172 NEW LAND. 



proved unadvisable after reconnaissance to attempt crossing the 

 aforesaid large chief glacier, as it presented numerous longi- 

 tudinal crevasses, to say nothing of the land behind it being 

 unusually high. The glacier receives small glaciers from the 

 south and north, but particularly from the latter. Our glacier 

 fell away almost perpendicularly towards a little glacier-lake. In 

 front of this and between the two chief glaciers were moraines of 

 fine material. 



'We therefore determined to turn from here in a southerly 

 direction, as on the previous day I had thought to see more level 

 country west of the broken country to the south. This neces- 

 sitated our ascending again. The country between Beitstadfjord 

 and Jokelfjord appeared to be exceedingly broken, and there were 

 sharp peaks and partially bare, almost perpendicular mountain- 

 sides in every direction. 



' On May 30 we at last got down to the south side of the chain 

 of mountains south of Jokelfjord, and were now able to push on 

 between high ranges on both sides. Our progress, too, was greatly 

 accelerated by the lightening of the loads, and we could now on 

 an average drive fourteen to seventeen miles in the working day, 

 of which one hour was devoted to rest. It was not until this 

 time that we began with the hour's halt, as I had not considered 

 it necessary before, the dogs having plenty of time for rest during 

 our reconnaissances, which were frequent, and often of long 

 duration. 



' On June 1 we reached the highest part of the depression in 

 which we were travelling. The gradient had been tolerably equal 

 all the way up, and from here sloped down again fairly gradually 

 in the same direction south-westwards, the depression at the same 

 time widening out till it became almost a plain. Nunataks 

 projected from the ice on the south- side, while on the north was 

 the elevated and mostly snow-covered land west of Jokelfjord. 

 When we had reached the lowest point of the depression, the 

 gradient began to rise again, while we at the same time changed 

 our course to the north-west. 



' About midnight, on June 2, we saw from the high ground 

 to the north-west the first sight of what, later, proved to be the 



