350 P. Freuchen. 



of the ice here ran east and west, a tongue of land a Httle to the 

 north running up into the ice. Here, quite close to the edge, we en- 

 countered for the first time true glacier fissures, running nearly at 

 right angles to the edge. We lost a couple of dogs down these, having 

 let the animals loose preparatory to lowering them down. Some cases 

 which also fell down stuck before they had fallen very far, and we 

 were ultimately able to fish them up again with a hook fastened to 

 our harpoon shafts and tent poles lashed together. The ice front it- 

 self was about 20 metres high, measured with the harpoon lines which 

 we used for lowering down. A fissure running about halfway through 

 however, enabled us to get down with our gear without any great 

 difficulty or danger. At the mouth of this fissure came the, actual 

 precipice, formed by the breaking off of the ice, and from here we 

 had to lower ourselves, our sledges and dogs, down on to the land 

 below. The length of the projecting portion above, measured as from 

 the point at the foot of the cliff where we landed, was 235 cm. (height 

 about 20 metres). 



The land immediately in front of the ice was covered with moraine 

 deposit, through which the water had cut a channel 10 metres wide 

 along the edge of the glacier, the channel itself being filled with fallen 

 masses of ice. On the 15th May, when we returned to fetch away 

 some things we had left behind, we found that fresh masses of ice 

 had fallen down into the channel. 



As already mentioned, a tongue of land ran up into the ice a 

 little to the north. Across this a lake ran north and south, the inland 

 ice reaching down into it at either end, and depositing small icebergs. 

 This lake was 510 metres above sea level; the small bergs, which pro- 

 jected 4 — 6 metres up over the ice and had moved some little distance 

 from the calving place, showed that the depth must have been fairly 

 considerable. The lake was surrounded by moraine formation, the banks 

 in several places forming cliffs up to 30 metres high, consisting of 

 gravel and clay. At several places, however, on either side of the lake, 

 there was a layer of very fine sand some 8 — 10 metres thick, and 

 apparently horizontal. Rounded stones were also to be seen in the 

 cliffs. Despite careful search, neither shells nor plant remains could 

 be found; a sample of the sand was taken and brought home. 



Although this glacier lake must on the whole be considered as a 

 reservoir for the outflow from the glacier or perhaps as a broad 

 river which does not dry up in winter, there were nevertheless distinct 

 signs along the banks that the water had been fully 1 metre higher 

 when the autumn ice formed than it was now. 



Immediately after getting down on to the lake I was attacked 

 by a spell of snow blindness so severe as to necessitate my remaining 

 in the tent while the other three went out hunting. This led to our 

 making a mistake in the date ; when the rest of the party returned 



