280 NEW LAND. 



myself gave out almost everything that we required for the 

 journey, and so felt at ease on the matter ; but when we were well 

 off, and were about to cross Sydkapfjord, we discovered, to our 

 great consternation, that the tent had been left behind, so we had 

 to turn back to the ' Fram,' where we found it lying on one of the 

 kennels. The sledge had been put up there for the night, and 

 probably the tent had not been properly lashed to it, and had 

 slipped off. 



Baumann and Bay returned that evening. The party coming 

 from the east had met Isachsen and Bay at Baadsfjordnuten, 

 and Isachsen joined them, while Baumann returned to the ship 

 with Bay. The going had been unusually heavy the whole time, 

 so that the dogs had had very hard work. It had been so dark, 

 too, that it was like driving at dead of night. 



The next morning, Thursday, November 9, we set off again, 

 equipped for a nine days' absence. Matters went pretty well. 

 West of Store Candor (Great Sandbank) we met the caravan, on 

 their return journey, with large loads of meat. On the trip up 

 Moskusfjord they had had a bad storm right in their teeth. The 

 wind was so violent, the mate said, that they thought the Last Day 

 had come. There are many curious impressions with regard to that 

 day, but the general idea is, I think, that it will be rather warm. 

 The mate, however, had Arctic views on the subject, and had 

 expected the day when ushered in by a gale from the north, and 

 some twenty-five degrees below zero. 



According to their description the storm must have been a 

 serious one. They had been obliged to camp, and during the night 

 the wind had been so violent that every moment they expected the 

 tent to be torn to ribbons ; but a tent of this kind, when new, will 

 stand more than one would think. In the morning the weather 

 was as rough as ever, and they began to discuss whether they 

 should remain where they were, or make an attempt to drive on 

 inward. The mate thought it could not possibly be worse than 

 yesterday, and that as they were all in good training they had 

 better try to get on. So accordingly, they set forth and eventually 

 reached the ' meatberg.' To protect the tent and make it warmer 

 they piled up the meat and skins in a heap outside the end wall, 



