The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1873-10-25
The Region of Perpetual Winter.

voyage recently appeared IN one OF the
London papers. The party sailed from
Huh, Yorkshire, in May, in large
schooner yacht specially adapted for bat
thing with the ice in the Polar regions, and
manned by picked crew of experienced
whalers. They were bound for Spitzber-
gen, and even to sail round the island, the
party indulging in such sport as from time
to time presented itself. The account CON
tinues; The marvels Of the northern seas
come quickly; Van Mayen's Island lies in
the ships course, and, as they near it, the
whole air is alive with white winged armies
Of sea birds, the high cliffs being tenanted
by another host at rest two rocks stand
out from the land, exactly resembling
swift-sailing ships, coming on with all sails
set, and heeling over to the gale; and the
icy peak Of Beerenberg rises above the sea
level 6S70 feet This beach has history
to tell full Of warning, and yet of weird
attraction, for here were bits of whale
boats, reduced to match-wood by the fright
full action of the boisterous seas fragments
ofwrecks of ships that had fought bravely
against the ice, but had been beaten, bits
Of masts of merchant vessels; huge piles
Of drift-wood, once stately trees on the
side Of some Siberian river, now stranded
on the Arctic coast, and the little tunnels
with which the sea-worms had perforated
it in every direction tenantless, for the
wood-borers cannot live in the temperature
Of the awful Arctic seas. The wild duck
and the white fox have the island to them
selves, and beyond it lies the true COM
mencement Of the west ice, the surge Of
the heavy sea breaking upon the outer
edge of the huge floating masses and the
illimitable distance laden with heavy
blocks, interspersed with fat snow. Sure
" here is the end ofall things, no ship can
ever get beyond this beautiful barrier
this spray-sprinkled diadem on the brow
Of the awful Ice King, shining with almost
'unbearable lustre of rubies, diamonds, en-
eralds and sapphires aud the laundering
sound Of the disrupted masses which strew
the sea is the warning of dismissal. They
heed neither, but sail toward the densest
part, through fringe of broken ice in a
heaving sea, forcing the schooner at all
speed, and charging the most likely place
for an entrance, as the surge rises and
falls with awful fury. They get through,
for they have men on board who are ac-
customed to deal with ice, to hit carefully,
and turn it gently from its way; and the
wonderful operation succeeds, the schooner
stands out to sea in broad channel, with
ice-walls on either side, and the first ter
rifle barrier lies between them and all life
that is less than arctic.
At first it is little difficult to grow ac-
customed to the absence Of darkness, then
the perpetual light becomes pleasant; but
there must be always some confusion about
time, especially when occupation is either
severe toll or strong excitement, when dan.
ger is never absent for long, and every Oh.
ject is absolutely strange and novel. tt
drift off into the indistinguishable fog Oh
an ice-layer when in pursuit of family o.
seals, wariest and most tantalizing of crea
lures, is only an incident, and then the
sailors begin to recall dismal precedents.
The whaling boats are in requisition
and the shoals Of seals multiply as the
schooner sails northward under the never
setting sun, amid scene of silent desola
tion, and frequently mufled in dense fog
awfully insignificant, alien, and alone
Suddenly they are q beset with ice" and
find themselves contemplating an aspect Of
nature, such as the painter might mag
inc, or the poet, with his lying license
might invent, or the Imagination Of 1
sleeper could fancy in dreams of night.
A great storm is blowing over the unfro
zen sea far away, but the schooner, fasten
ed to bit Of ice, whose two projecting
tongues keep off the pressure Of the out.
er ice, which has closed them up with
in two hundred yards, lies in deep calm
A boat is lowered, and the men sit in
dead silence in it, watching for the mar
whal, which are blowing near, and throw
up little jets Of yapor from the blow-hole.
on either side Of the head. The harpoonel
is ready, the tubs and the line are prepar
ed but the naTwhal is difficult game h,
goes at tremendous speed, and his range
Of vision is wide so that when he is drag
ged on to the ice, with his spotted hide
and polished horn, he is trophy Of the
FIRST class. Great hordes Of this curious
mammal travel through the Arctic seas
tusk to tusk, and tail to tail, like regi
ment Of cavalry thousands strong, anc
their play in great ice-encircled water
wastes is wonderful to see, as their dappled
sides curve close to the surface, and thu
fitting swords are thrust above the waves
in their reckless lunges or they suddenly
skim along the surface, curve their backs,
and plunge headlong down, following the
vagaries Of some chosen leader. When
the crew Of the schooner had killed their
first narwhal, they made vast fireplace
out Of his remains, the opening between
the ribs serving the purpose of CRATE,
packed in wood and oakum, and set fire to
the materials, in order that odorous fumes
might attract any bears that might be in
the neighborhood. But neither narwhal
nor bear causes such excitements as the
real "right-whale,n the tremendous giant
Of the seas, with the likeness Of mans
head and face in the roof of his mouth,
whose coming is waited for in speechless
expectation, whose capture Is the hardest
work that men can do, whose value repays
or all the labor and all the risk, even
men who have M avaa far fha hoanfv and