Various

“ Nansen proved that Greenland is covered with a huge ice-sheet, and is, in fact, one vast glacier which rises slightly toward the interior, the surface of the ice-cap being only occasionally interrupted by mountains which protrude from the ice.
Nansen believed that an Arctic explorer should be able to live the same life as the natives of the land he was exploring, and during his winter in Greenland he lived much with the Eskimos, sleeping in their rude huts of stone and dirt, and joining in their hunts on land and sea. ”

“ It was the knowledge that he gained during this Greenland winter that enabled him to get one hundred and ninety-five miles nearer the North Pole than any one else had ever done.
He also learned from his Arctic friends how to handle dog-teams.
The Eskimos use dogs for travelling as the Laplanders use reindeer. The dogs are, however, much more difficult to handle, for while they are hardy, strong, intelligent, and willing, they do not make good servants. All their training cannot entirely tame them, and they have certain ways and habits which lessen their usefulness. ”

“ We all appreciate how unpleasant it is to be out walking with our favorite French bulldog, and suddenly have our be-ribboned aristocrat forget the dignity that his long pedigree should give him, and dash from our side to make tufts of hair fly from somebody else's equally be-ribboned poodle. ”

“ A trial by jury costs the people a great deal of money and time, and it would not be right to allow this money to be expended unless it was pretty sure that a crime had been committed, and that the accused person was in some way connected with it.
A man will sometimes accuse another of a crime for spite. ”

“ A dog-fight often becomes one of the most terrible catastrophes that can overtake an explorer.
With these fierce little Eskimo dogs, the result of such an encounter means generally the loss of two or three, and a walk home with the wounded survivors occupying the sled.
Under the circumstances it is very necessary to understand how to handle these useful but eccentric beasts. The Eskimos have reduced this knowledge to a science, and from them Nansen learned to be the master of those dogs which were of so much service to him in his last and greatest expedition. ”

“ The Great Round World is a newspaper. We try to tell you week by week of the important events that have been happening in the world. We have therefore but little room in our pages for any stories that are not closely connected with some recent event. ”

“ Of all men Fridjiof Nansen is best able to form an opinion as to the likelihood of Professor Andrée ever returning to us, for he himself has penetrated farther north than any other Arctic explorer, and has learned so much about the Polar Sea that he is able to form a good opinion as to the possibilities of Andrée's success. ”

“ It is at times hard to realize that these men of whom the journal treats were heroes ready to sacrifice their lives in the interest of science, and that in this peaceful, homelike way the greatest voyage of the century was being made. ”

“ Piper Findlater, of the Gordon Highlanders, is a proud fellow just now, and would not be willing to change places with any duke or millionaire, no matter how great his rank or wealth, for in that little simple cross he has gained something that rank cannot command nor money buy; something that he possesses and the commanding officer of his regiment may not be able to gain; something which raises him to the highest place among men. ”

“ Greatest of all, he proved that it is possible for men to undertake the perils and hardships of an Arctic expedition without loss of life or health. The first of his achievements was the proof that there is a current from Asia to America, in which the Fram drifted for three years, not, it is true, carrying him to Greenland, as he had expected, but none the less taking him across the frozen sea, and landing his vessel at Spitzbergen. ”

“ The Grand Jury is a body of men, generally twenty-four in number, whose duty it is to look into complaints of crimes that have been committed, and decide whether they are really serious enough to go to trial. ”

“ It will interest you to know that Nansen used every available modern invention to help make his voyage successful and bearable.
In the Arctic regions there are long months when there is no day. The sun disappears beneath the horizon, and does not appear again for weeks. There is no day and no sunshine, only one long night. ”

“ When he was twenty he made a voyage into the Northern seas for the purpose of studying animal life in high latitudes.
When he returned he was made Curator of the Natural History Museum in Bergen, Norway. A curator is a person in whose charge the valuable collections in a museum are placed. He is the caretaker or custodian of all the priceless treasures the museum contains.
Six years later Nansen made a trip across Greenland on snow-shoes.
There had long been a theory that in the interior of Greenland there were fertile spots capable of cultivation. ”

“ Not a man remained alive to tell the tale of their noble struggle. The bodies of the lieutenant and his men were found grouped about the wounded comrades they had sacrificed their lives to save, and their attitude in death showed that each man had died doing his duty, his face to the foe.
Some of the tribesmen have come to the conclusion that the British soldier is a hard foe to beat.
The Orakzais have therefore sent a deputation to Gen. Sir William Lockhart, the British commander-in-chief, asking for peace. ”

“ A good many Germans have settled in Port-au-Prince, the capital city of Haiti, but, white people being so scarce in the island, the consuls are kept busy trying to secure justice for their countrymen. ”

“ The victorious insurgents then set about conquering the eastern portion of the island, and for a time held possession of it. After a time, however, it was divided into two portions: the western end which the natives had secured from the French was called Haiti, and the eastern eventually became the Republic of San Domingo.
The inhabitants of Haiti are negroes, or, to be more exact, nine-tenths are negroes and the rest mulattoes; the whites are not very numerous, and are principally foreign merchants and traders. ”

“ Spain has no money, and the Spanish soldiers need food for themselves—how then can the Spanish commanders supply the peasants with farming implements and grain, and care for them until kindly earth yields its crop? ”

“ After much thought, he came to the conclusion that if he could only build himself a vessel which would withstand the pressure of the ice, and once get into the stream, he and his vessel would be carried with the rest of the drift from Asia to America, and in the course of the trip would be borne right across the North Pole. ”

“ As my pupils are interested in letter-writing, I think it would be a great incentive toward the accomplishment of good work in that direction if they may be allowed to write a batch of letters to the editor of The Great Round World, with the hope that one or two of the best of them will be printed in your paper. ”

“ As a matter of fact, the only vessel available for the purpose is not ready to go to sea, and cannot be made ready before December 10th, and it will then be some time before she can reach Haiti.
The Germans are much annoyed that they will have to put up with the little republic's impudence for so long a time, and one political party in Germany is taking advantage of the opportunity to urge the necessity of enlarging the navy. ”

“ The planters have no money to pay for grinding sugar, and unless the Government aids them it will be impossible for them to begin operations.
The peasants have no homes to go to, and unless they are cared for until they are able to care for themselves they must starve. ”

“ During the entire trip Nansen and his men performed the various duties of their lives, turn and turn about, the difference of occupation giving the men the change necessary to keep them in health and spirits. ”