Voyage through the Kara Sea. 175 



almost amidships. \Ye made loops in our course, 

 turned sometimes right round, tried all sorts of antics 



o 



to get clear of it, but to very little purpose. The moment 

 the engine stopped it seemed as il the ship were sucked 

 back. In spite of the Fraiiis weight, and the momentum 

 she usually has, we could in the present instance go at 

 full speed till within a fathom or two of the edge of the 

 ice, and hardly feel a shock when she touched. 



Just as we were approaching we saw a fox jumping 

 backwards and forwards on the ice, taking the most 

 wonderful leaps, and enjoying life. Sverdrup sent a ball 

 from the forecastle which put an end to it on the spot. 



About midday two bears were seen on land, but they 

 disappeared before we got in to shoot them. 



The number of seals to be seen in every direction was 

 something extraordinary, and it seemed to me that this 

 would be an uncommonly good hunting ground. The 

 flocks I saw this first day on the ice reminded me of 

 the crested-seal hunting grounds on the west coast of 

 Greenland. 



This experience of ours may appear to contrast 

 strangely with that of the Vega Expedition. Norden- 

 skiold writes of this sea, comparing it with the sea 

 to the north and east of Spitzbergen :--" Another 

 striking difference is the scarcity of warm-blooded 

 animals in this region as yet unvisited by the hunter. 

 \Ye had not seen a single bird in the whole course 

 of the day, a thing that had never before happened to 



