388 NEW LAND. 



climb to some point of vantage, and get a view over part of the 

 island as we still supposed it to be we should, no doubt, with 

 my good glasses, see herd upon herd grazing on the big plains. 

 Of course, they always went in herds, these reindeer ! There might 

 be hundreds of them ! In fact, we might almost expect to come 

 across them a couple of hundred yards from the camp; it was 

 not many days since they had been up on the slopes close by. 



The wind blew itself out on the night of Wednesday, April 26, 

 and when we peeped out about five in the morning a beautiful 

 sight met us. It was the most splendid weather we could wish 

 for ; clear and still, with brilliant sunshine. We were not long in 

 getting breakfast ready, for the lust of the chase was on us, and 

 after the reindeer we meant to go, cost what it might. It would 

 be a glorious day ! 



As soon as we had swallowed our food we set off up the 

 island, and, as we had expected, it was not long before we fell 

 on to fresh tracks. They were of only two animals ; still it was a 

 beginning, and, as they were perfectly fresh, we might expect to 

 see the reindeer at any moment. 



At this stage began our tribulations. We went up hill and 

 down dale without seeing the trace of a reindeer. This in itself 

 was nothing remarkable, for the wind had hardened the snow, and 

 there was, moreover, little of it ; a state of affairs which made it 

 extremely difficult to pick up the tracks again when we lost them, 

 and we went very slowly in consequence. I stole a look at 

 Fosheim every now and then, and, if I am not mistaken, he 

 sometimes glanced at me. 



After a long time we came to the conclusion that the animals 

 must have gone up to the highest part of the island. We went 

 after them, and, when we reached the top, found, to our great 

 astonishment, that we were not on an island at all, but on a point 

 of land which jutted out from some low ground, and on which was 

 a comparatively high mountain. It was this mountain which had 

 led us into supposing we were on an island. 



Then came the great moment when the glasses were produced, 

 and all the reindeer were to appear in sight. Quite right ; there, 

 inwards, lay the large plains, partly snow-covered and partly bare, 



