. Narrative of discovery and adventure in the polar seas and regions [microform] : with illustrations of their climate, geology, and natural history ; and an account of the whale-fishery. Natural history; Sciences naturelles. Ilii'l ill i mil !l IP" 'llljjiill III!. mm 336 RECENT POLAR VOYAGES. frozen, they liad an open sea, calm and smooth as a mirror, through which, with their loaded vessels, they advanced slowly but agreeably. After proceeding thus for about eighty miles, they reached, not, as they had hoped, the maiii body of the ice, but a surface interme- diate between ice and water
. Narrative of discovery and adventure in the polar seas and regions [microform] : with illustrations of their climate, geology, and natural history ; and an account of the whale-fishery. Natural history; Sciences naturelles. Ilii'l ill i mil !l IP" 'llljjiill III!. mm 336 RECENT POLAR VOYAGES. frozen, they liad an open sea, calm and smooth as a mirror, through which, with their loaded vessels, they advanced slowly but agreeably. After proceeding thus for about eighty miles, they reached, not, as they had hoped, the maiii body of the ice, but a surface interme- diate between ice and water. This could neither be walked nor sailed over, but was to be passed by the two methods alternately ; and it was on such a strange and perilous plain that it behoved them to land, in order to commence their laborious journey towards the Pole. Captain Parry describes in an interesting manner the singular mode of travelling which they were compelled to adopt. The first step was to convert night into day ; to begin their journey in the evening and end it in the morning. Thus, while they had quite enough of light, they avoided the snow-glare and the blindness which it usually produces ; besides, the ice was drier and harder beneath them ; and they enjoyed the greatest warmth, when it was most wanted, during the period of sleep, though they were a little annoyed by dense and fre- quent fogs. Thus their notions of night and day became inverted. They rose m what they called the morning, but which was really late in the evening, and, having performed their devotions, breakfasted on warm cocoa and biscuit; then drawing on their boots, usually either wet or hard frozen, which, though perfectly dried, would have been equally soaked m fifteen minutes, the party travelled five or six hours, and a little after mid- night stopped to dine. They next accomplished an equal journey hi what was called the afternoon ; and in the evening, tiiat is, at an advanced hour in the morning, halted as for t
Size: 1208px × 2067px
Photo credit: © The Book Worm / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1840, books, booksubjectnaturalhistory
