Farthest north; being the record of a voyage of exploration of the ship "Fram" 1893-96, and of a fifteen months' sleigh journey by DrNansen and LieutJohansen . at endless,stubborn fog of the Arctic Sea! When it lowers itscurtain, and shuts out the blue above and the blue below,and everything becomes a damp gray mist, day in andday out, then all the vigor and elasticity of the soul isneeded to save one from being stifled in its clammyembrace. Fog, and nothing but fog, wherever we turnour eyes. It condenses on the rigging and drips downon every tiniest spot on deck. It lodges on your clothes,and
Farthest north; being the record of a voyage of exploration of the ship "Fram" 1893-96, and of a fifteen months' sleigh journey by DrNansen and LieutJohansen . at endless,stubborn fog of the Arctic Sea! When it lowers itscurtain, and shuts out the blue above and the blue below,and everything becomes a damp gray mist, day in andday out, then all the vigor and elasticity of the soul isneeded to save one from being stifled in its clammyembrace. Fog, and nothing but fog, wherever we turnour eyes. It condenses on the rigging and drips downon every tiniest spot on deck. It lodges on your clothes,and finally wets you through and through. It settlesdown on the mind and spirits, and everything becomesone uniform gray. On the evening of July 27th, while still fog-bound, wequite unexpectedly met with ice; a mere strip, indeed,which we easily passed through, but it boded ill. Inthe night we met with more—a broader strip this time,which also we passed through. But next morning I wascalled up with the information that there was thick, oldice ahead. Well, if ice difficulties were to begin so soon,it would be a bad lookout indeed. Such are the chill Oc vO. FAREWELL TO NORWAY 109 surprises that the Arctic Sea has more than enough dressed and was uid in the crows-nest in a ice lay extended everywhere, as far as the eye couldreach through the fog, which had lifted a little. Therewas no small quantity of ice, but it was tolerably open,and there was nothing for it but to be true to our watch-word and gci fram—push onward. For a good whilewe picked our way. But now^ it began to lie closer, withlarge floes every here and there, and at the same timethe fog grew denser, and we could not see our way atall. To go ahead in difificult ice and in a fog is not veryprudent, for it is impossible to tell just where you aregoing, and you are apt to be set fast before you knowwhere you are. So we had to stop and wait. But stillthe fog grew ever denser, while the ice did the same
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