General observations as to natural conditions. 351 



on the 14th May, I thought it was the 15th. Not until our return 

 home was the error corrected. Throughout the remainder of our journey 

 we now reckoned with the wrong date, which in the first place led 

 to an inexphcable discrepancy between Robert Peary's observations 

 and mine, and in the second, to another error which proved fatal to 

 the dogs, as instead of making land on the homeward journey at the 

 place we had reckoned on reaching, we ran right out into Prudhoe 

 Land. 



From the southern end of the lake above mentioned, an outflow 

 runs eastward along the ice in a deep ravine with perpendicular walls 

 on either side; ice to the south, and sandstone cliffs to the north. 

 Down into this ravine the river poured over a sudden break in the 

 cliff, about 100 metres from the lake. This waterfall, frozen now, of 

 course, was a most magnificent sight, measuring from the uppermost 

 pool to that at the bottom 180 metres, and falling in 4 sections, each 

 of which was practically passable by lowering sledge and dogs. The 

 whole of the fall lay between the steep walls of ice and rock, like 

 tall close-built houses on either side of a street. The ravine furnished 

 an excellent profile view of the rock, of which four samples were taken 

 from different strata. 



The whole of this great waterfall presented a most wonderful 

 sight: unfortunately, however, it was snowing all the time, so that 

 we were unable to photograph or sketch, however much we might 

 have wished to do so. 



The next lake runs out from the inland ice, and lies almost due east 

 and west, bounded on either side by cliffs about 600 metres high, all 

 formerly part of a plateau sloping down towards Danmarks Fjord. 

 Now, however, the whole formation has been broken up into a num- 

 ber of regular sandstone heights, their flat upper surface terminating 

 in perpendicular cliffs, the lower portions of which are buried in mas- 

 ses of fallen rock. The whole landscape presents a remarkably regular, 

 ordered appearance. 



The second lake is 2 km. broad by 7 long, ending in a broad river 

 which leads down to Lake No. 3. This last, which is situated 350 

 metres above sea level, is of the same breadth as the other, and 

 hardly 3 km. long. The watercourse, which has hitherto been running 

 a little north of east, now swerves very slightly northward. The Valley 

 through which it runs, Zig-zag Valley, broadens out, affording space 

 for a quantity of grassy lowland. "Grassy" however, is not here inten- 

 ded to denote any high degree of luxuriance; the vegetation probably 

 suffers considerably from the constantly drifting sand. 



From Lake No. 3, the water flows on again down the channel, 

 which latter, however, winds in gentle curves down through the valley. 

 I have in the foregoing advisedly referred to "lakes", these being so 

 far distinctly recognisable as such. From here onwards, however, it 



