GREENLAND BY THE POLAR SEA 



Our minds were impressed by the atmosphere of this little 

 Arctic cemetery ; for the men whose earthly remains rest in 

 this place lost their lives in an attempt to reach the places which 

 are now our goal. 



Some distance from the grave we found remainders of a 

 small wooden hut which had probably served as a scientific 

 station on land ; also some wood, a couple of zoological scrapers, 

 and a large rusty stove — a bizarre-looking piece of wreckage on 

 this coast. By the side of this stove we found some huge, 

 unwieldy cooking utensils, pots and kettles which, weighing 

 from 5 to 10 kilograms each and being of iron, must have 

 formed rather unpleasant loads for a dog-sledge. 



Our Eskimos, whose senses are always doubly keen during 

 an examination of old, previously inhabited camps, found 

 under a stone mound two large tins of coffee which proved 

 excellent. A mouthful of port wine in a bottle had also pre- 

 served its bouquet in spite of fifty years of frosty nights near 

 the Pole. It was, of course, drunk in a mood of devotion, 

 although each man's share was no larger than just to wet the 

 tip of the tongue. 



We further discovered some lead and some large pellets 

 suitable for the hunting of hares, which our pack-sledges appro- 

 priated with delight. 



We had, however, to turn our thoughts towards hunting, 

 and as soon as the neighbourhood had been examined we set 

 out in two parties, one making with sledges and dogs in the 

 direction across the plain towards Newman Bay ; here we hoped 

 to meet musk-ox, for Hall's Expedition had shot no less than 

 twenty-six animals in this vicinity. A find amongst the ruins 

 of the houses on the bank, furthermore, encouraged us ; for in 

 a hollow in the ground which had been dug out for a sleeping- 

 place, we found three musk-ox skins which did not appear to 

 be very old. Sipsu's opinion was that they were put there 

 about 1900 during one of Peary's stays at Fort Conger. By 

 way of a broad valley which stretched itself inward through the 

 Polaris Peninsula itself, the second party went to hunt hares. 



76 



