36 ICE-BOUND ON KOLGUEV 
drew twelve feet of water, and we had to reckon ona 
slack tide since the water was now at flood. So we had 
out thirty fathom of chain, and presently the Saxon 
was swinging with the tide. 
While this was going on, there was some excitement 
on deck owing to the sudden appearance of a seal. And, 
looking over the bridge rail, I saw my companion come 
out of the cabin with his little rifle all ready. He shot 
admirably, but a seal doesn’t give you much of a chance 
when it comes up in that way, for it shows only its head, 
and it is very hard to judge distances effectively across 
the water. It is much as if you were to try and hit a 
floating plum-pudding as it rose and fell at an unknown 
distance on the water. 
That which had looked like an important headland 
had gradually lessened in height as we approached, until 
it now seemed scarcely a headland at all, but only a very 
slight prominence in the cliff, which rose to a height of 
not more than forty feet. 
This was one of our first experiences of an illusion 
which was to be a great source of distraction to us from 
that moment—the mirage. 
It was 11 p.m. ; we had had a pretty long and rather an 
anxious day, and | think none of us were sorry to turn 
in. But first of all we served grog to the crew all round 
to celebrate our arrival. For we really had arrived. 
Though disappointed about the Waskina, we had so far 
done fairly well. Ice or no ice, at any rate we were at 
anchor off Kolguev. 
