The Great Frozen Sea: A Personal Narrative of the Voyage of the "Alert"Markham, Albert Hastings, Sir
History
The Great Frozen Sea: A Personal Narrative of the Voyage of the "Alert"
Markham, Albert Hastings, Sir
Alert (Sloop : 1856-1895); Arctic regions; Nares, George S. (George Strong), 1831-1915
Another source of amusement during our stay in this harbour was chasing
"unies," as narwhals are invariably called by the whalers; but, although
a good deal of patience and perseverance was displayed in attempts to
harpoon them, these qualities were never rewarded, and the boats always
returned unsuccessful from their pursuit.
Our little check in this harbour produced a slight despondency in those
who, for the previous few days, had been most sanguine of pushing on.
This was always alluded to in the ward-room as the depression of the
social barometer, and was for the future daily registered!
On the morning of the 4th of August, a southerly gale having blown all
the previous night, a channel of open water was visible as far as Cape
Sabine. This was an opportunity not to be lost. Accordingly, at 4 A.M.,
the anchors were weighed, and, before a fresh but bitter cold wind, both
ships made sail, and succeeded, after having made so many futile
attempts, in rounding the Cape. Bearing away to the westward we steered
up Hayes Sound, keeping close in to the land, the grounded icebergs
giving us timely notice of shoal water. At noon, opening a perfectly
land-locked bay, and the ice being so closely packed ahead as to defy
farther progress, the vessels were steered for the entrance, and we soon
found ourselves in a beautiful inlet enclosed by high land, but bounded
on one side by one of the grandest sights it is possible to behold: two
enormous glaciers coming from different directions, but converging at
their termination. They reminded us of two huge giants silently
attempting to push and force each other away.
It was indeed a noble sight, and filled us with impatient curiosity for
the moment when we could land and indulge in a closer inspection.
Accordingly, the anchors were no sooner let go than several started for
the purpose of paying it a visit. Landing abreast of the ship, we had
rather a rough and tumble sort of a scramble over loose masses of
gneiss, until we emerged on the banks of the bed of the glacier--that
is, the bed formed by the water running from the glacier during the
summer thaws. The walking was most laborious, at one moment through a
wet swampy bog, and at another over rough sharp-pointed stones.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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