GREENLAND BY THE POLAR SEA 



storm, and we were warm and comfortable in our sleeping-bags 

 and relished doubly the sweetness of rest which is the reward 

 only of honest toil. 



April 27th. — A little after midnight we woke up and pulled 

 ourselves together sufficiently to make a refreshing cup of 

 cocoa ; then, as the storm persisted in sweeping across the tents 

 and seemed to be still on the increase, we let sleep have its will 

 with us and slept sweetly until dawn. We then broke camp 

 and continued. Taught by yesterday's experience, we kept 

 closely to land, occasionally driving upon the ice-foot wherever 

 this was possible. Thus driving was fairly easy along our 

 route, whilst out in the channel the pressure-ice was even worse 

 than on the previous day. 



Off Cape Bryan we got quite clear of the pressure-ice and 

 made good speed on the almost snowless ice which seemed to 

 have settled late in the autumn. Off Hannah Island we found 

 the carcase of a seal, half -eaten by a bear. 



We passed Bessel Fjord in a fresh breeze, and the peculiar 

 indentation, surrounded on all sides by steep mountains inter- 

 sected by hanging tongues of ice, looked eerie and desolate. 

 We halted by Cape Morton, and as the storm was still on the 

 increase, we succumbed to a momentary laziness and made 

 camp, although we really meant to cross Petermann Fjord on 

 this day. 



April 28th. — However, later in the day we found that our 

 laziness was merely a proof that we had eyes in the back of our 

 head as well. This is how it happened : 



As soon as the dogs were fed, and the tent stayed so as to 

 be able to withstand the storm, Koch and I decided to take 

 Inukitsoq and set out on a small excursion to the bay in our 

 immediate vicinity. Surrounded by high mountains, the head 

 of the bay looked very inviting with a high terrace-like beach 

 stretching like an amphitheatre up towards a broad, dead 

 glacier. 



Here Koch and Inukitsoq found an old depot from Nares' 

 1875-76 Expedition a little way above the beach. It consisted 

 of six boxes, each containing four 9-pound tins of Australian 

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