GLACIERS. 363 



remained to guard the tents, Copeland and I started for 

 the middle of the fork, which was here from three to five 

 nautical miles broad, in order to find a spot, if possible, 

 fi'om which we could get a favourable view of the 

 branches. Ice-cliffs in numbers filled it, their light colour 

 striking with a glare against the steel-green of the smooth 

 ice-covering of the Fjord. To the north and west brown 

 walls, 3000 feet high, rose in imposing forms in giant rows, 

 as a back-ground to the glaciers of the Tiroler Fjord. 



The gentle slopes of Clavering Island were covered 

 with a light green, and over it hung long icy tongues 

 and frozen torrents, surmounted by the snow-capped main 

 ridge, 4200 to 5250 feet high; and in a south-westerly 

 direction, in another arm of the Fjord, we could see a 

 rocky island with glaciers about 4200 feet high ; this had 

 been landed upon from another side by Clavering, and 

 named " Jordan Hill." 



On this journey a dark layer of a variety of con- 

 glomerate drew us nearly five miles out of our way 

 towards Jordan Hill. From the coloiu- we had hoped to 

 find a stratum of coal. After discovering our mistake, 

 and retracing our steps, we found that our hunters 

 were busy cutting up two nearly white reindeer. We 

 were so hungry that we ate some of the meat raw, and 

 carried the legs away to the sledge. 



It was half -past three p.m. before we left our resting- 

 place, and, from the unexpected increase of our pro- 

 visions, we determined to sacrifice another day in order 

 to explore the back-ground of the Tiroler Fjord. 



On the strand of Clavering Island we had collected a 

 quantity of drift-wood, and on the south side Clavering 

 had met with Esquimaux ; but from the presence of the 



