DRIFTING TO THE SOUTH. 123 



Moreover, until the beginning of January our ice-mass 

 had experienced no damage. On the 14th of November 

 we passed in our southward journey the most southerly 

 point, according to Scoresby, of this stretch of coast. Cape 

 Barclay, lying in 69° 14' N.L. and 24° 30' W.L. From 

 this time to the most northerly point of Graah's coast- 

 journey, Cape Dan, lying in 65° 37' N.L. and 37° 20' 

 W.L., we saw an unknown land, the so-called " Egede's 

 Land." We succeeded at least in determining some points 

 of this coast, which we approached within four miles. 

 Unfortunately the very time we found ourselves nearest 

 to it our lives were in great danger, our ill fate following 

 us here, and we were obliged to allow the favourable 

 moment for serving science to pass by unheeded. 



From the 2nd to the 4th of November we floated 

 past Scoresby's Sound. The discoverer of this rather 

 considerable Fjord relates that by the strength of a 

 submarine current icebergs are frequently driven from it. 

 And, indeed, whilst up to this time we had been unable 

 to catch sight of one, we saw on the 5th (after having 

 evidently passed through the current and out of the 

 Sound, being about ten to fifteen nautical miles from the 

 coast some days later) for the first time a great iceberg 

 in the north-west towards Scoresby's Sound, about four 

 nautical miles from us. 



Icebergs are known to be broken portions of glaciers. 

 That seen by us was rather long but not high, allowing 

 us to conclude that the original had considerable breadth 

 but no great height. 



The temperature in November and December showed 

 great variations : 6tli November, — 20° Fahr., fine weather 

 with a west wind; 20th, 32° Fahr. with di^ving snow to 



