A Diary and Journal from the Second Grinnell Expedition

[verso] Thurs. Apr. 26. 6.a.m.

Too busy yesterday to write. Am just about to leave and can leave as far as regards my ship and people with an easy mind. Bye bye dear home folks.

Satur. Apr. 28. Was ever so tormented, bedevilled and body torn man, angel, or devil. I'm back again after [an utter failure to get beyond the great glacier] 58 hours absence. The whole of which time - except four hours sleep in the open air - was one continued bear hunt. The exposure has been precious. Had I been told that I could have stood it there would have been to me no rational clue by which to sustain [such] a fact. We have been to the great glacier and back, making detours for bear at every group of ice bergs and ranging an ice surface whose rectilinear diameter cannot be less than 200 miles our estimated distance travelled being [could not be] about [less than] 450 miles.

My party consisted of Kalutak, Shang-hu, and [?]. The two first with six dogs each the last with only four. Hans armed with the Marston rifle was my only companion from our ship's company.

We stood at first by my own [?] due N. and recognoitred the ice from a berg about 15 miles from the vessel. The ice ahead looked uncheering [?] [?] piled up this fall in the outside tide channel. My Esquimaux never the less acceeded to my will to attempt the passage of this ice and I think would have been as good as their words but for an unfortunate bear who drew them from their route and rendered them perfectly dead to every thought but their hunt. This instinct of

[recto] chase converted them into unmanageable savages They seemed blind to every thing but the passion of pursuit. Off they sped with incredible speed, clinging to their sledges and cheering their dogs, a mad wild chase, wilder than German legend. The dogs wolves, the drivers devils.

We halted but once and then took four hours sleep upon the naked ice. They had now tracked a second bear to a large berg off Cape Fredrick where the beast had caught and partially devoured a large seal. The dogs had gorged themselves upon this carcass and would not move so we rested that they might sleep and desist for the morrow. In reply to my remonstrances and urgent entreaties for them to resume their promised route they said as was indeed true that to cross here was impossible and I remembering the two poor fellows in their graves - at this very passage - could not urge it. Kalutak said that the bear were valuable to themselves and families and Nalagak had no right to make him unable to provide for them. It was [?] clear that all hopes of using his dogs for exploration were to be abandoned, but having still a chance of obtaining four from Mitek I stipulated for the earliest return to the brig.

On rising from a sleep in open air [?] [?] twelve below zero - the hunt was resumed and continued until I saw that my last remaining hope with Mitek would be endangered, whereupon I forced them to return. By this time we were abreast of the great glacier - of which I obtained sextant angles and sketched worn out dogs [and] men reached the ship next day.