98 G. Amdrup. 



was taken in attending to the fox-traps, which had been built round 

 about and which in the course of the autumn and winter gave a rich 

 booty of foxes. 



As Christmas approached, the activity onboard increased. A 

 Christmas committee was formed to make all the preparations, draw 

 up the programme for the festivities, arrange for the decoration of 

 the mess and cabins and make up the Christmas boxes etc. In the 

 cabins the men were busy arranging Christmas presents for each other, 

 whilst those literary inclined wrote æsthetic contributions to the 

 ship's "Christmas Roses", edited by Mylius-Erichsen, for which 

 Bertelsen and Achton Friis supplied the drawings. The Christmas 

 boxes were brought up from the hold and inspected, whilst the stew- 

 ard, Hans Jensen, assisted by Hendrik Olsen, had enough to 

 do in preparing the Christmas fare. 



Christmas eve came with beautiful, calm weather, a landscape 

 clothed in snow and ice, with a temperature of about — 25° С All 

 the 28 members assembled to the Christmas feast in the gaily decorated 

 mess. Coffee was served in the villa, where two dainty, small Christ- 

 mas trees decorated with the Dannebrog flag stood on the table. 

 Then they returned to the ship, where the presents were distributed 

 and an exceedingly fine Christmas song, written by Mylius-Erichsen 

 and set to music by Achton Friis, was sung. Many thoughts 

 assuredly turned that evening to the circles at home, where Christmas 

 was usually spent, and where the mothers, wives and sisters created 

 surroundings which can never be felt when 28 men hold Christmas. 



On the 27th already the sledge excursions l)egan again, Jörgen 

 Brønlund and Hagerup proceeding to Hvalrosodden to carry "п 

 hunting. 



On the 28th Hagerup returned to the ship with a bear shot on 

 the way and the same day Hagen and Koefoed also drove to Hval- 

 rosodden ti) make observations on the northern lights, whilst Wegener 

 undertook observations at Danmarks Havn '. Ftu-ther, Knud Chri- 

 stiansen and the brothers Thostrup svent off to fetch walrus meat 

 home from the depot on Hvalrosodden. These three returned on 

 the following day. From the 30th to the 31st Hvalrosodden was 

 visited by Bistrup, Achton Friis and Peter Hansen for hunting 

 purposes. On the 31st Jørgen Brønlund also returned to the ship, 

 leaving Hagen and Koefoed to pass New Year's eve together on 

 Hvalrosodden. In his diary Hagen writes. 



"It was a strange New Year's eve; far, far away from what we 

 were accustomed to: for the first time away from home and under 

 such conditions. Thousands of thoughts also wandered homewards, 



1 In this way the height of the northern lights above the earth was deter- 

 niineit. 



