NEW LAND! 145 



in a step-motherly fashion, it had also suffered ill at the hands of 

 others during its short life, for it had been badly bitten by animals 

 of prey, probably wolves. It was weakly and small too for its 

 age. 



We drove on again and camped in the evening at the head of 

 the fjord, down by the crack. A sharp wind was blowing right 

 down the fjord, and we made haste to put the camp in order, and 

 creep into the tent. At this place also we found cooking-ice at the 

 crack. 



Next morning we started at our usual hour. The wind was as 

 strong as the day before, and moreover continued to increase ; we 

 had hardly been driving an hour before it blew so hard that we 

 could not see land for the drift. However, we got on all right ; 

 we just took care to keep away from the wind. When we knew 

 we had come to the outer part of the mouth of the fjord, and were 

 clear of the big stretches of sand on the south side of it, we turned 

 more to the east so as to come under land. 



What a difference in the weather ! No sooner were we under 

 the high cliffs than the air was absolutely still, though we could 

 see that the gale was raging as fiercely as ever out on the fjord. 

 We soon found our old route, and kept to it southwards. It 

 was not long before a stiff breeze from the south sprang up, and 

 although it was rather unpleasant having it dead against us, we 

 made such good progress that we were able to camp in the evening 

 at our old ground outside the largest stretch of sands. 



Next day too the south wind was equally strong. Whilst we 

 were making our noonday halt on the neck of land up by Storsjoen, 

 we saw ten or eleven polar oxen browsing peacefully up on the 

 slopes a little way from us. We were not very anxious to 

 shoot any that day; for one thing we had not much with us in 

 the way of flaying-knives ; and secondly and this was the chief 

 reason we were on preserved ground. 



I should explain that we had decided not to shoot any polar 

 oxen on the neck during the spring and summer months, our idea 

 being that if none were shot we might perhaps be able to capture a 

 few alive to take home with us. We had a little hay on board, and 

 during the course of the summer we might perhaps be able to 



VOL. II. L 



