350 I. P. Косн. 
disagreeable to us. ToBras works like a horse, but then he has 
nearly also to work for three. 
The weather. At noon it cleared up; the sun burned through 
and baked terribly. Calm. The clear weather lasted during the 
whole afternoon. 
This morning I have, together with BERTELSEN and Togias, gone 
over the prospects of our return. The case is as follows: 
In three days i. e. 28/V we may leave Peary Land with well fed 
dogs and carrying 
provisions for 10 days, 
dogs’ feed - 13 — 
petroleum - 20 — !). 
The journey to Nordre Depot Ø may be supposed to last twenty- 
one marches, and during this period our supplies will be increased 
by provisions for five days and dogs’ feed for six, as well as ample 
petroleum. Thus we shall lack: 
Provisions for 6 days, 
Dogs’ feed - 2 — 
This can hardly be called unfavourable, as long as the sea ice 
is still there so that we may proceed, and when BERTELSEN and I 
recover our strength. I also suppose we may count on a couple of 
bears and perhaps also on a good number of fulmars. 
_ Our thoughts constantly recur to the first sledge party who went 
west”). Have they got musk oxen? Do they suffer the same hard- 
ships as we? Are they still up here in Peary Land, or have they 
perhaps returned long ago? In a week, when we arrive at one of 
the old camping sites, we shall perhaps get news of them. 
11.15 a.m. Started. Passed several fresh, unmistakeable traces 
of lemmings in the snow on land. Course SSE. Reached the shore 
after 64/2 km. Continued along the shore. 1.30 p.m. Course SSW. 
A lot of snow has fallen during these last few days; there is 1 
to 2 decimetres of loose new snow on top of the old one, and it 
hampers the sledge badly, so that we are crawling along. A little 
1) According to the list on p. 315 we had on 1/V petroleum for twenty-five days. 
When now from 28/V we might reckon on being supplied for twenty days, the 
reason was partly to be looked for in the fact that we had only used very 
little petroleum on Peary Land, partly that the temperature would rise from 
now onwards, so that we should scarcely have to reckon with having to melt 
ice and snow. 
My ius-ErIcHSEN, HAGEN and Ввомгомо. This sledge party were at the time 
staying in Danmarks Fjord, the existence of which we could at the time know 
nothing of. 
