GREENLAND BY THE POLAR SEA 



The wet clothes were spread out to dry, and we dozed off 

 half naked in the most varied postures, not unlike a horde of 

 Serbian refugees, with all our earthly property distributed 

 about us. 



After five short hours of rest we again went seaward on the 

 ice, navigating between and through a complex of deep chan- 

 nels by the mouth of the great river, it being our intention to 

 attempt a landing a few kilometres due east of the main course. 

 The ice here was particularly bad to walk on ; the whole surface 

 was so far melted that everywhere it had taken on the character 

 of an expanse with thousands of nails side by side turning their 

 points upward. The tracks of the dogs were red with blood 

 after the many awls which found their way into the pads of 

 their paws, and even we men felt the pain through our soaked 

 boots. With a feeling of relief we at length reached land and 

 pitched our tent in a small sheltered cove by a kindly bubbling 

 brook. Sledges and goods were deposited up on land, and as 

 soon as all our wet clothes had been put out on the cliffs to dry, 

 we took the course up a mountain and into the valley where 

 yesterday we had seen the musk-oxen. We brought all the 

 dogs so that they might be as near the slaughter-ground as 

 possible. 



After an hour's walk we got a view across a low ridge, and 

 hardly had I had time to examine the surrounding district when 

 instantly and simultaneously we all gave a start. A little more 

 than 100 metres from us five musk-oxen were peacefully graz- 

 ing, unsuspicious of the beasts of prey who had been counting 

 on their death for the last twenty-four hours. All the dogs 

 with the exception of two were carefully tied to some big stones 

 before they got wind of this fragrant game. For if the dogs 

 are loosed in a flock on a musk-ox, especially if they are 

 hungry, they will as a rule throw themselves so recklessly and 

 greedily over their prey, that one runs the risk of having them 

 gored ; and at that moment we certainly could not afford to 

 lose more dogs. We therefore contented ourselves with taking 

 the two poorest ones, and walked along to the herd. We 

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