Page:Popular Science Monthly Volume 7.djvu/487

 Rh makes life, even in Melville Bay, charming and enjoyable. In former days the monotony of the detention in this bay was indeed wearisome, and the laborious work of tracking the clumsy, unwieldy ship, or cutting docks in the floe, was fatiguing and irksome in the extreme.

In the latitude of Cape York the "North Water" is generally reached, and this, so far as we know, has always been navigable to the entrance of Smith's Sound, and to a much higher latitude.

We will now assume that the month of September has arrived, and that the expedition has succeeded in reaching, we will say by way of illustration, the latitude of 84°. We are, of course, anticipating an open season, and a most favorable and prosperous run. Bay or pancake ice, which is newly-formed ice, is now forming, and it is absolutely necessary to seek winter quarters. A snug harbor is, if possible, found, protected as much as possible from the prevailing northeasterly winds, and arrangements are at once commenced for securing and housing-in the ship. One part of the ship's company is told off for this latter duty, which consists in unbending the sails, unreeving running rigging, sending down upper spars, and housing the ship in with a covering made of tilt-cloth. This is spread on spars that are secured fore and aft between the masts about fifteen feet above the deck, sloping down to the bows and the stern, and ridge-ropes set up to the rigging, about seven feet above the bulwarks. One entry only is made as a gangway, on what would be the lee-side of the prevailing wind. An observatory is built, and an ice-wall made to inclose the ship, the space inside the wall being kept free and clear, to be used for exercise, and as a promenade during the winter months. In the mean time, the other part of the ship's company will be preparing the sledges, and making the necessary preparations for the autumn sledge-traveling, all of which will have been carefully organized beforehand.

We now come to the most important feature of arctic work, namely, the sledge-traveling, which was first introduced by the late Admiral Sir Edward Parry, but which is most indissolubly associated with the name of McClintock, whose perseverance and energy have brought this system of traveling to such a state of perfection that we rely chiefly on its aid to procure for the forthcoming expedition that success which all England heartily and eagerly desires, and hopefully anticipates. Before describing the arrangements for the autumn traveling, let us take a brief retrospect of the sledging undertaken by Parry fifty-five years ago.

Parrv at Melville Island, in 1820, did not commence traveling operations until June. He used a cart, in all probability formed of the field-piece carriage and limber supplied to the ship. He was away only fourteen days, having traversed a distance of about 180 miles, averaging 12' per diem. His party consisted of twelve, including himself, out of which five were officers. On account of the excessive glare caused by the sun on the snow and ice, the party traveled during the