Page:The open Polar Sea- a narrative of a voyage of discovery towards the North pole, in the schooner "United States" (IA openpolarseanarr1867haye).pdf/320

 for which I had striven, without success, the previous autumn. It was evident that every thing depended upon being now able to make good what I had lost by that failure, through a chain of circumstances which I have no need to repeat, as the reader will recall the struggle which resulted in the crippling of my vessel, and which had nearly caused its total wreck among the ice-fields in the mouth of the Sound. If the state of the ice should prove favorable to a speedy crossing of the Sound to Grinnell Land, or even to securing, without much delay, a convenient point of departure on the Greenland side beyond Humboldt Glacier, I had little doubt as to the successful termination of my summer labors.

Upon reaching Sunrise Point we found the ice to be very rough and insecure, and the tide of the previous night had opened a wide crack directly off the point, which it was necessary for us to cross. This crack had been closed over but a few hours, and the dogs hesitated a moment at its margin; but Jensen's whip reassured them, and they plunged ahead. The ice bent under their weight, and, as if by a mutual understanding, the team scattered, but not in time to save themselves, for down they all sank, higgledy-piggledy, into the sea, dragging the sledge after them. Being seated on the back part of it, I had time to roll myself off, but Jensen was not so fortunate, and dogs, sledge, driver and all were floundering together in a confused tangle among the broken ice. Kalutunah, who was a few paces in the rear, coming up, we extricated them from their cold bath. Jensen was pretty well soaked, and his boots were filled with water. Being only five miles from the schooner, I thought it safest to drive back as rapidly as possible rather than