Report on the Danmark expedition to the north-east coast. 99 



often we looked at the watch and spoke and thought of what our dear 

 ones were now doing. I pictured my mother's New Year's table, 

 the New Year's games and the solemn moment, when father would 

 rise and with the punch in his hand express his good ^vishes for the 

 New Year; then the tears filled my eyes. At a little over 10 p. m. we 

 knew that it was midnight at home; we went out to the end of the 

 Naze and each fired 2 shots with the revolver, one for our dear home 

 and one for the ship. The bullets were to take our heartfelt wishes 

 for the New Year". 



It was Hagen's last New Year's eve. Ere the year was out, his 

 body lay in everlasting sleep under the white, snow cover of the polar 

 regions. The warm, affectionate heart, whose deep feeling for his 

 parents and family appears on every page of his diary, had then ceased 

 to beat. 



As the time wore on. Hagen succeeded in obtaining a sufficient 

 number of observations. On the 4th the return journey was begun along 

 with Hendrik Olsen and Lundager, who had come that day to 

 Hvalrosodden. On the 5th at 3 a. m. they reached the ship. 



In the ship all were now busy with the preparations for the great 

 sledge journey northwards, the plan for which had been shown by 

 Mylius-Erichsen two days after Christmas. It was now a matter 

 of having all in the best condition for this sledge journey, which was 

 so important for the whole success of the Expedition; all the prepara- 

 tions had to be made in exact agreement with the experience gained 

 on the earlier sledge journeys. The sledges were inspected and a few 

 small changes made, whilst new sledges were built. The carpentry 

 луогк for this purpose was mainly done by Gundahl Knudsen, whilst 

 the 3 Greenlanders fixed up the sledges. The iron runners of the 

 sledges were made by Koefoed. A quantity of new skin furs had to 

 be sewn under the direction of G. Thostrup and all the clothing to 

 be used had to be most carefully oA^erhauled. Freuchen got the 

 se^^^ng machine up from the hold and from now onwards it proved 

 very useful. On a ropery constructed by G. Thostrup traces and 

 straps were made for packing the sledges, and the dogs' food was pre- 

 pared in the form of cakes ^ by Ring and packed in tin boxes, which 

 were then soldered by Weinschenck or sealed in some other way. 

 Hagerup was busy making skis; all the dogs' harness Avas examined 

 and towing harness made for the members of the Expedition, who 

 were to drag their own sledges in laying out depots northwards, when 

 all the dogs were away on the great sledge journey to the north. New 

 mess-cases, medicine chests, whip stocks etc. were made by Gundahl 

 Knudsen. Lindhard arranged a medicine chest for each party and 

 wrote instructions. Chr. Bendix Thostrup made a weight fist of 



* The cakes were a compound of grease, beef fat and whale nifnt, and weighed 

 about О.Т.'з kg., enough for a day's rations for a dog. 



7* 



