402 NEW LAND. 



At five in the morning of June 11 we camped at Store 

 Bjornekap, at about the same spot as the previous year. We still 

 had one allowance of dog-food left, but we thought we would wait 

 before feeding the dogs, as perhaps a seal might be so amiable as 

 to allow itself to be enticed out when the sun rose higher. We 

 therefore set quietly to work on our own breakfast, and after we had 

 done this thoroughly, and again peeped out, we actually saw three 

 seals on the ice. Equipped with gun, sledge, and stalking-sail I 

 set off after them. 



It was a lovely quiet day with brilliant sunshine, and accord- 

 ing to our ideas baking hot. The water was high, and the slush 

 deep for long distances together, so that it was not an easy matter 

 to stalk the seals ; but I had plenty of time, and certainly this 

 was needed. In the background, up on the shore, sat Schei 

 watching the course of the engagement through the glasses, as 

 eager as any general. 



I approached two seals which were lying side by side; seal 

 never keep such a good look-out as when there are several of them 

 together, and they can take turns in watching. These animals 

 too were harbour seals, and they are much more wary than, for 

 instance, the bearded seal. However, luck was with me, and the 

 larger of them remained on the spot. It was a fine, big fellow ; 

 I got it up on to the sledge, and brought it to camp. As soon 

 as it was skinned, the dogs had their breakfast; first a very 

 large portion of blubber, and then meat to their hearts' content. 

 When they had eaten their fill they lay down and basked in the 

 sun, and did not move the whole day, even when we let them 

 loose so that they could go where they liked. 



We climbed Store Bjornekap to get a view of our surroundings, 

 take some observations, and draw a sketch-map. When we saw 

 what sort of going awaited us across the big bay, we decided to lie 

 still for a couple of days, so that the water might have a little 

 time to cut itself a way out. 



We both made repeated attempts on the seals, but mostly for 

 the sake of sport and not because we any longer required dog- 

 food. At this time of year the dogs are satisfied with very 

 little, and since their last huge meal they had hardly eaten 



