THE JOURNEY OVER THE PACK ICE 253 



down some thin upstanding ice, carry it to the water, and let it 

 mingle with the element it came from. We succeeded at last in 

 constructing a rather shaky bridge, over which we took the 



STORKER STORKERSEN. 



sledges, and camped at 4.50 P.M. on the other side with more 

 good going ahead. 



Temperature 5 C. at start, o C. at i P.M. Lat. 71 12', 

 long. W. 147 40' (obs.). 



The weather is so warm that we work in our undershirts, 

 but, pleasant as it is, it will soon force us to seek the land, as 

 the snow is getting woefully soft and the lanes will not freeze 

 over any longer. However, as long as we can go east farther 

 than the drift of the ice is setting us west, we will keep on until 

 at least we reach Flaxman Island. 



Saturday, April 27. I overslept myself almost an hour,as I had 

 been awake several times, listening to the strong easterly wind 

 which sprang up during the night. We left camp at 7.30 P.M. 

 The lane which we crossed last night had widened, and was 

 now at least three times wider, and where we took the sledges 

 across yesterday the waves were now beating. We started, 

 but five hundred yards ahead of us a lane about forty yards wide 

 stopped our progress. While looking up and down the lane for 



