184 NEW LAND. 



fjord again, and a long way round, we just managed to get across. 

 The ice was almost as thin as a leaf, and there was no longer any 

 bottom to the pools. After making innumerable detours in every 

 possible direction, we at last got under land on the south side, and 

 hugged the shore as far as the Eskimo settlement, where we 

 camped on a springy bank of moss, quite near to the ruins. 



After resting for some hours, we set to work to excavate them, 

 but in spite of a day's hard work found nothing of any great 

 importance. The huts were built of stone and the vertebrae of the 

 whale. There were great fragments of the latter lying about, and 

 Bay thought them to be the bones of the Greenland whale. 



But we had other things to do besides excavating ; one of the 

 sledges was in want of repairs ; nor could we resist shooting a few 

 sea-birds down in the crack. Heaven only knows what Bay did, 

 but he managed to get wet through to his middle, and then disposed 

 his various garments about the camp till it looked as if we had a 

 drying day on. While his clothes were drying in the sun, Bay lay 

 in his shirt digging and hacking up among the ruins. It was a 

 sight for the gods ! I took a snapshot of Adam in his shirt, and 

 the original has hoped up to the last that the plate would be 

 spoiled, but I have the pleasure of presenting Mm to the world, 

 alive and well. He laughs best who laughs last. 



The thaw was now proceeding with such rapidity that the 

 whole of the stretch of ice which we had driven on along shore 

 disappeared after the lapse of twenty-four hours, and there was 

 nothing to be seen but blue water. We began to be rather anxious 

 in case we might be cut off from the ship, and made all the haste 

 we could to get under way. 



At first we were obliged to follow the ice-foot, and this was bad 

 enough, as it was simply furrowed through with rills of ice-water ; 

 but matters were still worse when out in a big bay, a little to the 

 east, we were stopped by two deep swift streams, while for a long 

 distance the ice-foot itself disappeared from view. To wade was 

 impossible, so as a last resource we got hold of a cake of ice, put 

 the dogs and baggage on to it, and used the tent-poles as oars. 

 We also found the ridge-pole of our big tent, which was broad and 

 long, very useful. Our craft was not an easy one to pull, but it 



