WASHINGTON LAND TO HALL LAND 



enduring. Without a word he unharnessed three of his 

 strongest and best dogs and brought them to me with the pro- 

 posal that I should exchange for them the three poorest ones 

 of my team. Only the man who knows the value of sledge- 

 dogs will be able to appreciate this friendly act. 



In the afternoon, immediately after the pack-sledges had 

 left, we made ready to break camp, and drove off in the cool 

 sunlit night northward along Brown's coast. We constantly 

 came across bear-tracks, but having gained experience through 

 our many unsuccessful attempts, we decided not to put an 

 extra strain on the dogs ; keenness for the hunt wears them 

 down, especially when the result is a negative one. 



Some way out on Kennedy Channel we met with a high, 

 difficult pressure-ridge, through which we had to hew our way 

 with axes. It represents several years of Polar-ice which has 

 drifted into the channel and been ground together by current 

 and wind. For long stretches we passed the ill-famed 

 Sikussaq, which is so dangerous for heavy-laden sledges. And 

 right enough, one of our sledges was driven to pieces. When 

 we had tied it together with straps we decided to break through 

 towards land ; we succeeded, and here, to our great joy, we 

 found good and easy new ice. 



April 26th. — Thanks to this circumstance, we reached the 

 south-west side of Cape Bryan, where we made camp at 

 ten o'clock in the morning during the beginning of a snow- 

 storm. The distance covered during the day's journey of four- 

 teen hours was 66 kilometres, in spite of considerable delays 

 caused by the pressure-ice. All through the night we had a 

 view of the steep coast mountains on Grinnell's Land, which 

 with their glacier-swathed peaks looked like spirit forms 

 against the banal pressure-ice of Kennedy Channel. 



Thanks to the snowstorm, we had our first long and un- 

 stinted sleep since the departure from Etah. The violent 

 gusts which occasionally swept down from the 300 metres high 

 mountains occasionally threatened to tear down the tent above 

 our heads ; but the thin canvas bravely resisted the attack of the 



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