154 EXPLORATIONS IN THE FAR NORTH 



were out ten hours. The second mate struck a whale which 

 capsized the boat, but the crew were rescued by another boat. 

 The whale sank and was lost. The vessel was kept on two 

 hour tacks during the night and in the morning the whale, 

 which had risen to the surface was discovered. I then had an 

 opportunity of seeing a whale " cut in." The process occupied 

 all hands for four hours. 



That afternoon we passed two walrus, the first seen that sea- 

 son. -Observations taken that afternoon showed that we were 

 northwest of Herald Island in the lead which the exploring 

 steamer "Jeannette" had entered in 1879. The current which 

 had carried that vessel so far after she was beset had caused 

 our vessel to drift fifty miles toward the northwest in the last 

 four days. 



On the 28th the young ice covered the surface of the water 

 in broad, flaky patches. Steaming to the northward we en- 

 countered the pack in latitude 72 10' N. 



During the night of October 1st there were several whales 

 close to the vessel, their presence being shown by the flashing 

 phosphorescence and the sound made by their flukes striking 

 the water. Nearly every night while in the western Arctic I 

 noticed the brilliant phosphorescence of the water in the wake 

 of the vessel. On the 2nd the temperature fell to ten degrees 

 below the freezing point. Owing to the cold and rough weather 

 Captain Newth decided not to wait until the loth, the usual 

 date of departure, before starting homeward, but on the 5th to 

 the joy of everyone on board the prow was turned toward the 

 Straits and all sail was set. On the 8th five hawks rested for 

 some time in the rigging. They had probably been blown off 

 from the Alaskan coast by the easterly wind of the preceding 

 day. We reached East Cape on the 10th, where a few natives 

 were landed with their belongings. The Eskimo settlement is 

 situated at the extremity of the rugged headland; the low earth 

 covered hovels cling to the steep slope like the nests of barn 

 swallows. Three omiaks filled with men came off to the 

 " Jeanette " which drifted rapidly in the strong tide. While 

 they remained on board the light skin boats beat against their 

 fenders of inflated sealskin without injury, where an ordinary 

 whaleboat would have been dashed to pieces. 



The mountains, which rise abruptly from the beach, were 



