176 



NEW LAND. 



find a canon there too. As I approached the most northern part 

 of the plain I saw a herd of polar oxen lying under some hills to 

 the west. 



My way led me past the herd at a hundred and fifty paces' 

 distance. I went straight along the plain on my ' ski ' without 

 the slightest cover, and expected them to get wind of me every 

 minute, but, on the contrary, they were quite oblivious of my 

 presence until I was little more than two hundred paces from 

 them. They then rose to their feet, twelve in number, and stood 



I. VIEW OF DRIFT-ICE AT ISFJELDODDEN. 



looking at me for a while, then suddenly set up the hillside and 

 formed a square on the highest neighbouring knoll. They were all 

 cows. There was not a bull among them. 



As they started to run away I noticed that one of them had 

 a newly born calf. The herd went up a steep snowdrift, eight 

 or ten feet in height, and the calf made a brave attempt to 

 follow, but when it had almost reached the top, lost its footing 

 and rolled down to the bottom again. It fell so badly and help- 

 lessly that I thought it was killed, but to my surprise it rose to 

 its feet and began to scramble up once more. Its second attempt 



