150 G. Amdbdp. 



begin the return journey till a little after midnight of April 20th. On 

 the same day the 2nd party also started on the return journey, after 

 depositing their provisions at the depot on Hagens Island. 



With the empty sledges the return journey became compara- 

 tively easy. On the 26th of April the 1st party and on the 27th the 

 2nd party returned to the ship. 



After supplementing their load from the depot near Gape Marie 

 Valdemar, the 3rd party drove northwards towards He de France. 

 During the journey north they came out on drifting sea-ice and did 

 not discover the danger before a stiff western wind began to drive 

 all the masses of ice out to sea. After about 10 hours' forced march, 

 partly over yielding thin ice, Chr. Bendix Thostrup succeeded how- 

 ever in leading the jiarty in again on the fast land-ice ofT Cape St. 

 Jacques and on April 20th this foreland was reached. 



As they found open water off Cape Philippe, they had to make 

 the main depot near Cape St. Jacques while a smaller one was trans- 

 ported across the land to Cape Philippe. The Duke of (Jrleans' cairn 

 was found. The report was taken away and another placed therein. 

 Further, they found a number of old Eskimo tent-rings, meat-pits etc. 



On April 24th they started on the return journey and reached 

 the ship on the Ist of May ^ 



The drag-sledge journeys had been carried out in exact conformity 

 with the plans and all the men by their energetic and very laborious 

 work had done all that was in their power to secure the retreat of 

 those travelling further north and had thereby contributed to the 

 solution of the great, main object of the whole expedition. 



2. Journey with dog-sledge. 



.\s a link in the endeavours to ensure the retreat of Mylius- 

 Erichsen and Koch's sledge parties, it must also be mentioned that 

 Hendrik Olsen drove quite alone to Hagens Island with a sledge 

 drawn by 8 dogs during the days from the 3rd to the 9th May, where 

 he deposited 2 tin boxes for each of the above-mentioned parties and 

 some pairs of skis. The boxes contained under-clothing, boots, mit- 

 tens etc.^. 



Hendrik Olsen's journey was very successful. The journey 

 north took him о days, he then had a rest near Hagens Island and 

 returned 3 days later. The last night his tent was pitched some miles 



1 With the exception of Hagerlp and Hendrik Olsen all the members 

 of the drag-sledge expedition had lost in weight during the journey; Chr. Bendix 

 Thostrup most ca. 7 kg. and Peter Hansen least ca. 1 kg. 



^ In a letter written by Mylius-Erichsen to Trolle deposited during the 

 journey north near Bjorneskærene, the first-named had asked the latter to see 

 that these things were transported to the depot on Hagens Island. 



