AUSTRO-HUNGARIAN EXPEDITION (1874) 119 



killed on the way north. The open water was now found 

 to have retreated to the west, and this enabled them to 

 reach Cape Frankfurt, on Hall Island. From here the 

 ice could be seen stretching away to the south. When 

 Cape Orgel was reached, it was with anxious feelings that 

 Payer began its ascent. It was from here he would be 

 able to ascertain whether the Tegetthoff had been drifted 

 away from its former position. He was overjoyed to find 

 the ship about 3 miles off. The whole party reached it 

 on 23rd April. 



The weather towards the end of April was good, and 

 favoured the carrying out of the third and last sledge- 

 expedition. Payer was anxious to ascertain, if possible, 

 how far Franz-Josef Land extended towards Spitzbergen. 

 On the 29th April he again left the ship, with Haller, 

 Lieutenant Brosch, and the two dogs. Provisions for a 

 week were carried. Cape Bri'inn, on McClintock Island, 

 was to be their objective. This was ascended on the 

 2nd May, and was found to be 2500 feet high, but the 

 boundaries of the land towards Spitzbergen could not be 

 determined. On the night of the 2nd May they began 

 a forced march of twenty-two hours back to the ship. 

 The total distance of the sledge-journeys was estimated 

 to be about 450 miles. 



Preparations were now made to abandon the Tegetthoff', 

 and to make an attempt to reach Europe. Three 

 boats were selected for the return : two of these were 

 Norwegian whale-boats, 20 feet long. Each of the boats 

 was placed on a sledge, and the weight to be dragged, 

 including everything, amounted to the formidable total 

 of 90 cwt. 



The plan was to reach the depot of provisions on the 

 Barentz Islands, which lay almost directly south. After 

 replenishing stores there, they proposed to follow the 

 coast of Novaya Zemlya with the hope of reaching one 



