TOWARDS THE SOUTH ! TOWARDS THE SOUTH ! 223 



thermometer read as high as 21 to 23 Fahr. (-5 to - 6 Cent.), 

 and the snow was melting here and there where it was a little 

 discoloured. 



In the morning, when we were preparing to start, we discovered 

 that a big bear must have stood and looked at us from near the 

 pressure-ridge, but had gone away again. The tracks had not 

 been levelled by the wind, so that it must have been there latish 

 in the morning, after the wind had gone down. It was strange 

 that the dogs should not have noticed it, when it was only such a 

 short distance away. On a ridge of sand, a little way up from the 

 crack, a herd of polar cattle were sunning themselves. 



We camped in the evening by a large pressure-ridge, which 

 ran straight across the sound, and made use of the beautiful 

 weather to take observations and bearings. Later in the night, 

 however, the wind rose, and when we turned out in the morning 

 a gale was blowing. We drove the five miles to Maiodden, but as 

 we had to take bearings from there, we could not go further, and 

 so waited for fine weather. 



The dogs were well-nigh beside themselves with excitement, and 

 tried to bolt ashore. At first I thought there must be a bear up 

 by the crack, but when we had made sure that this was not the 

 case, we supposed they had winded cattle inland. In such a 

 snowstorm, however, it was quite impossible to see anything. 



Next day the weather was sufficiently fine for us to be able to 

 do our work at this point, and then we went on south, with a 

 course for the western point of Storoen. The snow was so 

 inordinately heavy that, although we pressed on with all the 

 energy we were capable of, we did not make quite thirteen miles. 

 We now saw what it was that had so exercised the dogs the 

 day before ; herd upon herd of polar cattle were grazing on the 

 ridges round about. 



We camped that evening on the ice some miles west of the 

 north point of Storoen. The weather was beautiful, and we 

 hoped we might be going to have a real spell of fine weather ; 

 but it was not a hope that lasted long. During the night the wind 

 rose again ; there was strong drift, and we were weather-bound 

 the whole of the next day. 



