DE LONG FJORD TO CAPE SALOR 



" Harrigan has shot six seals !" 



Rejoicings and confusion of reunion ! 



June 29th. — At last a day arrived when we could take mat- 

 ters easy ; we were not entirely inactive, though it would have 

 been better for the dogs merely to lie in the sunshine digesting 

 in a semi-conscious state. Two seals shot by Harrigan were 

 fetched from the mouth of I. P. Koch Fjord, and another was 

 lying on the ice off Cape Salor at a distance of about 4 kilo- 

 metres from land. In the midst of the pack-ice, young ice was 

 lying by a rather considerable whirlpool, looking strangely lost 

 between the massive pressure-ridges. 



June 30th. — It would have been tempting to remain here 

 for some time yet, as the Flesh-pot situated not far away seemed 

 to offer good seal-hunting. But we dared not postpone the 

 journey down to St. George Fjord ; a sojourn on this spot 

 might be of immediate significance as a fattening period for 

 the dogs and ourselves, but to freight a considerable load with 

 the snow in this state was unthinkable. Furthermore, after 

 the experiences of the past few days, we were sure to run across 

 those seals, of which we have so often spoken, by Dragon Point. 



We started at five o'clock in the morning, but already by 

 nine o'clock we had to stop on a floe of dry ice as the heat of 

 3° (Cent.) drove the perspiration out of our bodies so forcibly 

 that all our pores hurt ; simultaneously we were so fagged out 

 by the melting slush and the deep water that it would not be 

 to our advantage if we made longer journeys at a stretch. 



The day's journey had been a modest one : the odometer 

 registered 8 kilometres. 



Twelve hours later, after the cool of the evening had set in, 

 we ma^e another attempt. We found, however, that going 

 was still worse. The sledges constantly stuck in the slush, and 

 when the dogs gave up all attempts and lay down quietly looking 

 at us with their sad eyes, there was nothing else to do but put all 

 our strength into getting the sledges out of the water- 

 logged snow. 



Juhj 1st. — Out of consideration for the dogs, we pitched 

 our tents as early as ten o'clock in the morning. Although we 

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