GREENLAND BY THE POLAR SEA 



When they approached land, still another three men fell ill, 

 and as there were now only two officers and two men left, they 

 decided at length to leave the second boat, which they had 

 dragged along fearing that they might meet open water. 



On the 5th of June they reached land, and after two days 

 of rest Lieutenant Parr had sufficient strength to cover the 

 distance to the ship on foot. A relief party was promptly sent 

 out, and all the men were brought on board, but several of 

 them were already so ill that, in spite of all efforts, they died 

 after having reached harbour. The men who left the ship 

 were fine fellows — they had been picked from a large crew ; but 

 of what avail is youth and strength when the constitution is 

 undermined by scurvy? 



This is briefly the tale of the first journey across the Polar- 

 ice, which now lies before us. The story the ice axes hewed 

 out here was just as gloomy as, in consequence of its surround- 

 ings, it must necessarily be. It was a fine and noble record, 

 and Markham has for all eternity carved his name on the scroll 

 of the foremost in Polar exploration ; but hard was the journey 

 and dearly were the results paid for, for this great cold Polar 

 Sea claims a sacrifice from every man who tries to unveil its 

 secrets. 



Hendrik and I got up stiff with cold, but were blown home- 

 ward and soon got warm. Often we were flung along the ice 

 against pressure-ridges which did not receive us kindly ; and 

 it was with genuine joy that we arrived, bruised and stiff, at 

 the camp of our sleeping comrades at four o'clock in the 

 morning. 



This was a cold and inhospitable coast ! 



May 3rd. — We had pitched our tents between the big 

 pressure-ridges close to the ice-foot, attempting to find shelter 

 from the storm. 



The landscape would have been gloomy had it not been for 

 the warm sun, which gave life and colour to everything : even 

 the precipitous mountains behind us changed in warm tinges. 



We hoped that we should wake up in quieter weather, as 

 84 



