The Voyage Of The Vega Round Asia And Europe Part 39

110. Burden-bearers on a j.a.panese Road, j.a.panese drawing, drawn by O. Sorling

111. j.a.panese Shop, drawn by V. Andren

112. j.a.panese Court Dress, drawn by ditto

113. n.o.ble in Antique Dress, drawn by ditto

114. Buddhist Priest, drawn by ditto

115. A Samurai, drawn by ditto

116. Gate across the Road to a Shinto Temple, drawn by Prof. P.D. Holm

117. Buddhist Temple at Kobe, drawn by ditto

118. Rio-San's Seal

119. Burying-Place at Kioto, drawn by Prof. P.D. Holm

120. Entrance to Nagasaki, drawn by R. Haglund

121. Fossil Plants from Mogi--1, 2, Beech Leaves (_f.a.gus ferruginea_, Ait., var. _pliocena_, Nath.), drawn by M. Westergren

122. Fossil Plant from Mogi--3, Maple Leaf (_Acer Mono_, Max., var. _pliocena_, Nath.)

123. Fossil Plant from Mogi--Leaf of _Zelkova Keakii_, Sieb., var. _pliocena_, Nath., drawn by M. Westergren

124. Gem Diggings at Ratnapoora, drawn by R. Haglund

125. Statues in a Temple in Ceylon, drawn by ditto

126. A Country Place in Ceylon, drawn by V. Andren

127. Highland View from the Interior of Ceylon, drawn by R. Haglund

128. The Scientific Men of the _Vega_

129. The Officers of the _Vega_

130. The Crew of the _Vega_, drawn by R. Widing

131. The Entrance of the _Vega_ into Stockholm on the 24th April, 1880, drawn by R. Haglund

132. The _Vega_ moored off the Royal Palace, Stockholm, drawn by ditto

ERRATA [ Transcriber's note: these have been applied to the text ]

Page 22, under wood-cut, _for_ "_a._ Of wood _b._ Of stone,"

_read_ "_a._ Wooden cup to place under the lamp _b._ Lamp of burned clay."

Page 41, line 6 from foot, _for_ "beginning of May"

_read_ "middle of June."

Page 41, under wood-cut, _for_ "May," _read_ "June."

Page 44, line 19 _for_ "mountain," _read_ "Arctic."

Page 54, last line _for_ "contracteta" _read_ "contracta."

Page 63, last line _for_ "Natural size," _read_ "Half the natural size."

Page 98, lines 9 and 12 from foot, _for_ "mocca.s.sin" _read_ "moccasin."

Page 100, line 2 from foot, _for_ "mocca.s.sin" _read_ "moccasin."

Page 227, line 11 from foot, _for_ "American," _read_ "Asiatic."

THE VOYAGE OF THE VEGA ROUND ASIA AND EUROPE, VOL II

CHAPTER XI.

Hope of release at the new year--Bove's excursion to the open water--Mild weather and renewed severe cold--Mercury frozen--Popular lectures--Brusewitz's excursion to Najtskaj --Another despatch of letters home--The natives' accounts of the state of the ice on the coast of Chukch Land-- The Chukches carry on traffic between Arctic America and Siberia--Excursions in the neighbourhood of winter quarters --The weather during spring--The melting of the snow-- The aurora--The arrival of the migratory birds--The animal world of Chukch Land--Noah Elisej's relief expedition-- A remarkable fish--The country clear of snow--Release-- The North-East Pa.s.sage achieved.

The new year came in with a faint hope of release. For since the north and north-west winds that had prevailed almost constantly towards the close of December had given place to winds from the east and south, considerable "clearings" were again formed out at sea, and the Chukches again began to say that the ice would drift away, so that the vessel would be able to continue her voyage; a prediction which they always ended with a declaration, expressed both by words and gestures, that they would then bitterly lament, which they would also have had sufficient reason to do, considering the very friendly way in which they were treated by all on board the _Vega_, both officers and men.

On New Year's Day, in order to see the state of the ice farther out to sea, Lieut Bove, accompanied by the hunter Johnsen, again made an excursion to the open water. Of this he gave the following account:--

"I left the vessel on the forenoon of 1st January and reached the open water after four hours' steady walking.

The deep loose snow made walking very fatiguing, and three rows of _torosses_ also contributed to this, mainly in consequence of the often snow-covered cracks, which crossed the ice-sheet in their neighbourhood. One of the _torosses_ was ten metres high. The size of the blocks of ice, which were here heaped on each other, showed how powerful the forces were which had caused the formation of the _torosses_. These ice ramparts now afford a much needed protection to the _Vegas_ winter haven. About halfway between the open water and the vessel the way was crossed by cracks running from east to west, and clearly indicating that the opening in the ice would have extended to the distance of a kilometre from the vessel, if the violent storm in December had lasted twelve hours longer.

The _Vega_ would thereby have been in great danger. The edge of the ice towards the open water was evenly cut, as with an immense knife, and was so strong that one could walk along it as on a rock. Even from the top of a five-metre-high ice-rampart no boundary of the open water could be seen to the north-east or north. Partly from this, partly from the extension of the water-sky in this direction, I draw the conclusion that the breadth of the open water was at least thirty-five kilometres. The "clearing" was bounded on the east by an ice-rampart running north, which at a distance of nine or ten kilometres appeared to bend to the east. Possibly farther to the east beyond this ice-rampart there was another open water basin. The depth at the edge of the ice was twenty-one metres, the temperature of the water 2 C. The water ran at a considerable speed right out from the coast (_i.e._ from S.S.E.) As it ran here nearly in a straight line, the current may have been a tidal one. The open water swarmed with seals, according to Johnsen both bearded and rough. Neither Polar bears, walrusses, nor birds were seen."

Lieut. Bove's report confirmed me in my supposition that the open water, as towards the end of January 1873 at Mussel Bay, might possibly extend as far as our anchorage and open for us the way to Behring's Straits, in which case we could not refrain from continuing our voyage, however unpleasant and dangerous it might be at this season of the year. The Chukches also declared repeatedly that the open water in January would continue for a considerable time, and in expectation of this got their simple fishing implements ready. But both they and we were disappointed in our expectation.

The _Vega's_ ice-fetters remained undisturbed, and the blue border at the horizon grew less and again disappeared. This caused so great a want of food, and above all of train oil, among the natives, that all the inhabitants of Pitlekaj, the village nearest to us, were compelled to remove to the eastward, notwithstanding that in order to mitigate the scarcity a considerable quant.i.ty of food was served out daily at the vessel.

It appeals, however, as if an actual experience from the preceding year had been the ground of the Chukches' weather prediction. For on the 6th February a south-east wind began to blow, and the severe cold at once ceased. The temperature rose for a few hours to and even above the freezing-point. A water-sky was again formed along the horizon of the ice from north-east to north, and from the heights at the coast there was seen an extensive opening in the ice-fields, which a little east of Irgunnuk nearly reached the sh.o.r.e. Some kilometres farther east even the sh.o.r.e itself was free of ice, and from the hills our sailors thought they saw a heavy sea in the blue water border which bounded the circle of vision. If this was not an illusion, caused by the unequal heating and oscillatory motion of the lower stratum of the atmosphere, the open water may have been of great extent. Perhaps the statement of the natives was correct, that it extended as far as Behring's Straits. But we could not now place complete reliance on their statements, since we had rewarded with extra treating some predictions, relating to ice and weather, that were favourable to us. Even between the vessel's anchorage and the land various cracks had been formed, through which the sea water had forced its way under the snow, and in which some of us got cold feet or leg baths during our walks to and from the land.

[Ill.u.s.tration: THE ENCAMPMENT PITLEKAJ ABANDONED BY ITS INHABITANTS ON THE 18TH FEBRUARY, 1879. (After a drawing by O. Nordquist.) ]

The Chukches at Irgunnuk were now successful in killing a Polar bear and seventy seals, of which some were ostentatiously set up in rows, along with frozen slices of blubber, along the outer walls of the tents, and others were laid down in the blubber cellars, which were soon filled to overflowing. At Yinretlen, the encampment nearer us, the hunters on the other hand had obtained only eight seals.

Gladness and want of care for the morrow at all events prevailed here also, and our skin-clad friends availed themselves of the opportunity to exhibit a self-satisfied disdain of the simple provisions from the _Vega_ which the day before they had begged for with gestures so pitiful, and on which they must, in a day or two, again depend. The children, who had fallen off during recent weeks, if not in comparison with European children, at least with well-fed Chukch ones, began speedily to regain their former condition, and likewise the older people. Begging ceased for some days, but the vessel's deck still formed a favourite rendezvous for crowds of men, women, and children. Many pa.s.sed here the greater part of the day, cheerful and gay in a temperature of -40 C, gossiped, helped a little, but always only a little, at the work on board and so on.

The mild weather, the prospect of our getting free, and of an abundant fishing for the Chukches, however, soon ceased. The temperature again sank below the freezing-point, that is _of mercury_, and the sea froze so far out from the sh.o.r.e that the Chukches could no longer carry on any fishing. Instead we saw them one morning come marching, like prisoners on an Egyptian or a.s.syrian monument, in goose-march over the ice toward the vessel, each with a burden on his shoulder, of whose true nature, while they were at a distance, we endeavoured in vain to form a guess. It was pieces of ice, not particularly large, which they, self-satisfied, cheerful and happy at their new bit, handed over to the cook to get from him in return some of the _kauka_ (food) they some days before had despised.

The first time the temperature of the air sank under the freezing-point of mercury, was in January. It now became necessary to use instead of the mercury the spirit thermometers, which in expectation of the severe cold had been long ago hung up in the thermometer case. When mercury freezes in a common thermometer, it contracts so much that the column of mercury suddenly sinks in the tube; or if it is short, goes wholly into the ball. The position of the column is therefore no measure of the actual degree of cold when the freezing takes place. The reading of -89, or even of -150, which at a time when it was not yet known that mercury could at a low temperature a.s.sume the solid form, was made on a mercurial thermometer in the north of Sweden,[258] and which at the time occasioned various discussions and doubts as to the trustworthiness of the observer, was certainly quite correct, and may be repeated at any time by cooling mercury under its freezing-point in a thermometer of sufficient length divided into degrees under 0.

The freezing of mercury[259] takes place from below upwards, the frozen metal as being heavier sinking down in that portion which is still fluid. If when it is half frozen the fluid be poured away from the frozen portion, we obtain groups of crystals, composed of small octohedrons, grouped together by the edges of the cube. None of our mercurial thermometers suffered any damage, nor was there any alteration of the position of the freezing-point in them from the mercury having frozen in them and again become fluid.