150 TRAVEL, ADVENTURE, AND SPORT. 



throwing light upon the course of the ocean-currents 

 and movements of ice in the polar area, and is com- 

 manded by officers of the Dutch Eoyal ]S T avy. One 

 of their main objects was to reach Ice Haven, the 

 harbour on the north-east coast of Nova Zemla in 

 which "Willem Barents wintered in 1596-97, and to 

 place there a memorial-stone which they had brought 

 with them from Holland. For several years past the 

 Barents has tried to accomplish this object, hitherto 

 without success, and it will be interesting to hear the 

 results of their voyage this year. Having parted 

 company with the "Willem Barents, we again stood 

 into Mbder Bay, and made out the land dimly 

 through a rift in the fog a snow-patched, ghostly- 

 looking land, and then the mists closed in, and 

 we stood off to sea again after sounding in 25 

 fathoms. 



On the afternoon of the following day, having 

 previously obtained an approximate position from 

 rough shots at the sun, with no horizon to speak 

 of to take his altitude to, we stood into Mbder 

 Bay again, and as the mist lifted a little, made out 

 our position by the land fairly well, at the same 

 time sighting a ketch ahead, with a crow's nest at 

 her masthead, which saw us simultaneously, and 

 tacked to approach us. She proved to be Sir Henry 

 Gore-Booth's yacht, the Kara, which we fell in with 

 at Hamerfest, and which left that place before us. 

 She was also trying to get to an anchorage, and had 



