308 Knud Rasmussen. 



unusually famished; I am inclined to believe that the whole thing 

 was a psychic outbreak, a fit of desperation al being cheated of the 

 rest and good sound feeding which they doubtless felt they had 

 deserved. 



We were now brought face to face with the difficulty which we 

 had anticipated from the day when we first started out over the in- 

 land ice: if we failed to find game immediately on reaching the east 

 coast, it would be necessary to promptly reduce our big teams. We 

 therefore called a halt for that day, and held a brief council of 

 war to decide what was to be done. Throughout the day we had 

 ascended every little height which offered any view of the surrounding 

 country, and carefully examined the place with our glasses. There 

 were plenty of tracks to be seen, but not a single musk ox. In view 

 of the precarious situation as regards game, we now decided to kill 

 off some of the dogs at once, only, however, as many as could be 

 eaten on the spot, to avoid waste of meat. On this day, therefore, 

 six faithful workers were sacrificed for the good of their comrades 

 and the expedition. 



On the following day we set out once more in search of game. 

 It was blowing a stiff easterly gale, the wind rushing down from the 

 ice and tearing through the valley with such fury as to send the 

 small stones flying about our ears. Huge masses of sand from the 

 banks were flung in greyish clouds over the water course we had to 

 follow, the gusts frequently coming upon us so violently that the 

 dogs could scarcely keep their feet. After driving for some hours 

 along the river bed, we were forced to halt, as the dogs could be 

 urged no farther. We found a small sheltered hollow where we tied 

 up the dogs, and then set off on foot, in two parties, to see what 

 we could find. 



When we assembled in the evening it was with every expression 

 of dehght. UvDLORiAQ and I had got one bull, while Inukitsoq had 

 bagged no less than eight beasts altogether; five heifers and three 

 yearling calves. Unfortunately, there is not much meat on a musk 

 ox at this time of year, when they are in very poor condition; we 

 could, however, face the coming week without anxiety. 



Early on the morning of the 15th we set out for the glacier 

 lake once more, keeping now, however, straight on towards the face 

 of the ice and the waterfalls, in order to see if it were not possible 

 to get up that way. None of us were anxious to make the long 

 detour again round by the great rocky slopes and the height to the 

 north west of our camping ground. Leaving the dogs and sledges at 

 the end of the great lower lake by the foot of the ice wall, we started 

 off, with slabs of meat on our backs, up over the cliff that formed 

 one side of the waterfall, and finally reached the glacier lake and 



