GREENLAND BY THE POLAR SEA 



way according to the results of the hunting ; or Inukitsoq and 

 Bosun must try yet another reindeer hunt. This last plan, 

 however, appeared to me too risky ; two more days without 

 hunting would mean great exhaustion, especially for the 

 hunters, who, as we did not accompany them, would have to 

 carry the meat back to us as quickly as possible. No, there was 

 only one thing to do : we must go with them, set off immedi- 

 ately, whilst we have still some strength and together try our 

 hunting fortune. 



" I communicated the result of my discussion with Inukitsoq 

 to Wulff, but otherwise I did not speak much to him, as we 

 were busily engaged in making the preparations for our journey. 

 We left everything. Each man brought merely a pair of travel- 

 ling kamiks and a rug. Further, we brought a rifle with about 

 thirty rifle cartridges and a double-barrelled gun with about 

 seventy small-shot cartridges. Wulff left his scientific diaries 

 and collections ; I brought my cartographical and geological 

 notes and sketches. 



"We set off at four o'clock in the afternoon, but already 

 twenty minutes later Wulff wanted to give up and return to the 

 old camp. We did everything possible to induce him to con- 

 tinue ; to remain here alone would be certain death for him if 

 we did not quickly find better hunting. So we succeeded in 

 making him come along. Half an hour later Inukitsoq shot 

 the first hare, which we decided to eat raw, as we were all very 

 hungry. I asked Inukitsoq, now and in future, to undertake 

 the distribution of our rations, and he divided the hare so that 

 Wulff was allotted all the meat whilst the rest of us shared the 

 entrails — a decision against which Wulff, however, protested 

 emphatically. Inukitsoq always gave Wulff more meat than 

 the others, as in his opinion he was the one who needed most. 

 Only when, time after time, we observed that Wulff did not 

 finish his ration, the portions became more equal. The raw, 

 fresh meat was eaten with great gusto, and Wulff expressed 

 the opinion that perhaps this was healthier for him than the 

 boiled meat, of which he was tired. 



" In spite of our bit of luck on this hunt, his spirits were 

 262 



