Report of the First Thule Expedition 1912. 323 



south west. It was fertile ground, with water trickhng down over all 

 the hillside, and a resultant vegetation of surprising luxuriance, all 

 now in full bloom. Numbers of musk ox had left their footprints here 

 on the slope, hare and ptarmigan also abounded, and huge swarms of 

 flies, crane flies, and butterflies added largely to the general effect of 

 summer on the mountain side. 



At last, on the 30th, we had once more ice underfoot, and all 

 our gear up on Nyeboes Glacier. The next thing is to find game, both 

 for ourselves and the dogs during our stay here, and for our home- 

 ward journey. At the moment, we are absolutely emptyhanded. 



Adam Bierings Land. 



Thus, at the end of June, we entered the new country, to the 

 north of a big, broad valley. Valmuedalen (The Valley of Poppies). 

 The hilly uplands fronting on to it we named Adam Bierings Land. 



The valley seemed like a revelation of summer spread over the 

 land, with its wealth of lovely yellow poppies from which we took its 

 name. Here we remained until the 12th of July. On returning to the 

 sledges, which we had left at Nyeboes Glacier, we built a cairn on a 

 jutting point of rock facing the glacier, and there deposited the fol- 

 lowing report: 



"Stayed here in Valmuedalen, Bierings Land, from 29 June till 

 12 July. Shot 17 musk ox, rested and fed the dogs, carried 36 joints 

 of musk ox meat on our backs down to the sledges at Nyeboes Gla- 

 cier, and are now going over to Navy Cliff. 



Did not succeed in penetrating farther inland than to Tværdalen, 

 the valley running east and west, owing to rain and fog which lasted 

 throughout the whole of our stay. 



We have now 28 dogs, all in excellent condition". 



Later on, we obtained an excellent view from the glacier out over 

 Adam Bierings Land, which stretches away into the haze of the horizon, 

 threaded by valleys and ravines, small streams and a few local glaciers 

 of no great extent. Away in the distance, a mountain rises like a bluish 

 cloud shape, yet with outlines so distinct, that we can reckon it to be 

 about 10 miles away, presumably in the vicinity of Nordenskjolds Inlet. 



Looking out over the strange wide stretch of country I was sorely 

 tempted to explore it further, but decided on consideration to turn 

 homeward instead. 



If we go inland again (which does not appear to be difficult from 

 where we are up on the glacier), in order to get through to the charted 

 "coast on the west, it would take some considerable time. We have, 

 moreover, already spent 12 days down in Valmuedalen, unable to take 

 proper observations on account of rough weather. The dogs too, have 

 already had to meet severe calls upon their strength. All things con- 



