376 THE GERMAN ARCTIC EXPEDITION. 



dense masses of snow. Carefully we press tbrougli it to 

 the stone on wliich the tlieodolite stood, covered over : tlie 

 stone is empty ! That was a severe blow. But we soon 

 discovered the costly instrument lying on the floor quite 

 unharmed. The telescope stand, too, was overturned. 

 We were fortunate enough to find Robinson's wings 

 again ; they had not suffered much, and Wagner's clever 

 hands soon succeeded in restoring the useful instrument. 



The next days were calm, with a clear or slightly 

 clouded atmosphere. The outline of the fog to the 

 south was interesting, betokening open water, whilst 

 before noon a thin veil hid the southern mainland. 

 Later on, stretched at the same height a fog bank, from 

 Walrus Island into Clavering Straits, which after a time 

 disappeared. In tliis expanse Captain Koldewey saw 

 open water, when at ten o'clock he went to the Ger- 

 mania-berg to survey the condition of the ice. The line 

 in which the ice had been torn asunder went from the 

 south end of Walrus Island, through Clavering Straits 

 to the west, past the small island to Cape Wynn ; from 

 the north end of Walrus Island to Cairn Point, then up 

 the shore of our island to the south-east end of Klein 

 Pendulum. South of Shannon, however, the old ice lay 

 unaltered. Here we again recognized the great import- 

 ance of Walrus Island, as affording a secure harbour. 



In the neighbourhood of land there was but little 

 snow on the ice ; and on the mountains but little more 

 than formerly. The condition of the vegetation had 

 previously led us to the conclusion, which seemed to be 

 correct, that the snow-fall in winter was but small. 



We were now able to make use of the large quantity 

 of fallen snow, as it had luii'dened in the storm and the 



