The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1909-09-30
fK1fH', EpOE,D
:sS~BY JULES VERSE. aean

the sledge. They had been having
good time of It all the winter,
and might be expected to do good
service during the summer.
II was at in the morning
when the expedition started. Aft
er following the windings of the
bay and going past Cape Wash
ington, they struck into the d.
rect route for the north, and by
Ia o'clock had lost sight of the
lighthouse and FIT. Providence.
During the first two days
they made 20 miles in IL hours,
devoting the remainder of the time
to rest and meals. The tent was
quite sufficient protection during
sleep.
The temperature began to rise.
In many places the snow melted
entirely away, and great patches
of water appeared.
Hunting was not forgotten
during the march, for fresh meat
was necessity. Altamont and
Bell kept their guns loaded, and
shot pharmigans, guillemots,
geese, and a few young hares.
Hatteras advised them not to
go more than a mile away, as
theer was not a day, nor even an
hour, to lose, for three months of
fine weather was the utmost they
could count upon. Besides, the
sledge was often coming to diff
cult places, when each man was
needed to lend a helping hand.
For several days the expedition
had been attended with no ia
tigue. The travellers had only
suffered from the intense glare Of
the sun on the snow, which threat
ened them with snow-blindness.
At another time of the year the,
might have avoided this by walk
ing during the night, but at pres
ent there was no night at all
Happily the snow was beginning
to melt, and the brilliancy woult
diminish as the process of dissolu
tion advanced.
On the Sth of June the Their
mometer rose to As degrees, ant
4 the rain fell in torrents. Hattera
and his companions, however
marched stoically on, and ever
hailed the downpour with delight
knowing that it would hasten tn,
disappearance of the snow. -
AS they went along, the doctp
often picked up stones, boil
round ones and the flat pebbles
as If worn away by the tide. n,
thought from this they must 10,
near the Polar basin, and yet IA
as the eye could reach was on,
interminable plain. n
There was not trace o
houses, or huts, or cairns visible
1t was evident that the Green
landers had not pushed their wa.
so far north, and yet the famish
ed tribes would have found thei
| account in coming, for the countr.
abounded in game. Bears wer,
II
, herds of musk-oxen and deer.
! On the goth Bell killed a fox
} and Altamont a musk-ox. Thes,
supplies of fresh food were yer.
acceptable, and even the doctol
surveyed, with considerable salts
faction, the launches of mea
they managed to procure from
thine to time.
Don't let us stint ourselves,
he used to say on these occasions
food is no unimportant matter
in expeditions like ours"
: Especially, said johnson
when meal depends on lucky
Ishot."
You're right, Johnson; mar
docs not think SO much about
dinner when he knows the soup
pot is simmering by the kitchen
fire."
On the 30th, they came to a dis
trict which seemed to have been
upturned by some volcanic con-
cones and sharp, lofty peaks.
i A strong breeze from the south
east was blowing, which soon in
creased to a hurricane, sweeping
over the rocks covered with snow
and the huge masses of ice which
took the forms of icebergs and
hummocks, though on dry land.
| On all sides nothing could be
heard but the noise of cracking
Ice and falling avalanches.
The travellers had to be very
careful In avoiding hills, and even
in speaking aloud, for the slight
est agitation in the air might
have caused a catastrophe. In
deed, the suddenness is the pecu-
liar feature in arctic avalanches,
distinguishing them from those of
Switzerland and Norway.
Often the dislodgement of
a block of ice is instantaneous,
and not even a cannon ball or
thunderbolt could be more rapid
in its descent. The loosening,
the fall and the crash happen al
most simultaneously. ?
Happily. however, no accident
befell any of the party, and three
days afterwards they came to
smooth, level ground again.
On the Fourth of July there was
such an exceedingly dense fog
that it was very difficult to keep
the straight course for the north.
No fnfaadvanfuro howovar hafaII