A HARD STRUGGLE 163 



ishing that we have not got farther; we seem to toil all 

 we can, but without much progress. Beginning to doubt 

 seriously of the advisability of continuing northward 

 much longer. It is three times as far to Franz Josef 

 Land as the distance we have now come. How may the 

 ■ice be in that direction .-' We can hardly count on its 

 being better than here, or our progress quicker. Then, 

 too, the shape and extent of Franz Josef Land are un- 

 .known, and may cause us considerable delay, and per- 

 haps we shall not be able to find an}^ game just at once. 

 I have long seen that it is impossible to reach the Pole 

 itself or its immediate vicinity over such ice as this and 

 with these dogs. If only we had more of them ! What 

 would I not give now to have the Olenek dogs.^* We 

 must turn, sooner or later. But as it is only a question 

 of time, could we not turn it to better account in Franz 

 Josef Land than by travelling over this drift-ice, which 

 we have now had a good opportunity of learning to 

 know? In all probability it will be exactly the same 

 right to the Pole. We cannot hope to reach any con- 

 siderable distance higher before time compels us to turn. 

 We certainly ought not to wait much longer. Twelve 

 midday, —20.8" Fahr. (—29.4" C), clear weather, 3 feet 

 wind from east ; twelve midnight, —29.2" Fahr. ( — 34° C), 

 clear and still." 



It became more and more of a riddle to me that we 

 did not make greater progress northward. I kept on 

 calculating and adding up our marches as we went along, 



