318 THE JE ANNETTE ARCTIC EXPEDITION. 



seas, one of which all hands thought would swamp us. Sea- 

 nian Leach did noble work that night, so did seaman Wil- 

 son. The night was very dark, and the danger of our posi- 

 tion was, owing to the floating pieces of ice, much increased. 

 We had to bale for our lives. To have struck one of these 

 ice pieces would have been death. Our escape was miracu- 

 lous, as we were running very rapidly. 



On Saturday forenoon, September 10th, we landed on Semen- 

 offski Island, got some food and fresh water, and, after din- 

 ner, pushed off, some of the party, with rifles, proceeding 

 overland to the southern end of the island. Two reindeer 

 were started, one of which being shot we again landed and 

 remained until Monday forenoon. I shot some gulls, one 

 goose, two golden plover and ten ptarmigan. Previous to 

 this, and between Thaddeus and Kotelnoi, I shot some twenty 

 ducks, all of which were excellent eating. 



Leaving Semenoffski on the 12th, we ran south, stopping 

 beside an ice piece at noon for dinner. After this we stood 

 on until about four p. M., when, in attempting to run between 

 two pieces of ice, our boat stove a hole in her starboard 

 bilge. Shoving a rag into it we ran for the captain's boat, 

 told him we were in a sinking condition, and hauled along- 

 side an ice piece, pulled out, and, after nailing a piece of 

 wood over the place, filled away for the main land of Siberia, 

 distant perhaps one hundred miles. 



The wind and sea increased toward night, and at dark we 

 lost sight of the first and second cutters. Those two boats 

 contained twenty-two men. Two of them Noros and Nin- 

 dermann I have seen since, but the others 1 never saw 

 after that night. During the night it blew a gale with a 

 terrible sea. We had to lay ' hove to ' with a drag out for 

 twenty hours. Everybody did his utmost, but it seemed as 

 if every moment would be our last. Starting again next 

 afternoon we ran before a heavy sea ; but though wet, made 

 very good weather. Many of us were about used up with 

 badly swollen feet. No chance to cook anything owing to 

 tossing of the boat. 



