258 ICE-BOUND ON KOLGUEV 



goose and obtained some first-rate soup. At 10.30 p.m. 

 I left him in his hut fast asleep. 



That night I had to write my diary by the light of my 

 little pocket lantern. 



It is easy to see from the observations we had made 

 that the Saxon, drawing her twelve feet of water, could 

 not hope to enter Scharok harbour. But at any 

 rate her boats could come in well enouoh if the ice 

 allowed, and the next step was to mark out the channels 

 for her in some way or other. 



July 2%tk. — So at 1.30 this morning, just as I had 

 finished my writing, instead of turning in to sleep as a 

 wise man would have done, I must needs go walking out 

 to consider this question. 



The tide had all but run out, the little creeks were 

 sinking out of sight one by one, and soon there would be 

 nothing south of our channel between the mainland and 

 the outer sand-banks but two miles or so of black ooze. 

 It seemed to be my chance. 



I set to work. I carried some beams down from the 

 huts, and falling to with a will, chipped away with the 

 axe till I had reduced them sufficiently for my purpose. 



First I drove one into the ground opposite that point 

 where the main channel, after coming straight in from 

 the flats, turns suddenly north to run under our camp. 

 Then I set out bearing the axe and a couple of long 

 posts across the mud. 



