GREENLAND BY THE POLAR SEA 



in from the great Polar Sea through the relatively narrow 

 channels which lead to Baffin Bay, beats down all resistance 

 and tries to find air towards south-south-west. As soon as this 

 enormous mass of ice starts moving — partly owing to the open 

 water off the coast, partly aided by the current — commences 

 towards Baffin Bay that drift of ice from the north which for 

 periods creates comparatively open water. But it is only open 

 water in a certain sense, as on all horizons one sees masses of 

 huge drifting floes. 



These are the facts of the open Polar Sea, which right up 

 to this year has tempted Polar expeditions. As a rule sailing 

 is out of the question — one merely drifts with the ice in the 

 direction of the current. 



These theories tempted the first North Pole pioneers to 

 push ahead as far as possible northwards along the lands, and 

 it was for this reason that they chose winter camps so far 

 north ; they thus succeeded at a comparatively early period in 

 giving us some idea of the nature of the country and the life 

 of its creatures, whilst at the same time they charted the coasts. 



HALL'S GRAVE 



May 1st. — We arrived at Hall's Grave on a beautiful and 

 sunny spring day and camped on the ice-foot. We had for a 

 long time been anxious to see this place of which we had read 

 so much, and where a large Polar expedition had fought 

 through the dark period of the years 1871-72. 



As soon as the dogs were tethered at a sufficient distance 

 from the sledges we ran up the steep clay bank which led to a 

 plateau. 



The lines of the landscape were beautiful. A plain-like 

 sweep of several kilometres lay like a carpet in front of the 

 high mountains which comprise the inner region of Polaris 

 Promontory. The plain led eastward round the peninsula 

 down to Newman Bay and, being covered with snow, appeared 

 to provide easy driving. 

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