180 Chapter V. 



and always coming- nearer ; it was evidently anxious to 

 find out what our night work might be. Then it dived 

 over and over again, probably to see how the dragging 

 was getting on. Was it afraid of our finding the rifle ? 

 At last it became too intrusive. I took Peter's rifle, and 

 put a ball through its head ; but it sank before we could 

 reach it ; and we gave up the whole business in despair. 

 The loss of that rifle saved the life of many a seal ; and, 

 alas ! it had cost me ^28. 



We took the boat again next day and rowed eastward, 

 to find out if there really was a passage for us through 

 this strait. It had turned cold during the night, and 

 snow had fallen, so the sea round the Fram was covered 

 with tolerably thick snow ice, and it cost us a good deal 

 of exertion to break through it into open water w r ith the 

 boat. I thought it possible that the land farther in on 

 the north side of the strait might be that in the neigh- 

 bourhood of Actinia Bay, where the Vegu, had lain ; but 

 I sought in vain for the cairn erected there by Norden- 

 skiold, and presently discovered to my astonishment that 

 it was only a small island, and that this island lay on the 

 south side of the principal entrance to Taimur Strait. 

 The strait was very broad here, and I felt pretty certain 

 that I saw where the real Actinia Bay cut into the land 

 far to the north. 



We were hungry now, and were preparing to take 

 a meal before, we rowed on from the island, when we 

 discovered to our disappointment that the butter had 



