AFTER FIFTY YEARS 



Beverly. These were romantically named by Sir John 

 Ross the " Red Snow and Crimson Cliffs." They are 

 made crimson, partly by the rich scarlet lichen, and partly 

 by a minute plant which grows upon melting snow, and 

 which is called proto carats nivalis. We passed on north- 

 ward encountering heavier ice than we had seen before. 



Then came a battle of days and weeks in which we strug- 

 gled for movement, but were continually baffled by the 

 north winds and heavy floes, sometimes at great danger 

 to the ship. At length we were forced into a bay a hundred 

 miles northeast of Cape Alexander, where we were com- 

 pelled to seek harbor, because of the absolute impossibility 

 of moving the ship any farther to the north and east. Dr. 

 Kane named this place Rensselaer Bay, and it became the 

 fixed harbor of the ship from that time to the end. The 

 vessel was altered as much as possible into the semblance 

 of a house, and our mode of living was changed from sail- 

 ing to resting. And yet, after all, it was not entirely rest- 

 ing, for there were many parties sent out to establish depots 

 of provisions for the spring journeys which had been pro- 

 jected. 



The first expedition of observation was made on foot, 

 as the ice was not strong enough to travel over in sledges, 

 and we had to depend on what is known as " ice foot." 

 This is the ice formed by the overflow of the tide, when 

 it is cold enough to freeze quickly, the level surface being 

 as high as high tide, and breaking down sharply to a point 

 as low as low tide. This forms a wall on the sea side. Of 

 course, this necessitated tortuous travel, as we were com- 

 pelled to follow the turnings of the shore. 



A second expedition, which was placed in my charge, 

 was much more extended, for we went as far as the great 

 Glacier Humboldt, which was first discovered by the party, 

 and upon the south end of which we placed our most ex- 

 tended depot of provision. We found very soon that any 

 hope of reaching the land to the north of the glacier, in 

 the line we had contemplated, was impossible, and we 

 were greatly embarrassed by our inability to judge dist- 

 ances. The land we had in view seemed constantly to 

 recede. This is the same experience that was undergone 

 by the earliest navigators, when they sailed for days and 



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