Page:The open Polar Sea- a narrative of a voyage of discovery towards the North pole, in the schooner "United States" (IA openpolarseanarr1867haye).pdf/377



THE PROSPECT AHEAD.—TO CAPE NAPOLEON.—TO CAPE FRAZER.—TRACES OF ESQUIMAUX.—ROTTEN ICE.—KENNEDY CHANNEL.—MILDNESS OF TEMPERATURE.—APPEARANCE OF BIRDS.—GEOLOGICAL FEATURES OF COAST.—VEGETATION.—ACCIDENT TO JENSEN.

Although much gratified with the success which I had achieved against such desperate obstacles, yet, when I came to reflect upon my situation, in connection with the expectations which I had entertained at setting out, I had little heart to feel triumphant. The thirty-one days occupied in crossing the Sound, the failure to get the boat, or even a foot party over, had disarranged my original plans; while the severity of the labor, and the serious and unexpected draft made upon my provisions by the extra feeding of the dogs, in order to keep up their strength, had so much reduced my resources that, for the present season, I could have little hope of making any extended exploration. Under ordinary conditions of traveling, much less than one half the amount of food which I gave to the animals daily would have amply sufficed for their sustenance. As it was, the eight hundred pounds of dog-food which I had when the foot party left me, was reduced by consumption and small depots for our return journey to about three hundred pounds,—in no case more than sufficient for twelve days. The most that I could now expect to do was to explore the route to the shores of the Polar Sea, as