REPORT OF THE DREDGING EXPEDITION, 1901. 305 



Gaasedalen. He had a tiring march ; the way was long and the 

 snow of the wettest description, and all the torrents arid streams 

 were so full of water that it was almost impossible to wade them. 

 I walked with him to the watershed ; it was one of the most 

 beautiful nights we had that summer. In the quiet, peaceful 

 night the sun beamed a lovely ruddy yellow, and gave the sea 

 and land that wondrously warm golden tone which makes the 

 Arctic summer night so beautiful and so full of promise. No 

 sooner had I returned than the weather changed again, and we 

 had north wind and fog and a disagreeable fall in the temperature. 



The arrangement with the boat party was that we should meet 

 at the mouth of the fjord on July 19, and Schei, Stolz, and I set 

 off on the 18th. The ice was compact almost as far out in the 

 fjord as when we had last been there. 



The dredgers had had dirty weather nearly the whole time. I 

 let Simmons himself tell of their doings. 



REPORT OF THE DREDGING EXPEDITION, 1901.* 



On June 24, Bay, Isachsen, Peder Hendriksen, and I went down to the 

 mouth of the fjord to take a boat which had been driven out there some 

 time previously, and row along land up through Hell Gate. Eventual 

 excursions were to be made to ' St. Helena ' and North Devon. A 

 party of four came with us to help in the transport of our quite con- 

 siderable equipment, and afterwards took back the sledges and dogs. 

 After a difficult drive through deep loose snow, we camped in the 

 evening at Ytre Eide, and next day went on to the margin of the ice. 

 As, however, a quantity of drift-ice was lying packed in the mouth of 

 the fjord, it was not until the morning of June 28 that we were able to 

 take the boat out. We passed the time of waiting in small excursions 

 to the breeding-grounds at ' Maagebugten,' or ' Gull Bay,' attempts at 

 dredging, and shooting sea-fowl at the edge of the ice. 



After a digression in to Hvalrosfjord, where we did some dredging, 

 we camped in a bay just outside Hell Gate, which later, on account of 

 the disagreeables of a compulsory stay of six days, was given the name 

 of ' Jammerbugten,' or the ' Bay of Woe.' On the following morning, 

 June 29, we were able to dredge but not able to go in the direction we 

 wanted, and we were afterwards kept by wind and fog until July 5, 

 when we rowed on, not to ' St. Helena,' as we had planned, but direct 



* From the Swedish. 



VOL. ir. x 



