92 EJNAR MIKKELSEN. 
“2 June. In the evening at 6 o’clock I went out hunting musk- 
“oxen at a place ca. 8 miles away. I found a great number of tracks 
“in the bay, but saw no animals. On the way back I saw again a seal 
“on the ice; when I was calling for my dogs it heard me, and the moment 
“I saw it, it dived down again. Hoping that it would reappear, I stood 
“on the watch for it, but in vain”!. 
“3 June. At noon I returned and found my comrades very anxious 
“and on the point of setting out to look for me....?”. 
BRONLUND mentions, quite casually, that he had found great num- 
bers of musk-ox tracks in the bay, which lay some eight miles from 
the camp. This bay must presumably be taken as being that part of 
the bottom of Independence Fjord shown on HoEG-HAGEN’s drawings 
(Plate ТУ & IX). The low-lying Peary Islands marked on the north 
side of the bottom of the Fjord seem to indicate that the land beyond 
must be comparatively low. 
BRONLUND’s probable assertion that from there it was possible 
to perceive with certainty that the channel did not exist, must presumab- 
ly have persuaded Mytius-ERIcHSEN to devote yet one more of the 
precious days to the task of checking BRØNLUNDS statement. There 
could be no other reason for their going out after his return, since they 
could not expect to find game where BRøØNLUND had been unsuccesful. 
They did go out, however, for BRØNLUND found himself alone in 
the camp, when he woke about noon on the 4th of June. This is evident 
from the note in his diary: 
“June 4th. At noon I awoke; on going out I managed to shoot 
“two ptarmigans at one shot outside our tent. I rejoiced over this booty 
“as we were quite destitute of provisions, having just the small quantity 
“of meal for one more time. A little later I went out to the place where 
“the inlandice merges into the sea, hoping there to meet with seals, 
“but returned soon after without seeing any.... At 6 in the evening 
“Мутлоз and HAGEN returned, also without any game®”’. 
Myzius-ERICHSEN and HAGEN would then no doubt have employed 
the time they had been away from the tent in checking BRONLUND’S 
statement as to the non-existence of a strait. True, BRØNLUND himself 
makes no mention whatsoever of the supposed channel being closed, 
merely stating that they had failed to find game; but it must be remem- 
bered, however, that this for him was a point of primary importance, 
the appearance of the country being a subordinate feature, while his 
companions would regard the latter as most important. 
It is probably on the basis of observations made on this trip that 
Myzius-ErICHSEN makes the very definite statement contained in his 
1, 2,3 Amprup, Medd. om Grønland, vol. XLI, pag. 204—205. 
