Report on the Danmark expedition to tlie north-east coast. 115 



lund's graл'e); here they left a quantity of clothing, reserve parts 

 for the sledges, petroleum and all the proA'isions that could not be 

 transported with them. This depot was fully sufficient to ensure 

 the safe retreat of the party from Lamberts Land on returning. 



April 12th. The dogs had gradually become rather exhausted; 

 it was a great misfortune, that no musk-ox had been found on Lam- 

 berts Land. It was hard work to drag the heavily loaded sledges 

 when the journey was continued northwards from there. Some dis- 

 tance out from N4oghalvfjerds Fjord the party came upon fresh tracks 

 of bear. Mylius-Eeichsen at once gave orders to the Greenlanders 

 to follow and shoot the bear, even if the hunting lasted the whole day. 

 He himself continued with the 8 sledges and tented after 18 kilometers 

 in all had been traversed. 



Tobias soon returned with the news, that the bear with two cubs 

 had been shot. It was brought in and skinned at the tenting place. 

 The dogs were exceedingly uproarious; it was necessary to place 6 

 men on the watch to keep them away, whilst 4 men cut up the bear. 

 The dogs however showed great determination to get at the bear be- 

 fore it could be divided among the sledge teams. A few of them at- 

 tacked the watchers without paying any attention to the blows and 

 lashes that rained on them. This was the signal for the other 70 to 

 80 dogs to rush in on the bear all in a heap. The 10 men were obliged 

 to beat a hasty retreat and in less than a quarter of an hour the bear 

 was demolished. Fortunately, when the attack came, the cutting 

 up was so far advanced, that even the луеакег dogs managed to get 

 a good piece of the bear in the general scrimmage. 



During the night Wegener was wakened by his dogs barking. 

 He got up to ascertain the cause of the alarm and saw a bear coming 

 towards the tent. He shot it at once. As the dogs were now satiated 

 the men succeeded in skinning and cutting up this bear without diffi- 

 culty. 



On April 13th the party reached .32 kilometers further north 

 and tented in the northern part of Nioghalvfjerds Fjord (79-Fjord). 



On April 14th, after a journey of .30 kilometers they reached the 

 east side of Hovgaards Island, where the tents were raised. On the 

 last part of the march, the screw-ice had been somewhat troublesome. 



April loth. The dogs had gradually acquired a taste for the 

 sledge lashings and several sledges in consequence had been bound 

 together with hemp, which naturally was not good. Bistrup's and 

 Koch's sledges completely broke in two in the difficult screw-ice and 

 Koch split his one runner. The repairs took a long time and as a 

 bear was shot after a march of 8 kilometers, Mylius-Erichsen gave 

 orders to raise the tents. 



Taught by experience they determined this time to leave the 

 dogs spanned to the sledges, whilst the bear was being cut up. The 



8* 



