SHERARD OSBORNE FJORD 



metres across land to the little island which we call Depot Island. 

 Although the distance is short, it took Wulff fourteen hours to 

 find his way through the heavily driving snow. We were unable 

 to search for him, as none of us knew in which direction the 

 hunting might have led him, and great was our joy when at last 

 he arrived with a catch of ten hares. 



The hares here appear in big flocks, and arc surprisingly tame 

 compared to those we have hitherto met. They are obviously 

 accustomed to grazing with the musk-oxen, and therefore con- 

 sider man to be just as peaceful as are these huge animals. 



BACK TO DRAGON POINT 



May 18th-l9th. — The storm of the last few days has added 

 more than a foot of soft, new snow, aggravating the old and 

 already awkward going on the fjord, so that we now have the 

 '" icing-sugar " state of which Beaumont complains in his report. 

 Although the dogs have had eight days' rest, during which time 

 they have been gorged with food, it does not take long before 

 they are again ready to give up. Once more we have to start 

 our old game of walking in front of the dogs on snowshoes and 

 skis, but it is slow work, and progress is made without the good 

 spirit usually attendant on a sledge-train when the dogs trot 

 willingly ahead. We have twenty-two shoulders of musk-ox 

 meat, and these we hope will enable us to accomplish the work 

 which we have decided on. During our stay in the musk-ox 

 valley we have already killed all the dogs which we thought we 

 could do without ; for even if hunting has been favourable so 

 far, it is an advantage to have as few mouths as possible to feed 

 in these regions — partly because musk-oxen are very lean at 

 this time of the year, partly also because the bones are too mas- 

 sive for the dogs to gnaw. AH our dogs lack the saw-edges of 

 the_raptorious tooth, these having, according to the custom of 

 the Eskimo, been removed whilst the dogs were young. This 

 operation is advantageous for the travelling explorer, in so far 

 as the dog is unable to eat his harness and traces when hunger 



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