62 NEW LAND. 



preparations for making good the misfortunes of his brother-explorers 

 on the previous evening. He got out a huge piece of frozen 

 meat, which he laid on the end of a board, seized the hatchet, and 

 began to beat it with all his might. He did not observe that 

 he had lodged the end of his board on the mate's head, which 

 was covered by the hood of the sleeping-bag. His victim began 

 to protest from inside, but Isachsen only answered, 'Lie still, 

 lie still ; I shall soon have done,' and so the mate did. 



On the whole, we much enjoyed our sledge-excursions, and 

 the good-fellowship which reigned inside the tent made it a 

 very pleasant life. Needless to say, there was no lack of good- 

 natured chaff. Every man was willing to put his shoulder to 

 the wheel, and no one ever tried to put a spoke in it. Bay, who 

 on account of his good condition was, especially at first, the victim 

 of most of the casualties which happened ashore and afloat, was 

 in the habit, when he hit his knee or plumped into the water, of 

 rapping out a little Danish oath. He was always told on such 

 occasions that as he had undertaken to do the swearing of the 

 party, it would be a pity for the rest of us to take it out of such 

 good hands; a reproof which did not prevent him from often 

 exclaiming, as we lay in the tent, ' Gad, it's comfortable in this 

 little Denmark ! ' or, ' It's as nice and warm as a little hell J ' 

 I do not know the temperature of the aforesaid place, but cer- 

 tainly our tent was beautifully warm when, after the toils of 

 the day and a good supper of fresh meat, salt pork and broth, 

 we stretched ourselves out in comfortable wellbeing, with the 

 ' Primus ' glowing between us. 



