WIND AND FOG. Ill 



in a minor degree had the same experiences in Northern Alaska, where the winters are 

 only a shade less severe than in these extreme latitudes.* 



The men were now dragging- 405 Ibs. apiece, and the exertion and severe climate were 

 beginning to tell upon them. The symptoms o scurvy were plain enough, and on the 

 19th we do not wonder to find Markham determining to leave one of his boats. " Before 

 quitting the boat an oar was lashed to the mast, and the mast stepped, yard hoisted, and 

 decorated with some old clothes," in order that they might be sure to find it on their 

 return. No wonder the men worked a little livelier shortly afterwards, for they were 

 thus relieved of dragging a matter of 800 Ibs. Two of them, however, were already 

 prostrated with scurvy, and had to Be carried on the sledges. In journeying to the 

 northward the route seldom lay over smooth ice, and the somewhat level floes, or fields, 

 were thickly studded over with rounded, blue-topped ice humps, ten or twenty feet high, 

 laying sometimes in ranges, but more often separated, at a distance of 100 to 200 

 yards apart, the depressions between being filled with snow, deeply scored into ridges by 

 the wind, the whole composition being well comparable to a suddenly frozen oceanic sea. 

 Separating the floes were "hedges" of ice masses, often forty to fifty feet high, or 

 more, thrown together in irregular and chaotic confusion, and where there was little 

 choice of a road over, through, or round about them. Among and around these, again, 

 were steep-sided snow-drifts, sloping down from the highest altitude of the piled-up 

 masses to the general level. " The journey," says Captain Nares in the general report, 

 "was consequently an incessant battle to overcome ever- recurring obstacles, each hard- 

 won success stimulating them for the next struggle. A passage way had always to be 

 cut through the squeezed-up ice with pick-axes, an extra one being carried for the 

 purpose, and an incline picked out of the perpendicular side of the high floes, or roadway 

 built up, before the sledges, generally one at a time, could be brought on. Instead of 

 advancing with a steady walk, the usual means of progression, more than half of each 

 day was expended by the whole party facing the sledge and pulling it forward a few 

 feet at a time." Occasionally a little "young ice/' which had formed between the split- 

 up floes of ancient date, would afford them better travelling, but this luxury was not 

 often found. As the warmer weather approached anything above zero was considered 

 warm they were much troubled by wind, snow-fall, and foggy weather. On April 

 30th so thick was it that they could scarcely see the length of two sledges ahead, and 

 as they were surrounded by hummocks they were obliged to halt, for fear of becoming 

 entangled. It would be wearisome to the reader to enlarge upon similar experiences, which 

 were of daily occurrence. 



They had on May llth exceeded by several days the time for which they were 

 provisioned, and so many of the men were, from the weakening effects of scurvy, actually 

 hors tie combat, or as nearly as possible useless, that it was determined to make a camp 

 in which to leave the invalids, while the rest should push on for one final " spurt." On 

 the morning of the 12th, therefore, leaving the cooks to attend upon the sufferers, the 



* Mercury frequently froze during the writer's stay on the Yukon, and other parts of Northern Alaska, in 

 the winter of 1866- 7. On one occasion the thermometer registered 08 below zero (90 below the freezing point 

 of water). 



