GREENLAND BY THE POLAR SEA 



that, in contradistinction to all previous expeditions, they did 

 not suffer from scurvy, thanks to a sensible diet. 



Lockwood himself exceeded everyone else in energy and 

 working ability. In 1883 he went northward on a fresh excur- 

 sion along the land which he had discovered, and in a surpris- 

 ingly short time he reached Black Horn Cliffs, where, however, 

 he had to turn, as he found open water. 



The road being blocked, Lockwood, with Brainard and 

 Frederik, chose a new route across Grinnell Land, which was 

 explored simultaneously with the discovery of the big Greely 

 Fjord. In the meantime two winters had passed without com- 

 munication with the relief expeditions which had been promised 

 for the return journey ; and as, unfortunately, the expedition 

 had been ordered, failing connection with the ship, to attempt 

 a movement southward in the direction of relief, they now began 

 to prepare for that journey, which proved altogether disastrous 

 and gave rise to the greatest tragedy which has ever befallen 

 an Arctic expedition. 



To this must be added that the state of affairs on board was 

 not a happy one, things even going so far that the physician to 

 the expedition, Dr. Pavy, was arrested for insubordination 

 during the last summer at Fort Conger. If ever there are 

 conditions in life where comradely co-operation under a firm 

 leader is absolutely essential to success, they are to be found 

 during Arctic exploration where the few people who have to 

 live together are entirely dependent upon each other. A situa- 

 tion like this, therefore, proved a great calamity. Further, 

 opinions differed as to whether a couple of sledges ought to be 

 sent down to Littleton Island, where, as a link in the whole 

 chain of plans put down for Greely before his departure from 

 America, a depot had been promised. It is always easy to 

 criticize afterwards when the results of the dispositions are 

 evident, and it cannot be denied that the plans here mentioned, 

 under the leadership of one of the by now well-trained sledge 

 travellers with one of the Eskimos for his companion, must 

 have appeared quite natural. But Greely was against the pro- 

 position and managed to frustrate it. They then decided that 

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