During the March 22, 1979, substorm events the positive ion experiment on ISEE 2 (EGD) detected intense streams of low-energy ions (mostly between 50 and 500 eV) moving tailward in the near-earth magnetotail. The first clear observation of these streams was made about 30 min after the onset of the first substorm. On the basis of a comparison with simultaneous data from the ion composition experiment on ISEE 1, which was trailing ISEE 2 in the same orbit by about 2 RE, it is argued that these streams consisted primarily of O+ ions. From the analysis of the direction and energy of the streams we draw the following conclusions: (1) In addition to the bulk velocity along the magnetic field lines the streams also have a significant and varying perpendicular velocity due to E¿B/B2 drift. The GSE x and y components of the E¿B/B2 drift are generally toward the center of the magnetotail in the lobe and toward the tail flanks in the plasma sheet, in qualitative agreement with the field topology one obtains by mapping the north-south electric field from the morning and evening auroral ovals well into the distant magnetotail, in a manner previously proposed in the literature. (2) the O+ flow speed and flow direction, as well as density and temperature, undergo strong fluctuations during the course of the two substorms. Some of these fluctuations seem to reflect an increased outflux of ionospheric O+ in connection with increasing magnetic activity, while others may be related to magnetotail movements. Certain oscillations of the flow direction and speed with periods ranging from 10 to 15 min may suggest a wavelike boundary between the plasma sheet and the lobes.