58 SPITSBERGEN chap, iv 



for a month, and thought I should die. One day the Lapp 

 saw a seal, and he ran, carrying a pail with him, and shot 

 it and caught the blood in the pail. I drank that and imme- 

 diately began to revive. I shall now get well. 



"We did not trouble to go again to Cape Thordsen, 

 because of course Neilsen has long been dead. I kept a 

 journal from day to day, but some of it is in Nordenskjold's 

 House, where no doubt is also the body of the dead man. 

 When we reach Advent Bay we will show you our hut, and 

 then you will see that everything is as we have told you." 



I wrote the tale down from Time's lips, but have neces- 

 sarily curtailed it, for he made many digressions, and was 

 constantly referring to his journal or appealing to the Lapp 

 for confirmation of the truth of his statements. It only 

 remains to add that later in the season Mr. With went over 

 to Cape Thordsen, but found no traces of the dead man. 

 Perhaps after exhausting his food he wandered forth to try 

 and cross the bay, and fell through the ice, or perhaps he 

 died in the open air and was eaten by bears. No one will 

 ever know. 



The same night that these men were taken on board, the 

 steamer Virgo anchored alongside of us with Herr Andree 

 and his balloon on board. She took on Mr. Stadling and 

 such of our passengers as were going to join the balloon 

 party, whilst we took from the Virgo the party of Swedes 

 — Baron de Geer, Lieutenant O. Knorring, and their eight 

 seamen — who were coming to make an accurate survey of 

 the shores of Ice Fjord, the existing chart of which is so 

 faulty. The Virgo presently sailed for Danes Island. She 

 had left Tromso two days before us, but was delayed by 

 heavy ice. 



The morning of the 20th was cloudy and grey ; ice 

 conditions, however, were favourable to advance, so we 

 steamed ahead at an early hour. Navigating slowly and 



