Report on the expedition. 101 
could afford to neglect the provisions contained in the depot; it would 
be natural to suppose that there must also be enough for the dogs. 
The most reasonable explanation would seem to be that they had 
already realised that they would be forced to go up on to the Inlandice 
in order to reach Lambert’s Land, and therefore took the dog-feed with 
them, as this, being much more concentrated than fresh meat, would 
save them a great deal of extra weight. 
At this depot, on 81°30’, the last trace of the ill-fated men is lost; 
they must have made their way up to on the Inlandice between this 
and the next depot on Amdrup’s Land. 
We have still two points to consider, viz: why MYLIUS-ERICHSEN 
abandoned the coast, and where? 
As regard the first question, there can be but one answer — open 
water. The journey was undertaken in early autumn, when the new 
ice would be very thin and liable to break up, thus rendering sledging 
extremely risky. 
In Danmark’s Fjord they were sledging over new ice as early as 
12th September; it is possible, however, that Prinsesse Thyra Island 
may have helped the young ice to get solid by preventing the pack-ice 
outside from pressing too hard upon the thin ice sheets, which would 
thus, when left undisturbed, become thick and fairly solid long before 
the ice on the open coast had bound together. 
In the bay between Prins Frederik Islands and Prinsesse Dagmar 
Peninsula, there may perhaps have been old ice, as the prevailing northerly 
winds would prevent the winter ice from drifting away. Sledging thus 
far may therefore have been, and very probably was, a fairly easy matter. 
From Prinsesse Dagmar Peninsula, however, it must doubtlessly 
have been a very difficult matter to sledge along the coast on the sea- 
ice, this stretch being entirely unprotected, and the ice would probably 
not freeze solid before very late in the year, certainly later than the 
time when Mytius-ERICHSEN and his companions passed that way. 
It is possible, however, to sledge from Prinsesse Dagmar Peninsula to the 
depot at 81°30’ over the Inlandice, save when passing Nakkehoved. 
The Inlandice is here on Kronprins Christian’s Land quite low, sloping 
gently down into the sea, which probably has no great depth, as we 
noticed several icebergs and old floes, which must have been aground. 
The sledging around Nakkehoved is probably also possible early 
in the spring, owing to the large pieces of ice stranded in the rather 
shallow water, and this ice will tie up the young ice. 
MYLIUS-ERICHSEN would in all probability keep as far as possible 
to the low edge of the Inlandice, thus avoiding the thin and dangerous 
sea-ice along this stretch. From 81°30’ southwards, however, it was 
a more difficult matter. 
In the first place, the sea is deeper here; we did not see a single 
berg aground when we passed. Moreover, the Inlandice, besides sloping 
