xtu.] PRONTSCHISCHEV'S VOYAGE. 5tl 



of the Olenek. A little way up the river some dwelling- 

 houses were met with, which hunters had built for use during 

 sunnner. These were put in order for winter, which passe(l 

 liappily. On the l "'^^]"^^^ the ice broke up at the winter quar- 

 ters, but in the sea it lay still until the ^^ August, and it 

 was only then that Prontschischev could go to sea. The course 

 was shaped for the north-east. The Chatanga was reached on 

 the f ith August. On the beach, in 74° 48' N. L., a hut was 

 met with in which were found newly baked bread and some 

 dogs, and which therefore appeared to belong to some Russian 

 hunters absent at the time. While sailing on along the coast 

 the explorers, after having passed two bays projecting into 

 the land, came to an inlet which they erroneously took for 

 the mouth of the Taimur river. Among the reasons for 

 this supposition is mentioned the immense number of gulls 

 which swarmed round the vessel in that region. The bay was 

 covered with fast ice, " which probably never breaks up," and 

 broad ice-fields stretched out to sea from the coast, on which 

 Polar bears were seen. 



On the ;"^* August, in 77° 29' N.L., the vessel was suddenly 

 surrounded with so large masses of ice that it could make no 

 further progress, and was every instant in danger of being 

 nipped. Prontschischev therefore determined to turn, but this 

 at first was rendered impossible by a complete calm, a crust of 

 ice being formed at the same time in open places between the 

 pieces of drift-ice. If the latitude stated is correct, the turning 

 point lay quite close to the northernmost promontory of Asia. 

 With a better vessel, and above all with the help of steam, 

 Prontschischev would certainly have rounded it. The unbroken 

 ice which he mentioned several times in his narrative, ought 

 probably to be interpreted as belts of pretty closely packed 

 drift-ice. Many times during my Arctic voyages have I sailed 

 through belts of ice which, when observed from a boat some 

 hundred yards from their borders, have been reported ns 

 immense unbroken ice-fields. On the 5i^,-!'— a hisfh north wind 



25th Aug. c> 



began to blow which drove the vessel, with the surrounding 

 ice-fields, towards the south. The voyagers had doubts as to 

 their being saved, but the gusts of wind broke up the ice so 

 that the vessel got free and could sail to the mouth of the 

 Chatanga, which, however, was already frozen over. The ex- 

 plorers were therefore compelled to continue their voyage 

 towards the Olenek, whose mouth was reached on the «"■*':«'"• 

 In the neighbourhood of the haven which they intended to 

 make, they were driven about by contrary winds and drift-ice 

 about six days more, exposed to cold and wet, and worn out by 

 exertions and privations of every description. Prontschischev, 

 who before had been sick, died of his illness on the ]^'^-^?^i 



' 30th Aug. 



