THE GREAT WHITE JOURNEY 22-] 



the very edge of the rocks, leading- our dogs, and with a few 

 days' suppHes upon our backs, Astrup and myself started on 

 over this strange land, bound for the coast, which we knew 

 could not be far distant. Four days of the hardest traveling, 

 over sharp stones of all sizes, through drifts of snow and across 

 rushing torrents, and we came out at last upon the summit of 

 a towering cliff, about 3500 feet high, now known as Navy 

 Cliff, from which we overlooked the great and hitherto un- 

 discovered Independence Bay. 



Before us stretched new lands and waters, to which, with 

 the explorer's prerogative, I gave names, as follows : the bay 

 at our feet, opening into the Arctic Ocean half-way between 

 the 8 1 St and 82d parallels of latitude, was named Indepen- 

 dence Bay in honor of the day, July 4th ; the red-brown land 

 beyond the fjord which had stopped our forward northward 

 progress was called Heilprin Land ; and a still more distant 

 land beyond the entrance of a second fjord, Melville Land. 

 The enormous glacier at our right, flowing due north into In- 

 dependence Bay, received the name of Academy Glacier, and 

 the bold rugged land beyond it, Daly Land. 



It was almost impossible for us to believe that we were 

 standing upon the northern shore of Greenland as we gazed 

 from the summit of this bronze cliff, with the most brilliant 

 sunshine all about us, with yellow poppies growing between 

 the rocks around our feet, and a herd of musk-oxen in the 

 valley behind us. Two of these animals we had killed, and 

 their bodies were now awaiting our return for a grand feast of 



