234 Chr. Bendix Thostrup 



2 ruins there was a small, well-built fire-place (122; PI. Ill), which 

 was distinct from the other fire-places we had seen by being closed 

 to all sides. It was 0'43 M. long in north to south direction, ОЗО M. 

 broad and 030 M. high. In this we found charcoal and a piece of wood. 



The most remarkable structure on Кар Bismarck seemed to me, 

 however, to be that figured in fig. 26. 



This structure (123) was for a long time considered to be an 

 old cairn by the members of the Expedition and our Greenland 

 comrades talked of it as an "Eskimo stone", to contrast it with 

 the cairns built by the Expedition, which they called "Koch stones" Ч 

 In appearance the structure was quite like a cairn. 



On a sledge-journey I investigated the structure more closely 

 and found that it was hollow and built in a most practical manner. 

 It was slightly arched, almost bee-hive shaped and had an open- 

 ing above. At the base, towards the S. S. W., it was possible to 

 remove some stones without disturbing the rest, and a doorway 

 then appeared 040 M. broad and 050 M. high. In spite of the fact, 

 that the whole structure only consisted of a thin shell of stone, it 

 was yet so strong, that I was able, though weighing ca. 90 kg, to 

 climb up on the top and let myself down through the opening 

 without a single stone being moved from its position. Sitting inside 

 the structure the stones were sufficiently wide apart to let me have 

 an excellent view of the country through the spaces between the 

 stones. The floorplace was circular, 170 M. in diameter; the dia- 

 meter of the opening at the top was 090 M. The height was 115 M. 

 internally and 125 M. outside; the thickness of the wall 0*15 — 020 M. 

 The circumference of the hollow cairn externally was 785 M. at the 

 base and 375 M. above. 



Regarding the use made by the Eskimos of this hollow cairn 

 we knew nothing on the Expedition and opinions were many 

 and divided. One of my comrades, Mr. Hagerup, had however 

 already remarked while we were in Greenland upon its resemblance 

 to the old wooden and stone fox-traps used by the Russians on 

 Spitsbergen and he was quite right. It is really a fox- trap. 

 For this purpose the one end of a whalebone with a piece of 

 blubber on it was fixed above, so that the bait would be in the 

 middle of the opening. When the fox stepped out on the piece 

 of whalebone, this seesawed under his weight and the fox fell 

 into the trap, from which it could not climb up again. In such 

 a trap several foxes could be taken in one night ^'. 



In the old tale about Imerasugsuk^ it is said, that M i sa n a 



' Captain Koch was the cartographer of the Expedition. - Cf. Parry: p. 387; 

 Lyon: pp. 339—40. ' Cf. Holm 3: p. 247. 



