THE KING'S MIRROR 153 



In reply to your remark about the climate of Green- 

 land, that you think it strange that it is called a good 

 climate, I shall tell you something about the nature of 

 the land. When storms do come, they are more severe 

 than in most other places, both with respect to keen 

 winds and vast masses of ice and snow. But usually 

 these spells of rough weather last only a short while 

 and come at long intervals only. In the meantime the 

 weather is fair, though the cold is intense. For it is in 

 the nature of the glacier to emit a cold and continuous 

 breath which drives the storm clouds away from its 

 face so that the sky above is usually clear.* But the 

 neighboring lands often have to suffer because of this; 

 for all the regions that lie near get severe weather from 

 this ice, inasmuch as all the storms that the glacier 

 drives away from itself come upon others with keen 

 blasts. Now if this is clear to you, I believe there is no 

 need of giving any further explanation of the subject 

 than what you have now heard. 



XXI 



THE ZONES OF HEAT AND COLD 



Son. These things are all clear to me and it seems 

 reasonable that they should be as you say. Still, there 

 are a few things that you mentioned a little earlier in 

 your talk, which I wish to ask about, if you permit^You 

 said that both sides of the earth are cold, the southern 



* By glacier the author evidently means the great inland ice masses. On the 

 effect of this inland ice on the climate of Greenland and neighboring regions, 

 see Nansen, In Northern Mists, II 247 



