218 G. Amdrup. 



We must assume, therefore, that Mylius-Erichsen and his com- 

 panions have begun their journey along the hne of these depots '. 



We have still to consider, where Mylius-Erichsen climbed up 

 (in I о the inland ice and what forced them to take this course. 



The latter is readily understood. From tlie relief expedition 

 sent out from the ship, September 22nd to November 2nd, we know 

 that two of that party, G. Thostrup and Lindhard, reached Malle- 

 mukfjæld on October 17th and found open water there, which extended 

 right into the coast and so far out, that they could not get further. 



And from Jørgen Brønlund's diary we know, that Mylius- 

 Erichsen and his companions began the ascent of the inland i((' on 

 October 15th. 



The same open water, whicii prevented G. Thostrup and Lind- 

 hard from getting north, has also presumably stopped Mylius-Erich- 

 sen's advance southwards and forced him up on to the inland ice, 

 and the two parties have been at that time, without suspecting it, 

 on opposite sides of the open water, north of Mallemukfjæld. 



The ascent of the inland ice has probably been made from the 

 head of Antarctic Bay. Here Mylius-Erichsen and Koch had dis- 

 cussed the probability of being able to get up easily on to tlie inland 

 ice, if open water were met with south of this Bay. 



Regarding the ascent Jørgen Brønlund writes in his diary: 



■'October 19th. Jn the afternoon we came up on the inland ice. 

 The ascent took us four days. The fifth of our remaining dogs has 

 now also died, butted to death by a musk-ox. The sun rises no more^". 



Where the ascent was made, therefore, there must have been 

 musk-oxen. But these animals occur just on Amdrups Land. In 

 May 1907 G. Thostrup and Wegener liad shot musk-oxen a little 

 way into Ingolf Fjord on the north side of the fjord (i. e. on the south 

 .side of Amdrups Land). 



The ascent took foiu- days, which means that they had a heavy 

 load (m the sledge. In addition to guns| tent, sleeping-bags, cooking 

 apparatus etc., they must have had no small amount of food, musk-ox 

 meat and provisions and dog-food from the depot at 80°43' and from 

 the depot on Sophus Müllers Naze. For we know, that the journey 

 to Nioghalvfjerdsfjord (79-fjord), look a month dtu'ing whiih they 

 were able to keep life in, though just on the verge of the grave, when 

 they at last reached Nioghalvfjerdsfjord. 



The journey home over the inland ice must have been terrible. 

 The cold up there must have been felt intensely by the emaciated 

 and weakened travellers, who doubtless had to use their provisions 



' That Koch is of tlie .same opinion, is seen from the remarias in his report 

 on the relief and search expedition northwards in March ItlUÖ. See p. 194. 

 2 See p. 212. 



