640 THE VOYAGE OF THE JEANNETTE. 



them, dragged them into position for a bridge, and 

 were thus able to proceed without much delay. Be- 

 yond them was a long, flat floe one half mile in extent 

 northeast and southwest, and probably five miles north- 

 west and southeast. As we only took so much of it as 

 was on our course, the one half mile was all that we 

 traversed, and at 6.35 A. m. halted and camped, satis- 

 fied that our one and three fourths miles were well 

 made. While the boats were being brought up, Mr. 

 Dunbar and I took the dingy and went clown the lead 

 at which our floe terminated, to see what it promised. 

 It resulted in nothing except giving me a high hum- 

 mock from which I could see well around me. I at 

 once made up my mind that to go on our course to- 

 morrow would be impossible. For not only did we have 

 a fearful half mile of repeated ferryings before we 

 reached good ice again, but the unloading of the boats, 

 and a whole day, would be thus involved. By going 

 across the lead due west we had a level floe running 

 west southwest for two miles, which then connected 

 with good ice, and would enable us to resume our course 

 southwest. This I decided to be my plan of action on 

 again breaking camp. Returning to our camping place 

 I a^ain saw the curious-lookinn; clouds noticed in the 

 southwest on the 11th, and looked anxiously for the 

 same land and water then seen, but was disappointed. 

 Shortly after Mr. Dunbar came to me and said he saw 

 the open water. After some looking in vain, I at last 

 saw it, with ice-streams in it, but no land, and judging 

 from relative distances and my range of view, I think 

 it was inside of eight miles southwest. The weather 

 since midnight had been dull and gloomy. Large 

 ponds, larger than any we had yet seen, were crossed, 

 and more lay beyond us. These, and the remarkable 



