A HARD STRUGGLE 225 



latitude 82° 40' N. A couple more days, and our lati- 

 tude will be very satisfactory. 



" The ice we have before us looks practicable, but, 

 to judge by the sky, we have a number of water-ways a 

 little farther on ; we must manage somehow to fight our 

 way across them. I should be very reluctant to mend 

 the kayaks just now, before we have reached land and 

 firm land ice. They require a thorough overhauling, 

 both as to frames and covers. My one thought now is 

 to o;et on while we still have some dos^s, and thus use 

 them up. 



"A comfortable Sunday morning in the tent to-day. 

 These observations put me in good spirits; life seems to 

 look bright before us. Soon we must be able to start 

 homeward at good speed and across open water. Oh, 

 what a pleasure it will be to handle paddle and gun 

 again, instead of this continual toil with the sledges! 

 Then, too, the shouting to the dogs to go on — it seems 

 to wear and tear one's ears and every nerve in one's 

 body. 



" Monday, May 27th. Ever since yesterday morning 



we have seen the looming of water on the sky ; it is the 



same looming that we saw on the previous day, and I set 



our course direct for the place where, to judge by it, there 



should be the greatest accumulation of ice, and where, 



consequently, a crossing should be easiest. During the 



course of the afternoon we came on one lane after the 



other, just as the water -sky had denoted, and towards 

 II.— m 



