The daily morning journal and courier., 1896-11-21

loads grew lighter with the daily con- sumption of food on the part of both men and doges. The dogs, too, seemed to hold out fairly we'll, By and by the foes began to be more uneven, and packed together and the drift, which until then had seemed to be slight, was now against us. On March 25 we had reached S5 degrees 19 minutes north latitude; on the 29th, S5 degrees 30 minutes. The ice was obviously drift ing southward at a good rate, while at the same time our progress over the rough ice was slow,
 ''The ice was in constant movement and laundering around us on all sides. On April we were in S5 degrees 59 minutes north latitude. We pushed on with all our might, always hoping for better ice. On April we reached S6 degrees 3 minutes, but the ice grew worse, until at last, on April 2, it was so bad that thought it 'unadvisable to continue any further toward the north If it were like this in the direction of Franz Josef's Land, we might have difficulty enough in getting there. We were then in S6 degrees IA minutes north latitude, and about 95 degrees east longitude. In order to investigate the state of the ice and the possibility of advance I went further north on ski, but could discern no likely way From the highest hummock could find, saw only packed and piled-up ice as far as the horizon.
 Tt was on April that we altered our course and began our wanderings toward Cape Fligely, in Franz Josefs Land. For a time we still had the same toilsome kind of road to go; but after one days march the ice became better, and it's passage somewhat easier.
 Tn June the channels became more numerous and more difficult than ever to deal with, and the state of the ice was very bad. Dogs, ski and sledge runners broke through the crust on the snow, and sank deep into the soft and wet snow beneath! The number of dogs now, too, was diminishing Ad- vance seemed almost hopeless, but we had no choice, and so toiled on as best we could, while the rations for both dogs and men were reduced to a mini mum.
 
 dfminution of the rations Many of them drew their loads faithfully until they suddenly dropped down with fa- tigue unable to stand any longer,
 When we reached open water in S1 degrees 3s minutes, north latitude, and 63 degrees east longitude, there being little prospect for our having much more use for the two dogs we still had left, we shot them and left then on the drift ice.
 We padded southwest along the northwest shore of the land, hoping soon to be able to cross over the sea to Spitzbergen. Tn vain did we search for land in the west. On August IS a wind from the sea suddenly drove the ice in toward the shore, and we were imprisoned for week. After again continuing our journey for day or two we were once more imprisoned, on August 26, in about S1 degrees 13 min utes north latitude, and 551a degrees east longitude. The autumn was now so far advanced that considered 1t would be too late to begin the long journey to Spitzbergen, where, we could scarcely expect to arrive in time to find any ships going home, and where we should accordingly have to winter without having time to lay in provi- sions and make preparations for it. As the place we had reached seemed we'll fitted for wintering in, and there seemed to be sufficient opportunity for getting game, we thought it safest to stop here and prepare for the winter.
 At last came spring, with sunshine and birds. How we'll remember that first evening, a few days before the sun had appeared above the horizon, when we suddenly saw a flock of little auks (rotges) sail past us along the mountains to the north. It was like the first greeting from life and spring Many followed in their trail, and soon the mountains around us swarmed with these little summer visitors of the north, which enlivened everything with their cheerful twittering. A dark sky, which we had had the whole winter, but especially now in the spring, in the south and southward seemed to imply that there must be water in that direc- tion, of which it was a reflection. We, had, therefore, every hope of making quick and easy voyage in our kayaks