446 FARTHEST NORTH 



After this we began once more to drift northward, 

 but not very fast. 



As before, we were constantly on the look-out for land, 

 and were inclined, first from one thing, then from an- 

 other, to think we saw signs of its proximity; but they 

 always turned out to be imaginary, and the great depth 

 of the sea, moreover, showed that, at all events, land could 

 not be near. 



Later on — August 7th — when I had found over 

 2085 fathoms (3850 metres) depth, I say in my diary: 

 " I do not think we shall talk any more about the shallow 

 Polar Sea, where land may be expected anywhere. We 

 may very possibly drift out into the Atlantic Ocean with- 

 out having seen a single mountain-top. An eventful 

 series of years to look forward to !" 



The plan already alluded to of travelling over the ice 

 with dogs and sledges occupied me a good deal, and dur- 

 ing my daily expeditions— partly on snow-shoes, partly 

 with dogs — my attention was constantly given to the con- 

 dition of the ice and our prospects of being able to make 

 our way over it. During April it was specially well 

 adapted for using dogs. The surface was good, as the 

 sun's power had made it smoother than the heavy drift- 

 snow earlier in the winter; besides, the wind had covered 

 the pressure-ridges pretty evenly, and there were not 

 many crevasses or channels in the ice, so that one could 

 proceed for miles without much trouble from them. In 

 May, however, a change set in. So early as May Sth the 



