Report on the Danmark expedition to the north-east coast. 87 



whereas the broad Eskimo sledges got on well. At 3 p. m. the tent 

 was raised. 



October 27th. There was a heavy snowstorm during the night. 

 The bad going of the previous evening was now very much worse, 

 the ice being everywhere much screwed and the new-fallen snow very 

 loose and lying in drifts. Progress was therefore extremely slight 

 this day, not more than some few miles. 



October 28th. It was now evident to the party, that the ice con- 

 ditions along the west side of Koldewey Island were of such a nature, 

 that the sledge journey to the Pendulum Islands ought not to be under- 

 taken along this route. The members of the party agreed, therefore, 

 that Jarner and Lundager should go southлvard with two sledges 

 and lay the depot as far south as they could reach, if they were to 

 be back the same evening, whilst Brønlund drove out westwards 

 on the sea-ice, to see if the sledging was better out there. Achton 

 Friis and Fritz Johansen were to remain at the tent to make sket- 

 ches and prepare the food. The depot was formed at about 76°10' N. lat. 



October 29th. During the night the tent was visited by a bear, 

 which Brønlund and Achton Friis succeeded in shooting. The bear 

 was skinned and a part of the meat stored on the sledges. 



On October 30th the return journey was begun and Brønlund 

 again succeeded in shooting a bear. The first shot at 30 meters only 

 wounded the bear, which came on to attack Brønlund who was in 

 front of the others and alone. And when Brønlund tried to reload, 

 the empty cartridge stuck and would not come out. It was a critical 

 moment, ел'еп for a man like Bronlund, whose natural courage and 

 coolness had often surprised the Expedition. But at the last moment 

 he got the cartridge out, reloaded and shot the bear. 



Towards the evening a severe snowstorm arose, which forced 

 the party to pitch their tent. And here in the middle of the snow- 

 storm at a temperature of ca. — 20° С one of Brønlund's dogs 

 whelped, in a hole which it had dug in the snow. The hardiness of 

 these dogs is almost incredible, but that of their master, Jørgen 

 Brønlund, was no less. In his thoughtful care for the dog, he dragged 

 his sleeping bag out of the tent and laid it by the side of the dog; 

 and here he passed the night. 



On October 31st the party again reached the ship. 



Reconnoitring sledge journey to Cape Peschel, 



^«/lo to Vu, 1906. 

 The main object of the expedition was to examine the ice condi- 

 tions in the interior of Dove Bay and down along the mainland to 

 Cape Peschel, as also to lay out a small depot there, in view of the 

 projected sledge expedition t(j the Pendnlum Islands. Further, sur- 



