1916] TO KING CHRISTIAN ISLAND 237 



and mumbled through their mittens that mine was as 

 white as snow. We were all frost-bitten and didn't 

 know it. 



In an hour we were on the trail again, having fed the 

 meat to the dogs. We were tired and cold, but kept 

 plugging ahead until we had finished our fifty miles, 

 arriving at Bjornesundet. To my astonishment, after 

 finishing our igloo, Ak-kom-mo-ding-wa drove off on 

 the trail of another bear — excellent evidence of an Eski- 

 mo's untiring activity. 



I now decided to send my first supporting party back 

 to Etah with loads of musk-ox and bear skins. Old 

 Panikpa was poorly clothed and suffering from the cold, 

 his team of pups all in. However, he had done his best, 

 had never complained, and was still willing to go on 

 if I desired it. He and Koo-la-ting-wa returned in the 

 morning, with nothing whatever on their sledges for 

 their dogs. They were to depend upon the game re- 

 sources of the country. 



Leaving our igloo in the morning, we had a fine run 

 of about five miles over good ice along the island shore. 

 We then proceeded diagonally across Ulvef jorden toward 

 a valley which appeared as though it might support a 

 herd of musk-oxen, but we failed to see anything. 

 Fresh bear tracks along the shore, with feet bunched, 

 showing full speed, revealed traces of a bear seen by 

 the boys from the last camp the day before. The dogs 

 caught the scent and went south rapidly to a point 

 where we found tracks of musk-oxen and could see 

 through the glasses the hills dotted with Arctic hare. 

 Within a few minutes the boys secured five and one 

 ptarmigan. 



We celebrated April 6th, the date of the discovery of 



