258 ICE-BOUND ON KOLGUEV 
goose and obtained some first-rate soup. At 10.30 P.M. 
I left him in his hut fast asleep. 
That night I had to write my diary ae the eu of my 
little pocket lantern. 
It is easy to see from the observations we had. made 
that the Saxon, drawing her twelve feet of water, could 
not hope to enter Scharok harbour. But ‘at any 
rate her boats could come in well enough if the ice 
allowed, and the next step was to mark out the channels 
for her in some way or other. 
July 28th.—So at 1.30 this morning, just as I had 
finished my writing, instead of turning in to sleep asa 
wise man would have done, I must needs go walking out 
to consider this question. 
The tide had all but run out, the little creeks were 
sinking out of sight one by one, and soon there would be 
nothing south of our channel between the mainland and 
the outer sand-banks but two miles or so of black ooze. 
It seemed to be my chance. 
I set to work. I carried some beams down from the 
huts, and falling to with a will, chipped away with the 
axe till I had reduced them sufficiently for my purpose. 
First I drove one into the ground opposite that point 
where the main channel, after coming straight in from 
the flats, turns suddenly north to run under our camp. 
Then I set out bearing the axe and a couple of long 
posts across the mud. 
