io 4 SPITSBERGEN chap, vn 



them through large floating ice blocks to the mouth of De Geer 

 Valley, where they met the Swedes, who had recently shot 

 a polar bear on a floe, and had caught three young foxes 

 on Goose Island. They presently put forth again and rowed 

 on, worming their way with much difficulty and some danger 

 through the ice, and so, at ten A.M. on the 7th, they gained 

 Starvation Bluff, and there met our man Pedersen and 

 established communications with us. 



To return, however, to the affairs of the moment. Trevor- 

 Battye and Gregory had brought up the two sledges, but 

 there had been only time to mend one of them. The other 

 was in a parlous state. I would willingly have waited two 

 more days for the work to have been properly done, but 

 Trevor-Battye thought that speed was the essence of our 

 needs, and acted accordingly with the best intentions. The 

 result was unfortunate, but no one was to blame. We had 

 to push on with such machines as were available, and the 

 two new sledges mast come round by boat to meet us at 

 Sassen Bay. Trevor-Battye presently said good-bye and 

 went forth into the rain. We tucked Gregory into a bag be- 

 tween us, and Pedersen pitched the second tent close by. 



The Advent Bay news was interesting. Mr. Arnold Pike's 

 yacht had come in from the north, with tidings that the 

 year was an unusually open one. The ice had disappeared 

 to a high latitude ; the sea was open as far as the Seven 

 Islands and perhaps yet farther east. A school of white 

 whales had visited Advent Point, and Studley shot four of 

 them and felt better. Svensen's walrus-sloop also came in 

 and took Studley and Trevor-Battye for a cruise over to 

 Cape Boheman. The day we climbed Fox Peak, Gregory 

 ascended the bluff above Advent Point and had a glorious 

 view. 



W T hen we turned out the rain had passed, and the cloud- 

 mantle resumed its usual spread and level. I packed one 



