nearly as rotten as that of which the narrow belts of
ice were formed which we now and then met with out at sea.

The fog prevented all view far across the ice, and I already feared
that the northernmost promontory of Asia would be so surrounded with
ice that we could not land upon it. But soon a dark, ice-free cape
peeped out of the mist in the north-east. A bay open to the north
here cuts into the land, and in this bay both the vessels anchored
on the 19th August at 6 o'clock p.m.

We had now reached a great goal, which for centuries had been the
object of unsuccessful struggles. For the first time a vessel lay at
anchor off the northernmost cape of the old world. No wonder then
that the occurrence was celebrated by a display of flags and the
firing of salutes, and, when we returned from our excursion on land,
by festivities on board, by wine and toasts.

[Illustration: THE VEGA AND LENA SALUTING CAPE CHELYUSKIN.
(After a drawing by A. Hovgaard.) ]

As on our arrival at the Yenisej, we were received here too by a
large Polar bear, who, even before the vessel anchored, was seen to
go backwards and forwards on the beach, now and then turning his
glance and his nose uneasily out to sea in order to investigate what
remarkable guests had now for the first time come to his kingdom. A
boat was put off to kill him. Brusewitz was the chosen shot; but on
this occasion the bear took care not to form any closer acquaintance
with our guns. The firing of the salute put him so thoroughly to
flight, that he did not, as bears are wont, return the following
day.

[Illustration: VIEW AT CAPE CHELYUSKIN DURING THE STAY OF THE
EXPEDITION. (After a drawing by A. Hovgaard.) ]

The north point of Asia forms a low promontory, which a bay divides
into two, the eastern arm projecting a little farther to the north
than the western. A ridge of hills with gently sloping sides runs
into the land from the eastern point, and appears within sight of
the western to reach a height of 300 metres. Like the plains lying
below, the summits of this range were nearly free of snow. Only on
the hill-sides or in deep furrows excavated by the streams of melted
snow, and in dales in the plains, were large white snow-fields to be
seen. A low ice-foot still remained at most places along the shore.
But no glacier rolled its bluish-white ice-masses down the mountain
sides, and no inland lakes, no perpendicular cliffs, no high
mountain summits, gave any natural