94 ACCIDENTS FROM FOG. 



miles, when, not being able to find her, and 

 being afraid of losing the island ourselves, we 

 rowed back again, and had made a large fire 

 and were about to breakfast upon bear-steaks 

 and eider-ducks, when the sloop appeared in 

 sight, about three miles off, and in a totally 

 different direction to that in which we thought 

 we had heard the signal-shots. 



We got on board before noon on the 18th ; 

 and after a breakfast of hot brandy-and- water, 

 cold beef and biscuit, we turned in for a few r 

 hours sleep. 



Many poor people have been left to perish 

 miserably on these bleak and desert islands by 

 accidents arising from fog, ice, currents, and 

 brandy. One notable case of a somewhat 

 ludicrous nature, but which might have ended 

 very tragically, took place five years ago, the 

 scene being an island, which I afterwards 

 visited, about thirty miles to the south-west 

 of this one. A great many walruses had been 

 killed on this island the previous season, and a 

 small sloop from Hammerfest came to the 

 island for the chance of finding bears feeding 

 on the carcases ; they found a perfect flock of 

 bears upwards of fifty congregated on the 

 island, holding a sort of carnival on the 



