stefansson-wrangel-09-32-076v

352 THE ADVENTURE OF WRANGEL ISLAND

and take my chance on the south of the ice along the northern
coast of Siberia, or in other words, what is known as the Inside
Passage.” When we got to East Cape the gale was still blowing
and I decided to go into the East Cape Station and wait for a
change of weather. Three or four miles of ice laid off the East
Cape.

On the morning of the 24th at eleven o’clock A. M. the wind
moderated and in company with the Olga we rounded East Cape
and entered the ice. Just at this time a southeasterly gale blew
up, which gave us a good many uneasy hours in pulling through
the ice, but we made for the land at Unikin. From there on we
had no difficulty with the ice, as the southerly gale had blown the
ice off shore. I was rather in hopes that the gale would continue,
as it gave us free, open water along the coast.

On the evening of the 25th the wind suddenly changed to the
northwest. The ice pushed us in and we had a little difficulty
getting around Cape Serdze. We stopped there for the night, as we
did not consider it safe to travel in the dark. On account of ice
conditions we stayed here until the morning of the 28th.

On the morning of the 28th we began to push our way through
the ice, the wind had moderated and we had no more difficulty until
we reached Cape Onman. Here we were delayed one day. How-
ever, we reached Cape Wankarem on the 28th, but could not go
around the Cape, as the ice was pressed up against the point.
There was open water along the coast north of the Cape, also
south, but the ice pressed against the end of the Cape’s point for
a distance of about two miles. We got one-half way through and
there stopped for two days.

On the second day the trading schooner, Amy, from Nome, which
had passed Wankarem a couple of weeks earlier, came back from
the north, stating that they had gotten within fifteen miles of Cape
North, which had been their farthest point west. They reported
that the ice from Wankarem north was solid pack, the outside was
like we had found in East Cape and Wankarem. They also re-
ported that the schooners, Chukok, Silver Wave, and Blue Sea were
frozen in the ice fifteen miles off Cape North.

Captain Larson, of the Amy, advised me that it was very unwise
to pursue farther. With this information I felt convinced that it.