The Frozen North: An Account of Arctic Exploration for Use in SchoolsHorton, Edith
History
The Frozen North: An Account of Arctic Exploration for Use in Schools
Horton, Edith
Arctic regions
Myah, who was called the white man, insisted upon holding both his
knife and spoon in his right hand, and then using his fingers to carry
the food to his mouth. He was rude enough to stand up and try to
harpoon some choice pieces of meat from the stew with his fork. The
Villain reproved him so gravely that he stopped harpooning and turned
his attention to his own plate. It is barely possible that the Villain
was not shocked at the manners of Myah, the white man, but that he
wanted the choice piece of meat himself.
After the stew they had coffee, candy, and raisins, and then the
Eskimos and the white men played games together.
Gradually the long night passed away, and at length it was almost time
for the sun to appear. Peary had ordered an igloo to be built on the
ice cap at an elevation of about two thousand and fifty feet, so that
he might use it when he went up to see the sun rise.
When this igloo was completed, Peary, Dr. Cook, and Astrup started out
one morning, with provisions and sleeping bags, in the hope of catching
a first glimpse of the sun. When they reached the igloo they were very
tired. After supper they took off their fur clothes, crawled into their
sleeping bags, and went to sleep. When Peary awoke, the fine snow was
drifting in his face, and the wind was blowing a terrific gale. The
entrance was blocked with snow, and the three men were buried beneath
the drifts.
Peary rolled himself out with great difficulty, and succeeded in
finding a shovel. Then he and Dr. Cook pulled Astrup out, and the three
men found themselves on top of the drift under which the snow house was
buried. They were without shelter, two thousand feet above sea level,
while the storm was raging so fiercely that they had to shout to one
another in order to be heard.
After a while the snow turned to rain, which froze and covered
everything with ice. Their heavy outside clothes were buried in the
snow house, and they were clad only in their under garments. If it had
not been for the sleeping bags, they would have frozen to death, and
even as it was, their condition was serious. But at length the storm
ceased and the half-frozen men succeeded in digging out their garments.
They were obliged to dress in the open air, with the wind blowing and
the thermometer standing at 3° above zero.
As soon as they were dressed they started for home, and reached Red
Cliff House in safety, warm with exercise. Here, they were informed,
the storm had likewise been terrific. The rain had fallen in torrents,
washing away the snow covering of the house and soaking through the
canvas roof. But Red Cliff House was stanchly built and stood firm.
[Illustration: RED CLIFF HOUSE AFTER THE STORM.]
The long Arctic night had passed away with the storm, and the western
sky was aflame with gorgeous colors; brilliant yellow shaded into pale
rose and green. Misty lights of purple and green floated over the ice,
and the storm was forgotten in the beauty of the new day.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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