358 THE GERMAN ARCTIC EXPEDITION. 



with ice, 3250 to 4875 feet high, lay before us. Even 

 from the distance the geological character of this island 

 was unmistakeable. Its rocks of granite and gneiss, 

 which also seem to prevail in the interior of Greenland, 

 were interspersed to the north with numerous dark 

 streaks of basalt, which struck one, even in the distance, 

 by their regularity of form and dark colour. Up to 

 the last moment the existence of the Fjord which we 

 were seeking seemed doubtful ; but as we turned a pro- 

 montory to the south-west of Sattelberg peninsula, we 

 came upon it. It stretched in a northerly direction, 

 and then bent to westward, and was enclosed, cell-like, 

 by glorious mountain domes. 



Our great desire to extend our journey as much as 

 possible could now be carried out, if, on the one hand, 

 we made the most of our limited thne, and, on the 

 other, our not less limited provisions, hj agreeing to short 

 rations ; we therefore gave up our regular mid-day meal. 

 As our stock of spirit was far too small to allow of our 

 melting ice for drinking purposes, our thirst became 

 exceedingly troublesome. The layer of snow on the thick 

 ice we found interspersed with smooth spots, which we 

 crossed upon skates. 



Later on, we continually came across parts where the 

 frozen sea-water had formed a saline deposit upon the 

 surface of the ice, which made our advance much more 

 difficult. It was now dark ; and when at five o'clock, 

 after marching twenty-two nautical miles in a tempera- 

 ture of 9° Fahr., we encamped at the foot of a stony 

 hillock, we were delighted by the sight of a lovely 

 Aurora — violet, green, and yellow. In unusual intensity 

 it passed from west to east throue'h our zenith. It 



