full of drifted snow, into which the dogs sank, and could scarcely move.  At this instant two enormous white bears presented themselves.  The dogs sprang forward; but the ground was too heavy for them.  The hunters, however, were ready.  The bears marched boldly on as if savage from long fasting.  No time was to be lost.  Sakalar and Ivan singled out each his animal.  Their heavy ounce balls struck both.  The opponent of Sakalar turned and fled, but that of Ivan advanced furiously toward him.  Ivan stood his ground, axe in hand, and struck the animal a terrible blow on the muzzle.  But as he did so, he stumbled, and the bear was upon him.  Kolina shrieked; Sakalar was away after his prize; but the Kolimsk men rushed in.  Two fired:  the third struck the animal with a spear.  The bear abandoned Ivan, and faced his new antagonists.  The contest was now unequal, and before half an hour was over, the stock of provisions was again augmented, as well as the means of warmth.  They had very little wood, and what they had was used sparingly.  Once or twice a tree, fixed in the ice, gave them additional fuel; but they were obliged chiefly to count on oil.  A small fire was made at night to cook by; but it was allowed to go out, the tent was carefully closed, and the caloric of six people, with a huge lamp with three wicks, served for the rest of the night.

About the sixth day they struck land.  It was a small island, in a bay of which they found plenty of drift wood.  Sakalar was delighted.  He was on the right track.  A joyous halt took place, a splendid fire was made, and the whole party indulged themselves in a glass of rum—­a liquor very rarely touched, from its known tendency to increase rather than diminish cold.  A hole was next broken in the ice, and an attempt made to catch some seals.  Only one, however, rewarded their efforts; but this, with a supply of wood, filled the empty space made in the sledges by the daily consumption of the dogs.  But the island was soon found to be infested with bears:  no fewer than five, with eleven foxes, were killed, and then huge fires had to be kept up at night to drive their survivors away.

Their provender thus notably increased, the party started in high spirits; but though they were advancing toward the pole, they were also advancing toward the Deep Sea, and the ice presented innumerable dangers.  Deep fissures, lakes, chasms, mountains, all lay in their way; and no game presented itself to their anxious search.  Day after day they pushed on—­here making long circuits, there driven back, and losing sometimes in one day all they had made in the previous twelve hours.  Some fissures were crossed on bridges of ice, which took hours to make, while every hour the cold seemed more intense.  The sun was now visible for hours, and, as usual in these parts, the cold was more severe since his arrival.