THE LAST SUMMER. " 433 



necessity. We put a stout steel cable round a large rock a little 

 way up on land, and it needs to be a firm rock not to be dragged 

 away when the ice presses. The cable is pretty sure to hold, for 

 cables are strong things. Here, at any rate, we could lie in peace 

 without risking the anchors and chains. 



The stubbornness of the south wind this year was something 

 remarkable. However, if it did not stop blowing before, it would 

 do so when the cold set in. The question of the dredging fellows 

 was one which exercised us more. They were dangerous waters 

 therer in the west, and, what with the strong current and all this 

 ice, we did not know what to think. My only comfort was that 

 Peder was with them ; he knew all about ice and current. Probably 

 they were under arrest in some place, waiting for a more favourable 

 wind. 



On August 5, as Schei was looking across towards Ytre Eide with 

 the glasses, he saw something moving out there. It was not long 

 before he made out that it was two human beings, and, therefore, 

 it was to be assumed that they were two of the dredgers ; they had 

 also hoisted a flag. I need hardly say that our joy was great when 

 we saw that they were alive. At eleven o'clock, the mate, Hassel, 

 Stolz, and I went off in a boat. We had first to row a couple of 

 miles up the fjord to get into open water. Many a time advance 

 was cut off, and then we had to take to our old way across the 

 floes. We landed a short distance inside the point where the 

 dredgers had been seen. They received us with a salute, and 

 the mate returned the compliment. 



The dredging boat had reached St. Helena the day after we 

 had said farewell to the party. They had dredged there and at 

 Cape Vera, had had beautiful weather to begin with, and had lived 

 well on sea-birds and eggs. Then they had gone up to Cardigan 

 Strait, but there the ice had kept them imprisoned for ten whole 

 days on a little island, which they found so enchanting, with all 

 the wind and the rain, and with starvation in view, that they 

 gave it the name of ' Djseveloen,' or ' Devil Island.' 



From there, after a lively skirmish with the ice, they escaped 

 unharmed to the open sea under North Kent, and then sailed south- 

 ward to King Oscar Land. They had dredged as well as they 

 VOL. n. 2 F 



