2 3 o SPITSBERGEN chap, xvii 



The fault became our goal, and its existence was duly- 

 established. 



This hill-side and the marsh are some of the best places 

 in Spitsbergen for flowers. They grew between the stones 

 and on the mud-banks with a vigour surprising in so high 

 a latitude. But there was nothing this evening, save the 

 snowy heights, to suggest that we were within the Arctic 

 Circle. The sun was warm, the fjord quite clear of ice, the 

 slopes green. More than ever was the comparison suggested 

 with a fine spring day in the Italian lakes ; only the air was 

 a little denser here, and the sky a paler shade of blue. If a 

 month of such weather could always be foretold, Spitsbergen 

 would become a favourite summer resort, and its shores 

 would produce a crop of hotels. The midnight sun poured 

 a stream of light in at the tent door when we returned to 

 camp, and made it seem an absurdity to go to bed, the more 

 so that a new sail hove in sight and revealed three men in 

 a boat rounding Hyperite Hat, and possibly bound for us. 

 Expectation often disappointed becomes wary. Perhaps it 

 made us too wary this time. The boat actually contained 

 Garwood with Williamson and a sailor. They saw our tents, 

 but Williamson declared they were not ours, and that we were 

 camped close to Post Glacier. The man is a complete fool. 

 In order not to lose the wind they kept away out and sailed 

 on. Had we fired a shot they would probably have come to 

 us and saved a lot of trouble. They had to row back next 

 morning against a gentle breeze, and when they reached 

 Jorgensen Camp we were gone. 



For this day (July 28) opened so mildly, with water so 

 calm and sun so bright, that even the botanist was not afraid 

 for his boat, and gave us willing leave to borrow it and make 

 for Advent Bay. Accordingly, whilst Gregory went through 

 his plant collection with our worthy friend, I packed up 

 camp and in due season we rowed away, leaving with our 



