CHAPTER XXXVI. 



STORE AND LILLE BJOENEKAP. 



NEXT morning, when we drove off, the weather was misty, and 

 the still damp air so laden with rime that fine needles of ice 

 fell without ceasing. We followed the ice-foot for the first 

 couple of miles, until we reached the northernmost point in view, 

 but here the good going came to an end, for the ice lay pressed 

 up for some distance on to the sands and drove us out on to 

 the sea-ice again. Very great pressure had apparently taken 

 place here during the course of the autumn, and as far ahead 

 as we could see the ice had been subjected to upheaval, and was 

 extremely rugged. Although the going was somewhat heavy on 

 the dust-like, newly fallen snow, it was hard enough for us to make 

 satisfactory progress ; the dogs were able to get a good purchase 

 on it, and given that there was no doubt of their willingness to 

 haul. A couple of miles from land we changed our course and 

 drove north-east, parallel with the land. The result of this 

 manoeuvre was that our progress became considerably more difficult, 

 as we had to cross all the large drifts which had collected between 

 the pressed-up blocks of ice. 



As far as we could see to the north the country was of little 

 elevation, with expanses of sand which often shot out four or 

 five miles into the sea, and were so low that we did not remark 

 them before we were close on to them. In the south-west, far away 

 on the horizon, rose some land with rounded knolls and ridges, 

 and the landscape generally reminded me very much of the long 

 low-lying coast of Siberia. 



Out on the ice that day we saw what we thought to be 

 unequivocal traces of reindeer. With the exception of antlers of 



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