THE MARCH OVER THE FROZEN OCEAN. 625 



yards. And yet we seem to have got out of a paleo- 

 crystic sea. Our road yesterday and to-day has been 

 over ice that more nearly resembles the pack we en- 

 tered near Herald Island than anything else, and with 

 occasional exceptions seems to be one season's growth, 

 the thickness varying between seven and ten feet. If 

 this be correct assumption, we may be out of the drift- 

 ing pack and in the ice clinging to the Liakhoff Islands, 

 in which case I hope many days will not elapse before 

 we get in a lead to some purpose. 



Chipp is not nearly as strong as he would have us 

 believe. I mentioned yesterday that the doctor stopped 

 his whiskey to see the effect. Last night (our sleeping 

 time) Chipp ate nothing, had no sleep, and was groan- 

 ing and tumbling around all the time. This we learn 

 from Dunbar, for Chipp asserts he is " first rate," and 

 tells Dunbar to say so when he is asked by the doctor. 

 Foolishly enough he wants to be discharged to duty, 

 thinking he is able to do work. 



Going ahead I marked a camping place, which we 

 reached at six A. M., having made good two miles in a 

 southwest line. Called all hands at six p. m. ; break- 

 fasted at seven p. m. ; under way at eight. About five 

 hundred yards from camp we came to a lead which 

 we easily crossed, and then had some fine sledging for 

 one quarter of a mile along its eastern side on our 

 course. We spun along merrily enough this stretch, 

 and were then confronted by a ridge of large floe 

 pieces through which we had to dig a road. This was 

 done while the boats were being brought up, and the 

 sleds were got through ; but before the boats could be 

 got along the ice commenced to open, and we had 

 great difficulty in getting boats and dog sleds through. 

 Meanwhile I had pushed on and laid out a road, and 



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