Farthest north; being the record of a voyage of exploration of the ship "Fram" 1893-96, and of a fifteen months' sleigh journey by DrNansen and LieutJohansen . little way from the carcasses, and satwaiting patiently in long rows on the ice beside us, or,led on by a few bold officers, drew continually sooner did a little scrap of blubber fall than two orthree ivory-gulls would pounce upon it, often at our veryfeet, and fi°:ht over it until the feathers flew. Outsidethe fulmars were sailing in their silent, ghost-like flightto and fro over the surface of the water. Up and downthe edge
Farthest north; being the record of a voyage of exploration of the ship "Fram" 1893-96, and of a fifteen months' sleigh journey by DrNansen and LieutJohansen . little way from the carcasses, and satwaiting patiently in long rows on the ice beside us, or,led on by a few bold officers, drew continually sooner did a little scrap of blubber fall than two orthree ivory-gulls would pounce upon it, often at our veryfeet, and fi°:ht over it until the feathers flew. Outsidethe fulmars were sailing in their silent, ghost-like flightto and fro over the surface of the water. Up and downthe edge of the shore flocks of kittiwakes moved inces-santly, darting like an arrow, with a dull splash, towardsthe surface of the water, whenever a little crustacean ap-peared there. We were particularly fond of these birds, LAND AT LAST 409 for they kept exclusively to the marine animals and leftour blubber alone; and then they were so light andpretty. But up and down along the shore the skua{Stercorarius crepidatus) chased incessantly, and everynow and again we were startled by a pitiful cry of distressabove our heads ; it was a kittiwake pursued by a IN THE WATER LAY WALRUSES How often we followed with our eyes that wild chase upin the air, until at last the kittiwake had to drop its booty,and down shot the skua, catching it even before it touchedthe water ! Happy creatures that can move with suchfreedom up there ! Out in the water lay walruses, diving 410 FARTHES7 NORTH and bellowing, often whole herds of them ; and high upin the air, to and fro, flew the little auks in swarms ; youcould hear the whir of their wings far off. There werecries and life on all sides. But soon the sun will sink,the sea will close in, the birds will disappear one afteranother towards the south, the polar night will begin, andthere will be profound, unbroken silence. It was with pleasure that we at last, on September 7th,set to work to build our hut. We had selected a goodsite in the neighborhood
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