SHANNON ISLAND. 291 



In the afternoon we took a pleasant walk along the 

 west coast, and discovered a number of " Tent-rings," or 

 circles, and other traces of inhabitants long since disap- 

 peared. 



On the 23rd of August a cold wind blew, with wet fog, 

 covering everything with rime. The fox visited us 

 again, and again escaped from our attempt at murder. 

 We passed our time in fetching drift-wood from the east 

 coast, whilst Payer conveyed a basaltic column from the 

 north end of the peninsula to our anchor-ground. 



Upon continuing our work on the south end of the 

 peninsula on the 24thj we found everywhere traces of 

 very old Esquimaux huts and graves. The huts were 

 not the usual underground winter-^dwelliugs, but were 

 built of stones on the flat earth, a block of rock being 

 taken as the back wall. The largest of these peculiar 

 dwellings was ten feet in diameter and six feet in height. 



In the night Payer, Sengstacke, and two sailors went 

 to south" west Shannon (Tell--platte)5 and the next 

 morning nothing was to be seen either of them or the 

 Germania. Now we know that at this time the Hansa 

 lay at no great distance in the ice, and that a part of her 

 gallant crew had advanced in the boat to within a short 

 distance of Cape Desbrowe. 



Close by the west point of Cape Philip Broke lay 

 a strange object on the land-ice. The light grey and 

 whitish colour at first made us think that it was a bear, 

 but afterwards we found it to be an old walrus ; it lay 

 close to a hole in tlie ice. We approached it stealthily, 

 and the first shot took efi'ect. It was about ten feet 

 lono; and nine feet in circumference near the fore-fins. 

 We were glad of this capture, as in case the voyage should 



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