132 NEW LAND. 



could at times see nothing of it and its team. The way was 

 long and weary, but in the end we reached the watershed, followed 

 the depression on the other side of it, and camped a little way 

 east of the watershed in calm weather, but still with a temperature 

 of about -61 Fahr. (-52 Cent.). 



A little east of the watershed were five or six erratic blocks, 

 as big as cottages. They were entirely covered with snow, and 

 looked like enormous blocks of ice. Peder, who on such occasions 

 wa curiosity itself, was constrained to go and examine them ; 

 he could not believe they were rocks. But rocks they were never- 

 theless, although there was not another to be seen for miles round. 

 Next morning we started to drive down the valley ; we were 

 glad to see that we might soon expect an end of this pleasurable 

 business, for we knew that the watershed was not very much 

 above sea-level, and we felt a decided decline in the gradient of 

 the valley. To the mutual joy of both dogs and men the snow 

 improved in quality as we went down, and the last two miles it 

 was irreproachable. 



In several places we saw the tracks of reindeer and polar oxen ; 

 in one place also that of a bear which had gone straight over- 

 land, the same way as ourselves. 



At a place where the valley narrowed to a gorge we came on 

 to perfectly hard river -ice, which almost everywhere was smooth 

 and shining; then with an abrupt turn of the valley the fjord 

 opened out before us a couple of miles away. We pushed on, 

 and were not long in reaching it. We found a decided crack, 

 and concluded from its appearance that the tide here certainly 

 could not be less than at Nordstrand. 



For the time being all we had to do was to press on northward 

 as hard as we could, under the cliffs, taking a line for the outer- 

 most point in sight. This we did with all the better conscience 

 since it was easier going down there. 



Our excitement was great. Was it an island we saw yonder, 

 north of the point, and did a sound run eastward ? Or should we 

 have to suffer the disappointment of seeing the cliffs, high and 

 abrupt, closing the waterway to us ? At one moment it looked 

 like an island ; at another like a horrid bay. 



