152 THE SIEGE OF THE NORTH POLE 



health. No serious case of frost-bite had occurred, 

 although both officers and men were frequently out on 

 the ice when the temperature was more than 40° below 

 zero. On the 27th January the latitude was 74° 20' 56", 

 the highest yet attained. 



The sun was again seen on 5th February, so that their 

 night had been 91 days, against 71 of the previous year. 

 On the 14th the 75th parallel was reached, and soundings 

 gave 44 fathoms. Next day great astonishment was 

 caused when the lead-line gave 57 fathoms. A bear was 

 killed on the 18th. 



During March, as the latitude increased, so did the 

 depth of water. On the 17th it was 67 fathoms, and on 

 the 19th, 71 fathoms ; latitude, 75° 15'. On 8th April, 

 in latitude 75° 46', the depth was 75| fathoms ; and in 

 75° 53' 30", on the 16th, it was 84 fathoms. 



The 76th parallel of latitude was reached on the 

 21st April, and during the next four days the drift 

 towards the west was no less than 47 miles. 



On the 16th May great excitement was caused by the 

 discovery of land. The latitude on this date was 76° 43' 

 20" N., and longitude 161° 53' 45" E. The land was 

 only a small island, Jeannette Island, but its discovery 

 caused great rejoicing among the party, who had looked 

 at nothing but ice and sky during fourteen months. 

 Another island, Henrietta Island, was discovered on the 

 24th May. The latitude on this date was 77° 16'. 



On 31st May a party of six in charge of Melville 

 started for Henrietta Island. They took a light boat, a 

 sledge and fifteen dogs, and seven days' provisions. De 

 Long wished to know whether there was any bay in 

 which he could place the ship, and whether there was 

 animal or bird life with which he could replenish his 

 waning stock of provisions. 



On the 1st of June the doctor made the startling an- 



