256 NOETH MAGNETIC POLE AND NORTHWEST PASSAGE. 



dropped sufficiently for us to get out again. Then another drifting 

 night in pitch darkness among shoals and rocks, and then at last 

 release. It is impossible to describe the well-being, the feeling of 

 calm and safety, which came over us after these ten days of ceaseless 

 fighting, when we dropped anchor on September 9, at half past o 

 in the afternoon, at the head of Petersen Bay, in King William 

 Ijand. There, approached by a narrow inlet, lay the harbor which 

 was to be our place of sojourn for two years — " Gjoahavn," or Gjoa 

 Harbor. A fresh land breeze prevented us from standing in, and it 

 was not till the evening of the 12th that it fell sufficiently for us to 

 iDeat up against it and drop anchor. Now we could breathe. We 

 had done a good bit of work. 



"Gjoahavn" was all that the heart could desire, small and land- 

 locked. Low sandy land, covered with moss, rose gently upward 

 from all sides until it reached a height of 150 feet, and thus formed 

 a sheltered little basin where Ave could lie safe and snug. The day 

 after our arrival here I rowed ashore with my instruments to ascer- 

 tain the state of the magnetism in this area, and, strange as it may 

 sound, we had found the very spot which, according to my scheme, 

 was the most suitable for a magnetic station — about 100 nautical 

 miles from the magnetic polar area. There was no longer an}^ doubt ; 

 this would be our home for the next two years. The time after this 

 was very busy. The vessel was hauled close up to the shore, which 

 fell abruptly away, a conveying rope rigged to the masthead, and all 

 our provisions passed ashore by means of it. Everj^thing was put 

 in order, and the house Avhich we built covered over Avith a sail. 



Then came the observatories, and of them a mushroom groAvth 

 sprang up. First the magnetic variation house, then a dwelling 

 house for the meteorologist and magnetician, the two latter being 

 built of empty provision cases filled Avith sand. After that came 

 the house for the absolute magnetic observations. The walls Avere 

 built of blocks of snow, and the roof made out of thin, transparent 

 sailcloth. Finally Ave built the astronomical observatory, which was 

 knoAvn as " IJranienborg," this also being of snow, with a sailcloth 

 roof. Besides all this building, we had done another good stroke of 

 Avork in the shape of killing a hundred reindeer, and we had thus 

 abundant provisions for ourselves and our dogs throughout the win- 

 ter. The ice formed on October 1 and 2. The A^essel Avas then coa^^- 

 cred Avith a Avinter aAvning, and everything got ready to receive the 

 approaching winter. 



On October 29 the first Eskimo made their appearance. Expec- 

 tation on this point had ahvays run high, and we had talked daily 

 about meeting with them. Sir John Ross, in his description of his 

 A'oyage, gives the Avord " teima " as the usual salutation betAveen 

 AAhite man and Eskimo, and we had therefore carefully laid this 



