THE SWEDISH ANTARCTIC EXPEDITION. 477 



IV. The Slkdgk Expedition from the ''Antarctic."" 

 By Dr. J. CtUXnar Anderssox. 



^Yben, ill the middle of December, we liad found tliat tlie impene- 

 trable pack in every direction stopped the ship in its passage toward 

 the winter station, I determined to try to reach Snow Hill by a sledge 

 vo^^age round Erebus and Terror Gulf. Mr. Duse instantly expressed 

 his desire to take part in the proposed trip, and also the third member 

 wanted, Sailor T. Grunden, joined voluntarily. 



Without an}^ special equipment for sledge traveling, and starting 

 along an unknown coast, we evidently entered on a rather doubtful and 

 hazardous undertaking, but the situation required everything possible 

 to be tried. As soon as the necessary preparations were made, we 

 landed in a bay on the mainland (west) coast of the sound inside Join- 

 ville Island where a depot of provisions was erected. Before the 

 departure the following was agreed with Captain Larson: That (1) if 

 the sledge party reached the station, we should wait there for the 

 Antarctic until February 10, but after that date bring Nordenskiold 

 and his comrades out to our starting point. In this case Larson had to 

 pick us up at the place agreed on between February 25 and March 10. 

 (2) If the Antarctic reached the station, and we did not appear there 

 by January 25, Larson had to look for us at our depot. 



On the night following our landing, we started in a south-southwest 

 direction across the inland ice, and on the second day we made an 

 unexpected discovery. Having reached an ice shed we faced a broad 

 sound with scattered islands. This sound we liad to cross to reach 

 a snow-covered land Ij'ing some 22 miles distant in a southerly direc- 

 tion. The sea ice was at this season in a very miserable state, covered 

 with large fresh-water pools. These were getting deeper and formed 

 a regular network as we approached the last-named land, which we 

 reached (flanuary 3, 1903) only after a desperate wading and with all 

 our etiects thoroughl}^ wet. After having climlied to the top of the 

 gently sloping inland ice, we got a free view all round that cleared up 

 our position. The land where we were standing formed in reality a 

 large island on the north side of the water called by Sir James Ross, 

 Sidney Herbert Bay, which in fact runs far inland and joins our island 

 inside with the broad water that we had just passed. Sidney Herbert 

 Sound was all over a l)luisli surface of water-covered ice, quite similar 

 to that on which we had just had a narrow escape, and along the shores 

 there were in some places broad s[)aces where the ice was entirely gone. 

 As Ave could not think of crossing this sound, we could only give up 

 our plan and return to the depot, which we reached on January 13. 

 Here the weeks passed without the Antarctic reappearing, and in the 

 middle of February we l)egan to make preparations for the chani-e that 

 we might be forced to winter hero. On ]\Iarch Ki, tlie time to expect 



