116 EJNAR MIKKELSEN. 
period, and our progress was effectually stopped 21, mile off shore by 
slushy snow. 
As we hoped that the hunting would give better results on the flat, 
low foreland north of Mallemukfjældet we left our camping-site and moved 
our tent to that place on July Ist. 
This was eleven days after our arrival at Mallemukfjældet, and it 
was surprising to see how rapidly the melting went on. When we came, 
the water did not trouble us at all, but now we had to await low water 
in order to get away from land and on to the sea-ice. All the snow lying 
on the ice had melted, and large, deep ponds were all over its surface. 
The cracks were very broad — 1 meter or even more — and became 
broader, the nearer we got to Mallemukfjældet. Off this steep moun- 
tain the ice was broken up in small floes, but the floes could not float 
away, as the pressure-ridges, which lined the coast and which probably 
were aground, kept the floes in place. 
A large waterfall came tumbling down over the cliffs from the very 
top of the high Mallemukfjæld and flung an immense amount of water 
over the ice, wearing it away and stirring up a motion in the sea. This 
motion, combined with the shifting tides and wind, caused the ice-floes 
to drift about and to rub against each other, crushing the edges and 
thus accelerating the destruction of the ice. 
When we camped to the north of Mallemukfjældet, we could see that 
the open water out to sea had not come much closer to land, and that in 
spite of the many open lanes, which extended from the pressure-ridges to 
it. Its N—S extension was as when we saw it last, but the general 
impression was that the ice would drift off, the moment a strong wind 
sprang up. 
The day was a memorable one, because I was able to walk for the 
first time since June 12th. 
All of July 2nd was spent in looking for game, but without any results, 
and IVERSEN again walked out to the open water on July 3rd. Two 
mallemuks were shot, but one drifted away. The prospects of game 
were, if possible, worse at this place than to the south of Mallemuk- 
fjældet, and we returned to our old camping site on the evening of July 
3rd, as we did not like to run the risk of being cut off from our outfit 
by open water off Mallemukfjeldet. 
When we came back, we saw that a bear had been near our camp, 
and it would probably have been our booty, if it had not been for these 
two days’ absence. 
The Return-journey from Mallemukijeldet to Shannon Island. 
July 7th—November 11th 1910. 
The whole of July 4th was spent in making a much needed 
alteration in our sledge, as we could not hope to make any progress, 
