214 THE GERMAN ARCTIC EXPEDITION. 



dead aspect of the other part. The green land is a 

 spot which reminds ns of our native meadows. Water- 

 cresses, orchids, wild buttercups, and other meadow 

 flowers showed their gay heads, and on the edges of the 

 spring basin grew a species of reed which reminded us of 

 our pond-reed at home. 



At the present day the spring is but little used as a 

 bath. The natives, of course, never think of giving their 

 persons the benefit of a bath, and the missionaries seldom 

 visit this outlying island. Besides, the draught of cold 

 air towards the basin deprives one of all pleasure in 

 bathing. After supplying myself with a sample of the 

 water and some pieces of rock, which to the natives 

 seemed a strange proceeding, we left the island, to make 

 another visit to Unartok to see the so-called " soft-stone " 

 rock mineral. This stone (veegsteen) is a species of 

 talc, of great importance in a Greenland household, and 

 formerly still more so. Before pottery was known, 

 " soft-stone " was the only material out of which they 

 carved their liousehold vessels ; and even now, although 

 Danish ore provides iron and copper utensils, they make 

 pans and saucepans from it. Above all, it is necessary 

 for the construction of their lamps. This lamp is a 

 crescent-shaped stone, hollowed out and fastened to a low 

 three-legged wooden stand. The shallow depth is filled 

 with train oil, which is furnished in the following 

 manner : — the person who prepares the lamp takes a 

 piece of seal blubber in his mouth, and with wonderful 

 dexterity sucks out all the oil, and squirts it into the 

 lamp. Then some dry moss is strewn over as a wick, 

 and pressed tight to the concave edge and lighted. This 

 lamp, which gives both light and heat (for they even 



