FAREWELL TO NORWAY ill 



On Saturday, July 29th, we again headed eastward 

 towards Yugor Strait as fast as sails and steam could 

 take us. We had open sea ahead, the weather was fine 

 and the wind fair. Next morning we came under the 

 south side of Dolgoi or Langoia, as the Norwegian 

 whalers call it, where we had to stand to the northward. 

 On reaching the north of the island we again bore east- 

 ward. Here I descried from the crow's-nest, as far as I 

 could make out, several islands which are not civen on 

 the charts. They lay a little to the east of Langoia. 



It was now pretty clear that the Urania had not made 

 her way through the ice. While we were sitting in the 

 saloon in the forenoon, talking about it, a cry was heard 

 from deck that the sloop was in sight. It was joyful 

 news, but the joy was of no long duration. The next 

 moment we heard she had a crow's-nest on her mast, so 

 she was doubtless a sealer. When she sighted us she 

 bore off to the south, probably fearing that we were a 

 Russian war-ship or something equally bad. So, as we 

 had no particular interest in her, we let her go on her 

 way in peace. 



Later in the day we neared Yugor Strait. We kept 

 a sharp lookout for land ahead, but none could be seen. 

 Hour after hour passed as we glided onward at good 

 speed, but still no land. Certainly it would not be high 

 land, but nevertheless this was strange. Yes — there it 

 lies, like a low shadow over the horizon, on the port bow. 

 It is land — it is Vaigats Island. Soon we sight more of 



