New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-06-04

the arms or the Jackson party. 1tlc w ''"'
quote Mr.. Jackson's own words on the meeting:
Just after dinner Armitage came rushing
in to tell me that through ms neIdEldss ~
could see n man on the Zoe to the south -SoutH-
east Of Cape Flora. about four miles on %:
| got a gun with all speed. ana HIlhs ",
shot on the bank to endeaYor 10 arrest the
strangers attention, | started OH 10 meet MN
coming across the ice . on our approach
ing each other, about three miles distant rom
the land. | saw tall man on SKI WIN roughly
made clothes. and an old felt hat on ms head
He was covered with oil ana grease. and black
from head to foot. at o0ce concluded from
his wearing ski that he was no EnglSh sailor
but that he must be a man from some Nor
wegian walrus sloop VINO had come to grieI
and had wintered somewhere on FranZ-JoSeI
Land in very rough circumstances his mar
was very long and dirty. his compleXOh APP
peared to be fair. but dirt prevented me from
being sure on the point, and his beard was
sraggly and dirty also.
We shook hands heartily and I expressed the
greatest pleasure at seeing him. | inquired II
he had a ship ono" he replied. my ship is not
here'-rather sadly. / thought-and then ne re,
marked. in reply to my question, that ne had
only one companion. who was at the foe edge
1t then struck me that his features. in spite OF
the black grease and long hair and bearn. re-
sembled hansen. whom had met once In Lon
don before he started in 1897. and exclaimed:
Aren't you Nansen?
To which he replied
yes / am NanSen.
With much heartiness I shook him warmly
by the hand and said.
"By JOye I'm ID glad TO sec YOU
Well may Mr.. Jackson say that "a more re-
markable meeting than ours was never heard
Of" hansen did not know that the Jackson
Harinsworth expedition was in Franz-Josef
Land. To him and to Johansen 1t was over
whelming to stumble upon a camp with com
forts and luxuries that after their terrible Jour
nev seemed equal to those of London or their
.,I Will chs
and made much of; they were able to have At
last "a wash and brush-up." and got into
clothes given to them by their hosts. For Nan
sen there was even tin case fui! OF Ie''e''
though among these. because Of some accident
there were none from his wife. The omission
was explained, however, and on the night Of his
arrival hansen sat up talking till o'clock In the
morning. The takers turned in then, but soon
cot I'D again. Nansen said "he did not want 70
sleep he felt 80 happy" He proved. as the days
went on a deeply interesting companion LII
tie by little as the facts came out in daily con
versation. Mr. Jackson learned to realize the
full significance of the "heart-breaking" life
which hansen and Johansen endured on their
lonely Journey Yet neither of the two suffered
in physique Both were in splendid condition.
and still full of energy. Nansen going out with
or on ski. and at all times spelling for an
argument on politics. But in July the Wind
ward returned from England, where she had
been while Mr.. Jackson was pursuing his eX-
plorations and early in August she took Nansen
back to Christiania, leaving his hosts to their
labors. They were not destined to have an
other such exciting interruption.
The only other really exciting occurrences a.
bo bun of
occasion these became very nearly tragic, as
witness this description Of one hard-fought
battle at night with bear: Wishing to make
certain of him | went up to within six or seven
wards of him. when he rushed at me, at first with |
his head low down, at which fired; but just as
| did so he threw his head up. causing the bull |
let to go between his forelegs. and he came on
at me with regulation menagerie roar /
and his mouth wide OPEN and in a sec
ond he was upon me. / could feel his |
warm breath upon my face, could see the CLEAN /
OF his teeth and the shape of his long gray |
tongue and the furious glare in his savage eyes
/ had Just time to remove the rifle FROM my .
shoulder half-dazzled as I by its flash in
the darkness and 10 thrust the barrel with all
my force into his open jaws and then draw ii
back for another thrust This was trifle too
much for him. apparently as he whipped short
round, and took to the water, covered with thin
ice as it Ny left hand, which entered his
mouth up to the wrist, shown 10y the teeth
marks upon it. bled good DEAL although the
wounds little more than deep scratches"
Pluck of another sort was shown by Mr. Jack
son, when the question arose of utilizing the
bears he killed. Much of the meat is eaten,
matter OF course. but some Arctic explorers
that the liver is poisonous Mr. Jackson
and the doctor OF the eXnedition therefore sat