OF THE POLAR SEA. 



11 



have no doubt, from the midnight silence 

 which prevailed, that we should have ascer- 

 tained this yet undecided point. 



" The morning of the 20th was so ex- 

 tremely hazy that we could not see ten yards 

 before us ; it was, therefore, late when we 

 started, and during our journey the hunters 

 complained of the weather, and feared they 

 should lose the track of our route. Towards 

 the evening it became so thick that we could 

 not proceed ; consequently, we halted in a 

 small wood, situated in a valley, having only 

 completed a distance of six miles. 



" The scenery consisted of high hills, 

 which were almost destitute of trees, and 

 lakes appeared in the valleys. The crack- 

 ing of the ice was so loud during the night 

 as to resemble thunder, and the wolves 

 howled around us. We were now at the 

 commencement of the woods, and at an 

 early hour, on the 21st, continued our jour- 

 ney over high hills for three miles, when 

 the appearance of some deer caused us to 

 halt, and nearly the remainder of the day 

 was passed in hunting them. In the even- 



