GREENLAND BY THE POLAR SEA 



which certainly appear more generously covered with ice than 

 suits us. Koch and I accompany them for some distance, and 

 discover to our joy that the land here has a far richer vegetation 

 than the barren coast between Newman Bay and Sherard 

 Osborne Fjord. We also find tracks in the clay of musk-ox and 

 a quantity of excrements which cannot be very old. And while 

 the two hunters continue their way, each dragging his dog along, 

 we hurry back to the sledges to find a convenient place for a camp 

 further ahead. 



As soon as we find a place, I run off to the mountains with 

 Bosun and Hendrik, while Wulff and Koch are left behind to 

 pitch the tent. 



After a laborious climb up the mountain-sides, consisting 

 only of small stones which slide downward under our feet, we 

 reach the top of a high tableland stretching inland. We pass 

 two skeletons of musk-oxen, but they are too old to damp the 

 excitement which has seized upon us. A little later we reach the 

 edge of the stony tableland, and from this point we look across 

 a broad, large valley penetrating far into the land. Two large 

 rivers still lie frozen on both sides of the valley, right against 

 the high mountains. We barely get a glimpse of some large 

 lakes, the fertile banks of which would surely present a tempt- 

 ing abode for the game we seek. The land shows a grand 

 alternation of plain and mountain, but in vain do we examine 

 with the field-glasses all cloughs, river-beds, and valleys which 

 our eye can reach. Not a living form do we discover, and we 

 return disappointed to our tent. 



Disappointment always increases a hunter's weariness ; we 

 therefore all felt as if we had weights of lead round our ankles 

 when we returned without a catch. Slowly we slid down the 

 mountain without energy in our movements, without spirit as 

 we rushed down the steep snowdrifts. But hardly had we got 

 near the tent before Wulff tore aside the flap, running towards 

 us ; Ajako had shot the first musk-oxen on our voyage — three 

 cows ! This certainly put new life into us ; our tiredness seemed 

 blown away, and we began at once to crawl up the big moun- 

 tain from which we had just rushed down, and where the hunters 

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