VISITS OF RINK AND OTHERS TO THE INLAND ICE. 13 



the present writer, in company with Mr. Edward "Whymper (who 

 most carefully planned the trip and made every arrangement), Mr. 

 Anthon P. Tegner, Mr. Jens Fleischer, and Amac, a Greenland 

 Eskimo (since deceased), made an attempt to penetrate this icy 

 waste with dog-sledges. The season was too late, and our attempt 

 was impeded by various circumstances. Accordingly Ave only were 

 enabled to proceed for a short distance, when, by the breaking 

 down of our sledges, we were forced to return. Even had this 

 been the place for it, any detailed account of this attempt would 

 take up too much space. The general results obtained by it I 

 have already given. 



7. Visits of RinJc and others to the Inland Ice. — The journeys or 

 attempts which I have recorded at some length form the chief 

 attempts which, as far as I can learn, have been made to penetrate 

 the interior of Greenland, or which have been recorded. Possibly 

 there may have been others, though, from the well-known dislike 

 of the Eskimo to travel over the interior ice, and the absence of any 

 motive for enterprise in that direction on the part of the Danish 

 officers in charge of the government and trade of Greenland, I 

 think that it is hardly likely that there have been many other 

 attempts, and my friend, Dr. Rink, the most distinguished authority 

 on all matters Greenlandic, and for so many years Royal Inspector 

 of South Greenland, whom I consulted on the subject, agrees with 

 me. However, in addition to those I have recorded at length, there 

 are one or two of which I have no notes, or very brief ones, to 

 mention. Dr. Rink himself, who has been close to and has partly 

 viewed and delineated the margin of the inland ice in many diffi- 

 cult places from C0° to 70° n.e., has also ascended the ice itself, 

 namely, at Tessiurssak, near Claushavn, in May, 1851 ; but only 

 spent some hours in walking upon it and in examining its surface, 

 without the intention of trying any inland excursion. 



I am also informed by Dr. Rink that a Danish gentleman who 

 visited Greenland in 1862, for the purpose of magnetical obser- 

 vations, has walked several miles over this inland ice near 

 Pakitsok. 



The natives are generally reindeer-hunting close to the margin 

 of the ice, and sometimes cross parts of it. A native gives au 

 account of this in the Greenland Journal, ' Atuagagdlintit ' of 

 1864, in the Eskimo language. As, for instance, he says (' Atuag.' 

 p. 4,01), mentioning the localities from 64° to 65° N. : " On some of 

 the hunting-grounds there are dangers to be encountered, namely, 

 as follows : — The rivers issuing from the ice are very muddy, also 

 when walking over the ice (it presents itself) very fissured, thu 



