174 Chapter V. 



storm from the south-west. Our other slight hope lay in 

 the possibility that Nordenskiolcl's Taimur Sound farther 

 south might be open, and that we might manage to get 

 the Fran i through there, in spite of Nordenskiold having* 

 said distinctly "that it is too shallow to allow of the 

 passage of vessels of any size." 



After having been out in the kayak and boat and shot 

 some seals, we went on to anchor in a bay that lay rather 

 farther south, where it seemed as if there would be a 

 little shelter in case of a storm. We wanted now to 

 have a thorough cleaning out of the boiler, a very neces- 

 sary operation. It took us more than one watch to 

 steam a distance we could have rowed in half an 

 hour or less. We could hardly get on at all for the 

 dead-water, and we swept the whole sea along with us. 

 It is a peculiar phenomenon, this clead-water. We had 

 at present a better opportunity of studying it than we 

 desired. It occurs where a surface layer of fresh water 

 rests upon the salt water of the sea, and this fresh 

 water is carried along with the ship, gliding on the 

 heavier sea beneath as if on a fixed foundation. The 

 difference between the two strata was in this case so 

 great that while we had drinking water on the surface 

 the water we got from the bottom cock of the engine- 

 room was far too salt to be used for the boiler. Dead- 

 water manifests itself in the form of larger or smaller 



o 



ripples or waves stretching across the wake, the one 

 behind the other, arising" sometimes as far forward as 



O 



