128 THE GERMAN AUCTIC EXPEDITION, 



house to the boats lying about fifteen steps from us, so that, 

 in case of a catastrophe, we might be able to reach them. 

 But the driving snow was so terrible, that we could not 

 have moved them from the spot, and we should no doubt, 

 soon have sunk in the depths. At eight, we set a sharp 

 watch of two men in the pathway. The remainder 

 stretched themselves on the sacks to sleep, as the un- 

 earthly rustling was no longer heard. It was a long, 

 stormy, fearful night, allowing no one to sleep. At nine 

 the longed-for twihght appeared and an hour later the 

 wind abated a little. Some of us went out in the 

 direction of the quay ; for thus we had christened the 

 spot, 500 steps from the house, where the sunken 

 Hansa lay. They there found a new wall of ice, 

 and recognized to their horror that this wall was now 

 the boundary of our floe, whilst on all sides of it large 

 pieces had been broken off", and rose in dark shapeless 

 masses out of the drifled snow. The bad weather lasted 

 with undiminished violence till two in the afternoon. On 

 the morning of the 4th of January it had completely 

 worn itself out ; the air was clear, and allowed an open 

 view over the ice-field to the coast. Our floe had lost con- 

 siderably in circumference, and changed its round form 

 into a long one. The diameter which before was two 

 nautical miles, was now at the utmost but one. On three 

 sides, our house was only 200 steps from the edge of the 

 floe. On the fourth it was about 1000 where before it 

 had been 3000. The distance to the coast amounted to 

 scarcely two nautical miles. Besides the island seen on 

 the 1st of January, we caught a glimpse of several others 

 with different pyramidically rising cliff's in the north-west. 

 We named them the " New Year's Islands," as we had 



