734 



SCIENCE. 



[Voi,. H., No. 44. 



During the entire Journey, we liad great difficulty 

 in finding suitable camping-places. Tlius, either the 

 ice was so rough tliat there was not a siiuare large 

 enough for our tent, or else the surface was so cov- 

 ered with cavities, which I will fully describe later 

 on, that it was necessary to pitch it over some hun- 

 dred smaller and a dozen larger round hollows, one 

 to three feet deep, filled with water, or else to raise it 

 on a snow-drift so loose and impregnated with water 

 that one's feet became wet, even in the tent. An ex- 

 ception to this was the place where we camped on 

 July 9 ; viz., camping-place no. 6. We encountered 

 here a small ice-plain, surrounded by little rivers, and 

 almost free from cavities, some thirty metres square. 

 All the rivers flowed into a small lalce near us, the 

 water from which rushed with a loud roar through a 

 short but strong current into an enormous abyss in 

 the ice-plateau. The river ruslied close to our tent, 

 tlirough a deep hollow, the sides of which were formed 

 of magnificent perpendicular banks of ice. I liad 

 the spot photographed; but neither picture nor de- 

 scription can give the faintest idea of the impres- 

 sive scene, viz., a perfectly hewn aqueduct, as if cut 

 by human hand in the finest marble, without ilaw or 

 blemish. Even the Lapps and the sailors stood on the 

 banli, lost in admiration. 



At first we had followed the plan of bringing the 

 baggage forward in two relays; but, finding this very 

 fatiguing, I decided to bring all with us at once. I 

 found this to answer better. On July 10 we covered 

 thus nine and a half, on the llth ten, and on the 

 12th eleven, kilometres. The road was now much 

 better than before, although stiff enough. An excep- 

 tion to this was, however, formed by the part we 

 traversed on the llth. when we proceeded alongside 

 a big river, the southern bank of which formed a 

 comparatively smootli ice-plain, or rather ice-road, 

 with valleys, hills, cavities, or crevasses, some five to 

 len kilometres in width, and five kilometres in length. 

 This plain was in several places beautifully colored 

 with 'red' snow,- especially along the banks of the 

 river. It was the only spot on the whole inland ice 

 where we found ' red ' snow or ice in any quantity. 

 Even yellow-brown ice was seen in some places ; but, 

 on the other liand, ice colored grayish-brown or gray- 

 ish-green, partly by kryokonlte, and partly by organ- 

 isms, was so common that they generally gave color- 

 to the ice-landscape. 



Even on July 12, between camps uos. 7 and 8, we 

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

 lows, crackberry, and pyrola, with those of other 

 Greenland flora, on the snow. At first we believed 

 they had been carried hither from the interior; but 

 that this was not tlie 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 wliich lives on the various ice algae, 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 lookout 

 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 ('kryokonlte') 

 deposited on the ice was very great, — I believe, sev- 

 eral hundred tons per square kilometre. 



We now ascended very rapidly, as will be seen from 

 the subjoined statement of our camps: — 



3d camp, 300 metres above the sea. 

 4th " 355 " " 



5th " 374 " " 



6th " 382 " " 



7th " 451 " " 



8th " 546 " " 



9th " 753 " " 



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-colored 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 hori- 

 zon was formed of ice only. 

 ' Through an optical illusion, dependent on the mi- 

 rage of the ice-horizon, it appeared to us as if we 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 tlie sledges in the har- 

 ness. 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 as- 

 surance that I v/ould find the way liack 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, wh'en the determinations have been calculated, 

 will be given on the map to be drawn of the journey, 

 will be absolutely correct. But the distances covered 

 by the Lapps have been made according to their own 

 judgment. The kilometres w'e covered every day, 

 including the numerous detours, were ascertained liy 

 two pedometers. 



Up to the 9th camp we were favored by the fines i 

 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 allowance is made for refrac- 

 tion, on July L'l. After the middle of July, when at 

 an elevation of four thmisand to seven thousand feet, 

 the nights became very cold, the thermometer sinking 

 to 15° and 18° 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, perliaps, because we liad neglected to 

 adopt snow-spectacles at the outset of our journey ; 

 and snow-blindness became manifest, with its at- 



