The cliffs around Discovery harbor rise from a hundred to a thousand feet in height and nearly surround the bay, which contains about twenty square miles of ice floe. Game was plentiful. Large flocks of eider ducks visited an open pool near by, and herds of musk oxen were to be seen in the distance, grazing quietly. The Arctic summer was at its height, and the slopes were covered with grasses, mosses, and buttercups.
Under the direction of Lieutenant Greely, the men took observations, explored the country, and built depots. The depots were built at convenient distances from Fort Conger, and were stored with supplies of food for the use of exploring parties. At last so much had been accomplished that Greely thought he might safely leave the camp and try to reach the interior of Grinnell land.
With three companions he started from Fort Conger, April 26, 1882, traveling over ice which was in good condition, so that the party moved rapidly. Greely found that two openings along the coast, which he had supposed to be bays, were large fiords. Here he came upon layers of remarkably clear fresh-water ice. It was deep blue in color and contrasted beautifully with the opaque white ice of the ocean floes. Without doubt a river or glacier emptied into the fiord. Magnificent mountain peaks round about rose to heights of thousands of feet above the sea level, and through the valleys, which were bare of snow, there were frequent traces of the musk ox, the fox, and the hare.
Musk Ox.
A sharp turn brought the party to a large icebound lake about five hundred square miles in area, which Greely named Lake Hazen. To the north rose ranges of mountains, snow-covered and majestic, known as the Garfield range; beyond these lay the United States range, also snow-covered.
The next day Lake Hazen was crossed and a beautiful glacier discovered. It was five miles wide, and rose perpendicularly one hundred and seventy-five feet out of the lake. Greely named it the Henrietta Nesmith glacier, in honor of his wife.
The top of this glacier was white, like unpolished marble. Lower down, the ice shaded into a bluish color, growing more delicate as it reached the foot, where it became white, with yellow and rose-colored tinges. There were three deep gullies or channels in the glacier, through which a torrent had evidently rushed at some time; and, strange as it may seem, the hills and slopes next it were covered with plants, lichens, willows, and Arctic poppies. In the valleys there was enough vegetation to serve as pasture for musk oxen and other animals. The interior of Grinnell land was a pleasant country, and Greely felt sorry to leave it and return to the coast. He had discovered and explored a large tract of land never before visited by civilized men.
In June, 1882, Greely went again to the interior of Grinnell land. This time he discovered a number of small lakes, connected by streams with Lake Hazen.
He also made the ascent of a mountain forty-five hundred feet in height. When he had climbed within half a mile of the top he was so tired that he felt he must give up. To urge himself onward, he kept throwing his field glasses ahead of him, and crawling on his hands and knees to the spot where they were. At last he could advance only fifty steps at a time, but he persevered and reached the top, to which he gave the name Mount Arthur. It is in all probability the highest peak in Grinnell land, and from its summit Greely saw the entire island spread out like a map before him. North of Lake Hazen rose the snow-clad mountains, extending range beyond range. A like view met his eye as he surveyed the country to the south, while in the interior he was gazing upon fertile valleys dotted with lakes, which supported herds of musk oxen.