WE WALK ACROSS III 
In the first place, we had already crossed twice a 
river which must be of considerable size as it made 
away to the east and south. What river was this, 
and where did it debouch? Neither of these questions 
could we answer then, though later on we knew it for 
the Pesanka. 
The Baroshika indeed was, according to the chart, a 
biggish river. What if we got down into those plains 
which we saw and found this river wide, deep, and with 
many horse-shoe windings? And then Hyland, and his 
sufferings from cold, was always in my mind. _ Drift- 
wood, drift-wood, at any price it seemed, was the first 
aim before us. 
And so this day I went a point more easterly, aiming 
for where a beacon on the sands had been indicated on 
our chart. 
My little pocket-compass was rather a worry. Not 
only was I obliged to put away my gun each time I con- 
sulted it, which was pretty often, but unfortunately the 
needle had a habit of sticking ; and this, unless you were 
very careful, would escape notice. 
But I found the sun exceedingly useful as a means of 
checking our course, by what I may call the ‘ shadow 
method ’—which expression, I take it, explains itself. 
I have found it almost impossible to make those 
friends here at home who have not been to these parts 
realise that there is a real and very beautiful szmzmer in 
the Arctic Regions. The cold fogs and frosts we had 
