33 



aflagde et kort Besøg i Storfjorden. Det var en ejendommelig 

 sinuk Atten. Foran os laa. som Billedet viser. Sydkap 

 med sine Sne- og Isbræer, af hvilke en næsten naaede 

 Havet. Fjeldtoppene vare paa Vestsiden indhyllede i Skyer. 

 fremkaldte af den herskende Vestenvind. Paa Østsiden 

 derimod, imod Storfjorden, var Himmelen klarere, og ude 

 i Horizonten mod Ost var der aldeles klart Solskin. Men 

 Himmelen var ikke blaa, den havde et forunderligt sterkt 

 gult Skjær, som forst i Sydost gik over til det vante blaa. 

 I Nord for det egentlige Sydkap saaes •■Keilhaus Fjeld", 

 og mellem dette og Sydkap fremtraadte Billedets interes- 

 santeste Gjenstand, en Isbræ, der fra det Indre af Landet 

 med sagte Skraaning steg ned til og langt ud i Havet, 

 hvor den endte med en tverbrat Væg, kanske sine 30 Meter 

 høj, og hvis horizontale Udstrækning kunde maales med 

 Kvartmile. Ved Synet af denne Ismasse, paa hvis Over- 

 flade Solens Straaler fremkaldte et blændende hvidt Lys, 

 medens den bratte Endevæg laa som- en lang, mørk Rand 

 eller Skygge langs Havbrynet. med den sterkeste Modsæt- 

 ning til hin. kunde jeg forståa, hvorfor vore Fangstfarere 

 kalde Isbræerne for Is-Fjelde. Et saadant Fjeld gjør, som 

 det her træder frem. den samme Berettigelse gjældende paa 

 at deltage i Rækken af de Masser, der bygge den faste 

 Jord, som den massiveste Granit. Vort Billedes Forgrund 

 danner det spejlblanke. kun nu og da af en svag Bris 

 krusede, men dog altid gyngende Havspejl. med sit gjennem- 

 sigtige, grønne Vand. i hvilket Isflag og Isblokke af de 

 mangfoldigste og forunderligste Former ligge omstrøede. 

 Her sees et fladt Stykke, ovenpaa dels blændende hvidt af 

 Sne, dels tilsmudset af jordagtige Stoffe, med blaa Sprækker 

 og smukt blaagront under Våndet — det er Våndets egen 

 Farve. Hist et Stykke som en Svane med sin lange Hals, 

 en hyppig Fremtoning hos Polarisen. 



Den 15de og 16de August 1878 laa Expeditionen til 

 Ankers ved Norsk Øeme paa Nordkysten af Vestspidsbergen. 

 Der indtoges en Del B-allast. til hvilken Stene af passende 

 Størrelse kunde hentes i Fjæren lige ved Sundet mellem 

 Norskøerne. I dette var der en sterk Tidevandstrøm. der 

 forte Ismasser østenfra ind i Sundet og siden med skiftende 

 Strøm tilbage. Vort Billede Fig. \) viser Udsigten fra 

 Ankerpladsen mod Nord. Til Hojre Ydre Norsko. fra 

 hvis Top man i klart Vejr kan se østover helt til Verlegen- 

 buk. I Billedets Midte se vi Toppen af Øen -'doven 

 Cliff." der i vest-ostlig Retning har en Klov eller Kløft. 

 Vi se paa Billedet, hvorledes Lyset falder ind gjennem 

 denne. Til Venstre er Øen Vogelsang. Udenfor Øerne 



Den norske Nordhavsexpedition. H. Monn: Geografi. 



low-lying islands. We passed to the south of these islets. 

 and steamed a short distance up the Stor Fjord. It was 

 a lovely night. Before us. as shown in the prospect. lay 

 Oape South, with its snow-fields and glaciers, one of which 

 reached almost to the waters edge. The summits on the 

 west coast were wrapped in clouds driving before the 

 westerly wind. On the east shore. in the direction of the 

 Stor Fjord, the atmosphere was considerably clearer, and 

 on the eastern horizon the sim shone brightly. The sky. 

 however. was not azure: it had a strange yellowisli tint, 

 that extended to the south-east before merging into the 

 wonted cerulean hue. North of the promontory forming 

 Cape South, was seen "Mount Keilhau:" and hetween tliis 

 summit and the headland lay. boldly defined, the most 

 interesting object in the view. a stupendous glacier, which, 

 with a gentle declivity. extended from the inland tracts to 

 the shore and far out into the sea. where it terminated in 

 a perpendicular wall. at a rough estimation not less than 

 100 feet high. and horizontally stretching for miles. Re- 

 garding this prodigious mass of ice. from the surface of 

 which the rays of the sun were reflected in dazzling bright- 

 ness, whereas its terminal wall extended. in striking con- 

 trast, as a dark line or shadowy limit along the surface of 

 the ocean, the name of "Is-Fjelde" (Ice Mountains). given 

 by our seamen to these Spitzbergen glaciers. was seen to 

 be singularly appropriate. One of these glacial. bergs is 

 equally entitled to rank as a component part of the masses 

 that constitute the land as granite itself. In the foreground 

 of the picture. curled here and there by a gentle wind. 

 the ocean expands its ever restless bosom, on which floes 

 and fragments of ice of every conceivable form lie scattered 

 around. Here, we have a huge flat block — its surface covered 

 partly with snow of a dazzling whiteness and partly with 

 some dark earthy substance — exhibiting blue iissures. and 

 having under the water a beautiful bluish-green tint. the 

 colour of the surrounding ocean. There. is seen å frag- 

 ment resembling a swan. with its long extended neck. a 

 form frequently assumed by the Polar drift-ice. 



The 15th and 16th of August. 1878. the Expedition 

 passed at anchor at the Norway Islands, on the north coast 

 of West Spitzbergen. Here we took in ballast, stones of 

 suitable size forming the beach of the sound that extends 

 between the islands. In this sound there was a strong 

 tidal current, that brought with it. when setting from the 

 east. considerable quantities of drift-ice. hut which. on 

 the turn of the tide. carried it back again. The view 

 in Fig. 9 is from the anchorage. looking north. To 

 the right we have Outer Norway Island, from the summit 

 of which. in clear weather. you can see in an easterly direc- 

 tion as far as Verlegen Hook. The middle part of the 

 picture shows the summit of the island. "Cloven ('lift'." a 



