NORTH POLE OF THE WINDS 



I have mentioned that the Disko was so heavily 

 loaded that she settled in the water far beyond the 

 PlimsoU mark. More serious, however, her deck 

 cargo of lumber rose to the height of the bulwarks, 

 and on this three heavy lighters were lashed which 

 brought the center of gravity abnormally high and 

 produced a heavy list, first on one side and then on 

 the other, depending on the wind and sea. As most 

 of the cabins had the bunks directed athwart the 

 ship, this caused much discomfort. One went to 

 sleep with his head at the higher end of the bunk, 

 but during the night the list would change and he 

 would awaken with head downward. 



On June 14th in a fog as thick as pea-soup the 

 Disko lay off the great fjord on which Godthaab 

 is located, and here we steamed off and on waiting 

 for the fog to lift. A little past noon we were able to 

 see above the fog the sharp horns enveloped in snow 

 of the Hjortetakken, "The Antlers", which rise to 

 an altitude of 3835 feet and provide a striking land- 

 mark behind the southern capital of Greenland. 

 Later in the afternoon the fog lifted and we sailed 

 up to Godthaab. The four days during which the 

 Disko lay in the harbor discharging cargo we spent 

 exploring the network of fjords about the settle- 

 ment, especially the Ameralikf jord and the Kug- 

 sukf jord. On the 31st we arrived at Holstensborg. 



112 



