Report of the First Thule Expedition 1912. 335 



By way of passing the time, we try our hand at drawing comic pic- 

 tures in our notebooks, or tell hunting yarns from richer days. And 

 being again forced to turn in supperless, Uvdloriaq makes the appro- 

 priate remark, that it is astonishing how long a man can live without 

 food when it comes to the pinch. 



27 August. 



Sleep again, and wake towards noon. Weather still as thick as ever; 

 thermometer at 1. 



Camp 12. 



In the afternoon it cleared up to the south east, and we started 

 off at 7 o'clock, Freuchen going ahead on ski for the first 11 km. 

 The dogs are so run down now that we have to send a nurse on in 

 front to tread out a track in the snow. Uvdloriaq takes the next 5 

 km. and then suddenly Inukitsoq's and my teams decide to manage 

 without this formality. At the same time, the snow underfoot improves, 

 being here and there hard enough to bear both team and sledge. We 

 are going downhill now, it seems, and nearing regions that bear more 

 traces of wind. We can see it from the snow, which is wind-furrowed 

 now, giving not only better going, but also furnishing a valuable aid 

 to direction. On the great plateau — "pingo" as the Eskimos call it — 

 the weather appears to be mostly calm, and the snow in consequence 

 deep and soft. We halt at 4 a. m. after a run of 50 km. It is freezing 

 again now, 16 degrees. 



One of Uvdloriaq's team littered on the journey, dropping her 

 pups at intervals all the way, and hauling between whiles as if nothing 

 unusual had happened. 



28 August. 



Turned out about three. It is freezing now 24°, and the weather 

 appears to be settling down at last. 



Camp 13. 29 August. 



Better going now, but newly fallen snow, which covers everything, 

 still making it difficult to shape a course. It always looks as though 

 there were a wall or a precipice just ahead. Managed, with difficulty, 

 to cover 53 km. from eight in the evening of the 28th to five in the 

 morning of the 29th. 



Camp 14. 30 August. 



Covered 53 km. from 1 a. m. to 11 a. m. It is now freezing 25°, 

 with the usual "ground wind". It is good firm going now, and we seem 

 to be getting into regions where the soft snow does not lie long. 



On the way we saw five skuas flying towards the west. 



