GREENLAND BY THE POLAR SEA 



I reckon twelve days' journey from the edge of the inland-ice 

 to the land by Cape Agassiz near the southern corner of 

 Humboldt's Glacier. The distance will be 400 kilometres ; 

 with the possibility of four weather-bound days, that will be 

 altogether sixteen days' travelling. To meet all emergencies 

 we ought to take provisions for twenty days. 



The stock-taking of the stores which we cached on this 

 headland in May gives the following result : Rolled Avena 

 oats for twenty days, with one cooking a day ; biscuits, little 

 rye-flour biscuits of the size of the well-known Marie biscuits, 

 five per day for twenty days ; about 50 pounds of pemmican, 

 divided into small rations for seven men for nine days ; also 

 coffee and tea for twenty or twenty-five days. We must pro- 

 cure meat provisions for about ten days. If, as for the moment 

 seems likely, this is to consist entirely of hares, we reckon three 

 hares per day for seven men, which again means that thirty 

 hares must be found. These represent a very undurable and 

 bony article, so we must cut them in two and bring only the 

 hind part. 



But as long as we remain on the ocean-ice, as long as the 

 many seals splash in the melted water right in front of our eyes, 

 we will cling to the hope that after all we may succeed in 

 catching a few. Should even the land-hunt fail, we have only 

 our dogs to fall back on ; this is unfortunately neither aesthetic 

 nor tempting, but circumstances may arise when the fight for 

 existence simplifies the lines on which dispositions have to be 

 made, and the situation thus created alters one's feelings to a 

 certain degree. 



For the dogs we have twenty-four pieces of musk-ox meat, 

 chiefly legs and shoulders, also skin and blubber of two seals. 

 This we hope will suffice for twelve travelling days, provided 

 we have not to make inroads on it in St. George Fjord. Thus 

 there is yet a possibility that most of the dogs with some luck 

 will come safe to the land south of Humboldt's Glacier. When 

 we arrive there we shall be within Etah — the hunting-grounds 

 of the Eskimos — and can surely then manage the last 250 kilo- 

 metres till we meet men. 

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