432 THE GERMAN ARCTIC EXPEDITIOX. 



steady increase of temperature and spring storms open 

 the latter and release tlie former. It is also possible that 

 the released fragments of East-Greenland glaciers may 

 be carried to the west coast by a connexion of the 

 dilferent fjords and currents, or that by interior channels 

 they arrive in Scoresby's or Davis' Strait. 



Straight to the north of us rose an imposing wall, 

 3280 feet high. Its banks of gneiss, with their varied 

 colours, sloped at an angle of 15° southwards. We 

 named this reddish wall the " Devil's Cape," and were 

 inclined to believe that behind it the Greenland coast, 

 trending towards the north-west, was probably connected 

 with Smith Sound. 



Towards evening, in the far distance to the north, 

 appeared fresh monstrous mountain chains, with out- 

 lying islands. We could not now tell whether we had to 

 do with an entirely insular opening or with an enormous 

 bay, as we were not in a position to give a decided 

 opinion. Under such circumstances, our orders were to 

 keep to the outer edge of the coast, from which we were 

 already separated by the far-advancing land of Koldewey 

 Island. So we continued our course in a north-easterly 

 direction. 



On such a voyage of discovery, it may be laid down as 

 a useful rule to keep at least from five to ten English 

 miles from the coast, occasionally landing to climb some 

 high look-out. Circuitous routes are thus saved, pro- 

 jecting points only being touched without hugging the 

 coast-line : wrong roads are in this way avoided ; and, 

 above all, by tliese means the land-survey is correctly 

 and quickly completed. 



The nearer one goes to the coast, the narrower will the 



