THE NEW SIBERIAN ISLANDS. 737 



on, though I do not know where I am. Nothing can 

 be seen through the thick snow but a dim outline of 

 land to northwest and west, — but near or far is a 

 doubtful point yet. 



Mr. Collins evidently had a bedfellow last night, a 

 lemming, for when he went out of the tent this morn- 

 ing, one of these little creatures jumped out of the 

 hood of his fur coat and burrow r ed his way into the 

 sand like a flash. Johnson says he saw a moccasin 

 track in the sand, which was made where none of us 

 had yet been, and it w r as quite fresh ; and some wood 

 around us bears fresh marks of axes. Can this place 

 have been visited lately ? 



A fossil bone was picked up by the doctor last night. 

 Finding numerous ponds along this sand spit, we, for a 

 moment, supposed that we might find good water, but 

 investigation proved that it was all very salt. The 

 snow-fall this morning gives us a fresher supply, though 

 in drifting over the sand before massing in banks, it 

 collects an appreciable amount of salt. 



Mr. Dunbar looks quite ill, and I am afraid has 

 suffered more in the second cutter than he will admit. 

 When we parted company with them, they had their 

 hands full in bailing their boat, and when they ran 

 alongside an ice floe and prepared to haul out, Chipp 

 had to be passed out by hand, he was so cramped 

 from sitting in the cold water. Chipp at once served 

 out two ounces of brandy to each one, and Dunbar im- 

 mediately threw his up and fainted. I have noticed 

 that all the second cutter's people looked tired and 

 strained, and several of them had swollen faces. When 

 I get Chipp's account in detail, I can set all these things 

 down. 



Anniversaries come around with queer comparisons. 



