My outfit for this voyage,[1] and for the whole of my expedition, consisted of—
The boat, already described; 1 sledge; 12 ton of pemmican; 200lbs. Borden's meat biscuit; 20 lbs. "Cincinnati cracklings"—pork scraps; 1 lb. preserved quince; 1lb. preserved peaches; 250 lbs. powder; a quantity of ball, shot, and percussion caps; 1 rifle; 6 double-barrelled guns, covers, and extra fittings, one Colt's revolver complete; glass beads, a quantity of needles, etc. for presents to the natives; 2 dozen pocket-knives and choppers; some tin-ware, 1 axe, 2 picks, files, etc.; a good supply of tobacco and pipes; wearing apparel for self, and red shirts for presents; a supply of stationery and journal books, etc.; 1 common watch; 1 opera-glass; 1 spy-glass; 1 common sextant and 1 pocket sextant; 1 artificial horizon, with extra glass and mercury; 1 azimuth compass; 1 common compass; 2 pocket compasses; 3 ordinary thermometers and two self-registering ones. Some navigation books and several arctic works, with my Bible and a few other volumes, formed my library.
This list, with a few sundries, constituted all the means and material I had to carry out the great undertaking my mind had led me to embark in. How far I accomplished aught commensurate with the ideas I had formed, let the sequel show; but, even had I wholly failed, assuredly it would have been excusable under such circumstances.
With regard to myself personally, now that the excitement of preparation was over, and I had time to think more and more of my task, a reaction took place, which produced that depression of mind always to be found in similar cases. This was soon increased by the horrible sensation of sea-sickness which I experienced for several days after our departure. What my feelings were may be judged by the following extracts from an irregular diary, the only work I could at that time perform. Writing on the fifth day out, I find myself saying,
"More miserable days than these past few have been to me it would be difficult to imagine. And why? Because of sickness—sea sickness. And what is sea-sickness? Can any one tell unless they have experienced it? I imagine not; nor, perhaps, can many describe it who have come under its infliction. I know that I can not well do so. I have felt myself swung, tumbled, jammed, knocked, struck, rocked,
- ↑ For particulars, see Appendix, No. 2.
