98 THE SIEGE OF THE NORTH POLE 



Hall and Mr. Chester ascended to the top of Cape 

 Brevoort, situated on the north side of this bay. The 

 return journey was made from this point. 



During this journey the party slept in snow-houses. 

 They returned to the ship on 24th October. All were 

 well with the exception of Captain Hall. He complained 

 of not having his usual amount of energy. Soon after 

 his return he became sick and vomited a good deal. 

 Dr. Bessels announced that same evenincr that Hall's left 

 side was paralysed and that he had had an apoplectic attack. 

 On the 29th he had marked symptoms of insanity, and 

 believed that an attempt was being made to poison him. 

 However, by the 6th November he had largely recovered, 

 but at night he again became alarmingly ill. On the 7th 

 he became comatose, and died on the morning of the 8th 

 November. On the 10th November he was buried on the 

 shore of Polaris Bay, and a wooden monument was erected 

 over his grave. 



It was a sad and unexpected ending to a life full of 

 high hope. 



On the death of Captain Hall, the command devolved 

 upon Captain Budington. 



On the 18th November a severe gale began. It in- 

 creased in violence on the 19th, until the wind reached 

 52 miles per hour. It continued on the 20th and 21st, 

 and on the latter date the Polaris was found to be afloat. 

 With great difficulty the ship was secured to a large 

 grounded iceberg which was named "Providence Berg.'" 

 The Polaris was thus saved from being carried into the 

 pack. 



Nothing of special interest occurred during the 

 remainder of the winter. In March 1872, Joe the 

 Eskimo, in one of his hunting expeditions, discovered 

 Petermann 1 s Fiord. 



On 27th March a sledge-party in charge of Dr. Bessels 



