Report on the Danmark expedition to the north-east coast. 163 



no wood, provisions etc. could be transported into the head of Mørke 

 Fjord, where it was decided to build a meteorological station and 

 for which a small house for two men was required. 



On the ■21st of August Knud Christiansen, Freuchen and 

 Koefoed tried by means of the motor-boat to tow boat No. 1, loaded 

 with wood and other material for the projected station, westwards 

 across Dove Bay. Owing to the ice they reached no further than 

 the skerries west of Storm Cape, where all the stores had to be un- 

 loaded. 



From the 2nd to the 5th of September another attempt was made 

 to bring the stores still further Avestwards by means of motor-boat, 

 boat No. 1 and a hand-cart. In spite of great efforts they only suc- 

 ceeded in getting it about 5 or 6 kilometers further west to Snenæs. 

 Here the ice again stopped all further advance. 



Meantime the night frost had begun to increase. Already on the 

 1st of September the new ice as far out as the ship was so strong, that 

 it could safely bear. Further out to sea the pack-ice lay close in to 

 the coast. There were channels and openings in the ice and these 

 were already covered by new ice. It would hardly have been possible 

 for the "Danmark" to get away this year, had that been the intention. 



It would not be long ere the new ice covered every drop of open 

 water and put an end to all hunting of walrus. But before this hap- 

 pened, fortune smiled once more upon the untiring hunters, inasmuch 

 as Bertelsen and Achton Friis had the good luck to wound a Aval- 

 rus off Cape Bismarck, where they had been camping from the 27th 

 August to the 9th September, in order to hunt and make sketches. 

 Next day the walrus was killed from the motor-boat, onboard which 

 Hendrik Olsen, Koefoed, Chr. Bendix Thostrup and Weix- 

 schenck were out on a hunting expedition. 



The last walrus was shot on the 9th of September. A hunting 

 party consisting of Hagerup, Peter Hansen, Hendrik Olsen, 

 Charles Poulsen and Weinschenck killed it after a hard struggle 

 in Storm Bay. This hunting is by no means without danger, because 

 a wounded walrus often takes the offensive. On this occasion, for 

 example, the walrus managed to drive its tusks right through the 

 motor-boat. 



All told the summer hunting had yielded 6 walrus, 1 musk-ox, 

 8 bears, about 16 seals and about 200 kg. of salmon. Besides, 1 wal- 

 rus was still left from 1906, in which year almost three times as many 

 Avalrus had been shot. The supply was by no means sufficient. 



The cold was increasing and the time was near, when the sea- 

 ice would again become passable for dog-sledges. As soon as this 

 happened, the relief expedition would set out, and the sooner the 

 better. Onboard, therefore, all were working with feverish haste 

 to get ел -prything ready for the expedition and on September 22nd 



11* 



