224 NEW LAND. 



It was not till evening that the wind dropped sufficiently for 

 us to go outside. One of the first things we saw was a herd of 

 polar oxen grazing on a plain on the north-west side of the island. 

 On the large plains west of us, that is to say, in Axel Heiberg 

 Land, we also saw numbers of herds. 



In the most lovely weather one could wish for, next day, we 

 soon reached the point we were steering on ; took some bearings 

 in different directions, and then continued southward alongside the 



DOWNHJLL ON THE LOAD. 



island. Others besides ourselves liked the sunshine, it appeared. 

 Here and there sat small companies of hares, sunning themselves 

 between the stones in the crack, while the ptarmigan walked 

 about and pecked in the sparse vegetation, of moss and grass. 



We stopped to take a meridian altitude, and while I was lying 

 on the ground observing, Schei found a sheltered place between 

 some rocks and lighted the ' Primus.' When he had set it going 

 he went up the talus, armed with his geologist's weapons, and put 

 it through a searching examination. I also had my hands full, 



