The party had
now no choice but to return home with their balloon, leaving, however,
the shed and gas-generating apparatus for another occasion.

This occasion came the following summer, when the dauntless explorers
returned to their task, leaving Gothenburg on May 28th, 1897, in a
vessel lent by the King of Sweden, and reaching Dane's Island on the
30th of the same month. Dr. Ekholm had retired from the enterprise, but
in his place were two volunteers, Messrs. Frankel and Svedenborg, the
latter as "odd man," to fill the place of any of the other three who
might be prevented from making the final venture.

It was found that the shed had suffered during the winter, and some time
was spent in making the repairs and needful preparation, so that
the month of June was half over before all was in readiness for the
inflation. This operation was then accomplished in four days, and by
midnight of June 22nd the balloon was at her moorings, full and in
readiness; but, as in the previous year, the wind was contrary, and
remained so for nearly three weeks. This, of course, was a less serious
matter, inasmuch as the voyagers were a month earlier with their
preparation, but so long a delay must needs have told prejudicially
against the buoyancy of the balloon, and Andree is hardly to be blamed
for having, in the end, committed himself to a wind that was not wholly
favourable.

The wind, if entirely from the right direction, should have been due
south, but on July 11th it had veered to a direction somewhat west of
south, and Andree, tolerating no further delay, seized this as his best
opportunity, and with a wind "whistling through the woodwork of the shed
and flapping the canvas," accompanied by Frankel and Svedenborg, started
on his ill-fated voyage.

A telegram which Andree wrote for the Press at that epoch ran thus:--
"At this moment, 2.30 p.m., we are ready to start. We shall probably be
driven in a north-north-easterly direction."

On July 22nd a carrier pigeon was recovered by the fishing boat Alken
between North Cape, Spitzbergen, and Seven Islands, bearing a message,
"July 13th, 12.30 p.m., 82 degrees 2 minutes north lat., 15 degrees
5 minutes east long. Good journey eastward. All goes well on board.
Andree."

Not till August 31st was there picked up in the Arctic zone a buoy,
which is preserved in the Museum of Stockholm. It bears the message,
"Buoy No. 4. First to be thrown out. 11th July, 10 p.m., Greenwich mean
ti