170 EARLIEST POLAR EXPLORATIONS 



ocean would soon be completely destroyed. Had we attempted to have ferried 

 ourselves across upon one of the floating pieces of ice, we should not have 

 found firm footing upon our arrival. Even on our own side, fresh lanes of 

 water were continually forming, and extending in every direction in the field 

 of ice behind us. With a painful feeling of the impossibility of overcoming the 

 obstacles which nature opposed to us, our last hope vanished of discovering the 

 land, which we yet believed to exist." 



On returning from this extreme limit of their adventurous journey, the 

 party were placed in a situation of extreme risk. 



"We had hardly proceeded one werst," writes M. von Wrangell, "when 

 we found ourselves in a fresh labyrinth of lanes of water, which hemmed 

 us in on every side. As all the floating pieces around us were smaller than 

 the one on which we stood, which was seventy-five fathoms across, and as we 

 saw many certain indications of an approaching storm, I thought it better to 

 remain on the larger mass, which offered us somewhat more security ; and thus 

 X we waited quietly whatever Providence should decree. Dark clouds now rose 

 from the west, and the whole atmosphere became filled with a damp vapor. 

 A strong breeze suddenly sprang up from the west, and increased in less than 

 half an hour to a storm. Every moment huge masses of Ice around us were 

 dashed against each other, and broken into a thousand fragments. Our little 

 party remained fast on our ice-island, which was tossed to and fro by the 

 waves. We gazed in most painful inactivity on the wild conflict of the elements, 

 expecting every moment to be swallowed up. We had been three long hours 

 in this position, and still the mass of ice beneath us held together, when sud- 

 denly it was caught by the storm, and hurled against a large field of ice. The 

 crash was terrific, and the mass beneath us was shattered into fragments. At 

 that dreadful moment, when escape seemed impossible, the impulse of self- 

 preservation implanted in every living being saved us. Instinctively we all 

 sprang at once on the sledges, and urged the dogs to their full speed. They 

 flew across the yielding fragments to the field on which we had been stranded, 

 and safely reached a part of it of firmer character, on which were several 

 hummocks, and where the dogs immediately ceased running, conscious, ap- 

 parently, that the danger was past. We were saved : we joyfully embraced 

 each other, and united in thanks to God for our preservation from such 

 imminent peril." 



More than once during this trip the party heard from natives that land 

 could be seen far away in the northern seas. The part of the coast alluded to 



