CHAPTER XXXIII. 



BJORNEBORG. 



IT had been my intention to take part in the first sledge-journey 

 of the season, but as there was still much to be done on board, and 

 I wished to put the last touches to the work myself, I gave up the 

 idea of going. 



The members of this expedition were Isachsen, Bay, Schei, and 

 Stolz ; each man with a full load. Their orders were to drive 

 to the westernmost depot, and there leave their loads. If every- 

 thing there was as it should be, they were then to go a day's 

 journey farther west, to see how the country and the going looked 

 in that direction. If the depot had been plundered by bears, 

 which I considered more than probable, they were to return 

 as soon as possible. In either case, they were to look in at Baads- 

 fjord on the way back. 



They brought back bad tidings. The violent storms in Jones 

 Sound had pressed the ice towards land so that the country 

 west was very difficult to negotiate; and they had taken five 

 whole days from Havnefjord to the depot. There were pressure- 

 ridges and pressure-ice the whole way, and, what was worse, 

 they had seen a decided water- sky in the west, which pointed to 

 much open water there. In comparison with this, I took the 

 tidings of the depot with calmness. 



As our men were going up the ice-foot to the depot, a large bear 

 came running down to receive them. He did not say whether he 

 had come to welcome them, or only to tell them that he could 

 manage very well alone. Suffice it to say that Schei was not to be 

 trifled with that time ; he shot it on the spot. On arriving at the 

 tent, they found it torn to pieces, the tent-poles and the other wood- 



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