THE VOYAGE OF THE PROTEUS TO LADY FRANKLIN BAY. 423 



with us is now as light at midnight as at noon, and it will so remain until about 

 the middle of October, when the long night will fairly begin. This is the only 

 thing I actually dread. Think of 140 days without the sun ! But others have 

 gone through the Arctic night and I think we can. But just think for a moment 

 how blessed, how glorious the sun will appear to us when it first again makes its 

 appearance next March ! 



We were very successful in our hunting, and in this we are ahead of the 

 other expeditions. At Upernavik and Rittenbeck(we stopped at the latter place 

 a day and a half), and at other places on the bay, we killed altogether and 

 brought to the ship nearly 800 birds, ducks, auks (a sort of a duck) and a few 

 geese. The Polaris and the British expedition did not get so many birds durinjj- 

 all the time they were here. My party, consisting of four of us, in one day's 

 shooting brought home 304 birds. This was the best day's sport. The mosi 

 noted place for bird-shooting is what is called "Sanderson's Hope," near Uper 

 navik. We went there in our whale-boat. It is an island of lofty mountains, 

 and the birds congregate there in countless numbers ard build their nests in tic 

 cliffs. The cliffs are vertical and of great height. The air is filled with birds, 

 and the noise made by their wings was like a violent hurricane of wind, when, in 

 fact, all was calm around us — the sea without a ripple. 



We also killed a polar bear. Most unexpectedly to us all, in crossing Mel 

 ville Bay we came across a bear on an ice floe. Of course all was excitement in 

 a moment. We were at supper, but hastily jumped up, and I found myself in a 

 boat, together with Lieutenant Lockwood and Mr. Clay, a gentleman who is with 

 the expedition, being rowed toward Bruin, and I did not realize that it was quite 

 chilly, and that I was only provided with slippers and without a coat and gloves, 

 until after the bear was dead. Several shots were fired at him from the ship, and 

 he was hit twice, once by myself, in the side, but neither shot stopped his move- 

 ments. Finally, from the boat I had the honor of sending a ball squarely through 

 his brain. We towed him after us and got him aboard the ship, and our photo-- 

 grapher took a picture of him. Before I left home the Remington Rifle Com- 

 pany sent me from New York their last improved rifle, and no doubt will be 

 pleased to learn that it killed the first white bear of our expedition. He was 

 coming directly toward the boat when I shot him, and looked very savage. He 

 was a powerful brute, and would have made short work of any man if he had got 

 near enough. 



We stopped here and there on our way up to' examine provisions which have 

 been left by different expeditions, and which we can use should it become neces- 

 sary. We stopped at Littleton Island, and from there I was sent with a party to 

 visit Lifeboat Cave, and the place where the ship Polaris sank. Part of the 

 Polaris' crew wintered there. This was quite historic ground. The wood per- 

 taining to the house had been taken away, not a vestige remaining, probably 

 by the Esquimaux. There -were all sorts of odds and ends, an old stove, stove- 

 pipe, iron, copper, lead, pieces of the engine, pulleys, etc., strewn around the 



V— 27 



