mss142-vasilevShishmarev-i3-044

– 94 –

we constantly heard shots from the "Discovery," but later, we
did not receive answers to ours. The fog separated us. On
this day it cleared, and we again saw the dismal shores of
America in these latitudes, but our comrade was not there.
Meanwhile, we reached latitude 69°. We often encountered
solid fields of thick ice. Attempting to keep as far north
as possible, we picked our way into every clearing between
them, and reaching the mentioned latitude, encountered solid
ice taking up the whole horizon, extending to the north. We
turned back hoping to find the "Discovery." Until the 25th,
we had daily fogs around midday, but clear sky in the morning
and evening. We could see nothing except the long and un-
changing spit extending along the shore for a few miles bet-
ween Capes Lisburne and Mulgrave, and on it a small settlement
of Americans. At all times we had a strong NE current.

On the 28th, we reached Cape Mulgrave, the place of our
separation with the "Discovery," which was not to be seen.
Again, we turned back, and here a terrible storm from the SW
overtook us, which contined until the 31st.10 During all
this time a thick wet snow fell so that the men could not shovel
it off the deck. On that day it started to abate and turned
to the NE. The snow stopped, and in? its place came freezing of
seven or more degrees. All the rigging was iced and moved
with great difficulty in the blocks. The sails were completely
stiff so that in unreefing, the men had blood coming from
under their fingernails. This situation cruelly exhausted our