162 G. Amdrup. 



Peter Hansen and Ring started therefore with tlie Amdrup boat 

 and a drag sledge. Bistrup took part in the expedition in his rapacity 

 as cartographer and Manniche who joined the party at Storm Cape 

 as zoologist. 



It took the party six days to reach Hvalrosodden. It was a very 

 fatiguing tour and the boat had to be dragged across the ice over long 

 stretches. The drag sledge was left behind near Havnenæs, as it prov- 

 ed inadequate for the transport of the boat. 



Until the 31st of .\ugust the hunting party stayed at Hvalros- 

 odden but in spite of the most strenuous endeavours they only ob- 

 tained 2 walrus, 1 bear, 1 musk-ox and ca. 200 kg. of salmon, which 

 was air-dried in order to serve as dog food. 



On the 31st of July a strong breeze sprung up with heavy squalls 

 from the N. and N.E. A strong gust of wind broke the stern mooring 

 chains and the warp dragged the anchor up. so that the ship broke 

 adrift and swung round alongside the fjord-ice. It lay here safely 

 with a fender out during the rest of the storm. When the wind abated, 

 the ship was again moored with the stern towards land. 



On the 2nd of August Trolle climbed the hill. About 1 miles 

 from land he saw open water with drifting floes, but under land the 

 frozen pack-ice was still thick and lirm. In Dove Bay the ice seemed 

 to be on the point of breaking up, as a few openings in the ice could 

 be seen. 



On the 7th of August all the fjord-ice seemed to break up and 

 on the point of going adrift, leading to the sudden formation of a broad 

 channel across the mouth of the harbour, and on the 13th of August 

 with a stiff breeze from the south all the ice in the harbour broke up. 

 On the 15th there was so much open water in the fjord that the motor- 

 boat could go into Storm Bay, but from Storm Cape and further west- 

 wards the winter ice still lay unbroken, thus barring the passage. 



The ice conditions were on the whole less favourable this year 

 than in 1906, when just at this time, the 17th of August, the ship 

 had sailed into Danmarks Havn in almost open water and anchored 

 there. And in Dove Bay there had been almost ice-free water, so 

 that boats could get about till the middle of September. 



But in 1907 at the same time of year the pack-ice was lying along 

 the land in an immovable belt several kilometers broad, which would 

 have barred the way completely, had the "Danmark" tried to leave 

 the harbour, while the winter ice was unbroken over the greater part 

 of Dove Bay. 



The latter condition was the worst, because the ice forced the 

 walrus away or at any rate made the hunting of them rather diffi- 

 cult, and an ample supply of walrus was the only means of obtaining 

 sufficient food for the dogs. 



All long excursions liy boat were also rendered impossible and 



