DENSE AND SUDDEN FOG. 167 



. CHAP. XI. 



Dense and sudden Eog. — Our Hours and Habits. — 

 Supplies run short. — Meet the Yacht. — Their bad 

 Success in Sport. — Novel Bullet-mould — Geological 

 Specimens. — Part Company again. — Medical Treatment 

 of sick Men. — Water up. —News. — Old Acquaintance. 

 — Gradual Estiuction of the "Walrus. — They are receding 

 further North. — Nova Zembla. — Illness of young Bear. 

 — Attempt to escape. — Aged Bull-Walrus. — His pro- 

 bable Eeminiscences. — Coal and Fossils. — Commander 

 Gillies' Land. — North-east Spitzbergen. — Bear shot 

 from the Deck of the Sloop. 



The tliickest fog whicli I ever saw — even in tlie 

 Spitzbergen seas — came suddenly down upon 

 us from tlie north-east wliile we were seven or 

 eight miles absent from the sloop on the 2nd. 

 I had killed one large seal, and was look- 

 ing forward with pleasure to killing five or 

 six others which we had marked, when the 

 fog came down like a curtain upon us, and 

 the ice being very intricate, it was hopeless to 

 attempt looking for the seals, so we made the 

 best of our way to the sloop. We had of course 

 carefully taken the bearings by compass, and 



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