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Roslo Amundsen's "the North West Passage"; Being the Record of a Voyage of Exploration of the Ship #
Roslo Amundsen's the North West Passage Being the Record of a Voyage of Exploration of the Ship Author:Roald Amundsen General Books publication date: 2009 Original publication date: 1908 Original Publisher: F.B. Dutton and company Notes: This is a black and white OCR reprint of the original. It has no illustrations and there may be typos or missing text. When you buy the General Books edition of this book you get free trial access to Million-Books.com where... more » you can select from more than a million books for free. Excerpt: CHAPTER II. Making For The Polar Sea. The only thing that showed a visible sign of emotion at our departure was the sky. But this it did emphatically. When we cast off on the night of June- 16th, 1903, the rain fell in torrents. Otherwise all was quiet that dark night, and only those who were nearest and dearest were gathered on the quay to say good-bye. But in spite of the rain and darkness, and in spite of the last leave-taking, those on board the " Gjoa" were in high spirits. The last week's enforced idleness had tired us all. As to my personal feelings, I have neither the power nor the desire to give expression to them. The strain of the last days, getting everything in order, the anxiety lest something might yet prevent us getting away, and the desperate efforts to procure the money still wanting -- all this had greatly affected me both in mind and body. But now it was all over, and no one can describe the untold relief we felt when the craft began to move. Besides the seven participators in the expedition, my three brothers bore us company to see us clear of the Christiania fjord. All was hushed and quiet on board ; the navigation was attended to for the time by the steamtug at our bows. The watch was entrusted to the helmsman -- and our six dogs. The dogs had formerly done service in the second " Fram" expedition, which had brought them home. Poor creatures ! It would have been better to have let them remain in ice and snow than to drag them here, where they suffered sorely, especially this spring, which was unusually warm. They were now tied up al...« less