A HARD STRUGGLE 219 



for it but to creep under the cover again and sleep as 

 long as one can. Hunger at last, though, is too much 

 for us, and I turn out to make a stew of delicious liver 

 ' pate; Then a cup of whey drink, and into the bag- 

 again, to write or slumber as we list. Here we are, with 

 nothino- to do but to wait till the weather chanoes and 

 we can go on. 



"We can hardly be far from ^2> 10' N., and should 

 have gained Petermann's Land if it be where Payer 

 supposed. Either we must be unconscionably out of our 

 bearings, or the country very small. Meanwhile, I sup- 

 pose, this east wind is driving us westward, out to sea, 

 in the direction of Spitzbergen. Heaven alone knows 

 what the velocity of the drift may be here. Oh, well, I 

 am not in the least downhearted. We still have 10 dogs, 

 and should we drift past Cape Fligely, there is land 

 enough west of us, and that we can hardly mistake. 

 Starve we scarcely can ; and if the worst should come to 

 the worst, and we have to make up our minds to winter 

 up here, we can face that too — if only there was nobody 

 waiting at home. But we shall get back before the 

 winter. The barometer is falling steadily, so that it 

 will be a case of patience long drawn out, but we shall 

 manage all right." 



On the afternoon of the following day (May 21st) 

 we were at last able to get off, though the weather was 

 still thick and snowy, and we often staggered along like 

 blind men. " As the wind was strong and right at our 



