FJOiiDS. 563 



our way by the help of the compass, and keep a sharp 

 look-out for icebergs. 



At noon we passed the narrow pass by the Devil's 

 Castle, and kept close to the land, with the intention, 

 if possible, of anchoring in a fine bay called Eleanor Bay, 

 from whence we could make farther investigation. As 

 we rounded the south cape of the harbour, however, the 

 water shallowed so suddenly that we grounded, and were 

 set fast in the mud. During the night the tide reached 

 its highest, and with some exertions we floated once 

 more, and rode at anchor until the morning, when we 

 steamed eastward. 



At the mouth of the Fjord we found the land-ice 

 pretty dense, and between Cape Bennet and Bontekoe 

 Island was such a strong barrier, that even close 

 under the land we could with difficulty force our way 

 through. 



At twenty minutes past eleven p.m., on the 14th of 

 August, three nautical miles westward of our former 

 anchorage, we anchored again, to take in necessary 

 ballast and water. 



On the 15th the Captain and Mr. Sengstacke climbed 

 the cape, which was more than 2950 feet high, to inspect 

 the position of the ice. To the east the pack-ice was 

 loose enough to steer through, particularly to the east- 

 north-east and south-east. Directly in the east the fields 

 lay denser, but still streams of water could be seen. The 

 horizon seemed strewn with ice. The whole of the coast 

 to the south, as far as the eye could see, was covered 

 with numberless icebergs, chiefly from Kaiser Franz- 

 Joseph's Fjord, Avhich, however, never appeared upon the 

 open sea. 



o 2 



