52 THE SIEGE OF THE NORTH POLE 



early volunteered to accompany Hayes. On his return 

 to the United States he was appointed to the Dudley 

 Observatory, Albany, and to accompany Dr. Hayes he 

 sacrificed the fine position of Associate Director of that 

 institution. 



Including Dr. Hayes, the party numbered fifteen 

 persons. They left Boston on 7th July 1860, and after a 

 rough passage crossed the Arctic Circle on 30th July. 

 The first iceberg was met on the previous day. Some 

 rough weather was experienced in Davis'' Strait, and is 

 thus described by Hayes : — 



" We were running before the wind and fighting a 

 wretched cross-sea under reefed fore and mainsail and jib, 

 when the fore fife-rail was carried away ; — down came 

 everything to the deck, and there was left not a stitch of 

 canvas on the schooner but the lumbering mainsail. It 

 was a miracle that we did not broach to and go to the 

 bottom. Nothing saved us but a steady-hand at the helm. 



" Notwithstanding all this knocking about, everybody 

 seemed to take it for granted that this sort of thing is 

 very natural and proper, and a part of the engagement 

 for the cruise. It is at least gratifying to see that they 

 take kindly to discomfort, and receive every freak of 

 fortune with manly good-nature. I really believe that 

 were affairs otherwise ordered they would be sadly dis- 

 appointed. They are ' the small band of brave and 

 spirited men , thev read about in the newspapers, and 

 they mean to show it. The sailors are sometimes literally 

 drowned out of the forecastle. The cabin is flooded at 

 least a dozen times a day. The skylight has been knocked 

 to pieces by the head of a sea, and the table, standing 

 directly under it, has been more than once cleared of 

 crockery and eatables without the aid of the steward. 

 My own cabin gets washed out at irregular intervals, and 

 my books are half of them spoiled by tumbling from their 



