346 P. Freuchen. 



valleys all lying SE — NW, some narrow fissures at the bottom also 

 running in this direction. 



23rd April. The surface of the snow resembles exactly that of 

 old sea ice after a snow storm, with sharp-edged ridges of snow all 

 around. 



On the 25th April we endeavoured to measure the thickness of 

 the snow layer, digging a couple of metres down and then, from the 

 bottom of the hole, thrusting the saw used for building snow huts 

 downward as far as it would go. This tool measures 60 cm. long, 

 but did not suffice to reach the bottom. The lie of the ice has now 

 changed somewhat, presenting alternating stretches of level and rising 

 ground — i. e. sloping upward towards the east — but with no down- 

 hill slopes. 



27th April. The snow is now so soft that we sink in up to our 

 ankles at every step ; for the first time, also, we can find no snow 

 suitable for hut-building. The dogs are therefore somewhat exhausted 

 at the end of the day's march. The soft snow lies in a perfectly level 

 mass, with no contours or shading to catch the eye ; this may possibly 

 be due to the fact that there is little or no wind here, though it 

 by no means proved to be the case while we were there. 



Shortly before camping, we sighted land far to the north ; possibly 

 the country north of Osborne Fjord? 



On the 29th April the going improved somewhat, though there 

 was still no real crust to the snow. The upper layer, however, to a 

 depth of about 75 cm., is firm enough to be cut into blocks, which, 

 though unsuitable for hut-building, yet serve to build a sheltering wall 

 round the tent. Beneath this sharply defined layer lies another consi- 

 sting of grains of ice rather like hailstones, about 3 cm. thick; beneath 

 this again the snow is quite loose, having much the same appearance 

 as castor sugar. The intervening layer of granulated ice is probably 

 not due to melting, but rather to sublimation between one layer of 

 snow and the next. 



The snow Hfts and drives before the slightest breath of wind; 

 moving like clouds of vapour. Often it is too fine to be visible at 

 all, until after the lapse of a few minutes men, dogs and sledge are 

 seen to be covered with finely powdered snow. 



Thus on the 31st April and 1st May, when the wind was extre- 

 mely violent — 20 — 25 metres per second — not a single flake of 

 snow was to be seen, but the air seemed filled with a thick fog. The 

 snow forced its way into the tent on all sides, and on going outside 

 for a moment, to look to the sledge for instance, one's clothes would 

 be snowed up in an instant, both inside and out, pockets and ears 

 becoming filled with snow, despite protecting flaps and caps. 



On the evening of the 1st May, however, we were able to pro- 

 ceed. The temperature had now fallen again, and the snow was hard 



