Across the Inland Ice, from Clemens Markham's Glacier 

 to Danmarks Fjord. 



On the 14th of April, we found ourselves at last able to make 

 the ascent on to the inland ice by way of Clemens Markham's Glacier, 

 which slopes gently up from the sea ice. We had 35 sledges and 350 

 dogs for the work, and thanks to this adequate means of transport, 

 we were able to get all up at a level trot, and make a run of 66 km. 

 on the first day, with a rise of 1100 m. 



On reaching our first camping ground, we at once sent back all 

 the auxiliary sledges with the exception of nine. These were to serve 

 as baggage sledges until we had reached the level at Humboldt Glacier, 

 when they were to be driven out on to the sea ice, and remain for 

 three weeks in Peabody Bay, or if possible, run up as far as Cape 

 Forbes, where the party would halt in search of game, and ready to 

 place themselves at the service of Capt. Mikkelsen in case he should 

 have been in Grant's Land and then, according to his plan, be on his 

 way southward towards us. 



On the 19th April we took leave of this auxiliary sledge party, 

 and shaped our course towards Danmarks Fjord. 



The journey across the inland ice fell out in every respect according 

 to our calculations. We covered the daily distances which were an 

 indispensable factor for the realisation of our plan; the journey was, 

 however, naturally little else but a treadmill round of monotonous toil. 

 Freuchen has, in his report, furnished a detailed record of the ob- 

 servations made frr-m day to day during this section of the expedition, 

 so that these need not be referred to here. 



Our method was to take on an average 20 working hours for 

 every 4 or 5 of sleep; frequently, however, we worked for as many 

 as 36 hours at a stretch without any extra rest. This of course only 

 applies to such time as the weather served; we kept throughout con- 

 sistently to the Eskimo rule of always getting ahead of bad weather 

 by covering the greatest possible amount of distance as long as it is 

 possible to go forward at all. There is always plenty of time to sleep 

 when one is weatherbound, and we for our part certainly availed our- 

 selves to the full of such opportunities. 



., The inland ice is a good and level road, the best one could wish 

 for with Eskimo sledges and good teams. The soft snow which we 



