In August of 1930, a Norwegian sloop, the Bratvaag, sailing in the Arctic Ocean, stopped at a remote island called White Island. The Bratvaag was partly on a scientific mission, led by Dr. Gunnar Horn, a geologist, and partly out sealing. On the second day, the sealers followed walruses around a point of land. A few hours later, they returned with a book, which was sodden and heavy, its pages stuck together. The book was a diary, and on the first page someone had written, “The Sledge Journey, 1897.”