34 Chapter I. 



our equipment and provisions, to a substantial ice-floe, 

 which we should have selected beforehand in view of 

 such a contingency. Here the tents which we should 

 take with us to meet this contingency would be pitched. 

 In order to preserve our provisions and other equipments 

 we should not place them all together on one spot, 

 but should distribute them over the ice, laying them 

 on rafts of planks and beams which we should have 

 built on it. This will obviate the possibility of any of 

 our equipments sinking, even should the floe on which 

 they are break up. The crew of the Hansa, who drifted 

 for more than half a year along the east coast of 

 Greenland, in this way lost a great quantity of their 

 supplies. 



" For the success of such an expedition two things 

 only are required : viz., good clothing, and plenty of 

 food, and these we can take care to have with us. We 

 should thus be able to remain as safely on our ice-floe as 

 in our ship, and should advance just as well towards the 

 Greenland Sea. The only difference would be that on 

 our arrival there, instead of proceeding by ship, we must 

 take to our boats, which would convey us just as safely to 

 the nearest harbour. 



" Thus it seems to me there is an overwhelming 

 probability that such an expedition would be successful. 

 Many people, however, will certainly urge : ' In all 

 currents there are eddies and backwaters ; suppose, then, 

 you get into one of these, or perhaps stumble on an 



