The record-union., 1892-11-12

breaking in calm summer days on the
beach at Seabright or Long Branch or on
the long white Caribbean beaches backed
by palms and wavering under the yertl-
cal sun.
The following day was but repetition
of the last. and we skipped merrily along
on our way at a constant elevation OF
about 5000 feet, the Land Mountains vis-
Ible to the northwest nearly all the time
AT the close of this march we turned in
in the best of spirits. We had again
made over twenty miles, and there was
every indication that we had now sur
mounted all obstacles and would have
PLAIN sailing for the rest of our journey.
Both ourselves and our dogs were in the
best of condition and our supplies were
ample yet ior long advance. The tenn
perature had become SO high that at this
camp l seized the opportunity TO take an
other refreshing snow bath and discard
my dogskin and deerskin suit for my
reserve suit OF sealskin. The record of
June 10Th is best told by my journal:
IN a LAND OF GLOOM.
''Slept in my kitchen last night with no
covering. This morning, as we started,
heavy, white clouds covered the entire
sky, except a narrow ribbon of blue
south and southwest. My course was
northeast true, but land appearing to
the northwest, north, and northeast. soon
after starting, | changed my course an
hour later to east true. The loom of the
land extended all the way round to the
east, but fortunately for nv spirits "a
high ice cap is visible north over the COM
paratively fiat, round top, ice-capped
land. The entrance to ford with pre-
clpltous black shores lies ncrth-north-
west true from us. AS we advanced to
the east the clouds increased in density,
and light, driving SHOWS came up from
the southwest, shrouding the ice with
that shadowless light which makes even
the snow beneath ones feet invisible
L Kept on, however, still keeping my
course to the wind until the very per-
ceptlble descent warned me from past ex-
periences to halt and wait for clear
weather. This l did after march OF ten
miles. When the snow ceased several
hours later the land loomed up close
ahead OF US, and had | continued blindly
through the fog l should have brought
up right in the head of a large glacier
discharging to the northward."
Our next march to the southeast was a
short one, only ten miles, and parallel
with the land. Dark brown and red cliffs
looked down into grand, vertical. walled
canyon reaching up toward our camp,
and everywhere to the northwest, north
and east black and dark red precipices,
deep valleys, mountain capped with
cloud-shadowed domes of ice, stretched
away in a wild panorama upon which no
human eye had ever looked before The
glorious summer calm and warmth of the
last three days was now accounted for by
the presence Of SO much surrounding
land.
VIEWING A STRANGE LAND.
Assuming the ford ahead of me to be
Victoria Inlet, and thinking could round
1t as had already rounded Peterman, st.
Georges and Sherard Osborne fjords. [
kept away to the southeast. parallel with
the edge of the inland ice and the shore
But always as l advanced the mountains
of the shore grew into view before me-
keeping me constantly to the southeast
till the lst of July. On that day wide
opening, bounded on either side by high,
vertical cliffs, showed up in the northeast
over the SUBMITS Immediately adjacent
to the inland ice. Changing my course
to northwest, my elevation at the time be-
ing some 5000 feet above the sea level
ski and sledges and dogs sped merrily
down the constantly increasing gradient
of the ice cap, straight for the red brown
mountains of the strange land. The land
though yet some miles away, seemed as if
at our very feet, and as if we might easily
throw stone upon it. We could plainly
see the green rivers and lakes along the
margin of the ice, and the murmur of
roaring cataracts came softly to our ears
l selected the highest convex Of a cres-
cent moraine, which climbed well up
into the ice cap. as my landing point, and
after Wadlng lnnumerable streams and
tioundering through a mile of slush which
covered the lower portion of the ice, we
clambered upon the confused rocks of the
moraine and dragged the sledge up high
and dry, stopping only long enough to
open tin of pemmican and change my
ski for snow shoes. L left Astrup to look
= Il
on down to the land for the purpose of
climbing summit some five miles from
the edge of the sea, which apparently
commanded a full view of the great
break in the coast ribbon. A mile or more
of slush, 200-foOt slide down the nearly
45-degree slope of the extreme edge of the
ice, and my feet were on the sharp, chaos
strewn rocks which cover the iceward
border of this land of rock. The fierce
July sun, though but a little past the
northern meridian, beat down upon me
with oppressive warmth. Before me the
warm red-brown landscape wavered and
trembled in the yellow light beyond me.
toward the binding white of the ice. Be
meath my feet the stones were bare even
of lichen, and had dry gray look as if
they were the bones Of a dead world
And yet | felt that with 50 much warmth
and richness of coloring there must be
life, and sure enough hardly had | gone
one hundred yards from the edge of the
ice when beautiful little black and
white songster tiuttered up from behind
a rock, lowered singing almost within
reach above my mead, and settled upon a
bleak stone but few feet distant to finish
his merry song.
FOLLOWING MUSK-OX TRAILS.
From this point on the musk-ox trails
were as thick as sheep paths in a New
England pasture; and knowing the sa-
gacity of these animals in the selection of
a favorable route, was glad to make use
of their paths. But my mountain seemed
to recede as l advanced, and it was eight
hours before | reached its summit, onlv
to find that two or three other sun1mits
interviewed between me and the full view
out, through the fault in the coast line
The five miles of apparent distance had
heightened out to at least twelve miles of
actual distance, and most men, less ac-
customed TO estimating distance than I
had been, would have called it consider
ably more. was strongly tempted to 90
out still farther, but the condition of NV
footgear precluded it. The soles of both
Kammiks were already cut through. and
one or two edges of sharp rock had even
reached and cut my feet. 1t was ques-
tlonable whether | could fix up my foot
gear to enable me to get back without
more or less serious injury to my feet
With the assistance OF pair of Sealskin
mittens and a knit skull-cap patched up
my footgear, and after an hours rest
started on my return to the camp on the
moraine. Long before l reached the
edge of the ice l was obliged to add to the
protection of nv feet such portions OF
my garments as l could spare, as it was
with such feelings as one who had been
suddenly relieved from an excruciating
toothache that l stepped from the ragged
rocks the inland ipa and SIR "a
on my Snowshoes.
AS l neared the moraine 1 saw Astrup
perched on its summit, looking anxiously
for me- for I had heen zone fiftaen hn1rS