NATURE 



{_Nov. I, li 



Even on July 12 — between camps Nos. 7 and 8 — we 

 found blades of grass, leaves of the dwarf-birch, willows, 

 crackberry, and pyrola, with those of other Greenland 

 flora, on tlie snow. At first we believed they had been 

 carried hither from the interior, but that this was not the 

 case was demonstrated by the circumstance that none 

 was found east of camp No. 9. The only animals we 

 discovered on the ice were, besides the few birds seen on 

 our return journey, a small worm which lives on the 

 various ice alg.c, and thus really belongs to the fauna of 

 the inland ice, and two storm-driven birds from the shore. 

 I had particularly requested each man to be on the look- 

 out for stones on the ice, but after a journey of about 

 half a kilometre from the ice border no stone was found 

 on the surface, not even one as large as a pin's point. 

 But the quantity of clay dust ('kryokonite ") deposited on 

 the ice was very great ; I believe several hundred tons 

 per square kilometre. 



We now ascended very rapidly, as will be seen from 

 the subjoined statement of our camps : — 



3rd camp, 300 metres above the sea. 



The 9th camp lay on the west side of an ice ridge close 

 by a small, shallow lake, the water from which gathered 

 as usual into a big river, which disappeared in an abyss 

 with azure-coloured sides. From this spot we had a fine 

 view of the country to the west, and saw even the sea 

 shining forth between the lofty peaks on the coast ; but 

 when we reached east of this ice ridge the country was 

 seen no more, and the horizon was formed of ice only. 



Through an optical illusion, dependent on the mirage 

 of the ice horizon, it appeared to us as if were proceeding 

 on the bottom of a shallow, saucer- shaped cavity. It was 

 thus impossible to decide whether we walked up or down 

 hill, and this formed a constant source of discussion 

 between us, which could only be decided by the heaviness 

 of the sledges in the harness. The Lapps, who seemed 

 to consider it their sole business that we should not be 

 lost on the ice, came to me in great anxiety and stated 

 that they had no more landmarks, and would not be 

 responsible for our return. I satisfied them, however, 

 with the assurance that I would find the way back by 

 means of a compass and solar measurements. In spite 

 of this the Lapps easily traced our route and our old 

 camps with an accuracy quite marvellous. 



During our outward journey I determined the site of 

 each camp astronomically, and thus the distances which, 

 when the determinations have been calculated, will be 

 given on the map to be drawn of the journey will be abso- 



The heights are given provisionally in metres. Swedish mile = 6-64 English miles. 



lutely correct. But the distances covered by the Lapps 

 have been made according to their own judgment. The 

 kilometres we covered every day, including the numerous 

 detours, were ascertained by two pedometers. 



Up to the 9th camp we were favoured by the finest 

 weather, generally with a slight south-east wind, cloudless 

 sky, and a temperature in the shade, three feet above the 

 ice, of 2" to 8° C, and in the sun of even 20° C. The 

 centre of the sun's disk sank in this spot for the first time 

 below the horizon on July 15, and the upper rim, if allow- 

 ance is made for refraction, on July 21. After the middle 

 of July, when at an elevation of 4000 to 7000 feet, the 

 nights became very cold, the thermometer sinking to 15° 

 and iS^ below freezing-point of Celsius. 



The constant sunshine by day and night, reflected from 

 every object around, soon began to affect our eyes, more 

 so, perhaps, because we had neglected to adopt snow- 

 spectacles at the outset of our journey, and snow-blind- 

 ness bccrame manifest, with its attendant cutting pains. 

 Fortunately Dr. Berlin soon arrested this malady, which 

 has brought so many journeys in the Arctic regions to a 

 close, by distributing snow-spectacles and by inoculating 

 a solution of zinc vitriol in the blood-stained eyes. 

 Another malady— if not so dangerous, at all events quite 



as painful — was caused by the sunshine in the dry, trans- 

 parent, and thin air on the skin of the face. It produced 

 a vivid redness and a perspiration with large burning 

 blisters, which, shrivelling up, caused the skin of the 

 nose, ears, and cheeks to fall off in large patches. This 

 was repeated several times, and the pain increased by the 

 effect of the cold morning air on the newly-formed skin. 

 Any similar effect the sun has not in the tropics. With 

 the exception of these complaints none of us suffered any 

 illness. 



On July 13 we covered thirteen, on the 14th ten, and the 

 15th fourteen, kilometres (9th to nth camps). At first the 

 road gradually rose, and we then came to a plain which I 

 in error believed was the crest of the inland ice. The 

 aneroids, however, showed that we were still ascending : 

 thus the 9th camp lies 753, the loth 877, the I ith S84, and 

 the 1 2th 965 metres above the sea. Our road was 

 still crossed by swift and strong rivers, but the ice 

 became more smooth, while the kryokonite cavities 

 became more and more troublesome. This was made 

 more unpleasant by rain which began to fall on the 

 afternoon of July 13, with a heavy wind from south-east. 

 It continued all the night, and the next morning turned 

 into a snowstorm, ^\'e all got very wet, but consoled 



