CHAPTER VII. 



THE JOURNEY OVER THE PACK ICE. 



Storms on the Ice Strong drift Camping Sledges breaking down Kill 

 dogs for feed Crossing pressure-ridges Discussion on the drift 

 Finding the edge of the Continental Shelf Open water Shooting 

 seals The raft Slow progress Rubble ice Trying to regain land 

 Bad weather and strong drift Crossing lanes on slush ice Hunting 

 bear Reach the solid landfloe The lagoon Eskimos Arrive at 

 the ship. 



Sunday, April 14. The wind increased steadily during the 

 night and early morning, but at 6 A.M. there was a change ; 

 at 8 A.M. it had calmed down so much that we could travel, 

 and at 9 A.M. we started. Although the weather was not too 

 bad for us to travel in, it was very disagreeable, cold and hazy, 

 while a fifteen-miles wind with snowdrift, half snow, half sleet, 

 was blowing almost in our faces. But the ice was fair, and we 

 made comparatively good progress. We chopped a hole 

 through some fairly thin ice, about 2.\ feet thick, in order to 

 get a sounding, but we reached 620 metres without finding 

 bottom. At 2 P.M. we were stopped by a lane about fifty yards 

 wide. The wind had raised some small white-capped waves on 

 it, and it looked quite like summer to see so much open water 

 and a miniature surf on the leeward shore. But however 

 pleasant it was to see the waves, we did not like the wide lane, 

 and for some time travelled southward along it, trying to find 

 a crossing. About two miles further down the big lane was 

 joined by four smaller ones, and as the only lane we could 

 follow would take us westward again, we decided to camp. 

 There is a heavy water-sky to the south, which we do not 

 exactly like, as it bodes evil for the future. We camped about 

 3 P.M., very despondent, as we did not seem to be able to get a 

 decent day's going. Mr. Leffingwell got a latitude at noon 

 with the surprising result that we should be on 71 53', but 

 that cannot possibly be right, as we have been making fairly 



