VOYAGE THROUGH THE KARA SEA 231 



higher latitude if we kept west ; so we headed that way. 

 The sun broke through for a moment just now, so we 

 took an observation, which showed us to be in about 77° 

 44' north latitude." 



We now held northwest alons^ the eds^e of the ice. 

 It seemed to me as if there might be land at no great 

 distance, we saw such a remarkable number of birds of 

 various kinds. A flock of snipe or wading birds met us, 

 followed us for a time, and then took their way south. 

 They were probably on their passage from some land to 

 the north of us. We could see nothing, as the fog lay 

 persistently over the ice. Again, later, we saw flocks of 

 small snipe, indicating the possible proximity of land. 

 Next day the weather was clearer, but still there was no 

 land in sight. We were now a good way north of the 

 spot where Baron von Toll has mapped the south coast of 

 Sannikoff Land, but in about the same longitude. So it 

 is probably only a small island, and in any case cannot 

 extend far north. 



On September 21st we had thick fog again, and when 

 we had sailed north to the head of a bay in the ice, and 

 could get no farther, I decided to wait here for clear 

 weather to see if progress farther north were possible. 

 I calculated that we were now in about 78^° north 

 latitude. We tried several times during the day to take 

 soundings, but did not succeed in reaching the bottom 

 with 215 fathoms of line. 



"To-day made the agreeable discovery that there 



