Chapter II: Preface: vii

OFFICERS AND SHIP'S COMPANY OR H.M.S. "ALERT" xi

CHAPTER I. FITTING OUT.

Description of ships, 2; special fittings, 3; selection of officers and men, 5; kindness of friends, 6; games and musical instruments, 7; visitors to the ships, 8; departure, 9; arrival at Bantry Bay, 12; the voyage commenced, 13.

CHAPTER II. THE VOYAGE TO DISCO.

Tests of physical capacity, 15; regular issue of lime-juice, 16; gales of wind in the Atlantic, 17; slow progress, 19; whales, 20; the first ice, 22; the Land of Desolation, 22; seals, 23; the Greenland coast, 25; fishing for cod, 25; arrival at Godhavn, 26.

CHAPTER III. THE GREENLAND SETTLEMENTS.

An Eskimo dance, 28; Eskimo dogs, 29; amusements at Godhavn, 30; ascent of the Lyngenmarkfjeld, 31; aid from the "Valorous," 33; tradition of Disco, 34; Ritenbenk, 35; part company with "Valorous," 36; the Waigat Strait, 36; dangers in the Waigat, 37; Proven, 38; Hans Hendrik engaged, 39; "Sanderson, his hope," 39; Upernivik, 41.

CHAPTER IV. MELVILLE BAY AND THE NORTH WATER.

Preparations for a nip, 43; the middle ice, 44; a bear hunt, 46; the North Water, 47; Cary Island depôt, 49; approaching Smith Sound, 50; enter Smith Sound, 51.

CHAPTER V. SMITH SOUND.

Life-boat Cove, 53; visit winter quarters of "Polaris," 54; Littleton Island, 55; Cape Isabella, 56; stopped by the ice, 57; Payer Harbour, 58; first experiences in sledging, 59; Twin Glacier Bay, 60; an Arctic paradise, 61; tidal observations, 62.

CHAPTER VI. STRUGGLES WITH THE ICE.

Open water, 64; in danger of a nip, 65; vigilance of Captain Nares, 66; wanderings of the Eskimo, 68.

CHAPTER VII. A WALRUS HUNT. DOG DRIVING.

Grinnell Land, 72; glaciers, 73; a walrus hunt, 74; amusements on the ice, 77; the Eskimo dogs, 78; dog sledging, 80.

CHAPTER VIII. SLOW PROGRESS THROUGH THE ICE.

Cape Hawks and Dobbin Bay, 83; discovery of an ancient cairn, 85; cutting a dock, 87; struggles through the ice, 90; dangerous position, 91; Cape Fraser, 92; junction of two tides, 92; Cape John Barrow, 93; Cape Collinson, 94; heavy squalls, 95; increasing thickness of floes, 96; icebergs decreasing in number, 96.

CHAPTER IX. KENNEDY CHANNEL.

Cape Constitution, 98; difference in appearance of coast-lines, 99; Hall Basin blocked with ice, 100; Bessels Bay, 100; Hannah Island, 101; cross Kennedy Channel, 103; musk-oxen, 104; winter quarters of "Discovery," 107; the two ships part company, 107.

CHAPTER X. THE CROSSING OF THE THRESHOLD.

Robeson Channel, 110; stopped off Cape Beechey, 113; Shift-Rudder Bay, 114; floe-bergs, 114; the first lemming, 115; marine shells above sea-level, 116; depôt established at Lincoln Bay, 117; a fortunate escape, 119; crossing the threshold, 119; finally stopped by ice, 121; the Frozen Ocean, 122.

CHAPTER XI. FLOE-BERG BEACH.

Saved by floe-bergs, 125; precarious winter quarters, 126; a reconnaissance in dog-sledges, 128; habits of Eskimo dogs, 130; Dumb-bell Bay, 131; eider-ducks, 132; two boats advanced northwards, 133; a severe march, 134; danger of the ship, 134; unable to move, 135; autumn sledging commenced, 136.

CHAPTER XII. AUTUMN TRAVELLING.

Autumn travelling, 138; discomforts, 139; liability to frost-bites, 142; difficulties, 145; cheerfulness of the men, 146; highest position reached in the autumn, 147; frost-bites, 147; return of travellers, 149; results, 150.

CHAPTER XIII. WINTER QUARTERS.

Preparations for winter, 152; observatories, 153; snow houses, 154; the ship "housed" in, 154; interior arrangements, 156; winter clothing, 159; precautions against fire, 161; observations for temperature, 162.

CHAPTER XIV. THE ROYAL ARCTIC THEATRE.

Printing-office, 164; school, 166; amusements, 167; Thursday pops, 168; lectures, 169; the Royal Arctic Theatre, 170; the prologue, 172; conjuring entertainment, 175; magic-lantern exhibition, 176.

CHAPTER XV. WINTER OCCUPATIONS AND AMUSEMENTS.

Departure of the sun, 178; Guy Fawkes' Day, 179; scientific observations, 180; the moon, 181; open-air exercise, 181; inconvenience from drip, 182; fluctuations of temperature, 183; movement of the ice, 184; celebration of birthdays, 185; bill of fare, 185; fresh meat, 186; Divine service, 187; medical inspections, 187; tabogganing, 187; Nellie, 189; a lost dog, 190.

CHAPTER XVI. AN ARCTIC CHRISTMAS.

Preparations for Christmas Day, 193; Christmas presents, 194; Christmas Day, 195; retrospect, 197; frost-bite patients, 198; precautions against frost-bite, 199; the Palæocrystic Sea, 200; a brilliant meteor, 200.

CHAPTER XVII. A HAPPY NEW YEAR.

New Year's Day, 202; mustard and cress, 205; heavy snow-drifts, 206; returning light, 207; severe cold, 208; an alarm in the observatory, 209; condition of the Eskimo dogs, 210; Nellie and the lemmings, 212; Rawson's snow hut, 212; the last school meeting, 213; the last dramatic performance, 214; the last "pop," 215; grand palæocrystic sledging chorus, 216.

CHAPTER XVIII. RETURN OF THE SUN.

Cairn Hill, 220; the sun's return, 221; intense cold, 223; experiments on various substances during extreme cold, 223; daylight, 225; alarm of fire, 226; dismantling the observatories, 227; the sledge-crews exercised, 228; a wolf, 229.

CHAPTER XIX. DETAILS OF SLEDGE TRAVELLING.

Preparations for sledging, 231; weights, 232; auxiliary sledges and depôts, 234; tents, 235; cooking apparatus, 236; scale of provisions, 237; lime-juice, 238; medical instructions, 238; sledging costume, 239; precautions against snow-blindness, 240; programme of sledging work, 241; boats to be carried by northern division, 244; names of sledges, 245.

CHAPTER XX. THE JOURNEY OF EGERTON AND RAWSON.

Decide to communicate with "Discovery," 247; departure of Egerton and Rawson, 248; their return, 249; Petersen frost-bitten, 249; heroic conduct, 251; efforts to save Petersen, 251; difficulties of the return journey, 253; Egerton's second start, 255; death of Petersen, 255.

CHAPTER XXI. THE ROUTINE OF SLEDGE TRAVELLING.

Departure of the sledges, 258; first camp, 260; intense cold, 262; arrival at the autumn depôt, 263; the parties separate, 264; duties of cook, 265; sledging breakfast, 266; luncheon, 266; halting for the night, 268; evenings in the tent, 270.

CHAPTER XXII. THE NORTHERN DIVISION--TRAVELLING IN APRIL.

Heavy ice encountered, 273; road-making over the ice, 275; struggling over hummocks, 278; daily routine, 279; continued cold, 280; excellence of the sledges, 281; first symptoms of disease, 282; a gale of wind, 283; heavy snow-drifts, 285; disease increasing, 286; excellent conduct of the men, 286; resolve to abandon one boat, 288; increased weight to drag, 289; intense cold, 290; state of the floes, 291; cross the 83rd parallel, 292; enormous hummocks, 293; hummocks and snow-drifts, 294; tracks of a hare seen, 296; young ice, 296; enforced rest, 297.

CHAPTER XXIII. THE MOST NORTHERN POINT EVER REACHED BY MAN.

Scurvy, 299; difficulties increasing, 300; struggling northwards, 301; hummocks discoloured by mud, 301; condition of party, 303; issue of lime-juice, 304; scorbutic symptoms, 305; the last advance, 306; most northern encampment, 307; soundings obtained, 308; the most northern position ever reached by man, 309.

CHAPTER XXIV. RETURN OF THE NORTHERN DIVISION.

Homeward bound, 312; increased sufferings, 314; courage of the men, 316; extreme weakness of the men, 316; abandonment of the second boat, 318; a snow-bunting seen, 319; the land reached, 321; Parr despatched for succour, 322; a stray dog, 322; death of Porter, 323; his burial, 323; saved, 325; return on board, 326.

CHAPTER XXV. RETURN OF ALL THE SLEDGE TRAVELLERS.

Causes of scurvy, 329; anxiety for Aldrich, 331; May sent to his rescue, 331; return of Aldrich, 332; care of the sick, 333; the welcome back, 335; decide to return to England, 337; musk-oxen, 338; shooting parties, 338; liberation of the ship, 341; under weigh, 342.

CHAPTER XXVI. THE RETURN VOYAGE IN THE ICE.

Preparations for abandoning ship, 344; communicate with "Discovery," 345; discovery of Eskimo relics, 347; a severe nip, 348; critical situation of ship, 349; Discovery Harbour, 349; return of Beaumont, 350; a frozen cave, 350; "Alert" forced on shore, 351; struggles with the ice, 352; pass Cape Fraser and Dobbin Bay, 353; a seal and fox shot, 354; reach the open sea, 354.