Northern Ohio journal. [volume] (Painesville, Ohio) 1872-1896, 1873-10-11

firearms, could have shot the musk
cattle and as many reindeer as pleased.
picked my way towards the nearest
pool, captured a dozen or so brant fowl,
that seemed tame as homebred ducks,
and would not get out of my way, and
dipping my fingers into the water,
tasted it. It was salt!
"Trembling. eager, excited, ran
back to my Esquimaux. He had his
bear already skinned and quartered. I
bade him gear his dogs, load the shed,
while l pushed OH down the green ra-
vine. We started; I heard him shout
with the hunters excitement as he sent
his arrows through a musk-ox and a
deer, but did not stop, for another ex-
citement drove me on. Presently, there
was loud roaring and dense clouds of
steam ahead of me, and l saw a group of
great geysers in the bottom and along
the sides of the ravine, putting and
steaming, and throwing aloft great jets of
boiling salt water. which splashing
down again, rolled in a smoking, gurg-
ling stream off orthward-whither To
the seal 1 knew that steam could end
no where else, and waving my hand to
Otuntok to follow, FASTENED on. The
stream widened and deepened; its sur
face was black with myriads of water
fowl; seals and walrus with their
young sported about in it.; and I saw
the incoming waves of a rapid advanc-
ing tide. Presently l heard familiar
booming sound, and climbing rock,
beheld the sea beating with great white
rollers over the bar at the mouth of the
cove along which 1 was travelling, and
stretching beyond. far and wide as the
eye could see, dark, turbulent, iceless,
the immemorial, changeless. unfrozen
ocean of the Pole! East and west the
frozen icefoot stretched for miles to sea
in tawny, wave-beaten foes and hum
muckS, but the bar and all che mouth
and inside of the cove or bay were free
from ice, suppose from the increased
temperature given the water by the ul-
ceasing flood that poured down from the
Geysers- 1 hurried down towards the
shore of the little bay, followed close by
Otunt0k, who was bewildered by the
sight of this region-a fair paradise to
his eyes. Before l reached 1t / was
thrilled by an old familiar sight, a
stranded whale-boat, bleached and bat
tered, seams open, paint worn off, yet
cedar timbers unrotted. and appoint
ments all complete. There was no
name about the boat. yet [ recognized
in her boat such az is used principally
in the sperm whale fishery of the Pacific.
There were no oars, masts, nor sails, but
under the stern thwarts was little
water-tight keg which knew the use of
(for all sperm whalers carry such, as a
precautiOn in case their ship should be
lost from them,) and which, when had
carefully opened it. contained, as [ ex-
pected, little compass in good condi-
ton, a pocket sextant, few pounds of
mOuldy biscuit, and bottle of rum.
had my watch, which 1 knew was in
good order, and set for convenience sake
to Greenwich time-it was my first en-
deavor to get an idea of my present
Whereabouts. Taking the latitude of
Cape Clarence (Which 1 knew to De
about 78 deg. W. for starting-point,
averaging my sledge courses and dis
tances, and thus getting a general idea
of where ought to be, was able, by
the watch, the compass, and a meridian
altitude of the sun to make out our posi-
ton as being somewhere near the
eighteenth meridien, and about 81 deg.
20 min. north latitude. This showed
that the shores of the open Polar Sea
trend southerly as we go west from
Greenland. 1t also satisfied me that l
was within 500 miles of the north pole,
| with an open sea to sail upon, and a
boat that might be fitted for sailing!
II Immediately began to make prepar-
ations for the eventful voyage, but
speedily found that 1 must go alone.
Otuntok was not willing to accompany
me. He was afraid of that fierce sea,
| and besides wanted to make his way
back to his people and lead them to this
happy valley, where so much animal
and vegetable life abounded, where
stranded wood was plenty, and where
water boiled of its own accord. We ar
ranged, therefore, that he should hunt
and lay up store of provisions while
repaired the boat. Part of the flesh he
killed he was to cache in the black, mis-
ty desert, so as to afford relief to the Es-
iquimaux on the return journey. had
but stone and my jack-knife, my har-
poon and needles, but l made a clever
job of the repairs. The east shore of the
little cove was strewn with broken tim.
bers; l even found part of che lateer
sail of a Japenese junk, and the broken
lance of Moldive islander, showing
that the Kuro Siwo current must de.
bouch not far away after its long en-.
counters with the ice. I caulked the
boat with twisted reindeer gut ani
strips of the skin. / patched 1t witt
sealskin and walrus hide; for nails
substituted sinews chewed by Otuntok'.
active grinders; the bearskin served IN,
in place of small sail, all that coule
manage; with the aid of fire, my pen.
knife, perseverance, and some broker
spars. l made good enough mast ant
three oars for my craft. l made thon:
for my harpoon, and the rope L needed
/, out of tough walrus skin, and substi
. tute for a water-cask l found in a sea
skin. These preparations took severa
days, l forget how many; but at last tn
boat was launched, and leaving Otun
tok and his dog bowling ON shore
steered safely across the bar and went t.
, sea on my journey due north!
J 'tThe wind was favorable, blowin
/ fresh from the south; the boat did no
leak, the bear skin kept her neat an,
trim to her work, and L sailed on
! course that was almost due north by tn
r compass, where 1t is probable variation
were corrected. In four hours ] wa
t out of sight of land, alone on the lone
: some Polar Sea. 1t was not, however
SO lonesome as might have been imae
e ined, for I constantly encountered
E great number of very large whales, VIII
E were exceedingly tame and disposed t
], be distressingly familiar on short az
f quaintance, so that had to steer out G
!. their way repeatedly. and once or twic
a to prick them with the harpoon to pre-
: vent them from running the boat dow
e or rubbing it to pieces against thei
i monstrous ribs in their porcine endes
y vors to scratch themselves. Three, fou
e days and nights thus, and estimate
S that my daily course was nigh a hur
e dred knots. Then there was a chang
S "a terrible, awful change. The win
f fell, the sea grew dull and leaden, til
sinking, damp, dreadful fog came pal
S pably down and wrapped me like
h shroud. Three-fourths Of my mes
p spoiled and grew so putrid 1 had t
t throw it overheard; next day even m
l walrus blubber was not eatable, and
d had nothing to depend upon but tn
J, mouldy biscuit and half dozen skinne
: birds. How long this lasted, cannt
: tell. [ took my oars and rowed, an
= when | was tired of rowing, 1 slep
:. The darkness, the closeness, the drear
Y ness drove me frantic, until 1 did M
+ take thought of time, nor day nor nigh
b nor the course l was steering. One ia!
), when a new chillDess In the air tol
e that ice was near, a fur seal came aboar
n the boat, and l killed it with blow {
|. an oar, drank the warm blood, and al
d the quivering flesh like beast. But
h simply renewed my strength of body
1t did not give me back my bewildered f;
a | entities again Ont of the fOy and cIou