ICELAND 97 



each fjord followed a similar pattern : the entrances for the booms 

 and the controlled minefields, and on a large scale the anchorages 

 within and the narrow parts of the fjords where navigation was 

 in any way difficult. 



More and more members of the crew were called on to give 

 the surveyors assistance in the field and large parties of men were 

 landed to search for and mark the existing triangulation stations. 

 On one occasion the Chief Boatswain's Mate was in charge of 

 such a party. Many attempts had been made to find an essential 

 survey point but without success. Commander Jenks had said that 

 it must be found, and even that the eventual finder would be 

 rewarded. As night fell the Chief Boatswain's Mate returned 

 triumphant and was ushered into Commander Jenks' presence. 

 But the smile on the Captain's face quickly vanished when he 

 saw that the Petty Officer was holding in his hand the iron plate 

 which once had marked the position of the triangulation station 

 to within an inch upon the earth's surface. 



Friendliness was met with from the country people of Iceland 

 as the parties worked through the perfect autumn days ; cold 

 misty mornings with cloudless skies gave way to glorious after- 

 noons and evenings as the sun's rim touched the line of the 

 western hilltops, illuminating the cliff-sided fjords with a soft 

 rose light reflected from the silver surface of these long arms of 

 the sea. 



The vast programme was completed by 2 2nd October, when 

 the ship returned once again to Reykjavik. The great areas sur- 

 veyed, combined with the impeccable accuracy upon which 

 Commander Jenks always insisted, will undoubtedly make sur- 

 veying history, and his work here in Iceland ranks with that of 

 the great surveyors of earlier days. 



