2l8 



FARTHEST NORTH 



special in the way of a toast was expected on such an 

 occasion. I lifted my glass, and made the following 

 speech : " Skoal, mv lads, and be glad we've passed 

 Chelyuskin !" Then there was some organ-playing, dur- 



CAPE CHELYUSKIN, THE NORTHERNMOST POINT OF THE 



OLD WORLD 



ing which I went up into the crow's-nest again, to have a 

 last look at the land. I now saw that the height I had 

 noticed in the evening, which has already been described, 

 lies on the west side of the peninsula, while farther 

 east a lower and more rounded height stretches south- 

 ward. This last must be the one mentioned by Nor- 

 denskibld, and, according to his description, the real 

 north point must lie out beyond it; so that we were now 

 off King Oscar's Bay; but I looked in vain through the 

 telescope for Nordenskiold's cairn. I had the greatest 

 inclination to land, but did not think that we could spare 

 the time. The bay, which was clear of ice at the time of 

 the Vegas visit, was now closed in with thick winter ice, 

 frozen fast to the land. 



We had an open channel before us ; but we could see 

 the edge of the drift-ice out at sea. A little farther west 



