IN SCHAROK CAMP 197 



I should never have done but for Verrmyah's story of the 

 disappearance of the ice. For I could see we were in a 

 bad place. And the ice? I climbed up to the roof ."of 

 Uano's hut in the very early morning when the air was 

 clear, and instead of Verrmyah's open sea this was what 

 I saw : To the north a line of ice — how wide I could not 

 tell — but too wide for a vessel's approach. Down the 

 eastern side ice — ice beyond the harbour entry, beyond 

 that an open way, and then ice again. The Gulf was 

 just one single ice-field ; and though there may have been 

 a patch here and there of free water, only madness would 

 try to take a vessel in. 



July nth. — With a light wind from the east and the 

 thermometer at 50° F. in the tent at noon, it felt quite 

 warm. 



When Hyland went down for the water this morning 

 he found a single brent goose in the harbour, which he 

 shot at and winged. After this bird old Sailor went. 

 The tide was running out strongly, and the old dog had 

 a tough job against it. He stuck bravely to his bird. 

 But it was no use ; the goose had the legs of him all the 

 way. It never dived, only it would let the dog draw up, 

 and then, just when he was quite certain the game was his, 

 swim quickly out of reach uttering its defiant cry — a 

 sinele ' Wank ! ' At last I orew rather anxious about the 

 old dog in the cold water, and called him in. 



Hyland in the evening brought me in a sanderling in 



