198 FARTHEST NORTH 



bers of seals, both Phoca barbata and Phoca hispida, 

 were to be seen" on the ice in Taimur Strait. 



So this was all the progress we had made up to the 

 end of August. On August iS, 1878, Nordenskiold had 

 passed through this sound, and on the 19th and 20th 

 passed Cape Chelyuskin, but here Was an impenetrable 

 mass of ice frozen on to the land lying in our way at the 

 end of the month. The prospect was anything but 

 cheering. Were the many prophets of evil — there is 

 never any scarcity of tJicni — to prove right even at this 

 early stage of the undertaking? No! The Taimur 

 Strait must be attempted, and should this attempt fail 

 another last one should be made outside all the islands 

 again. Possibly the ice masses out there might in the 

 meantime have drifted and left an open way. We could 

 not stop here. 



September came in with a still, melancholy snowfall, 

 and this desolate land, with its low, rounded heights, soon 

 lay under a deep covering. It did not add to our cheer- 

 fulness to see winter thus gently and noiselessly ushered 

 in after an all too short summer. 



On September 2d the boiler was ready at last, was 

 filled with fresh water from the sea surface, and we pre- 

 pared to start. While this preparation was going on 

 Sverdrup and I went ashore to have a look after rein- 

 deer. The snow was lying thick, and if it had not been 

 so wet we could have used our snow-shoes. As it was, 

 we tramped about in the heavy slush without them, and 



