1 |
Watch out! Sorry to scare you like that. We are just loading up the supplies for our expedition. I don't want to knock you down into the water. Will you lend us a hand? |
2 |
You must be wondering about those metal jars we are loading up. Those are tin cans. They can keep food fresh for a long time. But you need a sturdy crate to store them in. They are heavy. |
3 |
Do you see that ship anchored on the pier? That’s Hecla, my beauty that will take me to the icy north. Let’s take the supplies inside. Call your shipmates to help us too. I will pay you all well. |
4 |
You are a captain, right? We could use one more ship to accompany us. What do you say, interested? I am starving right now, but I will tell you about our mission after I get something to eat. |
5 |
Our mission is to look for a Northwest Passage to the Pacific, going as far north as possible. If you want to go with us, you better strengthen your ship against ice and build some stoves to keep warm. |
6 |
Warm clothing is essential. I always take my favorite fur gloves with me. When you have to hold the rudder in a snowstorm, you will find out how important they are. |
7 |
We will be gone for a long time. Let’s make sure we have enough supplies to last the whole trip. Buy more food at the market before we depart. Then we can set the course for the Arctic. |
8 |
It’s getting colder by the hour as we continue north. Don’t forget to load the stoves with firewood so your sailors can find some warmth inside. |
9 |
I am famished. I think it’s time we tasted the food from the tin cans. We will need some special tools to open them. I hope it will be worth all the effort. |
10 |
We are already reaching the ice fields. I am afraid we won’t be able to continue once the winter hits. We have to search for a place to stay. Tell your men to start looking. |
11 |
This bay looks like a good place to overwinter. It’s sheltered from the north wind by that cliff. Let’s try catching some fish here. That could keep us fed during the long winter months. |
12 |
There is not much to work with, but we can build a small cabin from the rocks on the beach. We don’t need much. Most of the men can sleep in the ships. |
13 |
A few men already have frostbite on their fingers. I have ordered regular exercises to get everyone warmed up. Check if you have some more oil we could use for heating. We are all out of firewood. |
14 |
I don’t know how many days it’s been since I last saw the sun. It’s dark all the time. We have already burned all the oil. We will have to break up one of the ships for firewood. |
15 |
I heard there are people living here. Unbelievable, right? If we find them, we could buy some more wood and maybe fresh food from them. Our supplies are diminishing fast. |
16 |
Select a few adventurous men who will go seek the Inuits. That’s what they call themselves, these cold-loving people. I hope we will find them, we could use their help. |
17 |
There are first signs of scurvy among the crew. I have some mustard and cress seeds. I could try to plant them in my cabin. But there is nothing like fresh fruit to fight scurvy. |
18 |
I hope the scouting party finds the Inuits because we are running low on the food supplies. Let’s issue more men to the fishing squad. If it comes to worst, at least we will have seafood. |
19 |
At least we don’t have to worry about the food going foul in this cold. It’s like a giant fridge here. But we should make some small shed for the fish, I bet there are some hungry animals prowling around. |
20 |
The scouting party found the Inuits and brought some seal meat and furs from them. That should help us for a while. But we sighted polar bears not far from here. Better keep those harpoons close. |
21 |
I want to go meet the Inuits. They must know the terrain here best. Maybe they can tell us if it’s possible to continue north from here once the ice thaws. But we will each need a pair of snowshoes. |
22 |
I heard from our men that the Inuits are very friendly. I am sure they would give us the information for free but I know they have hard lives here. So let’s give them something to sweeten it. |
23 |
We should leave the men some clear orders before we leave. So that we will be ready to set out when the ice begins to thaw. The prospect of a safe return and a bonus payment will motivate them. |
24 |
The village is further than I expected. And the sled with our supplies is stuck in the snow. We should have taken the route along the sand beach. The seals occupying it looked friendly enough. |
25 |
There! I can see the village already. I hope they have some food for us. I am starving. Just please no seal fat, I can’t stomach that thing. |
26 |
All the houses are made of ice. I have never seen buildings like this. It must be hard to find enough wood or stone for building homes. So they made do with what they had. Impressive. |
27 |
It was an interesting meeting. Thanks to the locals' help we can survive the winter here. We can use our harpoons to hunt seals once all our food supplies are gone. |
28 |
The seal meat and fat might not be very appetizing, but maybe some alcohol will improve the taste. I hope we still have a bottle or two on the ship. |
29 |
While we were gone, the ice in the harbor got even thicker. I can already see that the ships have been damaged. I hope we can find enough material to fix them. |
30 |
I was hoping that by this time we might be able to move forward. But the ice is still gripping both our vessels. The time has come to send some men to hunt for seals. |
31 |
The only good thing about this situation is that we won’t starve here. The whole bay is full of these noisy creatures. Send someone to trade with the Inuits, I am so sick of seal meat. |
32 |
Did you get at least a few fish to change up the diet? It’s summer already and the ice is still clogging the bay. But we might be able to get going in a few weeks. |
33 |
The ice has mostly retreated. But our ships are in a bad shape. We need to fix them fast if we don’t want to spend here the next winter season. And that might take another year. |
34 |
Finally, we are sailing again. We can continue westward and might still find the legendary Northwest Passage. I am hopeful that the delay has been worth it after all. |
35 |
We must turn back. The autumn is here and the sea is getting frozen again. Still, we have a lot of useful information for the next expedition. We may yet save them the months-long seal diet. |
36 |
Unfortunately, we need to hunt some seals for the return voyage to England. We have hardly any other food left. So grab that harpoon and let’s visit the seal bay once more. |
37 |
Finally back in England! Let’s get cleaned up and go for proper food in the closest tavern. I can’t wait to wash down the awful taste of seal meat with something delicious. |
38 |
I will be going on another expedition looking for the Northwest Passage. But I understand if you don’t feel like returning to the frozen north anytime soon. Just help me prepare the ships. |
39 |
I received a promotion. You can call me commodore Parry from now on. Don’t worry, I won’t let it get to my head. Still, I should get a new uniform made soon. |
40 |
It was a pleasure, captain. If I manage to discover the Northwestern Passage, you will surely hear about it. If not, I am sure some skilled captain like you will achieve it one day. |
Final |
Thank you for your help. I have a small gift for you. Farewell, captain! |