252 



NEW LAND. 



sledges, dogs, and men were swept long distances across the ice. 

 It is true we had the wind abeam, and there was nothing on the 

 sledges except ourselves ; but it was a kind of locomotion we had 

 never experienced before. 



After passing Stormkap we took a line for the big fjord ; but 

 the light was so dim that we got a little out of our reckoning, and 

 found ourselves instead in a large bay to the west of it. There we 

 got into ugly pressure-ice, and had a great deal of trouble in 

 making our way back to the fjord again. However, when we did 



HA.VNEFJOBD. i. WINTER QUARTERS. 



reach it we found good even ice, on which the dogs worked well, 

 and we hoped accordingly to reach the head of the fjord that evening. 

 But, in the dusk, we somehow managed to get into bad pressure- 

 ice again, and this we found all but impassable. It was a 

 refined mixture of young and old ice, which almost closed the 

 way for us, and at last we camped on an old floe, tired out with 

 our struggles to get through. 



After a while the wind went down, and the evening was not so 

 bad outside the tent, while inside it was very comfortable indeed. 

 We eagerly discussed the great question as to whether or not we 

 should find big game: from outside the valley had seemed so 



