234 THE GERMAN ARCTIC EXPEDITION. 



tliat even amongst the grown up daughters of the land 

 one does not see many unclean faces, still the young girls 

 are not wanting in a certain innate desire to please, which 

 can even rise to vanity and love of finery. After marriage, 

 however, this all vanishes ; then the Greenland women 

 take but little care of their outward appearance, particu- 

 larly when a family comes on. Exceptions are not often 

 met with. Annie brought us some tea which we had 

 given her to make, and china cups to drink out of, which 

 were decorated with gold rims and gaudy flowers. Our 

 friendly hosts looked at us quite delighted, and Sorn and 

 Annie felt much honoured and very happy, when we 

 handed back a rye loaf with butter. The others, too, 

 had some bread, but, dry. The remainder of the tea, and 

 some candied sugar, we also presented to the Greenland 

 company, who immediately made the most of the strange 

 drink, and gulped it down speedily. 



For our sleeping apartment we chose the fodder- 

 house. The Egedes at once conducted us there. The 

 small building served as a store-room for all sorts of 

 things, and greatly needed air. They offered us some 

 milk in a washing-basin, but we preferred drinking it 

 out of an unsuspicious-looking stone dish. Meanwhile, 

 a window had been made in the room ; that is, Sorn 

 had simply pushed out a stone in the wall, and 

 through the opening now flew all superfluous objects ; 

 a calf's head, old shoes, dried fish, calves' entrails, and 

 divers other things in no way belonging to each other. 

 At last the atmosphere became endurable ; fresh hay 

 was spread, and we lay down on our sacks to sleep. 



The next morning we had undisputed proof of the two- 

 fold use of the dish, which had at first been offered us 



