WESTWARD WITH THE SHIP. 59 



aboard. And quickly they did it too it was not many minutes 

 before all were on deck, and the next moment we had laid-off from 

 the edge of the ice, and were bearing out towards Cardigan Strait. 



It was many a day since our spirits on board had been as high 

 as they were now. We had all been a little depressed at lying 

 drifting here, north of land, with the prospect of exceedingly 

 comfortless winter quarters. A most unexpected and welcome 

 change had befallen us, and it was natural that we all rejoiced 

 at it. 



Our returning sportsmen had had bad weather the whole time ; 

 and it was with some consternation that they had seen the wind go 

 round to the west, and the pack receding from land. When would 

 they be able to get on board again ? What had become of the 

 ship they had not the slightest idea, for we had very soon drifted 

 out of their range of vision. When, later on, they caught sight of 

 the ' Fram ' we were far to the east, and steering due south. They 

 imagined that the ice was hindering our advance to the west, and 

 that it was our intention to go down Cardigan Strait. They were 

 a good deal relieved when they discovered the ' Fram,' for they 

 then thought that if the worst came to the worst they could always 

 find the ship again in Norfolk Inlet. 



They had only been provisioned for a week, and as soon as the 

 bad weather set in they began to practise strict economy, so that 

 they might have something to fall back on in the event of their 

 being cut off from the ship. They had seen no traces of reindeer, 

 and of only one bear, which had taken its way along the shore. 



They had received the impression that Arthur Strait, so called, 

 did not exist ; but that the land in that direction consisted of a low 

 isthmus on which were situated some lakes. They could say 

 nothing for certain, however, as the weather had been so bad that 

 they did not exactly know where they were. It was quite possible 

 that they had seen the isthmus and the lakes somewhere else. 



They had been on the move since four or five in the morning 

 the day they came on board, and we therefore thought they 

 deserved to be let off their watches that night, for there were 

 enough of us in any case to allow of this. 



