letters from high latitudes-第29章

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th　the　island　of　Jan　Mayen。　Soon　afterwards；　the　discovery　by　Hudson　and　Davis；　of　the　seas　and　straits　to　which　they　have　given　their　names；　diverted　the　attention　of　the　public　from　all　thoughts　of　a　north…east　passage；　and　the　Spitzbergen　waters　were　only　frequented　by　ships　engaged　in　the　fisheries。　The　gradual　disappearance　of　the　whale；　and　the　discovery　of　more　profitable　fishing　stations　on　the　west　coast　of　Greenland；　subsequently　abolished　the　sole　attraction　for　human　being　which　this　inhospitable　region　ever　possessed；　and　of　late　years；　I　understand；　the　Spitzbergen　seas　have　remained　as　lonely　and　unvisited　as　they　were　before　the　first　adventurer　invaded　their　solitude。

Twice　only；　since　the　time　of　Fotherby；　has　any　attempt　been　made　to　reach　the　pole　on　a　north…east　course。　In　1773；　Captain　Phipps；　afterwards　Lord　Mulgrave；　sailed　in　the　〃Carcass〃　towards　Spitzbergen；　but　he　never　reached　a　higher　latitude　than　81　degrees。　It　was　in　this　expedition　that　Nelson　made　his　first　voyage；　and　had　that　famous　encounter　with　the　bear。　The　next　and　last　endeavour　was　undertaken　by　Parry；　in　1827。　Unable　to　get　his　ship　even　as　far　north　as　Phipps　had　gone；　he　determined　to　leave　her　in　a　harbour　in　Spitzbergen；　and　push　across　the　sea　in　boats　and　sledges。　　The　uneven　nature　of　the　surface　over　which　they　had　to　travel；　caused　their　progress　northward　to　be　very　slow；　and　very　laborious。　The　ice　too；　beneath　their　feet；　was　not　itself　immovable；　and　at　last　they　perceived　they　were　making　the　kind　of　progress　a　criminal　makes　upon　the　treadmill；the　floes　over　which　they　were　journeying　drifting　to　the　southward　faster　than　they　walked　north；　so　that　at　the　end　of　a　long　day's　march　of　ten　miles；　they　found　themselves　four　miles　further　from　their　destination　than　at　its　commencement。　Disgusted　with　so　Irish　a　manoeuvre；　Parry　determined　to　return；　though　not　until　he　had　almost　reached　the　83rd　parallel；　a　higher　latitude　than　any　to　which　man　is　known　to　have　penetrated。　Arctic　authorities　are　still　of　opinion；　that　Parry's　plan　for　reaching　the　pole　might　prove　successful；　if　the　expedition　were　to　set　out　earlier　in　the　season；　ere　the　intervening　field　of　ice　is　cast　adrift　by　the　approach　of　summer。

Our　own　run　to　Bear　Island　was　very　rapid。　On　getting　outside　the　islands；　a　fair　fresh　wind　sprung　up；　and　we　went　spinning　along　for　two　nights　and　two　days　as　merrily　as　possible；　under　a　double…reefed　mainsail　and　staysail；　on　a　due　north　course。　On　the　third　day　we　began　to　see　some　land　birds；　and　a　few　hours　afterwards；　the　loom　of　the　island　itself；　but　it　had　already　begun　to　get　fearfully　cold；　and　our　thermometer；　which　I　consulted　every　two　hours；　plainly　indicated　that　we　were　approaching　ice。　My　only　hope　was　that；　at　all　events；　the　southern　extremity　of　the　island　might　be　disengaged；　for　I　was　very　anxious　to　land；　in　order　to　examine　some　coal…beds　which　are　said　to　exist　in　the　upper　strata　of　the　sandstone　formation。　This　expectation　was　doomed　to　complete　disappointment。　Before　we　had　got　within　six　miles　of　the　shore；　it　became　evident　that　the　report　of　the　Hammerfest　Sea…horseman　was　too　true。

Between　us　and　the　land　there　extended　an　impenetrable　barrier　of　packed　ice；　running　due　east　and　west；　as　far　as　the　eye　could　reach。

＇Figure：　fig…p162。gif＇

What　was　now　to　be　done？　If　a　continuous　field　of　ice　lay　150　miles　off　the　southern　coast　of　Spitzbergen；　what　would　be　the　chance　of　getting　to　the　land　by　going　further　north？　Now　that　we　had　received　ocular　proof　of　the　veracity　of　the　Hammerfest　skipper　in　this　first　particular；　was　it　likely　that　we　should　have　the　luck　to　find　the　remainder　of　his　story　untrue？　According　to　the　track　he　had　jotted　down　for　me　on　the　chart；　the　ice　in　front　stretched　right　away　west　in　an　unbroken　line；　to　the　wall　of　ice　which　we　had　seen　running　to　the　north；　from　the　upper　end　of　Jan　Mayen。　Only　a　week　had　elapsed　since　he　had　actually　ascertained　the　impracticability　of　reaching　a　higher　latitude；what　likelihood　could　there　be　of　a　channel　having　been　opened　up　to　the　northward　during　so　short　an　interval？　Such　was　the　series　of　insoluble　problems　by　which　I　posed　myself；　as　we　stood　vainly　smacking　our　lips　at　the　island；　which　lay　so　tantalizingly　beyond　our　reach。

Still；　unpromising　as　the　aspect　of　things　might　appear；　it　would　not　do　to　throw　a　chance　away；　so　I　determined　to　put　the　schooner　round　on　the　other　tack；　and　run　westwards　along　the　edge　of　the　ice；　until　we　found　ourselves　again　in　the　Greenland　sea。　Bidding；　therefore；　a　last　adieu　to　Mount　Misery；　as　its　first　discoverers　very　appropriately　christened　one　of　the　higher　hills　in　Bear　Island；　we　suffered　it　to　melt　back　into　a　fog；out　of　which；　indeed；　no　part　of　the　land　had　ever　more　than　partially　emerged；and　with　no　very　sanguine　expectations　as　to　the　result；　sailed　west　away　towards　Greenland。　During　the　next　four…and…twenty　hours　we　ran　along　the　edge　of　the　ice；　in　nearly　a　due　westerly　direction；　without　observing　the　slightest　indication　of　anything　approaching　to　an　opening　towards　the　North。　It　was　weary　work；　scanning　that　seemingly　interminable　barrier；　and　listening　to　the　melancholy　roar　of　waters　on　its　icy　shore。

At　last；　after　having　come　about　140　miles　since　leaving　Bear　Island；the　long；　white；　wave…lashed　line　suddenly　ran　down　into　a　low　point；　and　then　trended　back　with　a　decided　inclination　to　the　North。　Here；　at　all　events；　was　an　improvement；　instead　of　our　continuing　to　steer　W。　by　S。；　or　at　most　W。　by　N。；　the　schooner　would　often　lay　as　high　up　as　N。W。；　and　even　N。W。　by　N。　Evidently　the　action　of　the　Gulf　Stream　was　beginning　to　tell；　and　our　spirits　rose　in　proportion。　In　a　few　more　hours；　however；　this　cheering　prospect　was　interrupted　by　a　fresh　line　of　ice　being　reported；　not　only　ahead；　but　as　far　as　the　eye　could　reach　on　the　port　bow；　so　again　the　schooner's　head　was　put　to　the　westward；　and　the　old　story　recommenced。　And　now　the　flank　of　the　second　barrier　was　turned；　and　we　were　able　to　edge　up　a　few　hours　to　the　northward；　but　only　to　be　again　confronted　by　another　line；　more　interminable；　apparently；　than　the　last。　But　why　should　I　weary　you　with　the　detail　of　our　various　manoeuvres　during　the　ensuing　days？　They　were　too　tedious　and　disheartening　at　the　time；　for　me　to　look　back　upon　them　with　any　pleasure。　Suffice　it　to　say；　that　by　dint　of　sailing　north　whenever　the　ice　would　permit　us；　and　sailing　west　when　we　could　not　sail　north；　we　found　ourselves　on　the　2nd　of　August；　in　the　latitude　of　the　southern　extremity　of　Spitzbergen；　though　divided　from　the　land　by　about　fifty　miles　of　ice。　All　this　while　the　weather　had　been　pretty　good；　foggy　and　cold　enough；　but　with　a　fine　stiff　breeze　that　rattled　us　along　at　a　good　rate　whenever　we　did　get　a　chance　of　making　any　Northing。　But　lately　it　had　come　on　to　blow　very　hard；　the　cold　became　quite　piercing；　and　what　was　worsein　every　direction　round　the　whole　circuit　of　the　horizon；　except　along　its　southern　segment；a　blaze　of　iceblink　illuminated　the　sky。　　A　more　discouraging　spectacle　could　not　have　met　our　eyes。　The　iceblink　is　a　luminous　appearance；　reflected　on　the　heavens　from　the　fields　of　ice　that　still　lie　sunk　beneath　the　horizon；　it　was；　therefore　on　this　occasion　an　unmistakable　indication　of　the　encumbered　state　of　the　sea　in　front　of　us。

I　had　turned　in　for　a　few　hours　of　rest；　and　release　from　the　monotonous　sense　of　disappointment；　and　was　already　lost　in　a　dream　of　deep　bewildering　bays　of　ice；　and　gulfs　whose　shifting　shores　offered　to　the　eye　every　possible　combination　of　uncomfortable　scenery；　without　possible　issue；when　〃a　voice　in　my　dreaming　ear〃　shouted　〃LAND！〃　and　I　awoke　to　its　reality。　I　need　not　tell　you　in　what　double　quick　time　I　tumbled　up　the　companion；　or　with　what　greediness　I　feasted　my　eyes　on　that　longed…for　view；the　only　sightas　I　then　thoughtwe　were　ever　destined　to　enjoy　of　the　mountains　of　Spitzbergen！

The　whole　heaven　was　overcast　with　a　dark　mantle　of　tempestuous　clouds；　that　stretched　down　in　umbrella…like　points　towards　the　horizon；　leaving　a　clear　space　between　their　edge　and　the　sea；　illuminated　by　the　sinister　brilliancy　of　the　iceblink。　In　an　easterly　direction；　this　belt　of　unclouded　atmosphere　was　etherealized　to　an　indescribable　transparency；　and　up　into　it　there　gradually　grewabove　the　dingy　line　of　starboard　icea　forest　of　thin　lilac　peaks；　so　faint；　so　pale；　that　had　it　not　been　for　the　gem…like　distinctness　of　their　outline；　one　could　have　deemed　them　as　unsubstantial　as　the　spires　of　fairy…land。　The　beautiful　vision　proved　only　too　transient；　in　one　short　half　hour　mist　and　cloud　had　blotted　it　all　out；　while　a　fresh　barrier　of　ice　compelled　us　to　turn　our　backs　on　the　very　land　we　were　striving　to　reach。

Although　we　were　certainly　upwards　of　sixty　miles　distant　from　the　land　when　the　Spitzbergen　hills　were　first　observed；　the　intervening　space　seemed　infinitely　less；　but　in　these　high　latitudes　the　eye　is　constantly　liable　to　be　deceived　in　the　estimate　it　forms　of　distances。　Often；　from　some　change　suddenly　taking　place　in　the　state　of　the　atmosphere；　the　land　you　approach　will　appear　even　to　RECEDE；　and　on　one　occasion；　an　honest　skipperone　of　the　most　valiant　and　enterprising　mariners　of　his　dayactually　turned　back；　because；　after　sailing　for　several　hours　with　a　fair　wind　towards　the　land；　and　finding　himself　no　nearer　to　it　than　at　first；　he　concluded　that　some　loadstone　rock　beneath　the　sea　must　have　attracted　the　keel　of　his　ship；　and　kept　her　stationary。

The　next　five　days　were　spent　in　a　continual　struggle　with　the　ice。　On　referring　to　our　log；　I　see　nothing　but　a　repetition　of　the　same　monotonous　observations。

〃July　31st。Wind　W。　by　S。Courses　sundry　to　clear　ice。〃

〃Ice　very　thick。〃

〃These　twenty…four　hours　picking　our　way　through　ice。〃

〃August　1st。Wind　W。courses　variablefoggycontinually　among　ice　these　twenty…four　hours。〃

And　in　Fitz's　diary；　the　discouraging　state　of　the　weather　is　still　more　pithily　expressed：

〃August　2nd。Head　windsailing　westwardlarge　hummocks　of　ice　ahead；　and　on　port　bow；　i。e。　to　the　westwardhope　we　may　be　able　to　push　through。　In　evening；　ice　gets　thicker；　we　still　hold　onfog　comes　onice　getting　thickerwind　freshenswe　can　get　no　fartherice　impass…　able；　no　room　to　tackstruck　the　ice　several　times　obliged　to　sail　S。　and　W。things　look　very　shady。〃

Sometimes　we　were　on　the　point　of　despairing　altogether；　then　a　plausible　opening　would　show　itself　as　if　leading　towards　the　land；　and　we　would　be　tempted　to　run　down　it　until　we　found　the　field　become　so　closely　packed；　that　it　was　with　great　difficulty　we　could　get　the　vessel　round；and　only　then　at　the　expense　of　collisions；　which　made　the　little　craft　shiver　from　stem　to　stern。　Then　a　fog　would　come　onso　thick；　you　could　almost　cut　it　like　a　cheese；　and　thus　render　the　sailing　among　the　loose　ice　very　critical　indeed　then　it　would　fall　dead　calm；　and　leave　us；　hours　together；　muffled　in　mist；　with　no　other　employment　than　chess　or　hopscotch。　It　was　during　one　of　those　intervals　of　quiet　that　I　executed　the　annexed　work　of　art；　which　is　intended　to　represent　Sigurdr；　in　the　act　of　meditating　a　complicated　gambit　for　the　Doctor's　benefit。