THE AUSTRO-HUNGARIAN EXPEDITION (1872−74)
The failure of the second German Arctic Expedition to reach a high
latitude on the east coast of Greenland directed attention to the seas
of Novaya Zemlya. In order, however, that large sums of money might not
be spent on a plan which might be unfeasible, it was decided to dispatch
a pioneer expedition under the joint command of Lieutenant Weyprecht and
Julius Payer. The latter had greatly distinguished himself in the German
Expedition.
In order to diminish expenses, a small sailing ship, the _Isbjorn_, of
55 tons, was chartered at Tromsoe. She was new and strong, and this was
her first voyage. Her bows were protected with sheet iron, 2 feet above,
and 2 feet under water. The crew consisted of eight Norwegians.
Tromsoe was left on the 20th June 1871. They were detained two days at
Sandoe by contrary winds, and on the 28th the first ice was met in 73°
40′ south-east of Bear Island. Here they passed through 40 miles of
loose drift-ice, and then met the pack in 74° 30′. Calms set in, and the
_Isbjorn_ was beset for ten days. On the 10th July it escaped and sailed
eastward. They reached longitude 40° E., and then were forced to return
westward. Hope Island was reached, and the course was then directed
north, but ice was met with in 76° 30′. Three attempts were made to
reach Stor-Fiord from the western side of Cape Lookout, but each time
the _Isbjorn_ was driven back by the current.
Towards the middle of August the ice to the east of Hope Island had
cleared away, and on the 22nd August 76° 45′ was reached, but contrary
winds prevented a higher latitude being attained. The course was again
set eastwards along the margin of the ice, and on the 31st of August the
latitude was 78° 30′.
They had now arrived at the conclusion that the Novaya Zemlya Sea was
not filled with impenetrable ice, as was generally supposed, but that it
was probably open every year up to 78°, and that the most favourable
time for navigation was towards the end of August.
The _Isbjorn_ returned to Tromsoe on 4th October.
It was now considered desirable that a well-equipped expedition should
be dispatched to the Novaya Zemlya seas, either to penetrate towards the
north, or to attempt the North-East Passage—hence the Austro-Hungarian
Expedition.
The _Tegetthoff_, a vessel of 220 tons burden, was fitted out for two
and a half years. The engine was of 100 horse-power, and the ship
carried 130 tons of coal. The officers and crew numbered twenty-four.
Some spoke German, some Italian, and others either Slavonic or
Hungarian. The command was twofold: Weyprecht had charge of the ship,
and Payer had command of the sledge-expeditions.
The _Tegetthoff_ left Bremerhaven on the 13th of June 1872, and Tromsoe
was reached on the 3rd of July. Here they remained a week while the ship
was overhauled and repaired and the supply of coal replenished. Captain
Olaf Carlsen joined the ship as ice-master and harpooner. He had
deservedly gained fame through having circumnavigated Spitzbergen and
Novaya Zemlya. Tromsoe was left on 13th July.
Ice was first seen on 25th July in latitude 74°. On the 29th they were
able to continue their course only under steam, and the vessel
encountered heavy shocks in charging the ice. Next day they were beset,
and did not escape from the ice until 3rd August, when they broke
through into the open coast-water of Novaya Zemlya. A belt of ice 105
miles broad lay behind them, and they steered due north in view of the
mountainous coasts.
Great was their astonishment and joy when on 12th August they met the
_Isbjorn_ and found on board Count Wilczek, who had given a large
donation towards the expense of the expedition, and who was about to
establish a dépôt of provisions at Cape Nassau. The two ships now
proceeded north in company to the Barentz Isles, where a dépôt of
provisions was established. Here they parted from the _Isbjorn_, and
steamed towards the north on the 20th August. Within a few hours the
_Tegetthoff_ became beset, and was destined never to be again released.
The position was now 76° 22′ N. latitude, 63° 3′ E. longitude. Well
might Payer write: “Happy is it for men, that inextinguishable hope
enables them to endure all the vicissitudes of fate, which are to test
their powers of endurance, and that they can never see, as at a glance,
the long series of disappointments in store for them!”
From day to day they hoped they would be able to escape from the ice;
then they hoped from week to week, then from season to season, and
lastly in the chances of new years!
The ship drifted slowly towards the north, and had passed the 77° on 2nd
October. On the 6th October the first bear was killed and was divided
among the dogs. They had on board eight dogs, six of which had been
brought from Vienna, and the other two from Lapland.
On the 12th October only a line of heights some 30 miles away to the
south could be seen, and soon afterwards every trace of land
disappeared. As winter approached, the ice pressures began, and during
the next few months the crew were kept in a state of terror.
Preparations were made to abandon the ship if necessary, and for long
periods the crew did not undress. Nightly they rushed on deck, more than
once believing that at last the ship was doomed. Floes were crushed and
piled around the ship high above the level of the deck, and noise and
confusion reigned supreme. They lived as if they constantly expected an
earthquake. This condition of affairs continued in greater or lesser
measure for 130 days. Some of the crew must have been very
superstitious, as indicated by the fact that the antlers of a reindeer
which were on board were suspected of having something to do with the
ice pressure, and were thrown overboard. This not having the desired
effect, the skull of a bear was treated likewise. It may be mentioned
here that during this expedition no fewer than sixty-seven polar bears
were killed.
The _Tegetthoff_ still slowly drifted to the north, and on the 19th
February 1873 had reached latitude 78° 15′. Payer formed the opinion
that wind was the main cause of the drifting, and that sea-currents were
only of secondary importance. De Long and Nansen in later years were to
prove that Payer’s opinion was true.
Life on board the _Tegetthoff_ was extremely monotonous, especially
during the darkness of winter. With the arrival of summer in 1873, they
had great hope of deliverance from the ice, but this hope was not
realised.
The second summer was drawing to a close when the most remarkable event
of the voyage occurred. It was on the 30th August, in latitude 79° 43′
and longitude 59° 33′ E., that the startling discovery was made that
land could be seen in the distance. This discovery, totally unexpected,
infused new life into the whole expedition. The new land received its
name from that of the Austrian Emperor, and was christened Kaiser
Franz-Josef’s Land. By the end of September the _Tegetthoff_ had drifted
to 79° 58′, which was the highest latitude it attained. An attempt was
now made to reach the land, but a fog compelled the party to return to
the ship.
At the beginning of November the ship had drifted to a point not far
from land, and a second attempt to reach it proved successful. The sun,
however, had now disappeared, and the twilight did not enable them to
make any extended exploration. There was also a danger of the ship
drifting away.
The second winter passed much more pleasantly than the first. The ice
pressures were not very severe, and the crew had become much more
accustomed to them. The exploration of the new land which was to take
place in the spring of 1874 gave food for much speculation, and tended
to relieve the monotony.
In February 1874, Payer, as commander of the expedition on shore, held a
council to whom he explained his plan for the projected sledge-journeys.
As there was a possibility of the ship drifting away from the land, it
was decided that provisions for three months should be deposited on
land, and that in the event of the sledge-party being cut off from the
ship they should attempt to reach Europe. The sledge-expeditions were to
begin in March and be continued for six or seven weeks. It was also
agreed that after the termination of the sledge-expeditions the
_Tegetthoff_ should be abandoned, and that the whole expedition should
attempt to reach Europe in their boats.
The greatest activity now reigned in the ship, in order to be prepared
for the sledge-journey. Some of the crew had suffered from scurvy, but
with the exception of the engineer, who was suffering from consumption,
there was no dangerous case of sickness.
The sledges used had runners 6, 8, and 11 feet long, and 1½, 2, and 2¾
inches broad, respectively, and were gently curved at each end. The
height of the sledges above the snow was about 1 foot, and they were
constructed of the best ash. They carried loads amounting to 7, 12, and
20 cwt. The two runners were fastened together by two strong front
boards, and by four cross-pieces of wood firmly lashed to the upright
standards of the sledge, which were themselves dovetailed into the
runners.
As regards the cooking apparatus, Payer points out that it should be
made of sheet iron, each of its parts of one piece, and there should be
no soldering, in order to diminish the risk of breakage and the setting
fire to the tent by the escape of the spirit in a state of combustion.
The covering for the feet consisted of sail-cloth boots, lined with
flannel, and soled with stout felt. They were made wide so that they
could be put easily over three pairs of strong woollen stockings.
The first sledge-party left the ship on 11th March 1874. It was equipped
for one week, and its object was to reconnoitre a route for an extended
journey towards the north. Payer took six men and three dogs. In about
two hours after leaving the ship they had passed the south-west cape of
Wilczek Island, on which they had previously landed. During this journey
Payer began the determination of the localities of Franz-Josef Land, by
a triangulation of elevated points, to which the measurement of a base
was afterwards to be added. The ascent of high mountains therefore
formed part of the programme.
Hall Island at Cape Tegetthoff was reached on the 12th March. Part of
the journey had to be made against driving snow with a temperature about
26° F. below zero. In the afternoon of the 12th, Payer with two Tyrolese
ascended the plateau of Cape Tegetthoff. Those who remained behind spent
their time in rubbing their feet with snow. The summit was reached in
two hours, and the height was ascertained to be 2600 feet. The weather
conditions were not favourable, and the view in consequence was limited.
Next morning they entered Nordenskjöld Fiord, and at noon reached the
high, precipitous termination of Sonklar Glacier. In the afternoon,
Payer with the Tyrolese ascended Cape Littrow, 2500 feet in height, and
early on the morning of the 14th they ascended to the summit of the
precipitous face of the Sonklar Glacier. Here the temperature went down
to the lowest ever experienced by Payer, about 59° F. below zero. They
had taken some rum with them, and as each took his share, he knelt down
and allowed another to shake it into his mouth, without bringing the
metal cup in contact with the lips. The rum seemed to have lost all its
strength and fluidity. It tasted like milk, and its consistence was that
of oil. The bread was frozen so hard that they feared to break their
teeth in biting it, and it brought blood as they ate it. They attempted
to smoke cigars, but the icicles on their beards always put them out.
The instruments used in surveying seemed to burn when they were touched.
Payer found that this extreme cold was depressing in its influence, and
enfeebled the powers of the will. At first, cold stimulates to action,
but when extreme, this vigour is quickly followed by torpidity; exertion
is soon followed by the desire to rest. Persons exposed to these
extremely low temperatures feel as if they were intoxicated: from the
stiffness and trembling of their jaws they speak with great effort. When
dragging a sledge, their breath streams forth like smoke, which is soon
transformed into a mass of needles of ice, almost hiding their mouths
from view. Ice becomes so hard that it emits a ringing sound; wood is as
difficult to cut as bone; butter becomes like stone; meat must be split,
and mercury may be fired as a bullet from a gun. Snow of a temperature
of 30° below zero feels in the mouth like hot iron, and does not quench
but increases thirst by its inflammatory action on the mucous membrane.
After descending from the Sonklar Glacier, they decided to return to the
ship, which was reached on the 15th March. Two of the party had
frost-bitten feet, one had his face frost-bitten, and a fourth had both
his hands severely affected. Next day, Krisch, the engineer, died from
consumption. He was buried on Wilczek Island.
The second sledge-journey began on the 26th March. Payer again took six
men and three dogs. The provisions consisted of boiled beef, bread,
pemmican, bacon, extract of meat, condensed milk, coffee, chocolate,
rice, grits, salt, pepper, peas-sausage, and sugar. The total weight
carried, including two sledges, amounted to about 14 cwt.
They had not gone more than 1000 yards from the ship when driving snow
compelled them to pass twenty-four hours in the tent. A start was again
made on the 27th March, but when near Wilczek Island they had to halt
for an hour in order to rub the frost-bitten hands of one of the men. On
the 29th, Payer ascended the rocky heights of Koldewey Island. On the
shore of this island the winter retreat of a family of bears was
discovered. It was a cavity hollowed out in a mass of snow lying under a
rocky wall. As they proceeded north they went round Schönau Island,
named after Payer’s birthplace. Here a dépôt of provisions was placed in
a cleft of the rocks and covered with 4 feet of snow.
When nearing Cape Frankfurt, which is a promontory of Hall Island, they
could not make out whether the opening between this and the Wullersdorf
Mountains would be the proper route to the north. In order to settle
this question, Payer and Haller left the sledge and made a forced march
to Cape Frankfurt, which they ascended, and from a height of 2000 feet
were able to ascertain the route. From here the coasts of Wilczek Land
appeared to run in a northerly direction, and then to trend gradually to
the north-east. A broad inlet, to which the name “Austria Sound” was
given, was seen to run far towards the north. A great many icebergs were
met here, indicating the presence of large glaciers. On the day that
they entered this sound, a bear was killed, from which they took 50 lb.
of flesh for their own use, and gave the rest of the carcass to the
dogs. At the same time they deposited 50 lb. of boiled beef on an
iceberg close by.
On the 4th April they passed Cape Tyrol in driving snow, and on this day
one of the dogs was lost. A gull flew past and the dog burst away from
the sledge, and in hot pursuit of the bird disappeared from sight, and
was never seen again. On the 5th April the 81st degree was reached.
Before setting out on this journey, Payer guaranteed to give the men
1000 florins if the 81st degree was reached, and 2500 florins if they
reached the 82nd degree. Two bears were killed on this day, and their
flesh formed the principal food. It was not, however, much appreciated.
Payer describes it as tolerable food for sea-gulls, but hardly fit even
for devils on the fast-days of the infernal regions.
When approaching Becker Island the atmospheric conditions were such that
it could not be seen until it was only about 100 yards away. Instead of
rounding this island, it was decided to cross it. When the highest point
was reached, Austria Sound was seen to still stretch towards the north,
but the sea presented the appearance of a chaos of ice-hills and
icebergs.
On the 7th April, in latitude 81° 23′, could be seen the faint outlines
of mountains in Crown-Prince Rudolf’s Land. Here Payer writes: “At this
latitude it seemed as if Wilczek Land suddenly terminated, but when the
sun scattered the driving mist we saw the glittering ranges of its
enormous glaciers—the Dove Glaciers—shining down on us. Towards the
north-east we could trace land trending to a cape lying in the grey
distance—Cape Buda-Pesth, as it was afterwards called.” This passage
was destined to form a great puzzle to Nansen in later years. It is
evident, however, that the atmospheric conditions were not favourable
for accurate observations, and on his map Payer shows that this part of
the coast-line was considered doubtful.
As it appeared to Payer that Crown-Prince Rudolf’s Land and Karl
Alexander’s Land formed a continuous whole, and therefore barred the way
to the north, he diverged into Rawlinson Sound. The track lay between
countless hummocks, some of which Payer estimated to be 40 feet high.
The advance now became one continual zigzag. On the 9th April an iceberg
was ascended from which it was seen that the hummocks in Rawlinson Sound
appeared to stretch on without end. The course was therefore altered to
a north-westerly direction in order to come under Crown-Prince Rudolf’s
Land, but the character of the ice still remained unchanged, and Payer
was compelled to make for Hohenlohe Island in the west, where he decided
to divide the expedition into two parties.
Payer determined that he, with Orel, Zaninovich, and Klotz, should push
on with the dog-sledge, and that the other three men should remain
behind at Cape Schrötter. Payer explained the plan he meant to follow,
and stated that he should be absent from five to eight days, but that if
he should not return within fifteen days they were to march back to the
ship with the sledge. A pocket-compass, a watch, an aneroid barometer,
and a thermometer were left with the remaining party. The tent was
divided in two, each party receiving a half. The advance party took
provisions for eight days, and the two remaining dogs had to drag the
sledge with a weight of about 4 cwt.
As they approached the promontory on the south of Crown-Prince Rudolf’s
Land, numerous icebergs were met, which according to Payer were from 100
to 200 feet high. The Middendorf Glacier was now reached, and an attempt
was made to cross it. Towards its lower part many crevasses were bridged
over with snow. Farther on, the glacier appeared smooth and free from
crevasses, and it was anticipated that it could be crossed without
difficulty. Here, Klotz confessed to Payer that one of his feet was
swollen and ulcerated. Payer decided at once that it would be necessary
to send Klotz back to the other party at Hohenlohe Island. Laden with a
sack and carrying a revolver, he set off, and soon disappeared.
Meanwhile Payer and the other two men had again packed the sledge and
harnessed the dogs, and were setting out, when, without the slightest
warning, the snow gave way beneath the sledge, and Zaninovich, the dogs,
and the sledge disappeared in a crevasse. Payer, who was attached to the
rope, was dragged backwards to the edge of the crevasse, and expected to
be precipitated into it, but at this moment the sledge stuck fast
between the sides of the crevasse. Orel now advanced to the edge and
stated that he could see Zaninovich lying on a ledge of snow in the
crevasse, with precipices all round him, and the dogs attached to the
traces of the sledge. Payer, who was lying on his stomach near the edge
of the crevasse, had still one of the traces fastened round his waist.
This he decided to cut, although Zaninovich cried up that he was afraid
that the sledge would then fall on him. When the trace was cut, the
sledge made a short run and then stuck fast again. Payer now jumped the
crevasse and shouted to Zaninovich that he would require to run back to
Hohenlohe Island to fetch men and ropes for his rescue; that if he could
contrive for four hours to keep himself from freezing, all would yet be
well. Payer at once started to run down the glacier back to Cape
Schrötter, 6 miles off. Bathed in perspiration, he threw off his
bird-skin garments, his boots, and his shawl, and ran in his stockings
through the deep snow. On the way he passed Klotz, who at first feared
that Payer had lost his senses. On reaching Cape Schrötter a rope was
detached from the large sledge, and the whole party, with the exception
of Klotz, set off for the glacier. Reaching the glacier, they tied
themselves together, Payer leading. On arrival at the crevasse, Payer
shouted, but at first could hear no reply. At last he heard the whining
of a dog, and then an unintelligible answer from Zaninovich. Haller, who
was immediately let down by a rope, found Zaninovich still living, but
almost frozen, on a ledge of snow 40 feet down the crevasse. He fastened
himself and Zaninovich to the rope, and they were drawn up after great
exertion. Haller again descended, and fastened the dogs to the rope.
They had managed to free themselves from their traces and had sprung to
a ledge near where Zaninovich had lain. After they were drawn up, they
gave expression to their joy, first by rolling themselves vigorously in
the snow, and then by licking the hands of the party. Haller was next
raised to the level of the sledge, so that he might cut the ropes which
fastened the loading. The articles were brought up one by one. Nothing
of any importance had been lost. The party now descended the glacier,
and the three men from Cape Schrötter returned there, while Payer and
his companions camped at Cape Habermann.
A route along the west coast of Crown-Prince Rudolf’s Land was now
followed. When Cape Brorok was reached, the latitude was found to be 81°
45′. Payer here writes: “To the north-west we saw at first nothing but
ice up to the horizon; even with the telescope of the theodolite I could
not decide for the existence of land, which Orel’s sharp eye discovered
in the far distance.” Payer also remarks that, in the Arctic regions, it
often happens that banks of fog on the horizon assume the character of
distant ranges, for the small height to which these banks rise in the
cold air causes them to be very sharply defined. It is also very common,
he says, to make the same mistake in the case of mists arising from the
waste water of enormous glaciers.
When Cape Auk was reached, a dark water-sky appeared in the north, and
great numbers of birds were seen. Seals lay on the ice, and traces of
bears and foxes were numerous. Had Payer been inclined to believe, like
Hayes, in the existence of an open Polar Sea, these signs of a richer
animal-life would have gone far to support the belief. Payer, however,
called this belief an “antiquated hypothesis.”
The ice was now so thin that they thought it expedient to tie themselves
together with a long rope. Ascending an iceberg in Teplitz Bay, the open
sea was seen stretching far to the west; and at Cape Säulen the open
water reached the coast. Here Payer ascended a height to reconnoitre the
track for next day. Land was no longer visible towards the north. The
12th April was the last day of advance in a northerly direction. The
march lay over snowy slopes to the summits of the coast-range, from 1000
to 3000 feet high. At noon the latitude was taken at Cape Germania, and
found to be 81° 57′. They reached Cape Fligely in five hours, and here
decided to turn back. Payer estimated the latitude of this point to be
82° 5′. Rudolf’s Land still stretched in a north-easterly direction
towards a cape named after Sherard Osborne. From Cape Fligely it could
be seen that the open water was simply a “Polynia” surrounded by old
ice. Blue mountain-ranges were believed to be visible in the distant
north, and were named “King Oscar Land” and “Petermann Land.”
After enclosing a brief account of the journey in a bottle and
depositing it in a cleft of rock, the return journey was begun. Cape
Schrötter was reached on the evening of the 13th April. It was well for
those left there that nothing serious happened to Payer’s party, for
although all the means of ascertaining their position had been given to
them, when asked what direction they would have taken to return to the
ship, they pointed north-east up Rawlinson Sound!
Cape Schrötter was left on the 14th April, and the party made for the
Coburg Islands, in very bad weather. Klotz’s foot had become much worse,
and all those who had been left behind were more or less snow-blind. It
struck Payer as peculiar that the dogs did not suffer from this
affection, close as they were to the glare of the snow and without any
protection against it. Coburg Islands were reached in the evening. Next
day, after a severe march, they got clear of the region of ice-hummocks,
and were able to use their sledge-sail. On the return journey Payer
ascended Cape Hellwald, 2200 feet, and Cape Tyrol, 3000 feet, above
sea-level.
On the 19th April, south of Cape Tyrol, they came on open water, and had
to take to the coast of Wilczek Land. The iceberg on which one of the
dépôts had been placed was afloat, and could not be reached. Their
provisions were now running short, and they were still 55 miles from the
ship. During the next two days they struggled on in terrible weather.
Their last dépôt, fortunately, was discovered, and also the remains of a
bear killed on the way north. The open water was now found to have
retreated to the west, and this enabled them to reach Cape Frankfurt, on
Hall Island. From here the ice could be seen stretching away to the
south. When Cape Orgel was reached, it was with anxious feelings that
Payer began its ascent. It was from here he would be able to ascertain
whether the _Tegetthoff_ had been drifted away from its former position.
He was overjoyed to find the ship about 3 miles off. The whole party
reached it on 23rd April.
The weather towards the end of April was good, and favoured the carrying
out of the third and last sledge-expedition. Payer was anxious to
ascertain, if possible, how far Franz-Josef Land extended towards
Spitzbergen. On the 29th April he again left the ship, with Haller,
Lieutenant Brosch, and the two dogs. Provisions for a week were carried.
Cape Brünn, on McClintock Island, was to be their objective. This was
ascended on the 2nd May, and was found to be 2500 feet high, but the
boundaries of the land towards Spitzbergen could not be determined. On
the night of the 2nd May they began a forced march of twenty-two hours
back to the ship. The total distance of the sledge-journeys was
estimated to be about 450 miles.
Preparations were now made to abandon the _Tegetthoff_, and to make an
attempt to reach Europe. Three boats were selected for the return: two
of these were Norwegian whale-boats, 20 feet long. Each of the boats was
placed on a sledge, and the weight to be dragged, including everything,
amounted to the formidable total of 90 cwt.
The plan was to reach the dépôt of provisions on the Barentz Islands,
which lay almost directly south. After replenishing stores there, they
proposed to follow the coast of Novaya Zemlya with the hope of reaching
one of those ships which go there for the salmon fishery. They also had
the hope that they might come across a Norwegian seal-hunter farther
north.
The _Tegetthoff_ was left on 20th May 1874. The first day’s advance
amounted to 1 mile. They had to pass three times heavily laden, and
twice empty, over every bit of the road. The snow was deep, and more
than half of the expedition was required to move a boat. During the
first week Payer and two men returned daily to the ship with the
dog-sledge in order to replenish the store the party had consumed. A
bear was shot on the 23rd, another on the 26th, and a third on the 31st
May. At the end of May, when only 5 miles from the ship, they approached
a water-space, but found the margins so surrounded with broad barriers
of broken ice that the boats could not be launched. They therefore
decided to camp, and wait for more favourable conditions. It was not
until the 17th June that the ice opened near to them, and the boats were
launched on the 18th. They had not proceeded more than 3 miles when they
were stopped by ice, and the boats had to be drawn on to it. Next
morning there was no water to be seen. On the 20th they crossed a
“lead,” and then were detained in the same position two days. During the
rest of June they had continually to cross “leads” and water-holes. At
noon on the 1st July they had only reached 79° 38′. On the 4th the
latitude was found to be 79° 43′, so that they had drifted north. From
the 9th to the 15th July they rested and waited for the ice to open. On
the 20th July the latitude was 79° 11′, so that during two calendar
months they had advanced only 47 geographical miles. The water-spaces
now became larger, and more satisfactory progress was made.
On the 7th August they believed they had reached the open sea, as they
observed the ice alternately rising and falling. Next day they were
again shut in the ice, and there was now no appearance of open water.
From the 10th to the 13th they waited on the ice opening, and employed
part of the time in caulking their boats. On the 13th the latitude was
77° 58′, so that they were now exactly 2 degrees south of the
starting-point. On the 15th August the open water was at last reached,
in 77° 40′.
The sledges were now left behind, but although the boats were much
crowded, the two remaining dogs were at first taken on board. Later,
however, it was found that they would put the crew to great
inconvenience, and with reluctance they had to be killed. The course was
now shaped towards the Barentz Islands. On the 16th, the snowy summits
near Cape Nassau were sighted. Next day a fog came on, and before it
cleared they found they were far beyond the Barentz Islands. Instead of
returning to the dépôt, they preferred to take the risk and push on.
On the 18th August they first landed on Novaya Zemlya, where they found
coltsfoot (_Tussilago farfara_), the leaves of which were dried and used
as tobacco. They were greatly disappointed in not finding a vessel in
Matoschkin Bay. On the 23rd August, only ten days’ provisions remained.
In the evening on the 24th they passed Cape Britwin, and suddenly they
beheld a small boat with two men in it. There was a great cry of joy
from the Austrian boats, and as the two men pulled towards them, and
before either party could explain, a corner of rock was turned, and now
in full view lay two ships. These were two Russian vessels from
Archangel, and were engaged in the salmon fishery. The Austrians were
received by the Russians with the greatest friendliness. It was the
intention of the latter to remain where they were for fourteen days
longer, and to spend about the same number in fishing and hunting at the
southern extremity of Novaya Zemlya. This programme did not suit the
Austrians. It was therefore arranged that one of the vessels should take
the expedition to Vardo, in Norway, without delay, and that in return
for this service the Russians should receive three of the Austrian
boats, two rifles, and be guaranteed a sum of 1200 silver roubles.
The _Nikolai_ sailed on the 26th August, and reached Vardo on 3rd
September. Two days later the mail steamer from Vardo to Hamburg took
the expedition on board, and stopping at Tromsoe, put ashore Captain
Carlsen.
* * * * *
The discovery of Franz-Josef Land was an important one, and stimulated
further Arctic exploration. It also served as a new point from which to
attack the Pole.