160 VOYAGE TO THE POLAR SEA. October 



reported all well, in good spirits, and "working 

 splendidly," but that he had found the travelling ex- 

 ceedingly heavy, and had been obliged to resort to 

 standing pulls for the best part of three days. 



' We parted about 2.30 p.m., and half an hour after- 

 wards, while eating our luncheon, I saw the Commander 

 struggling back. He had brought us some rum which 

 they could spare, to fill up the deficiency caused by our 

 leaving the ship with eight days' for three men, instead 

 of fourteen days' for four men ; we fully appreciated 

 this kindness on his part. 



1 On the 2nd the weather was foggy, with snow 

 falling. I steered by compass across the bay, making as 

 straight a course as possible by marking hummocks. 

 The increase of snow had entirely altered the appear- 

 ance of everything, and what appeared before as very 

 hummocky ice now looked like a level floe. It was 

 impossible to pick a road, and very slowly we strug- 

 gled on, sometimes coming suddenly against a hum- 

 mock, and at other times falling helplessly into deep 

 holes. 



' I picked up my depot at the entrance to the lake, 

 and pushed on to it, having been looking forward to 

 get water from it for luncheon. The hills at the sides 

 of the ravine, and the ravine itself, were knee-deep in 

 snow, where scarcely any lay when I passed before ; 

 the clear and polished floe was covered, and we had a 

 little difficulty in finding out the position of our former 

 water-hole. A pick-axe soon brought us to beautiful 

 water ; the ice seemed to have increased in thickness 

 about two inches, or perhaps a little more. While 

 drawing some water Frederick noticed some fish 



