28 TEAVEL, ADVENTURE, AND SPORT. 



good bearings of the south coast of "Wrangel Land, 

 which he passed at a distance of twelve miles. 



On the morning of the 4th of September, after 

 having done our best during the night to force a 

 passage through, we found our way towards the north- 

 east completely barred by strong, compact drift-ice, 

 united by newly-frozen ice two inches thick. There 

 was nothing else to be done but to endeavour to make 

 the land, which, during the night and after most 

 fatiguing labour, we succeeded in reaching direct west 

 of Cape Baranoff. Here we found a fairly broad 

 channel, seven to eight fathoms deep, and free from 

 ice. In future we made no further attempts to stand 

 out northwards, where we invariably met with im- 

 penetrable ice, but kept the whole time as near 

 the coast as the depth permitted. This is really the 

 surest way of making progress, as on the coast there 

 is the efflux of larger or smaller rivers, which either 

 cause it to be free from ice, or keep the broken 

 ice-fields in constant motion so long as they are 

 not united by fresh ice. 



On the 5th of September we kept along the 

 coast in a navigable stream. In the afternoon we 

 passed under steam and full sail, with a favourable 

 wind, Tchaun Bay. This was the last time in 1878 

 that we had an opportunity to carry sail After this 

 the ice became so close, and our course was so in- 

 tricate, that we could not use canvas. The night of 

 the 6th September was the first night that the dark- 



