58o FARTHEST NORTH 



we were no farther advanced in February, 1896, either; 

 but it is more hkely, from all I can make out, that the 

 drift will increase rather than diminish as we work west- 

 ward, and, consequently, in F'ebruary, 1S96, we should 

 have got too far; while, even if one could imagine a 

 better starting-point than that which the Fraui will pos- 

 sibly offer us by March i, 1S95, it will, at all events, be 

 a possible one. It must, consequently, be the safest plan 

 7iot to wait for another spring. 



" Such, then, are the prospects before us of pushing 

 through. The distance from this proposed starting-point 

 to Cape Fligely, which is the nearest known land, I set 

 down at about 370 miles,*" consequently not much more 

 than the distance we covered in Greenland ; and that 

 would be easy work enough over this ice, even if it did 

 become somewhat bad towards land. If once a coast is 

 reached, any reasonable being can surely manage to sub- 

 sist by hunting, whether large or small game, whether 

 bears or sandhoppers. Thus we can always make for 

 Cape Fligely or Petermann s Land, which lies north of it, 

 if our situation becomes untenable. The distance will, 

 of course, be increased the farther we advance north- 

 ward, but at no point whatever between here and the 

 Pole is it greater than we can and will manage, with 

 the help of our clogs. 'A line of retreat' is therefore 



^ There must be an error here, as the distance to Cape Fligely from 

 the point proposed, 83° north latitude and iio° east longitude, is quite 460 

 miles. I had probably taken the longitude as 100° instead of 110°. 



