After the wars were over, Franklin began the study of science. But land life was dull for him, and he longed for the dangers and excitement of the sea. When word came that he had been chosen by the government to go in search of the North Pole, he was unspeakably happy. Soon two strong vessels were ready for the voyage. The command of the _Dorothea_ was given to Captain Buchan, while Franklin, with the rank of lieutenant, was put in command of the _Trent_. Their orders were to proceed northward between the islands of Spitzbergen and Greenland, and if they found the sea free from ice, to push ahead directly for the North Pole. Should they succeed in finding the pole, they were, if possible, to return by way of Bering strait, and thus prove the existence of a northwest passage. [Illustration: GLACIER, ENGLISH BAY, SPITZBERGEN.] The ships sailed out of the Thames river April 25, 1818. On May 10 they crossed the Arctic circle, and Franklin beheld for the first time the grand spectacle of the midnight sun. Shortly after the ships had crossed the circle, a terrible gale arose. The weather was bitterly cold, the snow came down fast, blinding the eyes of the sailors, and ice covered the brigs from bow to stern. Every time the bows came up out of the water a fresh layer of ice was formed upon them, and the vessels became so heavy that the sailors were obliged to chop the ice away with axes. The ropes also were frozen over, and in order to keep them ready for instant use, the sailors had continually to beat off the ice with sticks. The ice pack extended on all sides as far as the eye could reach, and little by little it closed around the ships. [Illustration: A SHIP IN THE ICE PACK.] Notwithstanding this, they managed to enter a bay on the coast of Spitzbergen, where Captain Buchan decided to remain until the pack should break up. Neither officers nor men were idle while at anchor in this bay. Some surveyed the harbor and made a map of it, while others measured the depth of the water with instruments which they had brought for that purpose. The magnetic needle was closely watched, and all its changes noted. Many went hunting and supplied the crew with meat of the seal and walrus. Meantime a close watch was kept upon the ice pack. Franklin learned to like the rugged Arctic scenery. Close to the shores of Spitzbergen were long, snow-covered valleys and high mountains, and between the mountains stood immense glaciers, glistening in the bright sunlight which had so little power to melt their surfaces.