

 prisonment. — Exercise. — Sudden Changes. — Reappearance of the 

 Sun. — Increase of Daylight. — Dog Misfortunes. — Deep Sound- 

 ings. — Aneguin's House. — Washington's Birthday. — Alexey's 

 Sickness. — Bear Fight. — The Sick- List. — Sick Dogs. — Danen- 

 hower's Case. — The Chinamen stray off with the Dogs. — Search 

 for the Lost Dogs. — The Wildness of Ice. — The Dogs on Short 

 Rations. — Land ! — Speculations about the Island. — Mr. Chipp 

 on the Sick-List. — Lauterbach's Misfortune. — A Party sent to 

 visit the Island. — Their Outfit. — Orders. — Lead Poison. — Re- 

 turn of the Party. — Report of Discoveries. — Henrietta Island. — 

 Jeannette Island. — Anticipation of Trouble. — Sudden Disaster. 



January 1st, 1881, Saturday. — I begin the new year 

 in this book by turning over a new leaf, and I hope to 

 God we are turning over a new leaf in our book of luck. 

 The record on January 1st, 1882, " No greater advance 

 toward the Pole, or toward the accomplishment of some 

 other object worthy of consideration," would be humil- 

 iating indeed. I am, of course, thankful and grateful 

 for our preservation in many perils, for our continued 

 good health, and for our undiminished zeal and enthu- 

 siasm as manifested last night, when the men made the 

 deck-house ring with their cheers at the end of my re- 

 marks, but I want to get on to achieve something to 

 save us from disappointment and mortification. 



Melville and Dunbar sat up with me to see the old 



