180 ADVENTURES IN THE NORTHERN SEAS. 



open sea around the pole is entirely chimerical, and 

 that nothing exists within a radius of six hundred 

 miles of the pole but vast masses of eternal and im- 

 penetrable ice, unless, indeed, there may happen to 

 be land intervening. 



I am aware that the distinguished Dr. Kane held 

 very strongly an opposite opinion ; but the argu- 

 ments in his book do not seem to me to be of the 

 slightest avail against the overwhelming amount 

 of evidence in a contrary direction. 



Hopelessly impossible as all attempts to sail to 

 the pole must ever continue to be, I think, if there 

 were sufficient inducements to undertake the at- 

 tempt, that it is possible enough to do it by land, 

 or, to speak more correctly, by ice. 



The distance from the extreme north of Spitz- 

 bergen would be 600 miles ; and the only way in 

 which I conceive the attempt could be made with 

 any chance of success would be for a well-provided 

 vessel, with sledges and plenty of good dogs to draw 

 them, to go to Spitzbergen in summer, select a shel- 

 tered harbor as far to the north as they could get, 

 and pass the remainder of the fine weather in kill- 

 ing a quantity of reindeer and wild-fowl for provis- 

 ions for themselves, and seals and walruses to keep 

 the dogs fat and in good condition. Good hunters 

 would have little difficulty in laying in a hundred 

 tons of deer, seals, and walruses in two months. 



It would be necessary, of course, to winter in 

 Spitzbergen, but that would be no worse than win- 



