THE SWEDISH GUNBOAT “SVENSKSUND” 169 A LAPLANDERS’ CAMP 175 A WHALE 181 DEPARTURE FOR A HUNTING EXPEDITION 189 ON THE ICEBERGS 195 DANE’S ISLAND SEEN BY THE MIDNIGHT SUN 203 SHIPS AMONG THE ICE 209 THE BALLOON CASE IN THE ICE 217 LANDING THE CAR 223 VIEW OF THE APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING HYDROGEN GAS FOR THE BALLOON 229 PLACING A GENERATOR 235 THE GAS APPARATUS 243 SKETCH OF THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE HYDROGEN GAS-PRODUCING APPARATUS 247 GETTING THE BALLOON CASE ASHORE 249 ON THE TOP OF THE BALLOON 257 THE INFLATED BALLOON IN ITS SHED, THE NORTHERN PART OF WHICH HAS BEEN REMOVED IN ORDER TO FACILITATE ITS DEPARTURE 267 THE MEMBERS OF THE EXPEDITION 275 ON THE BRIDGE OF THE “SVENSKSUND,” MESSRS. FRAENKEL, ANDRÉE, SVEDENBORG AND STRINDBERG 283 K. FRAENKEL 291 VIEW OF THE BALLOON TAKEN IMMEDIATELY AFTER ITS DEPARTURE 297 FACSIMILE OF ANDRÉE’S LAST MESSAGE 304 [Illustration: ANDRÉE SALOMON AUGUSTE ANDRÉE.] Introduction On the afternoon of Sunday, the 11th of July, 1897, the balloon _Ornen_ left the port of Virgo, Spitzbergen, carrying in its car Messrs. Andrée, Strindberg, and Fraenkel, the bold explorers, starting for the conquest of the North Pole. All the papers of the day were immediately filled with discussions in various strains, pessimistic or favourable comments and prognostications, articles full of hope or criticism,—each, in short, looking upon this extraordinary expedition from its own point of view. The first part of this bold enterprise is accomplished, and now we are confronted with the terrible question: Where are they? The comments took their usual course. However, towards the middle of August we heard that one of the carrier pigeons belonging to Andrée’s expedition had been killed, on the 22nd of July, by one of the seamen of the fishing boat _Alken_, between the Spitzbergen North Cape and the Seven Isles, in about 80° N. Lat. This pigeon carried a message, which was confirmed, more than a month later, when the whaler _Alken_ returned to Hammerfest; it was couched in the following terms:—