snow-slope. These were the friends we had left behind. A few words of explanation, with an exhortation to abstain from idle lamentations, were enough. They at once detached a second rope from the large sledge, and got hold of a long tent-pole. Meanwhile I had rushed upon the cookingmachine, quickly melted a little snow to quench my raging thirst, and then we all set off again-Haller, Sussick, Lukinovich, and myself to the Middendorf glacier. Tent and provisions were left unwatched; we ran back for three hours and a half; fears for Zaninovich gave such wings to my steps, that my companions were scarcely able to keep up with me. Ever and anon, I had to stop to drink some rum. At the outset, we met Orel, and rather later Klotz, both making for Cape Schrotter, Klotz to remain behind there, and Orel to return with us at once to Middendorf glacier. When we came among the icebergs under Cape Habermann, I picked up, one by one, the clothes I had thrown away. Reaching the glacier, we tied ourselves together with a rope. Going before the rest I approached with beating heart the place, where the sledge had disappeared four hours and a half ago. A dark abyss yawned before us; not a sound issued from its depths, not even when I lay on the ground and shouted. At last I heard the whining of a dog, and then an unintelligible answer from Zaninovich. Haller was quickly let down by a rope; he found him still living, but almost frozen, on a ledge of snow forty feet down the crevasse. Fastening himself and Zaninovich to the rope, they were drawn up after great exertion. A storm of greetings saluted Zaninovich, stiff and speechless though he was, when he appeared on the surface of the glacier. I need not add that we gave him some rum to stimulate his vital energies. It was a noble proof how duty and discipline assert themselves, even in such situations, that the first word of this sailor, saved from being frozen to death, was not a complaint, but thanks, accompanied with a request

that I would pardon him if he, in order to save himself from being frozen, had ventured to drink a portion of the rum, which had fallen down in its case with the sledge to his ledge of snow. Haller again descended, and fastened the dogs to a rope. The clever animals had freed themselves from their traces in some inexplicable way, and had sprung to a narrow ledge, where Haller found them, close to where Zaninovich had lain. It was astonishing how quickly they discerned the danger of the position and how great was their confidence in us. They had slept the whole time, as Zaninovich afterwards told us, and he had carefully avoided touching them lest they should fall down deeper into the abyss. We drew them up with some difficulty, and they gave expression to their joy, first by rolling themselves vigorously in the snow, and then by licking our hands. We then raised Haller by the rope some ten feet higher than the ledge on which Zaninovich had lain, so that he might be able to cut the ropes which fastened the loading of the firmly wedged in sledge. At this moment, Orel arrived, and with his help we raised one by one the articles with which the sledge was loaded. It was ten o'clock before we were convinced that we had lost nothing of any importance in the crevasse."

On April 12, 1874, Payer and his companions attained their farthest north, 82° 5' north latitude; on that day they stood on a promontory about one thousand feet high, to which the name of Cape Fligely was given.

"Rudolf Land still stretched in a northeasterly direction," writes Payer, "towards a Cape, Cape Sherard Osborne though it was impossible to determine its further course and connection."

In the distant north, blue mountain ranges indicated masses of land and to these the names of King Oscar Land and Petermann Land were given. "Proudly we planted the Austro-Hungarian flag," continues Payer, "for the first time

in the high North. A document we enclosed in a bottle and deposited in a cleft of rock." The return to the ship was rendered doubly hazardous by the insecurity of the ice, and the increasing water holes.

The results of the journey may be summed up as follows Payer found the newly discovered country to be about the size of Spitzbergen, and consisting of two large masses, Wilczek Land to the East, and Zichy Land to the west, intersected by numerous fjords and skirted by many islands. Austria Sound divides the two main masses of land and extends to 82° N., where Rawlinson Sound forks off to the northeast. The mountains reach a height of two thousand to three thousand feet; glaciers abound in the ravines, and even the islands are covered with a glacial cap.

A third sledge journey was undertaken by Lieutenant Payer on April 29 to explore a large island named after M'Clintock.

The momentous day, May 20, on which the Tegetthoff was abandoned, came at last. Three boats were selected by the return expedition. Two of these were Norwegian whaleboats, twenty feet long, five feet broad, and two and one-half deep; the third was somewhat smaller.

The hummocks rendered their advance discouragingly slow. It was necessary to pass over the same short distance many times in the course of a day, and after two months of indescribable efforts, the distance reached by the party was not more than two German miles. An occasional bear, shot by the men, restored the waning strength and courage, but not until August 14, did the welcome sound of the open water reach their ears, and in 77° 40′ north latitude, they launched their boats. Nine days later they were picked up by Russian fishermen off the coast of Nova Zembla.

CHAPTER XVI

Baron A. E. von Nordenskjöld. First voyage 1858. - Accompanies succeeding Swedish expeditions. Spitzbergen. - Voyage of Sofia. 1868. - Nordenskjöld's journey to Greenland. Voyage of the Polhem. Attempt to reach the Pole by reindeer sledge. Unexpected discouragements and disasters. - Voyage of the Proven. - 1875.-The Kara Sea. - Journey repeated the following year. In the Ymer. Voyage of the Vega.

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THE career of Baron A. E. von Nordenskjöld is one of the most distinguished in Arctic history. Born in Helsingfors, Finland, November 18, 1832, he learned at an early age the thrill of adventure and the joys of research while accompanying his distinguished father on his mineralogical tours in the Ural Mountains. After graduating at Helsingfors in 1857, Nordenskjöld was himself appointed a professor of mineralogy at Stockholm. Baron Nordenskjöld's scientific interest in polar research began as early as 1858, when he accompanied Otto Torell, chief geologist of Sweden, who sailed on the Frithrop for Spitzbergen. This was the beginning of a series of Swedish expeditions that covered a quarter of a century, in which Nordenskjöld had a most valuable and active part. Two months were spent on the west coast of Spitzbergen, in dredging the sea, studying the land formation and its botanical and glacial conditions.

Nordenskjöld's chief contribution to science on this expedition was the discovery of a fossil-bearing rock in carboniferous formations.

Another journey beyond the Arctic circle was undertaken by Torell in 1861, for a more thorough survey and study of the natural history and geology of Spitzbergen. On this journey,

Torell, Nordenskjöld and Petersen undertook a boat journey to Hinlopen Strait and later visited the coast of Northeast Land. Passing North Cape and visiting Seven Islands, they reached their farthest, 80° 42′ N., August 5, at Phipps Island.

Prince Oscar Land was reached a week later, and from a mountain two thousand feet high near Cape Wrede, two islands could be seen in the distance, to which were given the names of Charles XII and Drabanten. Pushing their way east of Cape Platen, the ice conditions forced their return.

In 1863 Nordenskjöld again visited Spitzbergen, and again in 1864, when he was placed in charge of the Swedish expedition, and was accompanied by Dunér and Malmgren. In a small boat of twenty-six tons burden, and provisioned for less than six months, they entered Safe Harbor at the entrance of the magnificent Ice Fiord. After rounding the southern cape of Spitzbergen, they entered Store Fiord, and visited Edges Land and Barentz Land. After entering Helis Sound and ascending White Mountain, they again rounded South Cape with the intention of following the west coast as far north as the ice would permit. On this journey while off Charles Foreland, they rescued some shipwrecked sailors, whose vessels had become beset off Seven Islands, and who had journeyed in open boats some two hundred miles in fourteen days. An immediate return was thus made necessary, but the results of the summer's work was a map, executed by Nordenskjöld and Dunér, which delineates Spitzbergen with great accuracy.

In 1868 the Swedish expedition had for its objective point the Pole. The Sofia was chosen for this purpose and commanded by Captain (Count) F. W. von Otter, with Nordenskjöld as scientific chief. Smeerenberg Bay at the north end of Spitzbergen was decided upon as a place of rendezvous and from this point the Sofia made two attempts for a high