Report on the Danmark expedition to the north-east coast. 203 



But thanks to good fortune, we could now remain where we were 

 without worrying about food for the dogs. 



If the ллапа would only abate and let us further investigate these 

 regions; they were of a special beauty with their mighty mountains. 

 I wanted to paint them but was prevented from doing so by the con- 

 stantly drifting snow. 



Towards the evening I missed a wolf; it was very shy and I could 

 not get close to it; it was to lee of me, scented me and escaped after 

 I had sent a few balls after it the moment it rose. 



May 19th. Whitsunday. The wind was still blowing; we arranged 

 the musk-oxen meat we were to take with us. Mylius and Hagen 

 w'ent up in the hills and returned with 3 hares. 



In the evening the wind lulled. 



May 20th. When we woke we had fog and a little snow was fall- 

 ing. We penetrated further into the fjord (westwards); the fog gra- 

 dually lifted but there was more wind. It was evident, that the dogs 

 had gathered more strength while they were lying still with plenty 

 to eat. The ice was very heavy and we were obliged to have skis 

 under the sledges, but made much better progress. 



As we advanced further into the fjord the ice became easier to 

 drive on. 



Late in the evening we stopped after having covered about 36 

 miles 1. 



Was it a fjord or a sound we found ourselves in ? That was what 

 we wanted to know and what we might expect to find out the next 

 day. At the place where we rested we found a stone-wall and a trap, 

 things made by human hands in times long passed. On the other 

 hand, we did not find any site of a house or tent-ring. 



May 21st. In the afternoon we started again; after having cov- 

 ered about 8 miles we reached the head of the fjord . . . 



Tracks of musk-oxen . . . 



We slept a little without raising the tent. Early next morning 

 we started again in order to get out of the fjord. We found a piece 

 of floating wood. The head of the fjord was quite low; farthest in 

 was a small lake, connected with the fjord by a narrow tongue of clay. 

 Not very far from the innermost part of the lake a glacier covered 

 the land, but it had not calved. The front of the glacier to the north 

 and south was quite low without any high hills (quite flat). 



May 22nd. After proceeding a long way out of the fjord we halted 

 at noon off a projecting point. 



May 23rd. At 3 a. m. we broke up. At noun we came to the 

 place where we had shot the musk-oxen ^. In order to economize 

 with our petroleum we did our cooking in the open air and used as 



' Ca. G8 kilometers. 



' The land inside Pinseskæret. 



