VARDO TO KOLGUEV 31 
Now we crept up along the edge of the ice, going 
north-east and making from three to six knots. But at 
last we were able to change our course to the east, and 
then, going at eight or nine knots speed, we bore down 
to the south-east. 
It was two o'clock in the afternoon when we first 
sighted long low fog clouds, evidently lying above some 
land. It could be no other than Kolguev Island. Then 
I for one felt very happy; it seemed as if we were doing 
pretty well. 
The men, of course, as is always their way, kept saying 
they could see cliffs, mountains, and so on. But I think 
it was all but six o'clock before we really made out land 
that we could swear to, and even then it was constantly 
obscured, as the fog lay down about it. 
And now ducks became more frequent. Flocks of 
king eider were dotted about, and elegant long-tailed 
ducks in large lots were incessantly diving close to the 
boat. Few birds are more strikingly beautiful or more 
graceful in the water than the long-tailed duck. The 
drake when in full plumage has a white head and neck, 
and long white shoulder feathers; but early in the 
summer as it was, we saw out of many hundreds of these 
birds only one or two drakes which still had their fine 
colouring, though they kept their long tail feathers till 
quite late on in the year. However, as I shall have 
something to say of these and other birds later on, I will 
keep now to the voyage itself. 
