etty large
opening of the ice-field. This opening closed in the course of the
night, so that on the 24th and 25th we could make only very little
progress, but on the 26th we continued our course, at first with
difficulty, but afterwards in pretty open water to the headland
which on the maps is called Cape Onman. The natives too, who came on
board here, gave the place that name. The ice we met with on that
day was heavier than before, and bluish-white, not dirty. It was
accordingly formed farther out at sea.

On the 27th we continued our course in somewhat open water to
Kolyutschin Bay. No large river debouches in the bottom of this
great fjord, the only one on the north coast of Asia which, by its
long narrow form, the configuration of the neighbouring shores, and
its division into two at the bottom, reminds us of the Spitzbergen
fjords which have been excavated by glaciers. The mouth of the bay
was filled with very closely packed drift-ice that had gathered
round the island situated there, which was inhabited by a large
number of Chukch families. In order to avoid this ice the _Vega_
made a considerable _detour_ up the fjord. The weather was calm and
fine, but new ice was formed everywhere among the old drift-ice
where it was closely packed. Small seals swarmed by hundreds among
the ice, following the wake of the vessel with curiosity. Birds on
the contrary were seen in limited numbers. Host of them had
evidently already migrated to more southerly seas. At 4.45 P.M. the
vessel was anchored to an ice-floe near the eastern shore of the
fjord. It could be seen from this point that the ice at the
headland, which bounded the mouth of the fjord to the east, lay so
near land that there was a risk that the open water next the shore
would not be deep enough for the _Vega_.

Lieutenant Hovgaard was therefore sent with the steam launch to take
soundings. He returned with the report that the water off the
headland was sufficiently deep. At the same time, accompanied by
several of the naturalists, I made an excursion on land. In the
course of this excursion the hunter Johnsen was sent to the top of
the range of heights which occupied the interior of the promontory,
in order to get a view of the state of the ice farther to the east.
Johnsen too returned with the very comforting news that a very broad
open channel extended beyond the headland along the coast to the
south-east. I was wandering about along with my comrades on the
s