288 Knud Rasmussen. 



in making our way back once more, partly by way of the inland ice, 

 and partly by crossing some few bays where the ice had not broken 

 up; the reconnaissance, however, had taken us two months, instead 

 of the fourteen days for which we had provided. 



2. The second addition to our scheme as planned was a journey 

 to Upernivik, some 900 km. to the south of our station. 



The extension of the expedition involved the supplementing of 

 our stores and gear, and this we were not prepared for at our newly 

 estabhshed station. Thanks to the courtesy of Mr, Harries, the governor 

 at Upernivik, we obtained all that we wanted there. On account of 

 bad ice, however, and heavy falls of snow, it took us nearly three 

 months to cover the 1800 km, or so, and we did not get back to 

 the station until nearly the end of March, hardly three weeks before 

 the date fixed for our start on the journey round the north of 

 Greenland, 



It need hardly be said that the dogs, worn out as they were 

 by snow and hard work on their return, had to be well rested and 

 generously fed before starting out on the long trail. It was thus not 

 until the 9th of April that we assembled at Neqe, a place some 200 

 km. north of the station. 



At Neqe (which means, in English, "meat") walrus are taken on 

 the new ice from the very beginning of the light season, in March, 

 and there is, as a rule, so great an abundance of meat to be had 

 as to thoroughly justify the name. 



This spring also, the walrus hunting had yielded excellent 

 results, and we found enormous stores of meat collected there, 

 which we procured by barter, giving in exchange the trade goods 

 brought up from Upernivik. The meat was partly clean flesh and 

 blubber, partly hides, intended to serve as dogs' food, and flayed 

 off in large strips cut to the length and breadth of the sledges. 

 Everything thus looked promising enough, and we were able to 

 push on for the first part of our journey along the coast at good 

 speed, without wasting time in search of game. Soon, however, an 

 accident occured which seriously affected our plans and route: a 

 regular hurricane came down on us from the northward, breaking 

 up all the ice which we were to have crossed, and leaving us no 

 choice but to haul up on to the inland ice and make our way across 

 it down to Etah. 



I therefore decided, after much consideration, to alter our course 

 entirely, and going straight across the inland ice to the eastern edge, 

 begin our journey along the coast from there. My reasons for so doing 

 are set forth in the following report, despatched on the 13th of April 

 to the committee for the direction of geological and geographical in- 

 vestigations in Greenland, correcting a communication sent in February, 



"Violent and continual storms from the northward have delayed 



