File:Farthest north; being the record of a voyage of exploration of the ship "Fram" 1893-96, and of a fifteen months' sleigh journey by Dr. Nansen and Lieut. Johansen (1897) (14775750204).jpg

Identifier: farthestnorthbei21897nans (find matches)
Title: Farthest north; being the record of a voyage of exploration of the ship "Fram" 1893-96, and of a fifteen months' sleigh journey by Dr. Nansen and Lieut. Johansen
Year: 1897 (1890s)
Authors: Nansen, Fridtjof, 1861-1930 Sverdrup, Otto Neumann, 1854-1930
Subjects: "Fram" Expedition. 1893-1896)
Publisher: New York, Harper & Brothers
Contributing Library: Smithsonian Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: Smithsonian Libraries

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ntime we weredoing our utmost to gain the ice, but it had developedcracks and channels in every direction. We managed toget some distance in the kayaks; but while I was cross-ing a wide channel on some loose floes I alighted onsuch poor ice that it sank under my weight, and I had tojump back quickly to escape a bath. We tried in sev-eral places, but everywhere it sank beneath us and oursledges, and there was nothing for it but to take to thewater, keeping along the lee-side of the ice. But we hadnot rowed far before we perceived that it was of no useto have our kayaks lashed together in such a wind ; wehad to row singly, and sacrifice the walrus hide andblubber, which it then became impossible to take with us.At present it was lying across the stern of both kayaks.While we were busy effecting these changes we weresurrounded, before we were aware of it. by ice, and hadto pull the kayaks up hastily to save them from beingcrushed. We now tried to get out at several places, but Plate XHI.
Text Appearing After Image:
Streamers of Aurora Borealis, 28tli Novel LAND AT LAST 401 the ice was in constant motion ; it ground round as ina whirlpool. If a channel opened, we had no soonerlaunched our kayaks than it once more closed violently,and we had to snatch them up in the greatest haste.Several times they were within a hairs-breadth of beingsmashed. Meanwhile the storm was steadily increasing,the spray dashed over us, and we drifted farther andfarther out to sea. The situation was not pleasant. At length, however, we got clear, and now discovered,to our joy, that by exerting our utmost strength wecould just force the kayaks on against the wind. Itwas a hard pull, and our arms ached; but still we creptslowly on towards land. The sea was choppy andbad, but our kayaks were good sea-boats; and evenmine, with the bullet-hole in it, did so well that I keptto some extent dry. The wind came now and then insuch gusts that we felt as if it might lift us out of thewater and upset us; but gradually, as we drew near

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