Page:The open Polar Sea- a narrative of a voyage of discovery towards the North pole, in the schooner "United States" (IA openpolarseanarr1867haye).pdf/415

 *ing out of sight, gave me timely warning; so we put back again to the more secure land-ice.

In the bay below Cape Napoleon we found, on the following day, secure footing, and reached Cape Hawks without difficulty, in two more marches. Thence we proceeded to follow our outward track through the hummocks. The sledges being now light, and Jensen having so far improved as to be able to walk, we experienced less embarrassment than on our outward journey; but the dogs were now in a very different condition, and lightness of load leveled not the hummocks and made not the steep places smooth, nor the ice less sharp, nor the snow-crusts less treacherous. The task was wearisome and exhausting to the last degree,—a hard struggle, destructive to the energies of men and dogs alike.

Some snow had fallen, but, fortunately, the wind had drifted it from our tracks in many places, and we found our way to the small provision caches which we had left going north, and, luckily, they had all escaped the observation of the bears except one; but, having made a good march on the first day from Cape Hawks, we picked up the first cache we came to, and thus saved a day's food,—a piece of good fortune which we had not counted upon.

The coast of Greenland rose at length into view, and, steadily rising day by day, we came within sight of Cairn Point; but, for some time previous, we were warned of the rapid advance of the season by the dark water-sky which lay before us, showing that the open water extended up to the Point, for which we were shaping our course. On the north side of it, however, the ice appeared to be solid. Thinking that we could make the land in that direction, we pushed