CHAPTER II 



IN THE MELVILLE BAY PACK 



Melville Bay — On the Edge of the Dreaded Ice-pack — Fourth of July — Butting 

 the Ice — Accident to the Leader of the Expedition — Gloom on the " Kite " — 

 Blasting the " Kite " out of a Nip — A Real Bear and a Bear Hunt — A Chase on 

 the Ice — A Phantom Ship — Free of the Pack and in the North Water at Last — 

 The Greenland Shore to Barden Bay — First Sight of the Arctic Highlanders. 



Thursday, July 2. We are opposite the " Devil's Thumb," 

 latitude 74° 20', and now, at 8 P. M., are slowly making 

 our way through the ice which marks the entrance into the 

 Melville Bay " pack." 



Friday, July 3. At midnight the engine was stopped, the 

 ice being too thick for the " Kite " to make any headway. 

 At 6.30 A. M. we started again, and rammed our way along 

 for an hour, but were again forced to stop. At eleven o'clock 

 we tried it once more, but after a couple of hours came to a 

 standstill. We remained in this condition until after five 

 o'clock, when the engine was again started. For two hours 

 we made fairly good progress, and we thought that we should 

 soon be in open water, but a small neck of very heavy ice 

 stopped us. While we were on deck, the mate in the "crow's- 

 nest," which was hoisted to-day, sang out, "A bear! A bear!" 

 Off in the distance we could see an object floating, or rather 



