Page:The open Polar Sea- a narrative of a voyage of discovery towards the North pole, in the schooner "United States" (IA openpolarseanarr1867haye).pdf/172

 who were dragging the sledge, I found myself, without any warning, suddenly sinking through the snow, and was only saved by holding firmly to a wooden staff which I carried over my shoulder, fearful that such a misadventure might befall me. The staff spanned the opening and supported me until I could scramble out. The crack may not have been very deep, but, not having found any support for my feet, I felt glad to have been able to postpone the solution of the interesting scientific question, as to whether these fissures extend entirely through the body of the glacier, to some future occasion.

As we neared the centre of the glacier the surface became more smooth, and gave evidence of greater security. The great roughness of the sides was no doubt due to an uneven conformation of that portion of the valley upon which the ice rested.

Journeying then about five miles, we pitched our tent upon the ice, and, turning into it, after a hearty supper of hash, bread, and coffee, we slept soundly,—being too much fatigued to give thought to the temperature, which had fallen several degrees lower than during the previous night.

On the following day we traveled thirty miles; and the ascent, which, during the last march, had been at an angle of about 6°, diminished gradually to about one third of that angle of elevation; and from a surface of hard ice we had come upon an even plain of compacted snow, through which no true ice could be found after digging down to the depth of three feet. At that depth, however, the snow assumed a more gelid condition, and, although not actually ice, we could not penetrate further into it with our shovel without great difficulty. The snow was covered with