THE HOMEWARD JOURNEY 



CAMP 9 



(765 metres above sea-level. Distance, 44 kilometres). 



Yesterday we at last got clear fine weather with a mild 

 breeze from the south-east and only minus 19° (Cent.). One 

 cannot recognize the glacier at all in this summer temperature. 

 During the first Thule Expedition we found further in on the 

 inland-ice, at the same time of year, a temperature of between 

 minus 20° and minus 5° (Cent.). This heat, which in various 

 ways is very acceptable to us, is of course due to the fact that 

 we are so near to the coastland. In strong cold our lean dogs 

 would surely have frozen to death in their thin summer coats. 



With a start at 7.30 in the afternoon we succeeded in 

 making 44 kilometres by a fair and even pace until six o'clock 

 in the morning. Unfortunately we have had to give up our 

 small midday meals out of economic considerations ; we can no 

 longer afford them. We content ourselves with a cup of tea. 



The glacier was firm like the floor of a room, the sledges 

 slipped along easily and without any friction worth mentioning, 

 and our eleven dogs with the two sledges occasionally went at a 

 pace which made it difficult for us to keep up with them. Off 

 the inland Nunatak of Petermann Fjord we passed a somewhat 

 complex system of great crevasses which were connected by 

 wide bridges so that they did not represent much difficulty ; we 

 merely had to alter our course slightly in order to get outside. 

 For the present our tent is open with a wide view to the 

 Nunatak which on the eastern side merges evenly into the 

 glacier, but outwardly forms a high and split-up foreland 

 towards the fjord, which we see in a glorious bird's-eye view 

 with blueing cliffs far out in the western horizon. 



CAMP 10 

 (1,010 metres above sea-level. Distance, 41 kilometres). 



August 15th. — We had to clench our teeth in order to cover 

 our 40 kilometres to-day. A rough south-wester blew right 

 against us, and the snow consisted of fine little needles which 



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