FUliTHER VOYAGE OF THE HANSA. 81 



westerly direction. So for westward ! Captain Koldewey 

 gave us a signal, which, through the hazy weather, we 

 unfortunately misunderstood. We thought we read, 

 "Long stay a-peak," which Captain Hegemann interpreted 

 that the ship should sail as far westward as possible. 

 The signal, however, really meant, " Come within hail." 

 The misunderstanding was fatal ; the Hausa pushed on 

 to westward, lost sight of the Germania on the 20tli 

 of July, and never saw her again. 



It is, however, tolerably certain, and it is also confirmed 

 by both captains' statements, that, on account of the 

 Arctic weather, it would have been very, very difficult for 

 the two ships to have remained together, and it would have 

 made landing doubly difficult. And in the course of this 

 account, it will be seen that the Hansa on her side of 

 the coast could have reached another point, had she not 

 been prevented by the letter of her instructions. 



Before noon on the 21st of July, as we lay quietly in 

 the pack, Mr. Hildebrandt, who had brought his photo- 

 graphic apparatus on the ice, succeeded in taking a good 

 photograph of the Hansa. The dazzling snow in the sun- 

 shine produced snow-blindness for the first time in one 

 of the sailors, Philip Heine, and snow spectacles were at 

 once distributed. Seals and narwhals were seen near the 

 ship, some of which we killed at first. An attempt to 

 draw out the ice-bears by a fire lit on a block of ice, and 

 fed with seal-blubber, failed. Nevertheless, our mid-day 

 table was enriched with seal-meat, regarding the palata- 

 bleness of which opinions difi'ered. The continually 

 falling fog enveloped everything, shrouds, masts, rigging, 

 with a thick crust of ice, so that some one had to be sent 

 up to beat it down ; and pieces were constantly falling. 



