CHAPTER XI. 



SPRING JOURNEYS, 1901. 



A GREAT number of small things still remained to be done in 

 preparation for our long spring journey, and all hands were 

 entirely taken up with them for a long while beforehand. Un- 

 fortunately at this time I fell a victim to severe toothache and 

 neuralgia, and was laid up for several days quite unable to do 

 anything except to grumble, and that I could do. 



It was agreed that Isachsen, having such a good depot at 

 Cape South-West, must do without a returning party. The 

 exploration of the land farther north, I saw, must be laid on a 

 broad basis. We understood now that we should find a large 

 assemblage of fjords up there, and that two expeditions would 

 have quite as much work as they could do to explore them. 

 Six of us would therefore drive northward, each with his team. 



Schei was to be my travelling companion. It was of the 

 utmost importance that we should have a geologist with us on 

 a journey of this kind, especially in the tracts we were about to 

 visit. He himself was very anxious to go, and a better companion 

 I could not desire. 



Fosheim was to lead the other northward-bound sledge-party, 

 accompanied by the mate. Baumann and Peder were to come 

 a little way north with us from Depot Point, and then return 

 to the vessel, after which Baumann, with Stolz, was to go north 

 again to map the eastern part of Norskebugten, south of Store 

 Bjornekap, and the numerous fjords which we had discovered on 

 our last journey. After its surveyor the main fjord was named 

 ' Baumann Fjord,' its inner part being known as ' Vendomfjord,' 

 or ' Turn-back Fjord ' why, we shall see later. 



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