14 EJNAR MIKKELSEN. 
This valley had the same elevation as the one dividing the south- 
eastern peninsula, and like this one it gave the impression of being a 
recently elevated ocean-bed, quite level, of an height not exceeding 
41/, 6 metres and with steep basalt cliffs hedging it in on both sides. 
At the foot of these steep cliffs we found large stretches of ice 
(Fig. 4), which would greatly facilitate our crossing, as we had only to 
pass about 2000—3000 metres of bare land between these stretches of 
ice. For this purpose we constructed a crude, two-wheeled waggon, on 
which we could place the loaded sledges, thus being able to drag them across 
without unloading. With all hands assisting at this work and using 
all our dogs we began the sledge-journey to Lambert’s Land on Sep- 
tember 25th, leaving the ship at 9a.m. 
Lieut. JORGENSEN, Engineer IVERSEN and I formed the Lambert’s 
Land party, and part of the way we were to be helped by Lieut. Laus 
and the mate, OLSEN. We took four sledges drawn by twenty-nine 
dogs in all, divided so that three sledges and twenty-one dogs formed 
the north-going party, while one sledge drawn by eight dogs was to 
follow us as far as provisions would allow. 
Our plan of crossing the land proved satisfactory, and taking one 
sledge at a time, with all the dogs hitched on to it (Fig. 5), we could 
by dint of great exertion take it across without any stoppage, but 
it was not till 6,30 p.m. that all the four sledges stood on the northern 
coast. 
On Sept. 26th we went out on the sea-ice after a rather difficult 
crossing over the tidal crack, where the ice on the shoreside was frozen 
on to the bottom of the shallow coastwater, and being high-water 
this ice was flooded to a depth of about 30cm. But by using small pieces 
of floating ice as intermediate stopping places we managed to get the 
sledges across to the floating ice without having to wait for the ebb. 
On the sea-ice we met other difficulties, as the surface was inter- 
sected by large channels melted down into it in the course of the summer. 
These channels and holes had very steep banks, which rose to a height 
of about 60—75 cm above the glare-ice of the bottom. It was often 
possible to follow a lead of channels for a considerable distance, but 
sooner or later we had to come up the steep banks, which proved very 
difficult with the heavy sledges and the slippery footing on the fresh 
water-ice. 
Our dogs being very fresh and strong we could however make 
good progress, but a sledge-journey across floating packice at so early 
a date offers other difficulties, which are considerably larger — i. e. 
open water, thin ice or crush-ice, consisting of thin ice and small ice- 
pieces frozen together to a more or less solid mass. 
This kind of surface with projecting ice-points gave us much trouble, 
as the pieces of ice were not large enough to necessitate a deviation from 
the course, but nevertheless large enough to stop the sledges or catch 
