NORTH POLE OF THE WINDS 



sted, who had been in one of Rasmussen's expedi- 

 tions and had a long experience in Greenland, 

 volunteered for this difficult post and was accepted. 

 He was not, however, to go in with the expedition, 

 but to join it near the close of the summer season 

 shortly before the main party returned. 



Our freight was shipped from New York to 

 Copenhagen May 10th on the Frederik VIII of 

 the Scandinavian- American Line, and with Erlan- 

 son, the botanist of the expedition, I travelled by 

 the same vessel. The remaining members left New 

 York on the George Washington May 18th and 

 arrived in Bremen May 27th. Our old friend of 

 the Morrissey cruise, Dr. Knud Rasmussen, we 

 found to be the idol almost of the Danish people, 

 as we had found him to be of the Eskimos in 

 Greenland. He entertained the expedition in a 

 lavish manner and together with the Honorable 

 J. Daugaard-Jensen, Director for Greenland 

 under the Danish Ministry of the Interior, the 

 difficulties which arose were soon ironed out. 



The Disko on which we were to sail has the 

 lines of a yacht with luxurious cabins, saloon and 

 smoke room. She is 233 feet in length and is 

 equipped with Diesel engines which, even when the 

 ship was loaded far below the Plimsoll mark, gave 

 it a speed of eleven knots. 



110 



