New lands within the Arctic circle: Narrative of the discoveries of the Austrian ship "Tegetthoff" in the years 1872-1874Payer, Julius
History
New lands within the Arctic circle: Narrative of the discoveries of the Austrian ship "Tegetthoff" in the years 1872-1874
Payer, Julius
Admiral Tegetthoff (Ship); Arctic regions; Franz Josef Land (Russia) -- Discovery and exploration
which, if lost, could never be replaced. But even apart from my personal
feeling for Zaninovich, I keenly felt the reproaches to which I should be
exposed of incautious travelling on glaciers; and it gave me no comfort
to think that my previous experiences in this kind of travelling over
the glaciers of Greenland appeared to justify my proceedings. Stung with
these reflections, I pressed on at the top of my speed, leaving Orel far
behind me. Bathed in perspiration, I threw off my bird-skin garments, my
boots, my gloves, and my shawl, and ran in my stockings through the deep
snow. After passing the labyrinth of icebergs I saw the rocky pyramid
of Cape Schrötter before me in the distance. The success of my venture
depended on the weather. If snow-driving should set in, and footprints
should be obliterated, it would be impossible to find Hohenlohe Island.
All around me it was fearfully lonely. Encompassed by glaciers, I was
absolutely alone. At last I saw Klotz emerge from behind an iceberg
at some distance off, and though I continued to shout his name till
I almost reached him, I failed to rouse him from his usual reverie.
When at last he saw me breathlessly pushing on, scarcely clothed, and
constantly calling, his sack slipped from his back, and he stared at me
as if he had lost his senses. When the hardy son of the mountains came to
understand that Zaninovich with the sledge was buried in the crevasse,
he began to weep, in his simplicity of heart taking the blame of what
had happened on himself. He was so agitated and disturbed, that I made
him promise that he would do himself no mischief, and then, leaving him
to his moody silence, I ran on again towards the island. It seemed as if
I should never reach Cape Schrötter; with head bent down I trudged on,
counting my steps through the deep snow; when I raised it again, after a
little time, it was always the same black spot that I saw on the distant
horizon. At last I came near it, saw the tent, saw some dark spots creep
out of it, saw them gather together, and then run down the snow-slope.
These were the friends we had left behind. A few words of explanation,
with an exhortation to abstain from idle lamentation, were enough. They
at once detached a second rope from the large sledge, and got hold of a
long tent-pole. Meantime I had rushed upon the cooking-machine, quickly
melted a little snow to quench my raging thirst, and then we all set off
again—Haller, Sussich, Lukinovich, and myself—to the Middendorf glacier.
Tent and provisions were left unwatched; we ran back for three hours
and a half; fears for Zaninovich gave such wings to my steps, that my
companions were scarcely able to keep up with me. Ever and anon, I had
to stop to drink some rum. At the outset we met Orel, and rather later
Klotz, both making for Cape Schrötter, Klotz to remain behind there, and
Orel to return with us at once to Middendorf glacier. When we came among
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