488 FARTHEST NORTH 



at four glacier-covered islands to the north of this line of 

 islands, at about Si" 30' north latitude, and about 7° E. 

 of this place. Reached this place August 26, 1895, and 

 thought it safest to winter here. Lived on bear's flesh. 

 Are starting to-day southwestward along the land, in- 

 tending to cross over to Spitzbergen at the nearest point. 

 We conjecture that we are on Gillies Land. 



" Fridtjof Nansen." 



This earliest report of our journey was deposited in 

 a brass tube which had formed the cylinder of the air- 

 pump of our" Primus." The tube was closed with a plug 

 of wood and hung by a wire to the roof-tree of the hut. 



At length, on Tuesday, the 19th of May, we w^ere 

 ready, and at 7 p.m. left our winter lair and began our 

 journey south. After having had so little exercise all 

 the winter, we were not much disposed for walking, and 

 thought our sledges with the loaded kayaks heavy to pull 

 along. \\\ order not to do too much at first, but make 

 our joints supple before we began to exert ourselves 

 seriously, we walked for only a few hours the first day, and 

 then, well satisfied, pitched our camp. There w^as such a 

 wonderfully happy feeling in knowing that we were, at 

 last, on the move, and that we were actually going home- 

 ward. 



The following day (Wednesday, May 20th) we also 

 did only a short day's march. We were making for the 

 promontory to the southwest of us that we had been 



