CHAPTER VIL 
Departure from Port Dickson—Landing on a rocky island east of the 
Yenisej—Self-dead animals—Discovery of crystals on the surface of 
the drift-ice—Cosmic dust—Stay in Actinia Bay—Johannesen’s dis¬ 
covery of the island Ensamheten—Arrival at Cape Chelyuskin—The 
natural state of the land and sea there—Attempt to penetrate right 
eastwards to the New Siberian Islands—The effect of the mist— 
Abundant dredging-yield—Preobraschenie Island—Separation from the 
Lena at the mouth of the river Lena. 
When on the morning of the 9th August the Fraser and 
Express sailed for the point higher up the river where their 
cargo was l} ing, the Vega and the Lena were also ready to sail. 
I, however, permitted the vessels to remain at Port Dickson a 
day longer, in order to allow Lieutenant Bove to finish his 
survey, and for the purpose of determiniog astronomically, if 
possible, the position of this important place. In consequence 
of a continuous fog, however, I had as little opportunity of 
doing so on this occasion as during the voyage of 1875, which 
serves to show of what sort the weather is during summer at 
the place where the w^arni water of the Yenisej is poured into 
the Arctic Ocean. It was thus not until the morning of the 
10th August that the Vega and the Lena weighed anchor in 
order to continue their voyage. The course was shaped for the 
most westerly of the islands, which old maps place off the 
estuary-bay of the Pjasina, and name Kammenni Ostrova 
(Stone Islands), a name which seems to indicate that in their 
natural state they correspond to the rocky islands about Port 
