ESKIMO VISITS ON BOARD THE 'FRAM.' 119 



tent for the night, and were then probably abreast of Cape Camper- 

 down, but at a fair distance from it. I have already described our 

 arrangements under canvas, so will not repeat myself, but will 

 merely give our bills of fare, which consisted of soup a la Julienne, 

 and beef, followed by biscuit, coffee, and iced butter ; and for break- 

 fast, coffee, biscuit, and butter. The next morning the' tent was 

 soon struck and lashed to the sledges, and we set off southwards 

 at a brisk pace. 



' After driving for about two hours, we bore to the south-west, 

 and finally due west. This took us over bad ice and a number of 

 pressure-ridges, but we wished to get on to the flat ice inside of 

 Cocked Hat Island. By two o'clock we were on good ice again, 

 and not long afterwards found our old tracks leading northwards. 

 This put new life into the dogs ; they neared the " Fram " at a better 

 and better pace ; and at four o'clock we were on board again, after 

 four days' absence. Our average distance on these four days 

 was about fifteen and a half miles a day. The dogs were in good 

 condition on our return, though they were rather footsore.' 



After his return from the ' Windward ' on March 25, Kolotengva 

 started home at once. He was simply loaded with presents, for, 

 being the first stranger we had seen for a long time, all the reserve 

 good- will which we had been laying by for so many months was ex- 

 pended on him. Kolotengva's joy on his departure knew no bounds, 

 and probably never in his life had he been the possessor of so many 

 invaluable objects. He had particularly coveted our empty tins, 

 and he now took his departure with a multitude of them disposed 

 about his sledge. 



Our generosity, however, as has been mentioned before, brought 

 its own consequences. It was not long after Kolotengva's return 

 home before whole caravans of Eskimo, from their snow huts 

 on Brevoort Island and Cape Sabine, came to visit the 'Fram,' 

 and we did not get rid of them till the ice on Smith Sound 

 began tobe unsafe, so that they were obliged to retreat to 

 Greenland. 



