72 VON WRANGELL. 



further side of the channel before us. The collisions 

 were so tremendous, that large masses were every 

 instant broken away ; and it was evident that the por- 

 tion of ice which still divided the channel from the open 

 ocean would soon be completely destroyed. Had we 

 attempted to have ferried ourselves across upon one of 

 the floating pieces of ice, we should not have found firm 

 footing upon our arrival. Even on our own side, fresh 

 lanes of water were continually forming, and extending 

 in every direction in the field of ice behind us. With 

 a painful feeling of the impossibility of overcoming the 

 obstacles which nature opposed to us, our last hope van- 

 ished of discovering the land, which we yet believed to 

 exist." 



On returning from this extreme limit of their adven- 

 turous journey, the party were placed in a situation of 

 extreme risk. " We had hardly proceeded one werst," 

 writes M. von Wrangell, "when we found ourselves in 

 a fresh labyrinth of lanes of water, which hemmed us in 

 on every side. As all the floating pieces around us 

 were smaller than the one on which we stood, which 

 was seventy-five fathoms across, and as we saw many 

 certain indications of an approaching storm, I thought 

 it better to remain on the larger mass, which offered us 

 somewhat more security ; and thus we waited quietly 

 whatever Providence should decree. Dark clouds now 

 rose from the west, and the whole atmosphere became 

 filled with a damp vapor. A strong breeze suddenly 

 sprang up from the west, and increased in less than 

 half an hour to a storm. Every moment huge masses 

 of ice around us were dashed against each other, and 

 broken into a thousand fragments. Our little party re- 

 mained fast on our ice-island, which was tossed to and 

 fro by the waves. We gazed in most painful inac- 

 tivity on the wild conflict of the elements, expecting 



