Report on the Danmark expedition to the north-east coast. 103 



February 23rd. This proved to be of little importance, however, 

 lor the next day, just as the travellers were about to set out, Hagen 

 detected a bear — perhaps the sinner. Jørgen Brønlund and Tobias 

 at once tumbled the loads off their sledges and drove after the bear 

 and shortly after it fell to a well-directed shot from Tobias. The 

 journey was now continued northwards. The first, ca. 10 kilometers 

 provided excellent sledging, but thereafter the ice became worse and 

 worse. The tents were raised 7 to 8 kilometers north of Bjørneskær 

 depot. The 2 sledge cases of tin which had been deposited here in 

 the autumn, were found all right, though bears had disturbed them. 



On February 24th the travellers again advanced about 45 kilo- 

 meters. The weather, which had been good the whole time, changed 

 its character in the afternoon and a storm of wind and snow came 

 on shortly after the tents were raised. The tenting ground was made 

 on the ice some distance north of Hagens Island. 



On February 25th the weather was unchanged. To make the 

 depot out in the middle of the ice could not be done, to driA'e back 

 to the nearest land would have been very annoying. To lie and wait 

 for better weather was not possible, as there only remained provi- 

 sions and dogs' food for 3 days, unless they attacked the depot stores. 

 As the weather was still unchanged at 12 midday, Mylius-Erichsen 

 resolved that they should try to reach Nordre Depot Island with only 

 sleeping bags and depot stores on the sledges. The tents could remain 

 standing \\ith all the other equipment, provisions etc. It was a risky 

 proceeding, to drive off in a dense snowstorm which might continue 

 indefinitely. The tracks, the only certain guide on the return jour- 

 ney, might easily be wiped out and they would be obliged to sleep 

 out in the sleeping bags on the bare open ice, for an attempt to find 

 the tents would be useless. 



But in spite of the risk, they drove off with the snow right in 

 their faces. It was difficult to get the dogs to advance, but they nev- 

 ertheless reached land, which was taken to be the island about a 

 mile south of Nordre Depot Island ^. Here the depot was made and 

 with practically empty sledges the party now hastened back, whilst 

 there was still hope of finding the tracks. The air became darker, 

 however, every minute and at last they could not see from the one 

 sledge to the other in the driving snow. Hagen and Peter Hansen 

 got lost from the others, but fortunately found them again. The 

 sledges now kept close together; but the tracks became gradually 

 more and more indistinct and at last entirely disappeared. Jørgen 

 Brønlund believed, however, that he could find the tents all the 

 same and with the Greenlander's almost incredible "track-sense" 

 he actually succeeded in finding them — it cannot be denied, to the 

 great joy and relief of the whole party. 



^ It proved later, tliat the depot had been deposited on Box Islands. 



