GEOGRAPHIC LITERATURE 275 



northeastward, with further surveys, followed in the spring of 1896 ; but 

 by far the most noteworthy sledge trip was that of the spring of 1897, 

 when Jackson, with one companion (Albert B. Armitage), traversed the 

 entire latitude of the more continuous portion of the archipelago, skirted 

 its northern coast, approached its western headlands, and resurveyed the 

 southern shore. The sledging trips were unique in Arctic exploration in 

 that horses (Russian ponies) were used, up to the middle of the long trip of 

 1897, when the last of the original four succumbed on the great glacier 

 covering the western portion of the westernmost island. The experience 

 seems to establish the explorer's opinion that the use of properly selected 

 horses is essential to the best results in polar work ; certainly Jackson's 

 longest trips were made possible only by this form of motive power, and 

 it seems evident that if a fresh supply of suitable ponies had been brought 

 in by the Windward in 1896, in lieu of the utterly useless reindeer, the 

 work of the expedition might have been materially facilitated and en- 

 hanced in extent. True, a special strain of horse-flesh is required ; do- 

 cility to the degree of taking kindly to snow-shoes or assistance over ice- 

 cracks and crevasses, hardiness enough to permit survival of snow-laden 

 gales down to temperatures of — 50°, and omnivorousness extending 

 at least to dog biscuit and bread, and even to bear meat and bacon, are 

 among the requisites ; yet all these requisites are met by the Russian 

 ponies, as Jackson's experience demonstrates. In the absence 



of the leader the naturalists at the home station, and at all other 

 times except in the dead night of polar darkness, the whole party 

 were occupied with studies and collections of the fauna and meager 

 flora, the fossils and rocks, and the other natural features of the re- 

 gion; while the leader and others made maps, numberless photo- 

 graphs, and admirable meteorologic records. The mode of life was 

 largely conventional — for Arctic regions; but the leader was a sports- 

 man, possessed of strong convictions concerning modes of maintaining 

 health, and kept the larder supplied by shooting bears, walruses, and 

 i duiing the short summer) loons and other fowl nesting in the cliffs. The 

 itinerary abounds in episodes, often approaching the tragic, and is of un- 

 surpassed interest throughout. The monotony of the boat trip in 1895 

 was relieved by a three days' gale, by which the party in their shaky craft 

 were blown out to sea, and so hardly and constantly beset that they were 

 unable even to reach the food on board or to protect themselves from 

 frost-bite, and were finally blown back to land by mere chance of wind 

 and weather ; the sledges crossed ice-cracks and soft sludge at sea and 

 crevasses on the glaciers over frail snow-bridges, and dogs and ponies were 

 again and again hauled out of jeopardy by their necks; in one case a 

 sledge-load of food for a considerable trip was lost through rotten ice, and 

 the return trip was a cold and hungry one. The interviews with fearless 

 and hungry bears ill the polar dark were often thrilling — as when one 

 over-curious hear took twenty- three inches of rifle barrel and a hand above 

 the wrist in his mouth before voting the contest a draw. Throughout, 

 the explorer reveals himself the typical Englishman in character, in 

 everyday custom, in mode of speech, and in habit of thought; he is mon- 

 arch over his small domain, ruling his yeomanry with rod of iron, yet 



