150 THE SIEGE OF THE NORTH POLE 



180th meridian had been crossed. On the 20th May the 

 stock of coal amounted to only 60 tons, and De Long 

 became impatient to get out of the ice. The total drift 

 towards the north-west during the month of May was very 

 good, amounting to 82 miles. 



The drift during June was nearly the reverse of what 

 it was during May, the Jeannette at the end of the 

 month being 50 miles south of where she was at the 

 beginning of it. There was still no sign of release from 

 the ice, and the consequent disappointment was very 

 great. 



During July the temperature was usually near freezing- 

 point, and yet De Long felt the cold much more than 

 when the temperature was 30° below zero. The latter was 

 what he described as a hard, dry cold, whereas the former 

 was a soft, wet cold that penetrated at once. At the end 

 of the month they were back again to the 180th meridian ; 

 the summer had nearly gone, and still there were no signs 

 of a change. The monotony of waiting for " something 

 to turn up " was found extremely trying. 



On the 1st of August one of the dogs died, and on a 

 post-mortem being made it was discovered that the dog's 

 death was caused by his swallowing a sharp bone, which 

 cut through his intestines. Several other dogs were lost 

 from the same cause. 



Throughout the cruise, De Long took the strictest 

 precautions to see that the water used for drinking and 

 cooking was as free as possible from salt. After very 

 thorough investigation, he arrived at the conclusion that 

 sea-water ice, under whatever circumstances it may be 

 found, is a treacherous and unsafe element to use. 



The drift during August amounted to about 50 miles 

 towards the north-east. The navigable season was now 

 nearly at an end, and another monotonous winter in the 

 pack awaited them. At the end of twelve months the 



