Hejiry G. Bryant, 
9 
columns of the region, over miles of rich green sward dotted with 
countless wild flowers glowing in the splendor of their summer 
beauty; high up the mountain side, across glaciers and over snow 
banks to the base of the ice-cap of Disco Island. Here, from an 
elevation of 1800 feet, a glorious view of Disco Bay, dotted with 
hundreds of icebergs from the Jacobshavn Glacier, entranced 
our vision and made a picture which will long live in memory. 
Some seal-skin boots, to complete our equipment, were ob- 
tained here, and also specimens of the so-called meteoric stones 
of Disco Island. The two days of our visit passed quickly 
enough and after attending a ball given by the Eskimos in our 
honor, we boarded the “Falcon^’ on the evening of July 17th, 
and were soon steaming once more towards the north. 
A heavy fog settled down on us after leaving Disco, and, to 
guard against collision with the numerous icebergs about us, the 
engines were run at half speed and a sharp lookout posted. 
When off Hare Island the curtain of mist lifted and we went 
ahead at our regular seven and a half knot speed. By nine P. M. 
the wide expanse of Umanak Fiord was crossed, where a majes- 
tic procession of icebergs was observed floating out to sea. 
Sanderson’s Hope, the well-known landmark of Arctic chroniclers, 
which was reached by that famous old navigator, Davis, in 1587, 
loomed up over our starboard bow the next morning. Later 
in the day the weather again became “thick” and much excite- 
ment was caused by our encountering three polar bears, all of 
whom fell victims to the rifles of our party. The skinning of 
these huge ice-bears proved to be exhausting work to our ama- 
teur taxidermists, who were engaged on the work from six-thirty 
P. M. until midnight. At that hour the sun was shining brightly 
in the northern heavens and the distant peaks of the mainland 
reared their massive outlines above the bank of fog which hung 
along shore. All about us extended vast quantities of loose 
pack ice chilling the air and adding a desolate splendor to the 
scene. We had already encountered considerable of this heavy 
pack ice and were anticipating some difficulty in the passage of 
Melville Bay. The “Falcon” entered the confines of this dreaded 
battleground of Arctic navigators early in the morning of July 
