176 FARTHEST XORTH 



fingers, is not pleasurable, even if the temperature be 

 only —22 Fahr. It is slow work, and Easter-day has 

 had to be devoted to the rest of the calculation, so that 

 we shall not get off before this evening. Meanwhile 

 we had a festive Easter-eve and regaled ourselves with 

 the following delicacies: hot whey and water, fish an 

 orafin, stewed red whortleberries, and lime-juice grog 

 {i.e., lime-juice tablets and a little sugar dissolved in hot 

 water). Simply a splendid dinner; and, having feasted 

 our fill, we at last, at 2 o'clock, crept in under the cover. 



" I have calculated our previous latitudes and longi- 

 tudes over again to see if I can discover any mistake 

 in them. I find that we should yesterday have come 

 farther south, than 86' 5.3' N. ; but, according to our 

 reckoning, assuming that we covered 50 miles during 

 the three days, we should have come down to 85 de- 

 grees and 50 odd minutes. I cannot explain it in 

 any other manner than by the surmise that we have 

 been drifting rapidly northward, which is very good 

 for the Frani, but less so for us. The wind has been 

 southerly the last few days. I assume that we are now in 

 longitude 86"" E., and have reckoned the present reading 

 of our watches accordingly.* The variation here I find 



* I felt convinced we could not have reached such a westerly longitude, 

 but assumed this for the sake of certainty, as I would rather come down 

 on the east side of Franz Josef Land than on the west side. Should we 

 reach the latitude of Petcrmann's Land or Prince Rudolf Land without see- 

 ing them, I should in the former case be certain that we had them on our 

 west, and could then look for them in that direction, whereas, in the event 



