20 FARTHEST NORTH 



current along the east coast of Greenland is well known. 

 It may be assumed that it took at least 400 days to 

 accomplish this distance ; there remain, then, about 

 700 days as the longest time the drifting articles can 

 have taken from the New Siberian Islands to the Soth 

 degree of latitude. Supposing that they took the 

 shortest route — /. r., across the Pole — this computation 

 gives a speed of about 2 miles in 24 hours. On the 

 other hand, supposing they went by the route south of 

 Franz Josef Land, and south of Spitzbergen, they must 

 have drifted at much higher speed. Two miles in the 

 24 hours, however, coincides most remarkably with the 

 rate at which the /r^;/;/^//^ drifted during the last months 

 of her voyage, from January i to June 12, iSSi. In 

 this time she drifted at an average rate of a little over 

 2 miles in the 24 hours. If, however, the average speed 

 of the whole of the Jcanncttcs drifting be taken, it will 

 be found to be only i mile in the 24 hours. 



" But are there no other evidences of a current flowing 

 across the North Pole from Bering Sea on the one side 

 to the Atlantic Ocean on the other .f* 



"Yes, there are. 



" Dr. Rink received from a Greenlander at Godthaab 

 a remarkal^le piece of wood which had been found among 

 the drift-timber on the coast. It is one of the ' throwing 

 sticks ' which the Eskimo use in hurling their bird-darts, 

 but altogether unlike those used by the Eskimo on the 

 west coast of Greenland. Dr. Rink conjectured that it 



