KANE'S EXPEDITION (1855) 41 



charge of Mr. Sonntag. With them were such of the 

 instruments as we could venture to transport. They 

 consisted of two Gambey sextants with artificial horizon, 

 our transit-unifilar, and dip-instruments. Our glasses, 

 with a few of the smaller field-instruments, we carried on 

 our persons. Our fine theodolite we were forced to 

 abandon. Our powder and shot, upon which our lives 

 depended, were carefully distributed in bags and tin 

 canisters. The percussion caps I took into my own 

 possession, as more precious than gold. Mr. Bonsall had 

 a general charge of the arms and ammunition. Places 

 were arranged for the guns, and hunters appointed for 

 each boat. Mr. Petersen took charge of the most im- 

 portant part of our field equipage, our cooking-gear. 

 Petersen was our best tinker. All the old stove-pipe, now 

 none the better for two winters of Arctic fires, was called 

 into requisition. Each boat was provided with two large 

 iron cylinders, 14 inches in diameter and 18 inches 

 high. Each of them held an iron saucer or lamp, in 

 which we could place our melted pork-fat or blubber, 

 and, with the aid of spun-yarn for a wick, make a roaring 

 fire. I need not say that the fat and oil always froze 

 when not ignited. Into these cylinders, which were 

 used merely to defend our lamp from the wind and our 

 pots from contact with the cold air, we placed a couple of 

 large tin vessels, suitable either for melting snow or making 

 tea or soup. They were made out of cake-canisters cut 

 down. Plow many kindly festival associations hung by 

 these now abused soup-cans ! one of them had, before 

 the fire rubbed off its bright gilding, the wedding- 

 inscription of a large fruit-cake. 



" We carried spare tins in case the others should burn 

 out : it was well we did so. So completely had we 

 exhausted our household furniture, that we had neither 

 cups nor plates, except crockery. This, of course, would 



