File:The frozen zone and its explorers; a comprehensive record of voyages, travels, discoveries, adventures and whale-fishing in the Arctic regions for one thousand years (1874) (14748705456).jpg

Identifier: frozenzoneitsexp00hyde (find matches)
Title: The frozen zone and its explorers; a comprehensive record of voyages, travels, discoveries, adventures and whale-fishing in the Arctic regions for one thousand years
Year: 1874 (1870s)
Authors: Hyde, Alexander, 1814-1881 Baldwin, Abraham Chittenden, 1804-1887, joint author Gage, William Leonard, 1832-1889, joint author Shields, Charles W. (Charles Woodruff), 1825-1904
Subjects: Kane, Elisha Kent, 1820-1857 Polaris (Ship)
Publisher: Hartford, Conn. (etc.) Columbia book company
Contributing Library: The Library of Congress
Digitizing Sponsor: The Library of Congress

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throughtheir performances with unabated spirit. Eveningschools were also established in both ships—theclerk of the Fury and a seaman of the Hecla act-ing as schoolmasters. Twenty men of each shippassed two hours every evening in these exercises,and made considerable progress in their studies. Amid these varied and pleasing occupations theshortest day passed over their heads almost unobserved,especially as the sun never entirely left them. OnChristmas-day divine service was performed on boardthe Fury and attended by the men of both ships.The sailors were regaled with fresh beef, cranberrypies, and grog, and became so extremely elevated, thatthey insisted on successively drinking, with threehearty cheers, the health of each officer. The winter months were enlivened by various beau-tiful appearances which the sky at times presented.Those singular and beautiful streams of light, calledthe Aurora JBoreaUs, or Northern Lights, keep up analmost incessant illumination. The light had a ten-
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U ^T^^ ,rT>T^T^xr ^ * ^T^v:,oo THE MERRY DANCERS. 169 dency to form an irregular arch, which, in calmweather, was often very distinct, though its upperboundary was seldom well-defined; but, wheneverthe air became agitated, showers of rays spread inevery direction with the brilliancy and rapidity oflightning. No rule, however, could be traced in themovement of those lighter parcels called the merrydancers, which flew about perpetually in everydirection and towards every quarter. In stormyweather the Northern Lights always became more rapidin their motions, sharing all the wildness of the blast.They gave an indescribable air of magic to the wholescene, and made it not wonderful, that by the untaughtIndian they should be viewed as the spirits of hisfathers roaming through the land of souls. On the morning of the 1st of February a numberof distant figures were seen moving over the ice, andwhen they were viewed through glasses, the cry wasraised, Esquimaux! Esquimaux! As it was ofgreat

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