Identifier: farthestnorthbei11897nans (find matches)
Title: Farthest north; being the record of a voyage of exploration of the ship "Fram" 1893-96, and of a fifteen months' sleigh journey by Dr. Nansen and Lieut. Johansen
Year: 1897 (1890s)
Authors: Nansen, Fridtjof, 1861-1930 Sverdrup, Otto Neumann, 1854-1930
Subjects: "Fram" Expedition. 1893-1896)
Publisher: New York, Harper & Brothers
Contributing Library: Smithsonian Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: Smithsonian Libraries

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them. I long to en-list titanic forces and fight my way forward—that wouldbe living! But what pleasure is there in strength whenthere is nothing for it to do t Here we drift forward, andhere we drift back, and now we have been two monthson the same spot. Everything, however, is being got ready for a possibleexpedition, or for the contingency of its becoming neces-sary to abandon the ship. All the hand-sledges arelashed together, and the iron fittings carefully seen to.Six dog-sledges are also being made, and to-morrow weshall begin building kayaks ready for the men. Theyare easy to draw on hand-sledges in case of a retreatover the ice without the ship. For a beginning we aremaking kayaks to hold two men each. I intend to havethem about 12 feet long, 3 feet wide, and 18 inches indepth. Six of these are to be made. They are to becovered with sealskin or sail-cloth, and to be decked allover, except for two holes—one for each man. I feel that we have, or rather shall have, everything
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THE SPRING AND SUMMER OF 1894 513 needful for a brilliant retreat. Sometimes I seem almostto be longing for a defeat—a decisive one—so that wemight have a chance of showing what is in us, and put-ting an end to this irksome inactivity. Monday, July 30th. Westerly wind, with north-westerly by way of a pleasant variety; such is our dailyfare week after week. On coming up in the morning Ino longer care to look at the weathercock on the mast-head, or at the line in the w^ater; for I know beforehandthat the former points east or southeast, and the line inthe contrary direction, and that we are ever bearing tothe southeast. Yesterday it was 81° 7 north latitude,the day before 81^ 11, and last Monday, July 25th, 81 26. But it occupies my thoughts no longer. I know wellenough there will be a change some time or other, andthe way to the stars leads through adversity. I havefound a new world; and that is the world of animal andplant life that exists in almost every fresh-water pool onthe i

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