BLAAMANDEN AND BAY FJORD. 395 



were able to turn south, and keep under the island, we went very 

 fast, with the wind hard astern. The thaw, however, was rather 

 advanced here, and the crisis, as far as the dogs' feet were con- 

 cerned, began. On this account we were obliged, in certain places, 

 to keep far from land. 



Some distance up the valley, on the south side of the island, 

 we discovered a large herd of polar cattle ; a good deal of disturb- 

 ance seemed to be going on, and they looked as if they were 

 fighting, at any rate they were running after each other in a very 

 excited state. I never saw a fight between polar oxen, but no 

 doubt in the pairing season they have their internecine battles. 

 As we wished to see something more of this, we pulled up for 

 a while, but the wind was coming straight down the valley, and I 

 was afraid that, with our light loads, the dogs would run away 

 when they got scent of the animals. I had no desire for this, and 

 so we pushed on again. When, at half-past two in the afternoon, 

 we camped at the cache, on the south side of the island, we had 

 driven nearly twenty-five miles since the morning. We took our 

 ordinary observations, and Schei went up into the mountains. 



We remained lying at the cache for twenty-four hours, as, 

 besides our ordinary duties, there were various repairs to be done. 

 After that we took an oblique course southward through the 

 sound, steering on the west shore. The snow was good, though 

 under the west shore it was a little loose ; but the weather was 

 unpleasant ; the biting wind seemed literally to blow through us ; 

 and we could hardly keep ourselves warm, although we often ran 

 beside the sledges. 



After having driven for a time in one spell during the day, we 

 now began again to drive for six. hours at a time, and rest for twelve. 

 This arrangement made a considerable increase in the mileage 

 during the week. 



Thursday, June 3, we reached our old camping-ground out at 

 Bjornesund, took our observations, and crept into the bags. But 

 one's peace is at the pleasure of one's dogs, at any rate on a sledge - 

 journey ; this, unhappily, is a rule which allows of no exception, 

 and of which we had sad proof during these days and nights. The 

 dogs were as mad as they could possibly be, wove their traces into 



