THE WHITE WORLD 



Expedition — if, indeed, there were any survivors, which 

 at that time was a matter of the gravest doubt. 



And yet, after all this long space of time, when I remem- 

 ber those days, and am called upon to p t my experience 

 into words, the memory of it all sets my pulses throbbing 

 again, and my heart swells once more, as it did then, at the 

 sense of responsibility imposed upon me and my associates. 

 Who, save those daring and valiant spirits that were my 

 companions on that memorable expedition, can understand, 

 or even faintly appreciate, the hopes and fears, the alternate 

 fits of elation and depression (the latter bravely encountered 

 and overcome) which it was our lot to meet with? 



To go back to those days, which were of vast import to 

 all intimately concerned, no words can depict the excite- 

 ment throughout the country at the time, on the subject of 

 a new rescue expedition, and the anxiety prevalent as to the 

 fate of Greely and his companions. Nevertheless, there 

 were many who felt that to attempt a further rescue would 

 be a useless expenditure of life and money, and would 

 result in the verdict of " a lost cause." 



It will be remembered that the Greely Expedition, to give 

 it its popular title, set out for the North in the summer of 

 1881. The work of the expedition was to be threefold: 

 First, exploration; second, the collection of specimens; and 

 third, the observations called for by the International Polar 

 Conference, held a short time before. The members of the 

 expedition comprised twenty-five persons, including two 

 Eskimos with Lieutenant Greely in command. 



The instructions given were that a stay of two years was 

 to be made at Lady Franklin Bay, and it was promised that 

 a vessel should be sent to the station both in 1882 and 1883. 

 These vessels, it was stated, were to bring " supplies for and 

 such additions to the present party as are deemed needful." 

 If these vessels failed to reach Greely, caches were to be 

 established at designated points. Greely's party embarked 

 at St. John's on the Proteus in July, and left for Lady 

 Franklin Bay. 



This was the beginning of an extremely exciting story, 

 full of the most dangerous undertakings, successful achieve- 

 ments and unparalleled sufferings. It was destined to 

 arouse the most intense interest and sympathy all over the 



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