270 A VOYAGE TO SFITZBEBGEN. 
whether it was a point of Waigatz Island, or a cluster 
of small islands near to Waigatz. Here they saw 
more crosses, and continued their route three leagues 
further, “ till the sun was at North/' when they were 
near an opening about a Dutch league broad, in the 
middle of which was an island, so that in fact it formed 
two openings. The Southern appeared larger than 
the Northern, and from the Southern opening the outer 
coast lay in a S.S.E. direction. This opening was sup¬ 
posed to be the Strait between Waigatz and the Con¬ 
tinent, which accorded with the globes and charts. 
“ We had been told," says Linschoten, “ that there 
was an island to the South of Waigatz, and six other 
isles farther to the East." The island first mentioned 
in the opening was distant from them three Dutch 
leagues, and more distant land seen to the East ap¬ 
peared joined as a single land. As the wind was 
Easterly, they continued sailing to the S.S.E. At noon 
on the 23rd, the latitude was observed 69° 13'N. The 
weather this day was warm, and they were troubled 
with gnats. Since the 17th of June they had had the 
sun constantly above the horizon; but on this night, 
the 23rd, the sun set at N.N.E. by the compass, and a 
short time afterwards reappeared at N.E. by N.; 
whence is to be inferred, that the variation of the com¬ 
pass was two points and a half North-westerly. 
The land to the South was ascertained to be part of 
