VOYAGE OF THE JEANNETTE (1881) 155 



On the 25th June, after a severe week's work, Ue Long 

 obtained his first opportunity of ascertaining his latitude. 

 His feelings may be imagined when he found that he was 

 28 miles farther north than where he started from a week 

 before ! He wisely kept this discouraging fact from the 

 knowledge of the general party. He now altered his 

 course from south to south-west. On this date Chipp 

 was so weak that he had to be carried on a sledge. 



On the 26th June five bridges had to be built over leads : 

 the heaviest sledge fell into the water, but was dragged 

 out ; and Melville went in up to his waist. On the 27th 

 eleven hours 1 hard work carried them only 1^ mile. One 

 lead 40 feet wide, and another 60 feet wide, had to be 

 crossed. Yet under all these difficulties everybody was 

 bright and cheerful. It was no uncommon thing; to have 

 four leads to bridge in half a mile, and sometimes as soon 

 as one was bridged another opened in the rear. Over 

 this rough and ever-changing path six, and sometimes 

 seven trips had to be made. It is not to be wondered at 

 that the work was terribly laborious, and progress slow. 



On the 3rd of July the latitude was found to be 15 miles 

 farther south than on the 25th June, so that the drift had 

 not been against them. The 6th July was a wet and 

 stormy day, and the party remained in their tents until 

 6 p.m. of the 7th. On the 9th they were well satisfied 

 with an advance of 3 miles. On the 10th July some 

 excitement was caused by the appearance of land to the 

 south-west. De Long was doubtful whether it was really 

 land, but next day from the top of a hummock he saw 

 unmistakable land, and also water. 



Cocoa and chocolate were now exhausted, and the 

 tea was reduced to half an ounce per man. The ice 

 became comparatively loose, and boats and sledges had 

 to be continually ferried across large openings on small 

 floes. On the 13th July the first serious breach of discipline 



