74 NEW LAXD. 



it appeared we had not a moment's doubt but that they were 

 after polar oxen. 



We accordingly agreed that the mate should see to the carcase 

 of the bear, while I hastened up to Fosheim, and I had not gone 

 many steps before I heard shot after shot. I hurried almost more 

 than was good for me, perhaps, but when I gained the crest of the 

 ridge the firing had stopped. 



There stood Fosheim, his gun smoking; by his side Peder 

 with his best dog, and before them, in a steaming pool of blood, 

 a herd of fallen oxen, eleven in number. Fosheim alone had shot 

 down the whole herd ; Peder, like myself, having arrived too late 

 in the day. 



We all three fell to work to disembowel the animals. The 

 skinning had to be left till next day, but, so that the carcases might 

 not freeze and become too difficult of manipulation, we folded 

 their legs under them and piled them up, body by body, as close to 

 each other as possible. After the dogs had gormandized sufficiently 

 and we had provided ourselves with soup-meat we went down to 

 the sledges again, drove them a little way in towards land, and 

 camped on the ice-foot, immediately below the slaughter-ground. 



While my three companions, next day, Sunday, September 30, 

 were driving down the meat I climbed a hill on the north-east 

 side of our camping-ground. The weather was brilliantly clear, 

 and there was a fine view over land and sea. Even Cape South- 

 West, more than a hundred miles distant, was visible. What met 

 the eye, however, was not very satisfactory. The ice northward 

 was deplorable, and out by a little island a few miles still farther 

 north was open water. The same was the case under Store 

 Bjornekap, and as far in that direction as I could see. Nothing 

 but open water and water-sky ! 



It appeared to me that this open water extended the whole 

 way from Bjornekap to the north side of Graham Island, and 

 on towards Cape South- West. In the ice to the south I observed 

 lane after lane, almost wherever I looked, and as far as I could 

 make out, it would be impossible to drive to the islands ; in any 

 case, one could not drive farther north than the point on which 

 we were now camping. 





