260 ICE-BOUND ON KOLGUEV 



would stand, I judged.^ in spite of the tide, long enough 

 for my purpose. This was just five hundred paces from 

 the start. 



Then I pegged away to another point eleven hundred 

 paces off and did the same thing. 



The whole distance was not very great, but when I 

 turned to jgo hack the tent looked a great way off, in the 

 knowledge of the mud I had to re-cross. 



Relieved of my load, I went more quickly, but also 

 with less care. And twice I was caught in a sort of mud 

 quicksand, and got out by a narrow squeak, my feet 

 being sucked back with each attempt to extricate them. 

 Then the rhyme ran quicker than ever, ' De blind hoss 

 stickin' in a big (suck) mud (plunge) hole — (suck again, 

 and at last) Doodah, doodah, — dey ! ' I was out. I 

 laughed as I thought what a very blind hoss, not to say 

 an idiot, any one would think me who could have seen 

 me then. It was a poor business, but I got back all 

 right, and after proudly surveying my handiwork went 

 to bed. 



I was up again at five o'clock this morning, and went 

 to the hut to see how Hyland fared. He was sleeping 

 heavily, and I left him so. The day did not look very 

 inviting, with a thick white fog and north-east wind ; so 

 I went to sleep again. 



I paid Hyland several visits during the morning, but 

 always he was the same, scarcely able to move, and com- 

 plaining bitterly of acute pains across the loins. 



