192 ICE-BOUND ON KOLGUEV 



You quite understand where we were now ? At Stanavoi 

 Scharok, i.e. Scharok harbour, the one and only harbour 

 of Kolguev. For Uano had explained to me that the 

 , Waskina was no harbour at all, that they could not even 

 get their little boats in there, and that, though there was 

 one river — the Pugrinoy — without a bar, still (as was 

 clear from his description) there was not enough water in 

 this to float the Saxon or any other sizable boat. 



So now there seemed to be nothing for it but to wait 

 within sight of this one entry for the ice to go. 



July 10. — We found it very hard work to get wood 

 for the fire. No drift-wood is cast up on this side of the 

 island except on the outer rim of the sand-banks. It 

 was impossible for us to reach these, for there lay between 

 ourselves and them a good two miles of water and mud. 

 But we found the foundation timbers where a hut had 

 stood, and managed, after much labour, for it was like 

 iron, to cut some of this with our little axe. 



Hyland, who since during our stay with the Samoyeds 

 had been very fairly well, was out of sorts to-day. He 

 complained much of giddiness, and had to sit about. 

 Our stock of medicine was not a laro-e one, though, 

 fortunately, in the end it proved enough. 



Last night as the tide was ebbing, nine-and-forty 

 long-tailed ducks came clown the creek with the stream 

 and lay just below our tent. They were still there this 

 morning, but well out of shot. 



