256 FARTHEST NORTH 



how long have I not thought so ? There is nothing for 

 it but the noble virtue of patience. 



"What beautiful ice this would have been to travel 

 over in April before all these lanes were formed — endless 

 flat plains ! F"or the lanes, as far as we know, are all 

 newly formed ones, with some ridges here and there, 

 which are also new. 



"Tuesday, July iith. A monotonous life this on 

 the whole, as monotonous as one can well imagine it — 

 to turn out day after day, week after week, month 

 after month, to the same toil, over ice which is some- 

 times a little better, sometimes a little worse (it now 

 seems to be steadily getting worse), always hoping to 

 see an end to it, but always hoping in \^ain — ever the 

 same monotonous ranoe of vision over ice, and ajjain ice. 

 No sign of land in any direction and no open water, and 

 now we should be in the same latitude as Cape Fligely, 

 or at most a couple of minutes farther north. We do 

 not know where we are, and we do not know when this 

 will end. Meanwhile our provisions are dwindling day 

 by day, and the number of our dogs is growing seriously 

 less. Shall we reach land while we yet have food, or shall 

 we, when all is said, ever reach it t It will soon be im- 

 possible to make any way against this ice and snow. The 

 latter is only slush ; the dogs sink through at every step, 

 and we ourselves splash through it up above our knees 

 when we have to help the dogs or take a turn at the 

 heavy sledges, which happens frequently. It is hard to 



