UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA
AT LOS ANGELES
GREENLAND
BY THE POLAK SEA
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The story of Shackleton's Last Expedition,
1914-1917. By Sir Ernest Shackleton,
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LONDON: WILLIAM HEINEMANN
GREENLAND
BY THE POLAR SEA
THE STORY OF THE. THULE EXPEDITION
FROM MELVILLE BAY TO CAPE MORRIS JESUP
BY KNUD RASMUSSEN
TRANSLATED FROM THE DANISH BY
ASTA AND ROWLAND KENNEV
WITH PREFACE BY ADMIRAL SIR LEWIS BEAUMONT, G.C.B
WITH NUMEROUS ILLUSTRATIONS IN BLACK AM) WHITE,
BIGHT COLOUR PLATES, AND MAPS
> • •
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Printed m Great Britain
V)
PREFACE
GREENLAND by the Polar Sea " is the story, now intro-
duced to English readers, of Mr. Knud Rasmussen's
last expedition to the Polar shores of North Greenland.
He counts it as his Fourth Thule Expedition, which shows how
active and persevering has been his exploration of North Green-
land since 1910, when he first formed his base of operations, and
pa trading station, at North Star Bay, and gave it the name of
r/ Thule. Two of these remarkable expeditions were sledge
£ journeys across the inland-ice to the north-eastern and northern
coasts of Greenland which yielded valuable results, clearing up
-some geographical doubts, and practically linking up the eastern
{{I and western discoveries of former explorers. Knud Rasmussen
vjmay confidently be said to be a very special and exceptionally
favoured explorer of these regions, for not only was he born in
• Greenland and lived there as a boy, but his life among the Green-
J landers and Eskimos, his perfect knowledge of their language,
.Jr his admiration of their character, courage, and loyalty, and his
'o intense desire to be the historian of their origin, traditions, and
V future development have, in a large measure, inspired him with
the explorer's enthusiasm and have made him feel it to be pos-
sible, with slender means and limited resources, to complete the
work begun by the far more costly expeditions which have gone
before. These advantages, however, would have availed nothing
without Knud Rasmussen's own personal qualities as an explorer
— every page of the narrative shows his high capacity and
thoughtfulness as a commander, his resourcefulness and daring
as a leader, and the splendid courage and power of endurance
which carried him through a time of extreme trial and responsi-
bility. It was his firm support and example which saved the
party from death on the return journey.
v
PREFACE
To those readers who are not familiar with the physical con-
ditions of the immense mass of land known as Greenland it may
be of use to explain that the inhabitants of the larger south half
are spoken of as Greenlanders and those to the north of Melville
Bay as Polar Eskimos or Arctic Highlanders. The inland-
ice forms a barrier between the two, so that communication
between them can only be made by ship.
Never before has the Arctic Highlander been made known
to us in such intimate detail and with such true and affectionate
understanding of his life and character as Rasmussen here gives
us ; he speaks as one of them, who has lived their life and shared
their experiences, and to whom, as a people, he has become
deeply attached. No wonder then that never before has an
explorer been rewarded with such unstinted and devoted service
as he receives from them. It is well to make this point clear,
which Rasmussen in his narrative so modestly accepts as natural
and does not emphasize. Early expeditions in those regions
used one or two Eskimos as hunters and dog-drivers, and gained
their experience of Arctic life at great cost and with but small
results. Peary, in his twenty-four years of patient and deter-
mined effort to discover the hidden secrets of the Polar Basin,
advanced step by step to the knowledge of the Eskimo's char-
acter and the value of his hunting craft and wonderful travelling
instinct, but Rasmussen alone has led an important and success-
fid expedition equipped and conducted entirely in Eskimo
fashion and maintained, in its long and adventurous journey,
by Eskimo hunting. It is only such a combination of European
leadership and skill, adapted to native craft and conditions, that
could have made such an extended exploration possible to him.
The interest of the narrative is great, and sustained at a high
level by the literary charm of the descriptions and the unaffected
light and shade which runs through the whole story. It is the
mark of a leader to keep his party in good spirits ; it is the duty
of the historian to show upon whom fell the responsibility and
the decisions in emergencies. It was right to call it a great
adventure, but Rasmussen, in the spirit of the true explorer,
says : " The risk one runs on such expeditions (when their lives
vi
PREFACE
depended upon the game found by hunting) was quite clear to
me ; but the mind never occupies itself with the dangers when
one is setting out. Every Polar traveller is aware of his risks
when he leaves his home to set foot on unknown shores ; and
thus it was also with us. All my comrades greeted my plans
with enthusiasm, and every man was inspired with one thought
only : the certainty of success." It was in this spirit that they
set out.
Rasmussen's tribute to the work done by his predecessors in
Arctic exploration is most generous and discriminating ; he
shows that he understood their difficulties, though they were
not his in the same way, and what they accomplished he is eager
to recognize and admire. They, or such of them as remain,
in their turn are glad and ready to say that what he and his com-
panions have added to the sum of Polar knowledge by their
detailed mapping of the coast-lands — the fauna, flora, and
geological formation of the north-western section of Greenland
and its connection with the discoveries of the eastern coasts —
has set the crown on the labours of those who have toiled before
him in the same field, and that his fine achievement has for ever
put him in the front rank of Polar explorers.
LEWIS BEAUMONT.
vn
CONTENTS
PAGE
PREFACE BY ADMIRAL SIR LEWIS BEAUMONT, G.C.B. v
INTRODUCTION xvii
CHAPTER I
FROM THE LIFE AND HISTORY OF THE ESKIMOS 1
CHAPTER II
THE GREAT SLEDGE JOURNEY TO THE NORTH
COAST OF GREENLAND 33
CHAPTER III
WASHINGTON LAND TO HALL LAND 61
CHAPTER IV
CAPE SUMNER TO DRAGON POINT 80
CHAPTER V
SHERARD OSBORNE FJORD TO NORDENSKJOLD
FJORD 94
CHAPTER VI
THE CAMP BY THE OWL'S NEST 124
CHAPTER VII
CAPE SALOR TO LOCKWOOD'S BEACON 137
CHAPTER VIII
DE LONG FJORD TO CAPE SALOR 152
CHAPTER IX
ACROSS MELTING ICE TO SUMMER VALLEY 166
CHAPTER X
SHERARD OSBORNE FJORD TO ST. GEORGE FJORD 182
CHAPTER XI
THE HOMEWARD JOURNEY ACROSS THE INLAND-
ICE 210
ix
CONTENTS
PAGE
CHAPTER XII
SEEKING HELP 241
CHAPTER XIII
A RACE WITH DEATH 259
CHAPTER XIV
A RUNIC MEMORIAL 271
CHAPTER XV
HOME TO THULE 284
APPENDICES
FLORA AND FAUNA ON THE NORTH COAST OF
GREENLAND 292
BASED ON DR. WULFFS NOTES BY C. H. OSTENFELD
GEOLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS 301
BY LAUGE KOCH
THE ROUTES OF ESKIMO WANDERINGS INTO
GREENLAND 312
INDEX 321
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
To/are
page
Trangi: avkx : the Hakbouu for the whole Merchant Fleet of
Greenland xviii
The Colony : Egedesminde (North Greenland) xviii
Leaving the Church at Jacobshavn xix
With the Sledges as Ferries we of Qaersorssuaq cross over to
Upernivik Island xx
Upernivik Island xx
The Expedition Ship "Danmark" at Thule Harbour xxi
John Ross' first Meeting with Polar Eskimos xxiv
The Route 1
Eskimos at Ikeeasak, Umanaq Fjord 4
Tasiussaq : the most Northern Colony in Greenland 4
The Devil's Thumb 5
The Whalers' Fleet, 1818 8
The Sailing Ships breaking through the Ice at the time of John
Ross 8
Returning from Walrus Hunting, Thule 9
Tobias Gabriels en 12
Simon, the Old Bear-Hunter 12
An Old Wanderer from Melville Bay 12
Eskimo Boy from Upernivik 13
Thule 13
Eskimos Drinking Coffee in Old Style 16
qlngminegarfik in inglefield gulf 16
Sabine Island : Melville Bay 17
Arnanguaq 18
xi
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
To face
page
Eskimo returning to Harbour 18
Sketches by Qujakitsunguaq 19
Harpooning a Walrus from a Kayak 20
Eskimos going out on the New Ice to hunt Walrus 20
Harpooning Walrus 20
Walrus being pulled up by the aid of Primitive Tackle 20
Two young Eskimo Mothers with their Children 21
Grazing Reindeer 22
Musk Cows with Calf 22
Swimming Reindeer pursued by Kayaks 22
Seal being Harpooned as it comes up to its Breathing-Hole 23
Killed Musk-Oxen being Skinned 23
Polar Eskimos dressed in Fox Fur Coats 23
Polar Eskimos' House 24
Asarpaka 24
Kagssaluk 24
Bearded Seal 25
Killed Narwhal 25
Walrus breaking the Surface of the Sea 28
The Three Brothers 21)
The Beautiful Isigaitsoq 30
Eskimo Boy 30
Eskimo Girl 30
Inuteq 31
Ajorssalik 31
Hall's Grave 31
Little Incidents from Everyday Life 32
Thule Station 33
A Jolly Evening at Thule before breaking up for the Journey 33
Feom Thule to Humboldt Glacier 34
The " Danmark " in Winter Harbour 35
xii
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
To lace
page
One of the Sledges near Ulugssat 35
The Pack-Sledges set out from Neqe 40
Young Bear-Hunter 41
Two Eskimo Boys of Seventeen Years 41
The Meat-Matador Majaq 50
Eskimo Smile 50
Winter-House before the Snow Falls 51
My Own Dogs ready for Starting 51
Fine Driving along the Beautiful Frontage of the Mountains of
Washington Land 56
Nasaitsordluarsuk : the Youngest Member of our Expedition 57
The last Immigrant from Baffin Land : Merqusak 57
Forward at an even Trot 60
The little Bear, surrounded by all the Dogs 60
From Humboldt Glacier to Newman Bay 61
Cape Constitution 86
Page of Peary's Report 87
Cape Sumner : Dragon Point 92
Markham Plants the Union Jack farthest North 94
Lieut. L. A. Beaumont 94
Sherard Osborne Fjord 95
Beaumont's Report, 1876 96
Beaumont's Report, 1876 97
Beaumont's Map from 1876 98
The Land round Cape May 99
The first Three Musk-Oxen 104
Inukitsoq's Ten Musk-Oxen 104
A Rest off Stephenson Island in the Mouth of Victoria Fjord 105
The White Wolves Howl their peculiar melancholy and desolate
Lamentation 1 1 2
The Low Glacier with Lines of Movement 113
Digging Ourselves Out after a Snowstorm 113
xiii
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
To face
page
Ajako at Beaumont's Beacon 116
Dr. Thorild Wulff, taken at the time we left Etah 117
A General Council 117
Cape Wohlgemuth 128
View towards the Whirlpool in I. P. Koch Fjord 129
Lockwood's Report at Cape Mohn 148
Lauge Koch 149
The Snow begins to get Wet 149
De Long Fjord 152
Another Beport from Lockwood deposited at Cap Bennett 158
Towards Cape Eamsay 159
The Sledge being Sucked Down by the Water under the Snow 166
On the Look-out for Musk-Ox 166
Crossing Sherard Osborne Fjord 167
MUSK-OX READY TO DlE 172
Breaking up for Musk-Ox Hunting in Macmillan Valley 173
"The big Bull made a sudden Sortie, quick as Lightning" 176
Through Lakes of Melted Ice 177
" The Bull stood there, its phantastic Summer Coat fluttering in
the Breeze " 188
Dr. Wulff ready to go through the Water 189
We Ferry across the Coastal Lane by Dragon Point 189
"Patiently, almost shyly, it allowed us to Photograph it at a
Distance of Two Metres" 204
" They approached us slowly and fearlessly " 205
Ascending the Inland-Ice, with a View of St. George Fjord 210
We are Stopped by Land with Steep Slopes 210
The North Coast of Greenland 211
The same District Mapped by the Thule Expedition 211
Through the big Ice Lakes near Cape May 216
The Rotten Ice in St. George Fjord where Ajako Shot his Seal 217
The big River by the Tent-Camp in St. George Fjord 226
xiv
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
To/are
paffr
Against the Snowstorm 227
At the Brink of the Abyss, the Devil's Cleft 236
The Devil's Cleft 237
Map showing where Wulff Died 254
Captain George Comer 255
The Crockerland Expedition's Hut 255
Our Hostess : Ane Sofie from Kangerdlugssuag 288
Mission House at Kangerdlugssuag 288
Our Dogs 289
White-Blossomed Saxifrage in front of a Stone Block 294
Types of Grasses 294
Various Herbaceous Plants from the North Coast of Greenland 295
A many years old Specimen of the Arctic Willow 296
Section of the Thickest Stem of Willow which the Expedition
Found 296
An exceptionally vigorous Shoot of Arctic Willow 296
A small Reed 297
Yellow-Blossomed Saxifrage 297
Herbaceous Plants with Rosulate Radicle Leaves 298
White Puff-Balls among Grass and Willow Leaves 298
Types of Grasses growing in Moist Places 299
Fossilized Ortoceratite from Washington Land 302
Trilobite and Brachiopod from Warming Land 302
Coral from Washington Land 302
Trilobite and Brachiopod from Warming Land 303
Coral from Washington Land 303
Geologic Map of North-West Greenland 308
Tail-Shell of a Trilobite from Washington Laud 309
Small Chart of Air 309
Bird's-Eye View of the <;reat Fjords on the North Coast of
Greenland 3 1 -'
Map showing Immigration to Greenland 313
XV
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
Eskimo Hunting Implements
Eskimo Implements
Greenlanders from the middle of the Seventeenth Century
Uphill
Eskimo Stone Huts in Spring
Tojace
■page
314
315
316
317
317
COLOUR PLATES
BEAR HUNT Frontispiece
ESKIMO GRAVES, SAUNDERS ISLAND 14
FLENSING THE NARWHAL 26
SNOW HUTS NEAR AN ICE MOUNTAIN 52
A SNOWY OWL DEFENDING HIS WIFE'S EGGS AGAINST THE
WOLF 132
LANDSCAPE IN GREENLAND 200
INGLEFIELD LAND 286
THE COLONY : HOLSTENBORG (SOUTH GREENLAND) 306
MAP
326
XVI
INTRODUCTION
IN the year 1910, at North Star Bay, in North Greenland,
I founded an Arctic Station wherefrom I could explore
the regions which as yet had not been closely examined.
The first result from this station was the first Thule Expedition.
The various expeditions which subsequently went out with this
station as their base I have therefore named after the station,
Thule.
On the first Thule Expedition in 1912, when the route was
laid across the inland-ice of Greenland from Clements Markham
Glacier in the mouth of Inglefield Gulf on the west coast to
Denmark Fjord on the east coast, we forced our way through
Independence Fjord into the land connecting Greenland and
Peary Land, and by charting we established that the channel
which Robert E. Peary thought he had discovered between
Independence Fjord on the north-east side and Nordenskjold
Inlet on the north-west side was non-existent.
Because of the long journey, more than 1,000 kilometres
across the inland-ice, and the conditions which made progress
difficult in the neighbourhood of Denmark Fjord, we did not
succeed in pushing quite through from the recently discovered
Adam Biering Land to the vicinity of Nordenskjold Inlet and
Sherard Osborne Fjord. At the time when the decision to
commence the return journey was made we had spent more
than four months of incessant and very strenuous journeying
through unknown regions, and out of consideration both for
ourselves and our dogs we found it necessary to attempt the
homeward journey across the inland-ice to my station Thule by
North Star Bay, and postpone the exploration of the unknown
districts of Greenland until the time when the work could be
recommenced with renewed strength.
b xvii
INTRODUCTION
In the winter of 1914 the first attempt to realize our plans
was made, with Peter Freuchen, my cartographer of the first
Thule Expedition, as chief ; but a fall through a glacier crevasse
during the ascent on to the inland-ice forced him to turn back,
and later on, owing to his theodolite having been destroyed by
the fall, it had been impossible for him to get away.
Meanwhile this expedition stood like an unredeemed pledge
from my Arctic Station, and as, for various practical reasons,
it must be finished with before I commenced my ethnographical
voyage to the American Eskimos (the fifth Thule Expedition —
the Danish Expedition to the Arctic North America), which
would last several years, I decided to make an attempt to realize
it in the year 1916.
It will be the main object of this expedition to survey and
chart the last unknown reach of Greenland's north coast on the
stretch between St. George Fjord and de Long Fjord. We
shall, of course, with special keenness penetrate into the con-
necting land between Nordenskjold Inlet and Independence
Fjord.
The survey of the districts to which we are going will, in
addition to the geographical result, present very interesting
ethnographical problems, as it will be of importance to the
theory of the Eskimos' wanderings to establish whether or not
in the above-mentioned big fjords Eskimo winter-houses are
to be found. As is known, tent-rings have been found in Peary
Land, but never winter-houses. The northern border of the
winter-houses is, on the east coast of North Greenland, Sophus
Miiller Point and Eskimo Point, respectively in Amdrup and
Holm Land, whilst the northern border on the west coast is the
vicinity of Humboldt's Glacier and Lake Hazen in Grant
Land. Thus, for a complete knowledge of the Eskimos' wan-
derings, an examination of the great fjords on Greenland's north
coast is wanting.
Of the geological tasks which the expedition may be faced
with, I will merely mention the following : Whilst the whole
of Western and Eastern Greenland during the last century has
been geologically surveyed by various expeditions, the stretch
xviii
TRANGKAVEN : THE HARMOl'U KOI! THE WHOLE MERCHANT FLEET OF GREENLAND
THE COLONY: EGEDESMINDE (NORTH GREENLAND)
INTRODUCTION
from Sherard Osborne Fjord to Peary Land, with the latter's
unknown fjords, still stands as the missing link between the east
and the west coast ; until these regions have been examined no
complete picture of Greenland can be formed. And just as
the coasts and fjords up here at the northern extremity are still
waiting to be charted, so the keystone of the journeys of
geological exploration can only be laid through an examination
of these regions.
In addition to the work which I have now outlined, careful
meteorological diaries will be kept during the whole of the
expedition, and botanical and zoological collections will be
made.
This expedition, as the first Thule Expedition, will through-
out be equipped in Eskimo fashion, so that we can live by hunt-
ing whilst at the same time we attend to our scientific interests.
The expense is met by my station Thule, which is controlled
by a committee consisting of —
Ingenior M. lb. Nyeboe, Chairman.
Grosserer Chr. Erichsen.
Lektor Chr. Rasmussen.
The scientific work which is being done, and which also in
the future will be done, from this station has made it desirable
that we should be in more direct communication with scientists,
wherefore a scientific committee has been formed, consisting
of—
Professor Dr. phil. H. Jungersen.
Kaptajn I. P. Koch.
Professor O. B. Boggild.
Professor H. P. Steensby.
Museumsinspektor, Dr. phil. C. H. Ostenfeld.
Originally I had intended to undertake this expedition with
only one companion, the Danish geologist Lauge Koch, M.A.
We left Copenhagen on the 1st of April, 1916, and reached
Thule by the middle of June, but continual storms and uncom-
monly difficult travelling conditions forced us to postpone the
journey until the following spring. Meanwhile, in the course
xix
INTRODUCTION
of the summer the old expedition ship the Danmark called at
my station on its way to Etah to fetch the American Crocker-
land Expedition, which for several years had wintered there.
On board this ship was a Swedish scientist, Dr. Thorild Wulff,
whose original field of labour comprised only the districts round
Smith Sound and Melville Bay ; but when Dr. Wulff heard that
we had postponed our expedition until the following year, he
announced himself with great enthusiasm as a fellow-member
for the sledge journey in the spring.
His name as a botanist, and his expert knowledge of the
Arctic flora, made it a matter of course that he should be
accepted as a member of the proposed expedition to regions
which had never been visited by experts.
The expedition then wintered at my station Thule, being
constantly in training by sledge journeys, which reached to
Etah in the north and right down to Upernivik in the south.
It will merely lead to a repetition of the experience of other
expeditions if I describe our excursions during the period whilst
we were waiting for the light — that is, from October to
February. And as it cannot be presumed that all who may
read this book know anything about the Polar Eskimos, I will
instead attempt to give a sketch of the people whose ways of
finding a subsistence and whose travelling technique was the
base on which we built our great journey.
With occasional breaks I have lived with this people — the
Arctic Highlanders — since 1903, and I have learned to love
them as highly as I admire their remarkable ability to live the
life of these harsh regions. But first it will be appropriate to
give an account of my expedition and its plan.
The scientific equipment of the expedition was very simple —
as is necessary for a long sledge journey. It consisted of one
theodolite, three aneroid barometers, one cooking barometer,
one maximal and two minimal thermometers, various spirit and
mercury thermometers, one anemometer, and one hygrometer.
Finally, Dr. Wulff brought everything necessary for pressing
and preserving plants.
During the preparations for this journey, the seriousness
xx
WITH THE SLEDGES AS FERRIES WE OF oAERSORSSUAQ CROSS
OVER TO UPERNIVIK ISLAND
UPERNIVIK ISLAND
INTRODUCTION
of which none of us under-estimated, I made out on the 14th of
February a written agreement which was signed by all. Only
the following extract will be of interest, the remainder relating
to routes and dispositions which will be self-evident later on :
"Although it is quite clear to me that it is very difficult
previous to a start to specify an Expedition in sections, I have
found it necessary to do this so that you, my comrades, may
have some fixed point for the planning of the various parts of
the work to be carried out.
" The Expedition will consist of —
Dr. Thorild Wulff, Botanist and Biologist.
Lauge Koch, Geologist and Cartographer.
Hendrik Olsen, previously a member of the Danmark
Expedition.
Ajako.
Nasaitsordluarsuk, called Bosun.
Inukitsoq, called Harrigan.
And myself, as Chief and Ethnographer to the Expedi-
tion.
"In a previously presented plan all the tasks have already
been worked out.
" As regards dispositions of journeys and routes I am abso-
lute Chief. But I will, of course, within the domain of your
respective professions, grant you all the freedom which circum-
stances may permit, and you will also, as often as your work
may demand, be exempted from hunting.
" I wish beforehand to emphasize that during the Expedi-
tion there must be no difference in standing between the
Eskimos and ourselves, the Eskimos being members of the
Expedition with equal rights and duties to the scientists, and
no man but the leader must have command over them."
Several large expeditions richly equipped had already been
to the regions we were to visit ; but none of them had succeeded
in acquiring a thorough knowledge of the country — this despite
the fact that due to its position it must contain the key to many
problems decisive for the exploration and history of Greenland.
xxi
INTRODUCTION
The explanation is this : The distances between the fields of
labour are immense ; the conditions of the ground are bad ; and
in the fjords there is bottomless snow. For these reasons those
who have visited this district with what is called good equip-
ment could not get ahead. Their heavy baggage did not
permit them to get about, and they always preferred to follow
the route along the Polar-ice proper, some distance from land,
where the going was firm.
In other words, that which under all other circumstances
was to be looked upon as a decided advantage, rich and good
equipment, is here a weight which does not permit the explorer
to move as quickly as the travelling season demands.
Those who were to attempt the completion of the charting
of Greenland must therefore break entirely with the general
practice of expeditions, and completely rely upon the hunt.
Only this will make light sledges capable of forcing their way
through the snow into the deep fjords.
Thus for us there was no alternative. All the tasks we had
set ourselves were weighty and important, and as long as they
remained undone the exploration of Greenland could not be
considered accomplished.
This work fell within the International North Pole route,
which hitherto only the big nations had dared to attempt.
The outlines of our work, however, were drawn by our
predecessors, and we therefore knew beforehand that we could
not expect any great geographical surprises ; it was only the
crumbs from the table of the rich expeditions we were to gather,
and the role we were to play would be comparable to that of
the little Polar fox, which everywhere on the Arctic coast
follows the footsteps of the big ice-bear, hoping that something
good may be left for it.
But our task was not an ungrateful one, for we came to lift
the stones which the others had let lie.
From our base at Thule the distance we had to cover to
Sherard Osborne Fjord was 1,000 kilometres, whilst our pre-
decessors, with their ships in winter harbour in Lady Franklin
Bay and Cape Sheridan, had merely had to go 300 kilometres,
xxii
INTRODUCTION
For the above-mentioned distance we would have sufficient pro-
visions, but after that our hunt for food must begin.
The experiences I had gained in 1912 during the first Thule
Expedition gave me the right to assume that such a plan could
be justified. The game I particularly reckoned on was
musk-ox, to be found in the extensive tracts of land which the
American maps show round the fjords and their heads. Fur-
ther, there were seals. The Polar Eskimos who, during Peary's
expeditions, had traversed the mouths of the fjords, had told
me that the ice here was of such a quality that one could with
certainty reckon on seals in June and July ; breathing-holes
were not infrequently observed. This information, added to
my own experiences from Independence Fjord, where in a
similar geographical position we found many seals, finally
decided me.
The risk one runs on such hunting expeditions was quite
clear to me ; but the mind never occupies itself with the dangers
when one is setting out. Every Polar traveller is aware of his
risks when he leaves his home to set foot on unknown shores ;
and thus it was also with us. All my comrades greeted my
plans with enthusiasm, and every man was inspired with one
thought only : the certainty of success.
KNUD RASMUSSEN.
xxui
THE ROUTE
CHAPTER I
FROM THE LIFE AND HISTORY OF THE
ESKIMOS
THE FIRST DISCOVERY
NORTH of everyone on our earth live the Polar Eskimos,
whose simple and ingenious ways of hunting have made
of their harsh and barren country one of those oases in the
world where live genuinely happy people.
The first historical information we possess about their
country dates from the year 1616, when Baffin discovered it.
He, however, did not see any people, and it was only in 1818
that John Ross came into touch with Eskimo people of whom
one had never heard before.
A memory still remains amongst the tribe of a woman
named Maage (Gull), who prophesied that a big boat with tall
poles would come into view from the ocean. And sure
enough, one summer's day, just as the winter-ice broke and
steep Cape York lay separated from the sea merely by a narrow
strip of ice, the ship arrived and lay to by the edge of the ice.
It was a marvel of ingenuity — a whole island of wood which
moved along the sea on wings, and in its depths had many
houses and rooms full of noisy people. Little boats hung
along the rail, and these, filled with men, were lowered on the
water, and as they surrounded the ship it looked as if the monster
gave birth to living young.
This visit at first caused great anxiety and fear among the
Eskimos, but later much joy. They did not believe that the
white men were real human beings, but looked upon them as
spirits of the air who had come down to the Inuits. The ship
remained only for a short time, then turned towards the sea
A 1
GREENLAND BY THE POLAR SEA
with the sun shining on its white wings and disappeared into
the horizon.
Ross's visit to the simple and unprepared Eskimos certainly
caused a stir, and I will therefore supplement the above phan-
tastic narrative with something of that which is related in the
Record of the Expedition.
It is told that the ship was lying alongside the edge of the
ice when suddenly, to the surprise of everybody on board, on
the ice were discovered beings in human likeness, dressed in
pelts and with long, black hair flowing from their heads. With
strange gestures they ran by the side of their dog-sledges.
They were quite close to the ship when the big white sails were
manoeuvred ; and the result of this was a sudden about-turn and
a scampering towards land in apparent fright.
A couple of days elapsed, during which every possible effort
was made from the ship for getting into communication with
the Eskimos, but without success. In his despair Ross at last
had a huge standard erected by an ice-mountain between the
coast and the ship ; from this he hung a flag, whereon the sun
and moon were painted above a hand which held out a heather
plant. Furthermore, a bag of gifts hung from the staff.
This clever trick was, unfortunately, not well received. If
the Eskimos had been frightened before, they were now terror-
stricken with this mystic staff and its fluttering flag, which they
obviously considered to be some dangerous ruse of war. Out
of curiosity they circled round it for awhile, but having scanned
for a sufficiently long period the strange signs and the friendly
outstretched hand, they disappeared hurriedly towards land.
When this attempt miscarried a white flag was hoisted on
the mainmast of the ship, and at the same time Sachaeus was
sent out on the ice with a small white flag in his hand. But
the Eskimos did not appear to have any understanding of the
peaceful purport of these manoeuvres, and the probability is
that these sagacious experiments, which would merely have
frightened and confounded the Eskimos still more, would have
continued if Sachaeus had not shown himself a master of the
situation and asked Ross for permission to go to the kinsmen
2
LIFE AND HISTORY OF THE ESKIMOS
of his tribe, alone and unarmed. By this means communica-
tion was at last established.
The great meeting between the Polar Eskimos and the
South-Greenlander took place by a broad fissure in the ice, so
that they stood right opposite each other, with a natural
obstacle between them for safety's sake.
Sachaeus explained, not without trouble, that a peaceful
people had come to them, and the Eskimos were just on the
point of consenting to follow him on board, when Ross, who of
course was eager to meet these strange men, suddenly appeared
on the ice in his officer's full dress uniform, as given in the
illustration of this scene in the Record of the Expedition.
This phantastic apparition of a man nearly frightened the
Eskimos away again ; but as the friendship with Sachosus had
already begun, and as he explained to the marvelling natives
that this peculiar dress was merely an outward sign of the fact
that the big man was lord of all white peoples, they let them-
selves be calmed down and followed him on board.
It is highly praiseworthy of the Eskimos that they, in spite
of all the inexplicable things they saw, allowed themselves to
be coaxed on board and, in the Chief's cabin with Sachseus as
interpreter, to give wise and dignified answers to the many
questions that were put to them. Imagine the impression
they must have received when, presumably to amuse them, a
grunting Scotch pig was let loose on deck — these men who
were only used to wild animals ! Or when they were treated
to a conjurer's performance, and allowed to look at themselves
in a concave mirror !
It is interesting to note that Ross sums up his impressions
of them by stating that they all speak lovingly of each other
and their families, and on the whole seem to live happily, with-
out knowledge of disease and war.
Already as a child I had in Greenland heard much about
the Polar Eskimos, but it was mostly vague tales of savage
cannibals, terrible hunters who lived with the North Wind
himself, right at the "end of the world," where it was always
night and where no summer melted the ice of the seas.
3
GREENLAND BY THE POLAR SEA
" I must go to those people," I decided as a twelve-year-old
boy, and this decision, which later on I never succeeded in
slinking away from, has, through repeatedly staying among
them, led, so to say, to my reception into the tribe as one of
their own, as a friend and fellow-hunter.
No hunter exists up there with whom I have not hunted,
and there is hardly a child whose name I do not know ; but
then, the tribe consists of no more than about 250 individuals.
ESKIMO ARCTIC EXPLORERS
These men, who have no fixed abode but live, as does their
prey, ever on the move, are born Arctic explorers. From
childhood they are hardened by an unmerciful cold, and their
means of livelihood exposes them almost daily to severe
physical strain and sudden dangers which sharpen their
presence of mind and make their contempt of death a matter
of course, the consequence being that they are unsurpassed as
companions on Arctic Expeditions.
Kane, Hayes, Hall, Nares, Peary, the Crockerlands
Expedition, and, last, but not least, I myself recognized this,
and through these expeditions, comprising all those which
during the last seventy-five years have explored and charted
the northernmost parts of our earth, the Eskimos have in
different ways done their share, which must not be undervalued.
In this record, however, I will dwell especially on Peary,
because his Arctic travels represent a chapter of the history of
the Polar Eskimos.
The Eskimos owe not a little to Peary, but, on the other
hand, without their help Peary's name might have been less
famous than it is now ; for they followed him on all his expedi-
tions, left home and country and kind and put their whole
existence at stake in realizing the phantastic travelling schemes
of a foreign man.
The way in which the Eskimos risk their lives, when once
they have promised a man their assistance, for the solution of
problems, wherein they themselves often see merely manifesta-
4
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ESKIMOS AT IKERASAK, OMANAQ K.IORD
TASIUSSAQ ( THE MOST NORTHERN COLONS IN' GREENLAND
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LIFE AND HISTORY OF THE ESKIMOS
tions of the many queer ideas of the strange white men, shows
plainly their absolute contempt of death, and what an abund-
ance of courage they possess.
They are not of the type which, like dogs, put their tails
between their legs and run off when they meet dangers and the
eternal hopelessness of pressure-ice.
The Eskimos are a roaming people, always longing for a
change and a surprise — a people which likes moving about in
search of fresh hunting-grounds, fresh possibilities, and " hidden
things."
They are born with the explorer's inclinations and thirst for
knowledge ; and they possess all those qualities which go to
make an explorer in those latitudes.
When an Eskimo family moves on to new ground, in a sur-
prisingly short time it knows the surroundings for miles around
— paths, short-cuts, plains, mountains, all the natural features
which a hunter must know so that he may track down
his prey. They study the inland-ice and find places of easy
ascent and sledge routes to other coasts and new chances.
Soon the sea has no secrets regarding the movements and
favourite haunts of its animals.
On the whole, the hunter likes to leave the old ways for the
stimulating excitement which accompanies seeking and hunting
under strange conditions. And he also knows how to value
this quality and this inclination in others.
I shall never forget the happy sensation created among the
hunters of the tribe when, in the spring of 1907, I drove up to
them with Osarqaq and declared that I was on my way to
Ellesmere Land. I had never seen a musk-ox, and now I had
a longing to taste musk-ox meat. You see, according to their
opinion there must always be a sensible reality behind one's
actions. Oh, how well they understood me ! They knew that
it was "two suns " since I left my country and my family, and
that I was still on the road with the same goal constantly in
view. They respected that. I felt happy and touched when
an old necromancer, Masaitsiaq, greeted me with a call to the
effect that it was good that in my own country I had not for-
5
GREENLAND BY THE POLAR SEA
gotten the hunting circle of my old comrades ; and then he
declared that all the young hunters of the tribe would vie with
each other in showing me the country which I had never
seen before and the animals which I had never slain before.
And everything happened according to his promise. Two
of the best men in the tribe immediately declared that
they would come. No considerations here, and no prepara-
tions ; an Eskimo is always equipped for a long voyage.
On the following morning we set out on the 1,250 miles long
sledge journey, and hunted together for several months and
shared the strangest experiences. And we travelled together
as comrades, as equals ; they would take no payment for the
long time they were with me, away from their families ; no,
this was merely an episode in their lives, and they would cer-
tainly not be my paid servants.
In the same way they took part in Peary's voyages, so long
as he travelled on land. It is therefore interesting to note the
position they took up when the Polar voyage itself commenced.
During the first expeditions they agreed with pleasure to go
north, because they thought that the voyage might result in
meeting with new people, in the discovery of new hunting-
grounds, or, at any rate, of land fit for habitation. But later
on, when they were told that they risked their lives for a
geographical point only, a point somewhere in the desert of
pressure-ice where neither men, nor game, nor land existed, then
the toil seemed to them so utterly aimless that their participa-
tion now required entirely fresh motives. Partly there was the
respect for Peary — I have often been told that " he asked with
so strong a will to gain his wish, that it was impossible to say
no " ; partly, also, there was the wish to possess guns, wood, and
knives which were the payment for participation. But their
personal interest to reach the goal, their private ambition to
arrive there, no longer existed. For twenty years Peary had
seen among the Polar Eskimos the base of his expedition, and
during this short period these people had jumped from the stone
age to the present time in their technical civilization.
When Peary came there for the first time the tribe was in
6
LIFE AND HISTORY OF THE ESKIMOS
all essentials untouched. Guns were hardly known, the chief
weapons on land being the bow, and on sea the harpoon. Long
before Peary finished his last expedition all the hunters
possessed the most modern of the breech-loading guns of our
time. The old knives, which consisted of little splinters of
meteoric stone, laboriously hafted in bits of reindeer skin or
narwhal tusk, were replaced by the finest steel ; and their
sledges, which once were pieces of whalebone cunningly tied
together to form runners, were now of the best ash or oak.
Long before Peary appeared a lively bartering with the
Scotch whalers certainly took place ; but a thing like a gun was
a great rarity. Commercial intercourse with the whalers seems
on the whole to have been very casual, and one may therefore
say that it is Peary who has given the tribe its present effective
equipment for winning a livelihood. Previous to the intro-
duction of modern weapons it was obvious that the Polar
Eskimos were subjected to the moods of the varying years.
Their own simple and primitive weapons were beautiful and
serviceable inventions ; but the handling of them was an art,
and when the condition of weather and ice, or even the move-
ments of the animals, were unfavourable, it happened not
rarely that they had to face bad winters through which they
could only manage to exist with great difficulty. So far as
their livelihood was concerned, Peary developed in them the
white man's brain, which of course signified great progress in
their material existence.
But the Eskimos did not forget to repay Peary what they
thought they owed him ; on his last two voyages to the North
Pole about seventy to eighty Eskimos — men, women, and
children — with several hundreds of dogs, accompanied him on
the Roosevelt to the northern point of Grant Land. In
other words, this included all the best young men in the tribe.
And can anyone think of a more serious and extensive contribu-
tion to scientific exploration than this wholesale sacrifice of the
supremest ?
But Peary himself possessed qualities which made it possible
for him to come to such an arrangement with his helpers. His
7
GREENLAND BY THE POLAR SEA
great personal endurance, his repeatedly tested fearlessness, his
capacity to manage year after year in such a way that he escaped
well from it all — all this won the unstinted admiration of the
Eskimos. They thought it good fun to risk something with a
man like Peary — the great Peary of the strong will, the mighty
lord of inexhaustible wealth, Piulerssuaq, who himself will
surely some day be the hero of one of their tribal myths.
During my meetings with the Polar Eskimos I have often
had occasion to hear them speak of him ; and they have always
been full of appreciation and proud to have been with him, even
if one often feels that their respect for the man was greater than
their love. I will recount a little incident which was told me
by Odaq, who accompanied Peary on all his Polar travels.
It was in 1906, the year in which Peary reached 87° 14' and
set a temporary record farthest north. Six Eskimos accom-
panied him, and these had for several days remonstrated with
him that they would have to turn now if they should not die
from starvation on the return journey ; but Peary maintained
obstinately that they must endure for a while longer. They
had met with many mishaps. Open water had delayed them,
and terrible blizzards in biting cold had hindered all progress ;
but as soon as there was a lull in the storm Peary got out of the
snow-hut and made his way northward, always northward, into
the ill-famed pressure-ice, fighting his way, clearing a path for
the sledges and the worn-out dogs which followed, driven by the
Eskimos. And Peary continued his slow walk against the
storm with the sledges snailing behind him. Then came an
evening after such a day when a longing for land, for wife
and children and the delicious game far down southward
seized the young hunters so strongly that they could see only
death and destruction in all their desperate push northwards.
They had not spoken much about it ; but Odaq thought they
looked so strangely at each other ; and it struck him that none
of them dared to mention land any more. He could bear it
no longer, and went into the snow-hut where Peary lay sleep-
ing. "I have come to speak to you for my comrades' sake,"
he said, "for further progress now would mean death for all of
8
THE WHALERS' FLEET, 1818
THE SAILING SHIPS BREAKING through THE [CK AT THE TIME OF JOHM BOSS
I
RETURNING KR01I WALRUS HUNTING, THULE
LIFE AND HISTORY OF THE ESKIMOS
us, and I know that you will not turn. Send my comrades ,
back ; with the aid of the compass they will be able to find land,
and I will go on with you so that you may not die alone."
And Odaq continued :
" Then Peary looked at me with such strange sadness, and it
seemed to me that for the first time in all the days I had travelled
with him his stern eyes looked kind ; and he gave me a slap on
the shoulder to signify that he understood me, and answered : ' I
am glad, Odaq, for what you have said ; but it is not necessary.
To-morrow we will turn. You see, Odaq, neither have I any
desire to die now, for another time I shall reach the goal which
I must now give up.' "
This little incident seems to me to characterize equally well i
Peary and the young bear-hunter, who was not afraid to sacri-
fice his life for his master's kingly aspirations.
Otherwise the tales one hears are not entirely of a serious
nature, and nothing has been more entertaining to me during
the many days of bad weather, both in winter and summer, than
sitting listening to the Eskimos' tales of privation and danger,
tales which now, when gone through in memory, always end in
sheer fun.
" Oh, well, that was when we were forced to eat our dogs
raw, far from land, right out on the ice, while our enormous
stores of meat were rotting at home in our camps." Little
finishing remarks like these contain all their wanton self-
mockery ; for to an Eskimo it will always seem monstrously
funny that one can let oneself be coaxed into leaving land, and
go out into the cold pressure-ice of the Polar Sea, just for
the sake of hewing one's ways through it, with death hovering
above one in the enormous, white, lifeless desert.
It is very significant of the open-air spirit of the Eskimos,
and of the mind of the hunter and his obstinate ambition, that
a man who could look upon his suffering through a toilsome
voyage as something sensational, would immediately be made a
laughing-stock among his countrymen. When one has decided
on the hazards of a journey, one must take everything that
occurs like a man — that is, with a broad grin. I have even
9
GREENLAND BY THE POLAR SEA
heard old Eskimos tell of situations wherein they were in danger
of death, in such a manner that the audience knotted themselves
with laughter.
It may be that in this matter we highly civilized, cultured
beings meet a quality in the so-called primitive natives —
whom otherwise we honour with all our gracious superiority —
a mysterious and humorous contempt of death which almost
makes the ideas danger and death merge into one. For in-
stance, consider the way in which some families, which during
Peary's last expedition but one had remained behind near
the big lakes at the back of Fort Conger, managed to make their
way home all the distance down to the Cape York district.
The men, some with a team of two, some of three, dogs, with-
out provision for the journey, brought their wives and children
the hundred miles' long journey southward, first across the
Kennedy channel to the land, continually hunting for food like
beasts of prey as they travelled. Some of the women had new-
born babes in the bags on their back, others were in an advanced
stage of pregnancy, whilst others, again, gave birth to their
children as they travelled the toilsome, dangerous way, advanc-
ing foot by foot, pushing and pulling the sledges along down to
their homes. And they arrived quite unmoved by the fight for
existence, bubbling with merriment as never before, everyone
from the oldest down to the youngest babe strutting with health.
Anyone looking at the map will understand the magni-
ficence of this deed. The hunters' sagacity and the constitution
of the Eskimo race achieved in this undertaking one of their
most glorious triumphs ; it is a leaf out of the history of Polar
travelling which ought to be known by everyone, even by those
to whom the North Pole is only a name.
It was in the year 1907. At that time I came from Elles-
mere Land with two Eskimos, when outside Cape Inglefield
we ran across sledge tracks which we did not for a moment doubt
were due to the rearguard of Peary's great army of offence
against the North Pole. Their probable fate had been the sub-
ject of discussion among the tribe throughout the winter. We
were confronted by two tracks — one from a team of four dogs,
10
LIFE AND HISTORY OF THE ESKIMOS
the other from a team of two. And it was obvious that the
dogs must have been quite exhausted, for none of the travellers
had been able to ride on the sledges. We saw the tracks of
two men and two women ; and, between these, the tiny imprints
of children's feet — children of at most five or six years of age.
The tracks came from Humboldt's Glacier and pointed down-
ward to Etah.
" Look, the little ones have walked that long, long way,"
said one of the Eskimos when he saw the children's tracks.
"Our women bear strong children !" cried the other one,
examining the tracks as he ran.
We decided to turn at once and make for the camp at
Anoritoq, as there was a possibility of others being on the way
and in the vicinity. It was impossible to tell what these people
might have suffered and in what condition they might be. In
great excitement we reached our destination. No one was
there. Then we drove back again and on to Etah, and there at
last we found them : two families, Odaq with his wife, a little
son of five years, and a baby-in-arms ; Agpalinguaq with his
wife, a small daughter, and an almost new-born babe.
These Arctic travellers all looked like people who are return-
ing from a little pleasure trip, well fed and smilingly healthy.
The women and the little ones had just finished a walking tour
of a hundred miles, the mothers with their smallest children on
their backs, and all of them had for more than a month been a
prey to the cold and the sweeping blizzards out on the ice. And
if a blast is to be found anywhere in Greenland you will find it
by Humboldt's Glacier — a blast with a bite in it. Another
eight families were still on the way ; two sledges had dropped a
little behind the others, delayed because the women that
accompanied them gave birth to their children whilst travelling.
They told us in this manner, quietly and as a matter of fact,
without any attempt to be sensational.
But never in my life as an Arctic traveller have I felt smaller
than when faced by these child-bearing women, who with babes
at their breasts undertook journeys which might have cost many
a white man his life.
11
GREENLAND BY THE POLAR SEA
THE FIGHT FOR FOOD
The harsh conditions of nature which force the Eskimos into
an unending fight for existence, quickly teach him to take hold
of life with a practical grip — i.e., in order to live I must first of
all have food ! And as he finds himself in the happy position
that his form of livelihood — hunting — is also his supreme
passion, one is justified in saying that he leads a happy life,
content with the portion that fate has allotted to him. He is
born with the qualities necessary for the winning of his liveli-
hood, and the skill in handling the tools, which later on makes
a master of him, he acquires through play while he grows up.
On the day when he can measure his strength with that of the
men, he takes a wife and enters the ranks of the hunters.
The sledge and the kayak now become the main factors on
which his subsistence depends. But whereas the sledge is used
for all kinds of hunting during the ten months of the year, the
severity of the climate makes the use of the kayak possible only
during a very short period ; for the summer only lasts from the
end of July until the first days of September.
As a rower of the kayak the Polar Eskimo cannot compete
with his kinsman from South Greenland. His kayak is large
and clumsy, and cannot stand a rough sea, for in its equipment
it lacks both the half -jacket and the whole-jacket which covers
the manhole ; it is therefore unable to set out in all kinds of
weather without danger of foundering.
The ocean is, however, generally full of ice-floes which
calm the waves, and there is not very often a chance of rowing
in a high sea.
The chief weapon of the kayak is the harpoon with its line
and bladder. What the craft lacks in seaworthiness is com-
pensated for by the astounding skill with which the Polar
Eskimo gets near to his prey, so that with ease and without the
aid of a throwing-stick he harpoons his prey at quite close range.
The animals hunted from a kayak are walrus, narwhal, white-
whale, bearded-seal (Phoca barbata), and ordinary fjord-seal.
12
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Achtii* Friia
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TOBIAS GABRIELSEN
SIMON, TUE OLD BBAR-HUNTBR
AN OLD WANDERER FR'iM MELVILLE BAY
4'. A. Mueller
ESKIMO BOY FROM Ul'EKNIVIK
LIFE AND HISTORY OF THE ESKIMOS
Besides hunting on the sea, there is also extensive bird-
hunting. The whole coast, from Cape Melville up to Etah, is
with very rare intervals the breeding-ground of millions of Sea-
kings, which herd together in such great numbers that they are
easily caught in ketches from hiding-places between the stones.
The Sea-kings are small birds of the auk family, about the
size of a starling ; they generally live on mountains which go
right out into the sea, and here they gather like an enormous
floating raft, diving and tumbling after having made those little
trips which provide them with food. Their breeding-places lie
on the even slope of the mountains, where they make all stone-
heaps alive. They sit in close flocks, covering the stones, and
their tuneful chirping and merry whistling merge into one
mighty tone which makes the whole landscape resound. And
when all these flocks do occasionally lift and shoot up into the
air, they sweep over land and sea like a tempest.
This little bird plays an important part in the household
economy of the Eskimos, as everybody with a little energy can
collect here a winter-store which will last all through the Polar
night ; and the soft little skins can be made into underclothing
which, worn next to the skin, is warm and comfortable.
Besides the Sea-kings mountains there are three big auk-
mountains — two by Parker Snow Bay and one by Saunders
Island. Great flocks of auks, gulls, black guillemots, and
fulmars hover round the shelves of the steep fells, and the meaty
auk particularly is caught here by the hundreds in ketchers and
put away for the dark period (October 1 to February 1).
Finally, in certain districts, the eider-duck gives its welcome
contribution to the household stores of summer and autumn.
The great abundance of Sea-kings mentioned above is also
put to good account in other ways, as these birds attract many
blue foxes which find their food on the breeding-ground, not
merely in summer but during a great part of the winter as well ;
for the wise fox thinks not only of to-day : he also collects his
store for the winter, especially during the egg-laying season and
before the young are able to fly. During visits to the moun-
tains it is not unusual to see a fox coming along very carefully
18
GREENLAND BY THE POLAR SEA
with eggs in his mouth, and by following him one may discover
quite considerable depots covered with moss and turf.
These foxes were previously caught in native traps, of which
several different types existed ; but now they are caught in
American steel traps.
After this survey of the chances which the summer offers,
I will give a corresponding summary of the winter's hunting.
Already by the end of September the ice lies on fjord and
bay, and in October hunting on the ice begins. If the ice lies
shiny and uncovered by snow for a period, a rich hunt of seals
takes place. The hunter ties a piece of bear-skin under his feet
and moves along the ice quite noiselessly, occasionally stopping
to listen, for in his approach to the seals he depends solely upon
his sense of sound. When the seals come up to breathe through
the holes in the ice, they blow so loudly that they can be heard
a considerable distance. The hunter now moves towards the
sound, taking great care to move only when the seal breathes.
When it ceases he also stops, as otherwise it would hear him.
The seal as a rule remains by its breathing-hole for some time in
order to store as much air as possible in its lungs before diving
into the deeps again, and thus, by taking advantage of the seal's
respiration, the hunter is enabled to get right up to the hole.
He then harpoons it with the greatest skill through an orifice
which is so small that it barely allows the harpoon to pass
through. It is obvious that the aim must be a sure one. But
the senses of the Eskimo are so keen that even at night he is
able to spot his prey and kill it by moonlight.
This way of catching the fjord-seal and the bearded-seal
yields not only a rich catch in a short time, but is also con-
sidered the most amusing of all branches of hunting-sport.
In several places walrus is caught on the new ice, and in this
case it does not matter whether snow has fallen, as these big
animals are not so sensitive as the seals.
In November the ice between Saunders and Westenholme
islands is so thin as to allow the walrus to shove its skull through
it when, during its meal of mussels, it wants to breathe. The
Eskimos then sneak towards it while it breathes, and no sooner
14
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LIFE AND HISTORY OF THE ESKIMOS
is it harpooned than the line with lightning speed is fixed in the
ice ; the walrus is now tethered, and being therefore forced to
return to the same breathing-hole every time it draws a breath,
it is killed with lances.
In the autumn the walrus is fat and meaty, and the yield of
the catch therefore goes much farther than that of the little
seals. And this has its importance in a household where prac-
tically every means of finding a livelihood must be abandoned
for the better part of the winter, and where must be fed not
only the people, but also the sledge-dogs, of which a single man
may possess over a score.
The type of hunting which the Eskimo values above all
others, however, is the bear-hunt. I put once the following
question to an elderly man :
" Tell me what you consider the greatest happiness of your
life."
And he replied :
" To run across fresh bear-tracks and be ahead of all other
sledges."
Scarcely has the sun and the light returned when all men,
who possess meat enough to leave their wives and children alone
at home, go out bear-hunting, often for months, defying cold
and all sorts of weather, welcoming snowdrifts as their camps.
The southern borders of these bear-hunts stretch right down to
Cape Holm, while northward Humboldt's Glacier is often
passed. Finally, many of them cross over Smith Sound from
Anoritoq to Pirn Island, and follow the coast of Ellesmere
Land almost as far down as Jones Sound. One has seen on
these bear-hunts old men with white hair, men who during their
life of hunting good and bad have experienced everything nature
could offer them, hunters who have long ago forgotten the tally
of their deeds ; and young men, half -grown lads — all of them
go crazy with the hunting-fever as soon as there is a chance of
challenging the white king of the Polar waste. And for one
single harpoon duel all the resultless and evil toil which pre-
ceded this supreme moment is forgotten.
The track of a bear, and far in the distance a small yellow
1.5
GREENLAND BY THE POLAR SEA
blot on the whiteness ; and then the good bear-dogs which fly
across the ice like a tempest, out-distancing all the rest ! This
is one of the culminating points in life which every young Polar
Eskimo dreams about.
From May until the middle of July is the period during
which the seals crawl up on the ice to sun themselves and laze
about in spring drowsiness. Then the Eskimos creep up close
and harpoon them before they can pull themselves sufficiently
together to wake up and slide down under the ice through the
breathing-holes. If, however, it so happens that the sleep is
light and the animal wakes up, every hunter knows to such per-
fection the art of imitating the sounds and movements of the
seal that the animal imagines it sees a comrade lying there,
happy in the warmth, and brushing its coat on the snow. The
Eskimo continues his tricky advance, and the alarmed seal soon
lies down again, to continue the sleep from which it will never
awake.
Previously only harpoon and line were employed in this
work, but now the rifle, and the stalking-sail which has been
imported from the South of Greenland, are used. This stalk-
ing-sail consists of a cloth of white skirting, large enough to
cover a creeping man ; it is fixed to a small sledge which the
man, lying on his stomach, can push in front of him together
with the gun until he is within shooting distance.
The Utut-hunting, as they call the method described above,
gives the foundation for the very important winter-stores, which
during the dark period free them from cares.
Of the land game, the reindeer was of great importance
before the time of the Peary Expeditions, not only because of
their meat, but also for the sake of their skins. These were used
both for coats and for bedding. Unfortunately the surround-
ing land is not extensive, and the Eskimos had not for long been
possessors of American magazine-guns when the whole stock
was exterminated. At present one very rarely sees a reindeer.
Hares, on the contrary, are plentiful in some districts.
The flesh is considered a tit-bit, and the skins are indispensable
16
ESKIMOS DRINKING COFFEE IN OLD STYLE
QINGMINKGARFIK IN IXGLEHELD GULF FROM WHERE. ACCORDING To HIE l.sKIMos.
ALL WHITE MEN ORIGINATE
LIFE AND HISTORY OF THE ESKIMOS
as stocking-skins. They are easily hunted both with gun and
snare.
An animal which does not exist inside the Polar Eskimo's
own territory, but which, nevertheless, within the latter years
has played an important part, is the musk-ox. Everywhere
along the stretches from Humboldt's Glacier down to the quite-
narrow strips of land among the mountains of Cape York, one
finds their bones, but no person now living can give any
information about the time when the last musk-ox here was
slain.
As long as there were sufficient reindeer the skin of the
musk-ox was rejected for bedding, being awkward to use and
difficult to keep clean because of the long hairs ; even now bear-
skins are preferred, and are looked upon as the finest, most
durable, and most convenient. Unfortunately, everybody is
not a great bear-hunter, so that the musk-ox is on the point of
being considered entirely acceptable.
Every year in April and May great hunting expeditions for
musk-ox are arranged, preferably through Ellesmere Landl
to Heiberg Land. These expeditions often last for a couplet
of months, as the Eskimos camp on the killing-grounds in
order to dry the skins. As there is an average of a score of
hunters each season, it would scarcely be too high to estimate
that about three hundred musk-oxen yearly must bite the dust.
It is deplorable that the Eskimo's lack of sense for limitation
threatens this big game with extinction ; but the danger is not
an immediate one, as certain flocks in these regions number
upwards of two hundred animals, which make a big mountain
look quite alive — an impressive sight never to-be forgotten by
one who has seen it.
WOMEN AND CLOTHES
The Polar Eskimo begins and ends his life travelling.
Already as a new-born babe he follows in the bag on his
mother's back ; nobody considers the time of the year, and
oft-times the whimpering child is transported across wild
glaciers in darkness and cold, ending the toilsome day in a
B 17
GREENLAND BY THE POLAR SEA
cold, newly erected hut of snow. No wonder that he, or she,
frequently becomes crooked with rheumatism at an early age
and has to give up. This rheumatism is a legacy of all those
days spent in snowdrifts during sudden blizzards, and
serves as a reminder of the many times when he was taken
unawares by storms during the hunting of reindeer and birds,
and for weeks had to put up with a damp and clammy cave in
the mountain.
Against this background, it is easy to understand that
nobody has paid so much attention as have these people to
the convenience of clothing. The climate of their country
demands it, and it is an absolute condition that the hunter must
be clothed fittingly. So the task of the woman is to make and
mend the man's clothes, no less than it is to get the daily food.
It is not without reason that the Polar Eskimo says that a man,
as hunter, is what his wife makes of him. But the wife also
knows how highly her part is valued by the man, and no praise
is more nattering to her than admiration of her work. As luck
will have it, she also has at her disposal the animals which yield
the warmest fur from which to make her clothes. Next to the
skin is worn a light and soft shirt, made out of birds' skins, the
feathers turned inwards ; on top of this a coat of sealskin, with
the hairs turned out, is worn during spring, summer, and
autumn ; in winter-time this so-called Netseq is exchanged for
a coat of blue fox, also with the hairs turned out ; and certainly
this is the lightest and warmest costume in existence. For
trousers the men use bear-skins — a kind of knickerbockers that
reach just below the knees. Out of beautiful white frost-
bleached sealskins without hairs they make boots and line them
with hare-skin. For long sledge journeys they also use long-
haired boots made from the skin of the forelegs of the bear, or
from the leg-skins of the reindeer. A woman's costume is not
much different from a man's. The chief difference consists
in the trousers being shorter than the man's and made out of
foxes' skin ; the boots are almost as long as the legs. The
difference in coats is only marked by a variation in pattern, or
by the way in which skins of different hues are put together.
18
ARNANGTJAQ
ESKIMO RETURNING TO HARUOCR
/'
'■-
\
„ , ** • -
SKETCHES BY QUJAKITSTJNGUAQ
Walrus Reindeer Musk-Ox
Hare Bear
Gull Raven
Sea King Swimming Bear
Flocks of Musk-Ox in the mountains
LIFE AND HISTORY OF THE ESKIMOS
The fox furs are seldom brought into the house, but are kept
outside in a small stone cave. Thus the somewhat delicate
skins are not exposed to the frequent changes in temperature,
which would rapidly ruin them. The house-dress worn in the
very warm houses and tents is reduced to boots and trousers,
the upper part of the body being naked — a negligee costume
free of all coquetry, as up in the bunk often twenty degrees
(Cent.) of warmth is registered, whilst on the floor you will
find Zero or a few degrees of frost.
HOUSES AND TENTS
In winter the habitations consist of little houses, built of
large flat stones and with domed roofs which, with great archi-
tectural cunning, are built so that the stones carry themselves
without support. The houses as a rule are only planned for
one family. A low and very long passage serves as entrance,
and through this one creeps into the living-room itself, entering
from below through a narrow opening. In spite of the
primitive arrangement and the cramped space, the impression
given by these huts is often one of extraordinary cosiness, the
walls being covered with light-coloured sealskins. The stone
sleeping-bench, which occupies the better part of the room, is
always covered with a thick layer of fragrant hay, and on top
of this a rug of bear-skin or reindeer. Light and warmth are
supplied by two or three train-oil lamps, made out of the same-
kind of stone as that which forms the walls ; with their long
wicks of moss these lamps generate a heat fitting to the Adam's
costume which is the house-dress. The bench is seldom larger
than to allow four people to sit next to each other, and the roof
is so low that one can rarely stand erect. Right opposite to
the entrance there is a window of gut skins stitched
together. In the middle of this window there is always a small,
round peep-hole. In the roof there is another hole, called the
" nose " of the house, through which the bad air is carried
away.
Beside the permanent stone winter-house, there is also a
19
GREENLAND BY THE POLAR SEA
snow -house. The big blocks of snow which constitute the
material of this house are cut out of the hard drifts of snow
with long knives. These snow-houses are built with great in-
genuity. The inside arrangement corresponds to that of the
stone houses, skins covering walls and roof. No block-house
in the world can compete with a well-built snow-house as
regards warmth.
The short summer is the time of the bracing life in the
tents ; here also we meet with the roomy stone bench which,
with all its paraphernalia, makes a delicious resting-place for
the night. The skin tents consist of two layers of sealskins on
top of each other ; they can therefore with ease resist the rain
under all conditions. Here also are burning blubber lamps
which give to the tent such a temperature that one can live in
it until, by the end of September, winter supersedes autumn.
PLACES OF HABITATION WHICH ARE CHRISTENED
BY THE WIND
The permanent camps reach from Cape Seddon in Mel-
ville Bay right up to Humboldt's Glacier. As the tribe
consists of so few individuals, there is plenty of elbow room for
the hunters, and at the same time the game is given an excellent
chance of renewal and breeding. For this little handful of
hunters is distributed over a stretch of 800 kilometres.
The Polar Eskimos themselves classify their places of
habitation according to the wind in the following districts :
Nigerdlit : Those who live nearest to the south-west
wind.
Akunarmiut : Those who live between the winds.
Orqordlit : Those who live in the lee of the south-west
wind.
Avangnardlit : Those who live next to the north wind.
By Nigeq they do not mean merely the south-west wind
itself. Here is included also the mild Fohn-w'md, which comes
20
'J —
HAKl'OoMNG A WALRUS FKOll A KAYAK
ESKIMOS GOING OUT ON TUE NEW ICE TO BUNT WALRUS
> -.
HARl-ooNING WALRUS
WALRUS BEING PULLED HP BY TUE AID OK PRIMITIVE TACKLE INVENTED HY THE ESKIMOS
Skrtdui 6> A
c ^
}
^^^Jta^^
^^-\\\\\\\\\
t*i
~ >
LIFE AND HISTORY OF THE ESKIMOS
from the inland-ice with great suddenness and in an instant
produces a positive temperature in the middle of the coldest
winter. I will give an example :
Once, at the end of January, after a journey across Melville
Bay, we drove in a party of twenty sledges along the land south
of the Petowik Glacier on our way to Thule. The weather was
good, and as the day's journey consequently had been a very
long one, I felt somewhat tired and stretched myself on the
sledge to take a little nap, whilst a boy who accompanied me
drove the dogs. Just before my eyes closed I noticed a swirl
above some doughs near the inland-ice, but as there were no
other signs of bad weather on the sky, none of us paid any
particular attention to it.
My doze could not have lasted more than five minutes when
I was awakened in the most brutal manner, being, as by a
mighty grip, lifted up from the sledge and flung out on the ice.
I received so violent a blow in the back that I was unable to get
up for a moment, but when at last I succeeded in rising to my
knees, I saw that all the many sledges which a moment ago
had driven in a long string one behind the other, were swept
together into one huge pile, like wooden shavings blown to-
gether by a breath of wind. With such suddenness and force
the Fd/m-wind had sent out its first squalls as forerunners of
the storm which was coming. As it was quite impossible to
stand upright, not to mention driving, we let ourselves be blown
up on land with sledges and dogs, until we found some little
shelter in a clough by a broad tongue of ice where the sledges
could be anchored and the dogs tethered. Hardly was this done
when the Fohn, with the roar of a hurricane, swept down upon
us from the mountains and the inland-ice and made us suspect
that the world itself was going under. It pressed its enormous
weight down on the thick winter ice with such violence that the
waves immediately burst up through the belt of the tidal waters.
Half an hour later we saw through the darkness huge fissures in
the ice, frothing white, and a few hours after the outbreak there
was open sea where shortly before we had driven our sledges.
Altogether, one can understand the important role played
21
GREENLAND BY THE POLAR SEA
by the wind in the lives of a hunting people whose subsistence
depends entirely upon the sea.
The south-west wind decides the fate of the summer ; for if
it blows too frequently Melville Bay and all the north-west
coast is filled with pack-ice, which gives rise to raw weather and
poor hunting. The only beneficent act performed by this wind
is in the autumn, when it not only makes the ice settle early,
but also carries a lot of ice-bears on flakes from Baffin Bay in
towards the land.
All camps from Cape York southward range under
Nigerdlit. The mainstay in these places is the seal, but first
of all it is the many bears in Melville Bay which lure people
up here.
The Cape York district has no real summer ; if now and then
one crosses a glacier, winter hunting is possible all through the
twelve months of the year. The scarcity of open water is
responsible for poor hunting with kayaks and small winter-
stores. The little Sea-kings are therefore a boon ; and they
are found in millions in the mountains hereabout. For the
winter-store they are preserved in a peculiar way. During
May and June they are pickled whole, feathers and all, in big,
newly-flayed sealskins stripped whole from the seal, so that only
a small opening remains near head and back flappers, and this
can easily be drawn together. As soon as this skin is filled it is
covered securely with stones so that the rays of the sun cannot
reach it, as this would give the meat a bitter taste. The birds
now slightly decay, and at the same time the blubber from the
skin permeates the flesh. This dish, which is looked upon as an
extraordinarily delicate morsel, is offered to all guests during
winter as the best thing one can give to friends.
Even if there is some lack of meat here, there are other
things which, according to the opinion of the inhabitants of the
south-west, make this district preferable.
There is an abundance of blue fox, so that the people here,
besides being able to procure pelts to excess, also have many
"sale-foxes " for disposal. Then there are the bear-skins, which
give warm trousers and lovely rugs for the bunks, and bring in
22
w
Drawn by Q<ii'<jui8ianguaq
SEAL BEING HARPOONED AS IT COMES UP TO ITS BREATHING-HOLE
<a3>
twss*""*''
<4
0&*
-<
KILLED MUSK-OXEN BEING SKINNED : TO THE LEFT SLEDGE WITH DOGS
POLAR ESKIMOS DRESSED IN FOX FUR COATS
LIFE AND HISTORY OF THE ESKIMOS
some cash as well. The inhabitants glory in exciting hunting
experiences all the year round, and to meet a Cape Yorker is
nearly always to he counted as an adventure.
All this imparts to them a certain nimbus ; but people from
the sheltered side, who do not wish to seem inferior, will as a
rule only admit that the Cape Yorkers may have the best clothes
and the warmest bunk-rugs in all the district, "but," they
add, ''their houses are cold, for they have only seal-blubber to
put into their lamps ; their dogs are lean and have ugly pelts
because they are not fed on the meat of the walrus and nar-
whal ; and finally, in spite of all their cleverness, they are very
fond of coming up to our well-filled meat stores to feed up their
dogs, and themselves eat their fill in Mataq when, during the
dark period, short commons is the order of the day."
Akunarmiut comprises the district round the present Thule.
The chief means of livelihood here is the hunting of walrus, but
seals and narwhals as well are killed in abundance.
It is of the utmost importance for subsistence here that
the ice between Saunders Island and Dalrymple Rock settles
evenly in the end of October and the beginning of November ;
for then the walrus remain for a long period by their breathing-
holes, which they break with their skulls.
This hunting season is a beautiful and exciting time, with
races from morning till night. The point is to be the first one
with the sledge on the hunting-grounds, wherefore one may
see, early in the morning, or rather in the night, one sledge
after another shoot across the ice like a swift bird flying out into
darkness. It would not do to make up large parties, as this
gives small shares of the catch, so one spreads out as much as
possible ; and in the white darkness are discerned the contours
of many fur-clad hunters distributed along the ice, with harpoon
and line under their arms ready to take their chances. When
a walrus has been harpooned, one sees the many bear-trousered,
faun-like figures rushing up, joyful in the capture, to take their
share in the division of the catch. The heavy animal is pulled
up on the ice without difficulty by the aid of primitive tackle
fixed in the ice.
23
GREENLAND BY THE POLAR SEA
Unfortunately this hunting of walrus often fails, and this
district is therefore not reckoned as a good food-provider.
Orqordlit, or the lee-side inhabitants, encompass the whole
district around the great Inglefield Gulf. Many camps are to
be found here, where the hunting conditions everywhere are so
brilliant that meat is always to be had in superfluity. In the
mouth of the fjord there is an excellent run of walrus all through
the summer, on the new ice in the autumn, and during the light
time in March. When frozen sea, after being opened by a
storm, freezes again, hunting like that described above takes
place here.
Besides walrus, there is also a large and persistent shoaling
of narwhal and white-whale, which are hunted from kayaks.
These large, meaty animals provide substantial winter depots
for the lee-side inhabitants.
The rich blubber from narwhal and white-whale yields, as
is well known, far more light and warmth than that from seal
and walrus, and these districts are justified in boasting of the
fact that they possess the largest and warmest houses. Their
kennels are abundantly stocked, and the dogs are fat with shiny
coats. Foxes, however, are scarce in some districts, and the
Sea-king is only to be found near Kiatak, Igdluluarssuit, and
Neqe. But the climate during the autumn is far drier here than
farther southward, and one can practically always reckon on a
long ice-hunting period which goes to swell the meat stores still
further.
The only thing really scarce is bear-skin, which is rightly
considered indispensable. Without warm bear-skin trousers it
would be impossible to undertake long journeys in winter-time,
and where there is no bear-hunting there will be no proper
bunk-rugs to lie on either. The hunters on the windward side
therefore characterize the lee-side inhabitants, with some
malice, as kitchen-hunters who, in spite of their wealth of meat
and their fat dogs, have to trade for bear-skin with the real
hunters.
Avangnardlit, or those who live next to the north wind,
includes the camps of Etah and Anoritoq. The conditions at
24
A— Sleeping-bench.
B— Side-bench for meat.
' Stone !.nii|>s.
1' l-'lait ■■.lime Hour.
'■ Cnsidi il stones
I'' ' 'oteide foundation stone:
G — Turf.
H Space above bench.
°^X
co~:oc^
I — Entrance.
J — Box of meat.
K — Woman knife.
h — Gnt-akin window.
M — Cooking pan.
O— Air hole.
P— Drying shelves.
R— Space beneath the bench
polar Eskimos' house
A,
>
ASARPAKA
K IOSSALUK
BEARDED SEAL
(Phoca barbata)
KILLED NARWHAL
LIFE AND HISTORY OF THE ESKIMOS
Etah are excellent for walrus hunting, and at the same time
this spot is one huge singing mountain where the Sea-kings
live. These are not to be found by Anoritoq, but as compensa-
tion there are there, besides walrus, excellent drives of nar-
whal. Wherever these are killed they put their stamp on the
indoor life of the winter. In both places there is excellent bear-
hunting to the north and west, and conditions of life here
correspond in every way to those in the south-west. There is
wind in abundance, not from the south-west, but from north
and north-east, and it often blows with enormous violence.
Contrary to the south-west wind, however, it sweeps the coast
clean of snow, and is therefore the wind one especially hopes
for at the time when the ships are expected.
A WANDERING PEOPLE
We have now dealt with camps within the district, but one
must not regard the Polar Eskimos as fixed settlers, for in all
the world one can scarcely find a people who lead a more
nomadic life. The stone houses built by ancestors long for-
gotten merely stand along the coast ; for, as the material is
stone, the tooth of time does not tear them. It requires only
a minor reparation before a stranger may move into such a
house when it has been aired all through spring and summer.
No Polar Eskimo will live for more than a year or two in
one place ; then his longing to get into new conditions and to
hunt on new ground awakes. With every spring comes the
wander-lust, and when Nature itself shakes the yoke of winter
from its shoulders the desire arises to strike camp and follow
the many birds of migration which herald summer's arrival.
The removal is in reality nothing but a change of houses on
a grand scale. Just as nobody owns the seal in the sea and the
reindeer on land, so it follows that nobody has a right to possess
a house. When Pualuna moves out of it to seek another place
it is no longer his, and if Maja chooses this place of abode he
may quite calmly move in.
All the excitement that accompanies the decision that must
25
GREENLAND BY THE POLAR SEA
be taken nearly every spring as to where one intends to hunt
the following winter, and all the merry moods of camp-striking
which seize on everybody, find their expression in a shout of
liberation resounding through the whole country which, for
many months, has been bound in cold and darkness.
It generally happens that those who live on the south-west
side, or nearest to the north wind, move to the lee-side camps
to spend a couple of years in abundance, in peace and quietness
acquiring new dogs. Many a confirmed lee-side inhabitant will
go northward or southward in order to find bunk-rugs and
blazing white bear trousers. Thus these peoples' lives are based
on an ingenious training for the finding of a means of livelihood,
a training so well adapted to meet the demands of their harsh
country that the civilization built upon it makes of the Polar
Eskimos the most care-free people in the world. Nowhere else
can one live, as one does here, in such a state of practical and
simple communism which gives equal rights and equal chances
to everybody. One has tried to counter-balance even the fickle-
ness of fortune by dividing all the larger animals into pieces
which are distributed to everybody who, during the hunt, has
not had the luck to be the first to harpoon, say, a narwhal.
By this distributive arrangement every hunter is entitled to
meat if only he will keep in the vicinity of the one who kills the
quarry. This seems to be the result of humane sentiments
developed during the fight for existence against niggard
Nature.
There is yet another point. Men are not all born equally
strong and supple, and it is generally only a select few who are
able to avail themselves of the chance to throw the first harpoon
into an unwounded animal. But if once the animal has got the
huge bladder with its heavy trailer dragging behind it through
the water, even the mediocre hunter can take part in the kill.
It is for this work that he receives his just and generous part of
the booty. For the maintaining of one's position as a bread-
winner in this community one thing only is required — this is
industriousness. The lazy man who will not take up his share
of the work must go his own way.
26
LIFE AND HISTORY OF THE ESKIMOS
Is it possible in any community to get closer to the ideal
than this, that the only reason for poverty is laziness?
The Eskimos thus live merrily together, treating their
women and children kindly ; and the families are bound to
each other with bonds of affection, often manifested in a
striking manner.
PRIMITIVE VIEWS OF LIFE
It would not be possible to finish even the shortest sketch
of the Polar Eskimos without briefly mentioning their peculiar
and primitive views of life.
The Polar Eskimos do not believe in a God to whom one
must pray, but they have as a foundation for their religious
ideas a series of epic myths and traditional conventions, which
are considered an inheritance from the very oldest time. In
these their ancestors laid down all their wealth of experience,
so that those who came after might not make the same mistakes
and harbour the same erroneous notions as did they themselves.
The myths, which are handed down from generation to
generation by the oldest to the youngest within the community,
are to be looked upon as the saga of the Inuit people. These
myths are partly simple narratives, partly a warning against
those who will not submit to the demands of tradition, and for
the rest they are tales of heroes who in every possible danger
acquitted themselves in such a way that they are held up as
glorious examples for coming generations.
Osarqaq, a wise and intelligent man, once defined to me
their own conception in the following words: "Our tales are
narratives of human experience, and therefore they do not
always tell of beautiful things. But one cannot both embellish
a tale to please the hearer and at the same time keep to the
truth. The tongue should be the echo of that which must be
told, and it cannot be adapted according to the moods and the
tastes of man. The word of the new-born is not to be trusted,
but the experiences of the ancients contain truth. Therefore,
when we tell our myths, we do not speak for ourselves ; it is the
wisdom of the fathers which speaks through us."
27
GREENLAND BY THE POLAR SEA
As an example of these myths, I will recount one which
relates of " the time long, long ago when man was created."
With its grotesque forcefulness and deep originality it serves
as a good example of Eskimo imagination. I translate it here
as literally as possible from the dictation of an old Eskimo
woman called Arnaruluk.
' ' Our ancestors often spoke about the creation of earth and
man in the time of long, long ago. They did not understand
how to hide words in written signs like you do ; they could only
speak, the men that lived before us. They spoke about many
things, and therefore we are not ignorant in these matters which
we have heard mentioned time after time ever since we were
little ones.
" Old women do not carelessly waste words, therefore we
believe them. Age does not tell lies.
" At that time, long, long ago, when earth was to be, it
fell down from above ; soil, mountains, and stones fell from the
sky. Thus earth was.
" After earth was created came men. It is told that men
came from the soil. Little children came out of the earth ; they
came forth between willows, covered with willow leaves. And
they lay sprawling between the dwarf bushes with closed eyes,
for they could not even crawl. The soil gave them their food.
"It is next told about a man and a woman. The woman
makes children's clothes and wanders over the soil, where she
finds little children ; and she dresses them and brings them
home.
" Thus two became many.
"And when they were many they wanted dogs. And a
man went out with a dog's harness in his hand, stamping the
ground whilst he called "Hok — hok, hok!' Then the dogs
poured forth from mounds, tiny mounds ; and they shook them-
selves, for they were full of sand. Thus man got his dogs.
" But the men increased, they became more and more.
They did not know death that time long, long ago ; and they
grew very old. At last they could walk no longer ; they grew
blind and had to lie down.
28
WALEUS HREAKINU THE SURFACE OF THE SEA
LIFE AND HISTORY OF THE ESKIMOS
"Neither did they know the sun; they lived in darkness;
day never dawned. Only in the houses had they light. They
burned water in their lamps, for at that time water could burn.
But the people who did not understand how to die became far
too many ; they overcrowded the earth — and then a mighty
flood came. Many were drowned, and there were thus fewer
people. On high mountain-tops where often we find mussels
we see the traces of this flood.
" Now the people were fewer two old women began to talk.
' Let us be without day,' one of them said, ' if at the same time
we may be without death ! ' I think she was afraid of death.
" 'No,' said the other one, 'we will have both light and
death.' And as the old woman had spoken these words so it
came to pass.
" Light came, and joy and death.
"It is told that when the first man died the corpse was
covered with stones. But the corpse returned — it did not
understand quite how to die. It put its head up from the
stones, wanting to get up. But an old woman pushed it back
again.
"'We have sufficient to drag and our sledges are small,'
she said.
' ' For they were on the point of breaking camp to go
hunting. So the dead man had to return to his mound of
stones.
"Now, when the people had light they were able to go out
hunting, and were no longer forced to eat from the soil. And
with death came the sun, the moon, and the stars.
" For when the people die they rise to the sky and become
radiant."
The rules, which played an important part before the time
of the mission, can be compared to a collection of unwritten
laws which tell men what, under certain conditions, they must
observe and conform to. As with most primitive peoples, these
rules relate especially to birth and death.
All these rules of life, which, perhaps, seem unreasonable
29
GREENLAND BY THE POLAR SEA
and childish to us, were maintained with much authority by
the necromancers. These correspond to the medicine-men of
other primitive peoples ; they are in a position to act as middle-
men between man and the powers that meddle with life. This
they are able to do because they have knowledge of and inti-
macies with things which are hidden from ordinary mortals.
Therefore, it is not everybody who may be a necromancer, for
it is not everybody whom the spirits will serve. A man must
have a vocation, and very special abilities are required, which
are developed in the great loneliness of the mountains far away
from people. Nature is imagined to be full of invisible beings
with supernatural powers and abilities, the so-called Tornarssuit.
But the necromancers have the power to subject these beings
to their will to such an extent that they can employ them as
"ministering spirits," which are invoked under the observance
of secret ceremonies, preferably with extinguished lamps and to
the accompaniment of a weird and gripping ghostly chant.
These necromancers are not frauds and charlatans, as one
has so often been disposed to presume, but as children of their
day they themselves have implicit faith in the seriousness of
their mission. Their significance is based on the fact that the
primitive religion lacks the worship of a deity ; thus the weak
and timid find a refuge with the one who understands how to
master the mystic forces of Nature, forces easily offended and
dangerous in wrath.
The following may serve as an example of the rules :
Those who have been engaged in burying the dead must
keep quiet within their houses and tents for five days. During
this period they must not prepare their own food or divide up
the cooked meat. They must not take off their clothes during
the night or push back from their heads the fur hoods. When
the five days have elapsed they must carefully wash hands and
body to rid themselves from the uncleanness which they have
contracted from the dead. The Eskimos themselves give the
following explanation of the reason for observing this rule :
" We are afraid of the big evil power which strikes down
men with disease and other misfortunes. Men must do penitence
30
THE BKAUTIFUL ISIGAITSOQ
ESKIMO 1»>\
ESKIMO OIBL
/
IXUTEQ
AJORSSALIK
KALE S GKAVE
LIFE AND HISTORY OF THE ESKIMOS
because in the dead the sap is strong, and their power is without
limit. We believe that, it' we paid no attention to thai over
which we ourselves are not masters, huge avalanches of stones
would come down and crush us, that enormous snowstorms
would spring up to destroy us, and that the ocean would rise in
huge waves whilst we were in our kayaks far out at sea." But
one may also acquire additional strength through one's life and
increased powers to resist danger, with good fortune in all
matters of chance, by using amulets and magic formula'.
The amulet is a protector against danger, and imparts to its
owner certain qualities ; under certain conditions it may even
change him from man into the animal from which the substance
of his amulet is derived. An amulet of a bear which was not
slain by human hands renders the owner immune from wounds ;
a part of a falcon gives certainty in the kill ; the raven makes
one content with little ; the fox imparts cunning. Often the
Eskimos wear a Poroq of a stone from a fireplace, because this
has been stronger than the fire ; or they smear an old man's
spittle round a child's mouth, or put some of his lice into a
child's head, thus transferring the vital force of the old one to
the young.
The magic formulae are "old words, the inheritance of
ancient time when the sap of man was strong and the tongues
were powerful." They may also consist of apparently meaning-
less connected words dreamed by old men. They are handed
down from generation to generation, and the single individual
looks upon them as invaluable treasures which one must not
give away until death draws near. They are impossible to
translate, and would therefore be difficult to recount in this
short summary, which merely purports to give what is abso-
lutely necessary for the understanding of these strange people
who will so often be mentioned in the following narrative.
Of the religious traditions of the Polar Eskimos I may
mention, furthermore, that man is divided into a sold, a body,
and a name.
The soul, which is immortal, exists outside the man and
follows him as shadow follows sunshine. It is a spirit which
31
GREENLAND BY THE POLAR SEA
looks exactly like a man. When the man is dead it rises to
heaven or goes down into the sea, where it foregathers with the
souls of the fathers. And both places are good to be in.
The body is the abode of the soul ; it is mortal, as all mis-
fortune and illness may strike it down. In death all that is evil
remains in the body, wherefore one must observe the greatest
care in dealing with the corpse.
The name also is a spirit to which a certain store of vital
power and skill is attached. A .man who is named after a
deceased one inherits his qualities.
I commenced this chapter by stating that the Polar Eskimo
does not know worship. Neither does he in the sense with
which we are familiar from other religions ; he is content to
bow down to the Great Unknown, and he is not afraid of
admitting that he knows nothing and that his belief is probably
wrong. The admission of his limitations and his complete
honesty are here, as on all other points, unfailing.
But even if worship is denied him through the simple religion
which was handed down to him from his forefathers, he is not a
stranger to devotion. And as I am writing this my thoughts
return to the many men and women out there whom in the
winter evenings I have seen quietly and silently wandering up
to the graves of their dead. Here they may remain hour after
hour in a mute devotion, which assuredly is no meaner expres-
sion of the feeling of human impotence than that which,
amongst more highly cultured peoples, manifests itself in prayer
and supplication.
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THULE STATION
A JOLLY EVENING AT THULE BEFORE BREAKING UP FOR THE JOURNEY
CHAPTER II
THE GREAT SLEDGE JOURNEY TO THE NORTH
COAST OF GREENLAND : FROM THULE
TO HUMBOLDT'S GLACIER
DEPARTURE FROM THULE
THE preparations for long journeys are made in a very
serious spirit ; but, as compensation, when the actual
start is made and leave is taken of the camp, the mood
changes to one of happy geniality, and one goes out to meet
one's fate and adventures filled with joyful expectation. And
thus it is now with us when at last the sledges are loaded and
the dogs stand harnessed by the side of the old Danviark. By
a strange coincidence, Mylius-Erichsen's old ship is to-day the
background for our departure.
April 6th, 1917. — In celebration of our departure we were
invited to breakfast on board, and the Eskimo members of the
expedition and their wives were included in the party. Captain
Hansen of the Danmark had done everything possible, and our
appetites did justice to the luxuries of the table.
But the fever of travel had seized on us and we had in mind
only the idea of getting away. Wulff and Koch had already
set off, and were one day ahead of us. It had been necessary
for me, after everything was clear, to spend the last night alone,
so that once more I might go over all the lists and memoranda
of those things which must not be forgotten. This, more than
anything else, requires the peace of solitude, for there js the
ever-present menace that if a single little thing is forgotten,
it is impossible to procure it when one is hundreds of miles away
from the depot, however urgently it may be needed. Probably
most leaders of an expedition spend the last night before the
C . 33
GREENLAND BY THE POLAR SEA
start without sleep. All the keener is the feeling of relief and
the appetite for work when at last everything is clear and ready
for the journey.
The impatient dogs lie on the ice awaiting the signal for
departure ; whimpering and barking they strain at the traces,
and a man is posted by each sledge so that no team may interfere
with the right succession of events by forging ahead before the
drivers are ready. Alas ! when they are no longer in the vicinity
of the permanent camp, where there is always plenty of blubbery
walrus-hide to be had, this exaggerated joy of life will soon
wane. This loud eagerness, this overflowing energy, will be
damped all too soon when day after day they are offered many
hours of monotonous toil on meagre rations. But to-day there
is no limit to their wild, youthful courage, which bubbles over
after the many days of rest and strong food. Everyone is in
festive mood.
The weather is glorious, with a high sun above the white
snow : the ice-mountains of the fjord gleam in the light and
the basalt of the mountains out towards Cape Parry flash in
merry colours.
The crew of the ship wander around examining with interest,
and with the eyes of experts, the securely-roped sledges. Now
and then they go out to stroke the dogs. The fuss of departure
amongst these many sledges and all the busy people reminds
one of the stir of a fair-ground.
When at length the start is made and the men have said
their last word to the women who must remain behind, each
man throws himself down on his sledge and races along the
fjord for the first modest kilometres towards the point which
we have set ourselves as the goal for the coming half-year. In
an hour the Dan mark is out of sight and the mount Umanaq,
where lies the camp, is outlined as a small cone far, far away in
the horizon behind us.
The dogs are in excellent condition and stretch out for dear
life, and though the loads are heavy we hum along. Driving
on the ice is easy, and the smooth iron runners of the sledges
sing across the frozen snow. We started about four in the
34
4
■
i
— Tk ^
THE DASMARK IN WINTER HARBOUR : THE SLEDGES OF THE EXPEDITION BEING
COLLECTED FOR THE START
A**^ w_
v.<
ONE OF THE SLEDGES NEAR ULUGSSAT
FROM Tlln.K To IRTMHOLDT GLACIER
FROM THULE TO HUMBOLDT'S GLACIER
afternoon and already by two o'clock in the morning we have
covered the first 94 miles to Netsilivik, where we meet our
comrades.
April 7th. — Netsilivik is a little camp consisting of three
houses, and it is only because of the big heart of the Eskimo
that it is possible for us all to get a roof over our heads. We
are fifteen men in each house, and for the first few hours every-
thing is sheer confusion. The dogs are tethered on the ice
outside. We make camp and cook a well-deserved cup of
coffee on the humming Primus, whilst the dogs are fed from
the abundant meat stores of Netsilivik.
A glance through the peep-holes of the small gut-skin
windows shows that our comrades and all their friends still lie
in the sweetest of slumbers. The heat in the overcrowded stone
house is scorching, and I therefore decide to pay a morning call
at Iterfiluk's house, which lies a quarter of an hour's walk away
from the others. Iterfiluk is a gossiping widow of fifty years
of age, and she is a great friend of mine. In the course of the
winter she has often been to Thule to make boots for the
members of the expedition, and she therefore receives me with
a shrill shout of welcome as I crawl through the passage into
the house ; I am only discovered at the very moment when I
crawl up on to her greasy stone floor. Her house also is filled
with travellers, and while her visitors are asleep she herself sits
stark naked by her lamp, like one of the holy virgins guarding
the lamp so that the precious light shall not be extinguished
during the night. For up here it is reckoned a great disgrace
if the guests of the house should wake up in the cold with the
lamps gone out.
According to the custom of the country I also must pull off
my clothes and press in between Iterfiluk and one of her friends,
the fat Kiajuk, who wears the same paradisaical costume as the
hostess. I sit chatting with her for a long time, until tiredness
and the atmosphere of the house rob me of all strength, so that
I, as all the other guests have done, droop down and slip into
unconsciousness.
However, we could only afford a few hours of sleep and then
35
GREENLAND BY THE POLAR SEA
we had to push on. For when one has many dogs requiring
food it is considered good manners to leave the camps early.
By noon of the same day we had started for the camp of
Ulugssat on Northumberland Island.
The camps in this district generally consist of from three
to five little stone houses ; consequently, when occasionally one
comes to a place with ten or twelve houses an impression of
crowdedness is created akin to that felt by the countryman when
he visits the capital. Up here we are so accustomed to expect
nothing out of the ordinary that an uncommonly large town
like this quite overwhelms us. Along the fronts of the houses
we see everywhere stagings built of snow-blocks, covered with
lovely fresh walrus meat, flaming red against the white snow.
The dogs of the camp were all tethered in a row, team
behind team, on the ice-foot, and they gave vent to savage yelps
at our arrival. According to the old traditions, which demand
of the visiting sledge parties a polite reserve, we all stopped on
the sea-ice, some distance from the ice-foot. On land, the
Eskimos were standing by the houses, looking down at us
silently but interestedly. In accordance with the custom of
the country, long minutes passed before both parties gave vent
to their joy over the reunion.
At Ulugssat it was easy to find quarters, for our hosts vied
with each other in their invitations to us. Before we went in
to see to our own comfort, however, all teams which were to
take part in the long journey were given a thoroughly good
feed from the abundant meat stores of our hosts. This was
really great extravagance, as ordinarily the dogs are only fed
every second day. But one permits oneself such extravagances
when one is going out on an expedition.
The houses of Ulugssat were of all dimensions. There was
the big Tornge's palace, in which the interior was divided into
two benches with a sleeping capacity for at least twenty — a
comfortable room, entirely lined with wood, and festively
illuminated by three brilliant train-oil lamps. Delicious meat
and glossy narwhal skin were temptingly laid out on platforms of
flat stones built for this purpose near the lamps. Such was the
36
FROM THULE TO HUMBOLDT'S GLACIER
house of the greatest hunter; but there was also the den of
old Simigaq, where the passage was so narrow that, in spite of
honest attempts, I did not succeed in squeezing myself through
to pay her a short call.
Simigaq, "The Corked-up One," is the oldest woman of
the tribe. In a small way she still invokes the aid of the
" ministering spirits " when fate, or the camp, seems to oppose
her desires. Otherwise she is like a living book for all those
who like to listen to old stories and myths. And Simigaq is
never pressed in vain.
THE MEAT IS GATHERED
In Ulugssat the afternoon was passed in the buying in of
meat for men and dogs ; and we had a busy day of it as we
ourselves had to be present eve ry where. It is of importance to
select the best flensing parts of the meat, preferably pieces
where the skin is already separated from the flesh.
Furthermore, dining the winter the women of the camp
had been given commissions to make a lot of kamiks (shoes)
and mittens, and these articles now had to be delivered,
criticized, and paid for. In the midst of all this business which
could not be delayed, we had to find time for all the unavoidable
meat feasts given to celebrate our departure. Well meant as
they were, we found them somewhat of a strain ; fourteen meals
of walrus meat in the course of one day is a considerable feat.
It certainly eased the strain that the meat was served in different
ways. Some of it was freshly boiled ; some newly killed but
frozen ; some, again, decayed but frozen. This last sounds
bad but tastes good. But this excessive hospitality made us
all so heavy with food that we looked forward with longing to
a night's rest.
In Ilanguaq, " The Little Companion's," house drum-songs
were sung with great enthusiasm. I called, but I had to clear
out quickly again as the heat was so excessive as to wet one-
through. Nevertheless, I was told next morning that the
singers kept it up all night. As the population from the sur-
37
GREENLAND BY THE POLAR SEA
rounding camps had poured in to bring me meat and accompany
us on our way, there were many sledges about. Such an
occasion for improvised musical feasts is greedily seized upon,
and each one sings exclusively the drum-songs which he himself
has composed.
Late in the evening, long after my housemates were asleep,
I heard creaking footsteps in the frozen snow. A little later
the door opened, and when she had carefully convinced herself
that everybody else was asleep, old Simigaq entered and sat
down by the head of my sleeping-place. It was her intention,
she said, to make my sleep light. She wished to prepare my
way towards the land of dreams with little sayings and legends ;
but first of all she wanted to give me for my journey the advice
of an old woman, for she believed that age gives certain powers
which one may hand on to the young. She felt herself in debt
to me since last we met. I had once saved her and brought
her to my home from a bird-mountain, where her not very
courteous son-in-law had deposited her for the time being ; now
she wanted to pay that debt before I left. If it be true that
age gives to old people's words a strength which can be
transmitted to the young, old Simigaq was certainly a tre-
mendous source of power. Not only was she the oldest woman
in the tribe — red-eyed, toothless, baldheaded, crooked with
rheumatism, nearly blind, and thus in possession of every scar
which a long and hard life leaves — but, in addition to all this,
she had now become so ugly and withered that they said she
could not sink even if she were thrown into the sea. But in
spite of this, the memory of the time when she was young, and
her powers were directed to quite different ends, still lived fresh
and merry in her consciousness.
She herself told that she had been the possessor of an extra-
ordinarily fair complexion, and of thick hair which, like a water-
fall, hung down about her naked body. She was also tall and
deep-bosomed, and to all these charms was added a care-free
and happy temperament. The men vied with each other in
their efforts to win her favours, and her attractiveness resulted
in several marriages. At last she had found a haven with a
38
FROM THILE TO HUMBOLDT'S GLACIER
man called " The Little Throat " ; she had been married to him
for several years. But this was when the white men only fit-
fully visited " The Land of Men," and when guns and the other
implements for the daily catch were unknown. The use of the
kayak had been forgotten, and now one camped near the bird-
mountains during the summer when the sea was open. It
happened not infrequently that there was a famine during the
winter, for one must gather many Sea-kings before one could
lay in a store large enough to see one safely through the Polar
night.
On one occasion, when there had been a poor hunt and
everybody was hungry, "The Little Throat" suddenly disap-
peared from the stone hut. It was no longer good to be there.
But, strangely enough, the whole stock of puppies disappeared
at the same time, and this aroused Simigaq's suspicions. She
went to the mountains and tracked down her man, who sat
gorging himself on the puppies, which he had roasted on a
flat stone.
The annoying part was not so much the fact that the puppies,
which should have hauled their sledges on their journeys next
spring, were killed, but rather the circumstance that "The
Little Throat" had deceitfully eaten them alone, without
asking his beautiful woman to share in the feast. Naturally
this led to a divorce. Thus " The Corked-up One " had again
passed from hand to hand for some time until she had married
Kajok, called "The Yellow One," with whom she had lived
happily until his death.
And now this weather-worn and hardened old woman, who
had lived such a life of good and evil, was sitting at my head,
wanting me to share the benefit of her experiences, the result
of her long life. On a long journey it would be as well to be
on good terms with the spirits that rule over mountains and
abysses; the loneliness also had its powers, of which puny man
must beware. Therefore she came to me this last night with
a few magic songs.
Oh, she said, these magic songs were poor and insignificant,
a collection of short, meaningless words. But what about that?
39
GREENLAND BY THE POLAR SEA
After all, we humans understand so little of that which is met
with in places where one is alone with the silent world.
This was her explanation and her excuse. And while,
possessed like a pagan priestess, she mumbled her songs through
her toothless gums, I lay close to her on my rug and listened.
Here is the song of life, the song for him who wishes to live :
Day arises
From its sleep,
Day wakes up
With the dawning light.
Also you must arise,
Also you must awake
Together with the day which comes.
She murmured the words to me, whispering and distant in
her ecstasy, until they were as if burnt into my consciousness.
Then came the song sung by men who, driving heavily and
slowly, are in danger of death :
Forth, forth,
Sledge, glider, travelling tool !
Your fat cheeks you must smooth,
That they may run easily !
If the game disappears, so that one must starve, the follow-
ing is sung :
Heigh — from the deep
Sea-beasts I caught,
Heigh — heigh,
Walrus I killed
From the deep,
Heigh — heigh,
Narwhals I harpooned,
Black-sides, seals did I take
From the deep. . . .
Thus a good catch is secured.
She chanted words which disperse the fog ; the bear-song
which lures forth the bear ; the drinking song which procures
water for the thirsty ; and songs to be sung during the climbing
of mountains — all of them useful and indispensable for him who
travels to unknown countries.
The mountain-song was the last one I heard, then the
40
3*L
J
K^5? '
YOUNG BEAR-HUNTER
TWO ESKIMO BOYS OF SEVENTEEN YEARS
FROM THULE TO HUMBOLDT'S GLACIER
monotonous voice overpowered me, and when I opened my eyes
after a few hours' sleep, old Simigaq had long ago crept home
to her modest den. I jumped down from the bench and peeped
out through the window to look at the weather. It was light as
day now, even in the middle of the night; the sky was clear,
without a single cloud, rounding itself like a blue dome above
the land and the white ice. A faint pink tinge announced that
sunrise was not far away, but it was yet too early to break camp.
Next day, in brilliant sunshine, I drove on with Ajako to
the camp of Igdluluarssuit, while all the other sledges went
directly to Neqe. We still wanted a couple of pack-sledges
and some more meat, and at Igdluluarssuit lived Sipsu, an ex-
cellent hunter and experienced sledge-driver, whom I would
fain have with me on the last pack-sledge right up to Fort
Conger.
April 9th. — The following day the sledges and all the meat
procured at Neqe were collected. The heaped meat formed a
considerable bulk, and we had twenty-seven sledges and 354
dogs to transport it. This was rather a large apparatus to set
moving for the sake of six sledges, and to understand it the
following explanation is necessary :
As already mentioned, all our equipment was Eskimo
throughout, as were also the provisions. Walrus meat is excel-
lent food for the dogs, but it has the great drawback of
containing 65-70 per cent, of water. This makes it very heavy
for transport, and whilst one can reckon a pound of pemmican
a day for each dog, one must reckon of walrus meat or skin
about three pounds a day, or from five to six pounds even'
second day. And besides our own dogs we had, of course, to
feed the teams of the pack-sledges as well.
We planned our journey so that altogether fifteen sledges
were to go to Humboldt's Glacier, thirteen to Cape Constitution,
eight to Thank God Harbour on Polaris Promontory, and by
the time we arrived here the loads would be so reduced that the
six sledges for the long voyage could take over everything.
The meat, ordered beforehand, lay ready for us on the ice-
foot. I had only to pay for it and then distribute the loads.
41
GREENLAND BY THE POLAR SEA
The payment generally demanded consisted of powder, lead,
and percussion caps. This part of the business was easily and
quickly arranged. It is not difficult to come to an agreement
with Eskimos with regard to provisions for a large expedition
for an indefinite period. They fully sympathize in a matter
like this. Greater difficulties arose in the distribution of the
meat on the twenty-seven sledges ; for here one had to consider
not only the strength of the teams but also the quality of the
sledges.
When everything was in order the motley train set out, and
the eager dogs rushed across the ice to the accompaniment of
screeching whip-lashes, soon to disappear behind the nearest
headland. Our road for the first six miles lay across the frozen
ocean as far as Cape Alexander, where the water is always open,
even in the severest weather. This water we had to get round
by driving up across the inland-ice.
We started at four o'clock, and the glacier where the ascent
was to commence we reached at about seven in the evening.
Here we all stopped and made the inevitable cup of coffee, the
local cup that cheers. The passage does not take more than
a couple of hours, but it is generally exceedingly hard work.
First one toils up the steep slopes, dripping with perspiration ;
then, at a height of three hundred metres, comes the biting
north wind which, in clear weather, always rages round the
neck of Cape Alexander. The drifting snow is as thick here
as an English fog, cold and damnable, and often so violent as
to make it almost impossible for one who comes from the south
to drive the dogs up against the wind. The habit of strengthen-
ing oneself with a cup of good, strong coffee is therefore not to
be wondered at.
It was difficult to get the heavy sledges up the glacier,
which is always blown hard and smooth ; but as there were
many of us to share the burden, the crossing was successfully
accomplished. The storm and the drifting snow we accepted
with a good temper, knowing that we would doubly appreciate
the calm weather which always awaits the traveller on the
frozen sea.
42
FROM THULE TO HUMBOLDT'S GLACIER
GUESTS OF THE AMERICAN EXPEDITION
April 10th. — At four o'clock in the morning we arrived
with all our train at Etah, where we camped on the ice just
outside the headquarters of the Crockerland Expedition.
In spite of our early arrival, we had the heartiest reception
from Captain Comer, who is always early up and about. He
invited us into the house, where Mr. McMillan offered us
breakfast, an invitation we could only accept a few hours later
when our populous and elaborate camp was made.
For three days we were the guests of our American
colleagues, and during that time we were shown every kindness.
We had originally decided to spend only a day here, but bad
weather forced us to prolong our visit.
During our stay Mr. McMillan kindly helped us with some
pemmican and biscuits, an excellent supplement to our own
stores.
April llth-12th. — We spent the days at Etah killing time in
various ways. We dived into the very extensive library of the
Crockerland Expedition, visited the Eskimo families which
were all old friends of ours, and every evening ended with a ball
which lasted into the early hours of the morning.
The Americans had a wonderful gramophone, which enter-
tained us greatly with its varied and select repertoire. There
was something for everybody's taste, so that at times we heard
songs from all the operas of the world, sung by Caruso, Alma
Gluck, Adelina Patti, etc., and at other times we abandoned
ourselves to musical debauches, for a change indulging in
tangos and one-steps.
People at home who have access to real music, performed
either by themselves or by professional artists, generally turn up
their noses at our joy in the gramophone, which they regard
as a musical disgrace. I do not consider that I am more un-
musical than the average man, but I confess, nevertheless, that
I am one of those who pay homage to the gramophone.
Wherever I have met it, be it in a winter camp among the
43
GREENLAND BY THE POLAR SEA
Eskimos or among the Danish families in the Greenland
colonies, it always brought a peculiarly pathetic greeting from
all that which we up here so keenly long for, but must forgo ;
and I have seen many a man, whom one could not otherwise
accuse of sentimentality, forcibly subdue the emotion which the
gramophone's music aroused.
The three days spent in involuntary idleness took a good
slice out of our meat stores. But one day, as I was trying to
make up my mind as to how much more we could permit our-
selves to eat in case the storm should last, a man named Majaq
appeared, and he rid my mind of all cares. He had spent
spring and autumn by Renslaer Harbour and told me that he
still possessed considerable meat stores there, which he put
entirely at the disposal of the expedition if only we would pay
him in ammunition ; this offer we of course accepted with joy.
On the 13th of April, in the afternoon, the weather at last
calmed down so that we could think of breaking up. There
was still a gale, but as under all circumstances here in Etah
wind and good weather go together, we made ready and drove
up against the wind. Towards morning we reached Anoritoq
and camped for the night.
ICE-BEAR, THE WIDOW'S SON
By a freak of fate Anoritoq possesses a name which means
" The Windswept One." This little camp, which has become
world-famous as the winter quarters of Dr. Cook's pretended
Polar Expedition, is, however, the only place in the neighbour-
hood of Etah which is always dead calm.
Anoritoq's name is derived from an old tale about a certain
Anoritoq who reared a bear.
The woman Arnajaq tells the following :
Once there was a man named Angutdligamaq, who himself
never hunted. He occasionally went out on the ice, and if he
chanced to meet a man dragging a seal along, he killed him and
took the seal home as his own catch. In this way he lived.
44
FROM THULE TO HUMBOLDT'S GLACIER
His countrymen dared not rebel against him because he was
so strong, and thus it came to pass that through many years he
lived by murder and robbery. But one day they decided that
he was going too far, so they agreed to defeat him with cunning.
''Listen, Angutdligamaq," someone said, "you do not know
what fun it is to go hunting with others ; you ought to try it,
I am sure you would then join us every day." When Angut-
dligamaq heard this he joined the hunters of the camp on the
next day. But as he was quite unused to the life outside the
houses he was very clumsy, and his comrades had to help him in
everything he did. In the evening they all lay down to sleep
in a snow-hut, but he did not know how to set about this either.
" How does one rest in a snow-hut?"
" One sleeps best if one pulls one leg out of the trousers,"
the others replied.
This he did and soon he was fast asleep.
But as soon as his comrades saw his bare behind, they rushed
up and buried a spear in it. And Angutdligamaq, bellowing
with pain, jumped up in the air, and thereby forced the point of
the spear still further in and died. His comrades then returned
home.
" What has become of Angutdligamaq?" the mother asked,
she who was called Anoritoq, ""The Windswept One."
"He was killed," the others answered.
" When next you catch a pregnant bear, then give to me the
embryo that it may be my child," the woman begged of them.
Then one day, when the hunters had caught a pregnant bear,
they brought the embryo home to the woman, and she reared
it with blubber from her lamp, and soon it was so big it could
catch seals for her.
The bear was called Anoritoq's son.
In the winter, when the great darkness came, the bear could
no longer see to catch the seals, and then it started stealing
from other men's meat stores.
' You must not steal," the foster-mother anxiously warned
it ; " your cousins will stop you and the people will kill you."
The dogs were called the bear's cousins.
45
GREENLAND BY THE POLAR SEA
" Oh, I will run away before the wind," the bear said, " then
the dogs cannot scent me."
Nevertheless, one day things went wrong. The dogs
stopped the bear, and the people killed it.
For many days the woman waited anxiously, for although
nobody had told her, she feared that this animal, of which she
had now grown fond, had been killed.
One day when, as usual, she had warned it not to steal, she
had blackened one of its sides with soot from her lamp.
" In this way I shall at least know for certain if it should be
killed," she said.
She now told the people in her camp to drive out and ask
in other places whether anyone had killed a bear with soot on
one side ; and before long sledges returned and told her that a
bear like this had been killed in one of the neighbouring camps.
The woman sorrowed greatly when she knew that her foster-
son was dead. Weeping, she left her house and sat down on
the headland outside the camp. As she looked across the
endless ice which had previously been the bear's hunting-
ground, she sang :
In vain looks the waiting one,
In vain cries the sorrowing ;
Hard is the lot of the woman
Who must shed tears without comfort ;
Heavy is the lot of the woman who must survive
Her only son.
Bear, bear,
Will you never return,
Bear, bear !
Days and nights elapsed, and the woman would take no
nourishment. Sobbing, she sang her song until the tears
stiffened on her cheeks as her body turned to stone.
One still sees her lifelike form on the headland by the camp.
Her mouth is covered with a layer of hardened blubber, for they
say that it brings luck to the bear-hunter if, before he goes out,
he tries to feed the bear-mother with blubber. And in the
quiet winter nights, when the northern light sends its ghostly
rays across the heavens, one sees old hunters going towards the
46
FROM THULE TO HUMBOLDT'S GLACIER
mountain under some plausible pretext. The next day fresh
tracks in the snow show that the bear-mother has had visitors,
and her face glistens with blubber.
THE FIRST POLAR-ICE
Before dawn, just as we had got up to light the Primuses,
we were surprised to hear the barking of dogs and strange voices
outside. Two young men had returned from a successful hunt
of musk-ox in Ellesmere Land, where they had slain forty
animals. They provided us generously with fresh meat and
tallow ; we then parted, each going his own way.
From Anoritoq to Renslaer Harbour we had a beautiful
but strenuous day's journey. From Cape Inglefield to Cape
Ingersoll we travelled through strongly pressed-up ice. During
this part of the autumn the whole of Kane Basin consists of
huge drifting ice-floes ; the current here sets very strongly
towards land, and, whilst new ice is being formed, blocks of
ice are pressed up where the drifting floes freeze together.
These pressure-ridges are often so tall that one must hew a way
through with axes. The heavily loaded sledges have to be
slowly and carefully worked across, so that they shall not be
crushed in a sudden fall from a height of several metres ; often
they stick in awkward and desperate positions, where several
men's strength is required to free them again. This is hot and
laborious work, which, however, generally leads to so many
comic situations that the task is shouldered with good temper.
Near Cape Ingersoll we climbed on to an ice-foot about
sixty metres broad which stretched before us as a beautiful and
easy snow-free road. Above us towered the high red sandstone
mountains, with an even gradient of snow-clad talus at the foot
and steep precipices near the top. The red rays of the evening
sun were refracted on to the snow and the mountains, and with
this beautiful landscape before us we drove at a rapid trot to the
camp by Renslaer Harbour which the Eskimo calls Aunartoq.
The inner bend of this bay gives an exceedingly friendly
impression. The country hereabout consists of beautiful
47
GREENLAND BY THE POLAR SEA
rounded hills of light granite, with moss and grass peeping out
wherever the snow is blown away. Along the coast tall, elegant,
and proud sandstone mountains stand on both sides of the bay,
like a majestic porch leading to the little cove where the
Eskimos have built a camp. The coast mountains, especially
at sunset, are tinged with red, which contrasts beautifully with
the greyish-white gneiss in the sheltered cove from which an
even and uniform high plateau stretches like a large plain right
up to the inland-ice.
MAJAQ'S MEAT-PITS
We were all curious to know how far Majaq would be able
to keep his promise. He had spoken about masses of meat,
but the Eskimo's idea of masses is often quite relative. As
soon as we had made camp and tethered the dogs, I went with
Majaq up to the little headland where his depot was supposed
to be. With justifiable pride he pointed out over the plain
and said : " All the meat which lies here is now yours; may
your dogs grow strong on my catch."
I saw at once that the man had not exaggerated ; on the
contrary, it would be difficult for us to use all he had offered.
Here were seals and meat in abundance. While the tents of
the expedition were pitched and snow-houses were being built,
we pushed the huge stones away from the meat-pits to get at
the seals. Thirty-five large, fat seals we took, and four delici-
ous bearded seals.
This represented such a large addition to the meat we already
had that we decided to rest for a day for the express purpose of
allowing the dogs to eat as much meat as they could possibly
get down. We spent this holiday, which abundance of meat
allowed us to take, in studying the historical place whereto
Majaq's meat-pits had led us.
Majaq is one of the best hunters of the tribe, and is to be
counted among those who are not fain to leave the neighbour-
hood of Cape York, where the bear-hunts in Melville Bay
tempt one to remain. But last year he had promised his wife
48
FROM THULE TO HUMBOLDT'S GLACIER
and half -grown son that for once they should be given an oppor-
tunity of a good airing for their clothes. They had lived by
Cape York for such a long time that they almost stank with
fixity of abode; therefore they had decided on this great
removal.
THE EIDERDUCK
Anoritoq had at that time been uninhabited for fifty years.
The last man to settle here was called " Eiderduck." Originally
he had lived further southward, where there were many people,
and where one thus did not suffer from the emptiness and
longing due to the lack of people between the camps. But a
local hunter had tried to rob him of his very beautiful wife, and
as the wife did not appear to have sufficient respect for the
" Eiderduck's" rights, the latter at last decided to move further
northward.
But on their way through the camps along the lands they
fell upon illness and bad hunting. This happened in the time
when evil fate might sweep down on men suddenly and un-
mercifully ; and at that time it was the custom to leave behind,
in some empty house which they casually came across, those
who could not keep up with the other travellers. As a rule,
those left behind were children. Windows and doors were
covered with large stones, too heavy for the exhausted ones to
move ; thus they were left buried alive. This was not done
with evil intent, it was in accordance with one of the traditions
of the restless hunters. Weeping, and with loud lamentations,
they tried to get away as quickly and as far as possible from the
doomed, who in the course of a short time died of starvation and
cold. In this way the " Eiderduck " left his children, one after
the other. Only one child, the parents' favourite, accompanied
them on a sledge, bundled in a skin. But as during the
journey they became half-witted through illness, hunger, and
exhaustion, the "Eiderduck" in the end asked his wife to
throw the child from the sledge, so that it might have a quick
and painless death in the cold. And this she did.
The following day they repented of their heartlessness, but
I> 49
GREENLAND BY THE POLAR SEA
too late ; and in their regret over their own inhumanity they
continued to travel further and further north. At Anoritoq
they met many people who lived happily ; but sorrow weighed
on their minds and they could not bear the company of people,
so they continued their journey northward until at last they
settled by Aunartoq. Here they lived alone for many years,
and never travelled to visit other people. Those few who
visited them always spoke of their great hospitality, but never
did they open their mouths to let out a superfluous word, never
was a smile seen on their lips. Once when someone went to
visit them they were both found to be dead. There was a
sufficiency of meat in their stores, and the visitors concluded
that they had starved themselves to death so that they might
follow the child which they had killed.
Since the " Eiderduck's " time nobody had lived by
Renslaer Harbour ; the place was in evil repute. First now
in 1916 Majaq had moved out here, but although the catch of
spring and summer had been so abundant that all his meat-pits
were flowing over, he nevertheless moved in the autumn down
to Etah, so great was his longing for companionship. Majaq
chose to struggle through the dark period far from his own
meat stores, wherefore his countrymen said that he was mad ;
but the loneliness had weighed on him so heavily in the place
where lay the bones of the " Eiderduck " that he preferred to
live in poverty among fellow-creatures.
" SPRING-TIME " CAMP
The camp Aunartoq, the place where spring comes early,
consisted merely of three houses, and these were all very old.
Among some ruins I found a piece of a sledge which seemed
to have been made entirely from whale-rib. There was also
a whale's head built into the wall. It was strange to see that
even so far north, in places where the ice seldom quite disap-
pears, the whale has played an important part, just as it has
done in other parts of Smith Sound. Besides these things I
found bones of walrus, bear, and musk-ox, and, of course, an
50
WINTEK-Hcil 'SK I'.KFdRE THE SNOW FALLS
MY OWN DOGS READY FOR STARTING
FROM THULE TO HUMBOLDT'S GLACIER
abundance of gnawed seal bones. Many meat-pits of the usual
form were built about the houses.
I was somewhat surprised to find no bones of reindeer ; for
this peaceful expanse between the ocean and the inland-ice has,
at any rate during an earlier period, given the necessary con-
ditions of life for many reindeer. The reason may, of course,
be that this place was uninhabited at the time when the Eskimos
hunted reindeer. Strange as it may seem, the reindeer has
been looked upon by the present tribe as an unclean animal
not to be eaten. It was only after 1864, when the immigrants
from Baffin's Bay brought new customs to the country, that
one learned to consider the reindeer as a meat giver ; since then
it has been hunted with such thoroughness that it is almost
extinct. The hunting conditions of Renslaer Harbour are
briefly as follows :
Every spring many seals and bearded seals are caught by the
Utut method on the ice ; one can engage in Utut-hunting here
practically all through the summer, as the ice generally remains
on the water in the bays. Not until the middle of August does
the melted water above the ice become so deep as to make this
method of hunting impossible. Of late years the ice has not
broken along the land, although very broad fissures have
appeared round the headlands. Occasionally, however, walrus
will be found in these clefts. Many hares are to be found
inland, and occasionally reindeer.
In the afternoon as soon as our work about the meat-pits
was finished and the bearded seals and seals cut up into pieces
of convenient size for the requirements of our journey, we had
a party. We could not help rejoicing because of the great
abundance which Majaq's meat depots had suddenly added to
our possessions.
The feast began with the production of a cinema film, which
was a great success for all the actors. It was played near
Majaq's hut, and even some of the largest and best of our dogs
were allowed to take part in the play. The action of the play
was as simple as possible, as it merely pictured the arrival of a
lot of visitors to Majaq, who, with smiles and large gestures of
51
GREENLAND BY THE POLAR SEA
the hands, led them towards the piles of meat which we had
just collected from his depots. Here we then partook of a
brilliant feast.
Although the proceedings amused them, the Eskimos re-
garded the performance merely as a series of mad antics, and
the actors did not seem to put great trust in Ajako, who, during
his visit to Denmark in 1914, had seen similar things, and now
told them that the pictures would at some time become alive.
They listened to his explanations but paid only slight attention
to such postulates, as they did not wish to accuse Ajako of a
loose connection with the truth.
Wulff handled the camera, and he did it in such a way that
their spirits were further raised by the shouts with which he
stimulated the actors. Unfortunately, a year and a half was to
elapse before the result could be shown.
After this mimic feast we started a real feast on rotten meat
of bearded seal. The bearded seal is usually divided among the
hunters, the most coveted parts being those from which the
indispensable seal straps are taken. But Majaq had already cut
out so many straps from his great catch that the last bearded
seals he caught were cut up without separating the skin and
blubber from the meat. The result of this mode of preserva-
tion is that the big flensing pieces which are put down during
early spring in stone mounds, far down in the cold soil, get only
the slightest touch of decay. No ray of sun must reach the
flesh which, when the sparing warmth of summer has gone,
looks like half-dried, smoked meat, and tastes excellently. One
very seldom sees bearded seal served in this way, and our
appetites were voracious. Our dogs also were given their share,
and although they numbered 185, they had as much as one
dared to stuff into them without danger of bursting their in-
ternal organs. After the meat coffee was served, succeeded by
an exhibition on ski which furthered digestion of the solid meal
by much laughter. Very few Eskimos have any practice in
ski-ing down the hills, and as most of their efforts resulted in
somersaults, we had plenty of opportunity for the exercise of
our diaphragms.
52
FROM THULE TO HUMBOLDT'S GLACIER
That evening will never be forgotten. Soon the sun would
be shining night and day, but as yet it still disappeared below
the horizon for a few minutes, and created at its setting those
wonderful ranges of illumination on the sandstone mountains
and the white snow. These beautiful moments are over as soon
as the more uniform light of the midnight sun shines night and
day. The landscape was wonderful, not merely because the
coast with the broad ice-foot and the beautiful coast mountains
was in itself so charming, but also because the whole of Kane
Basin, with its irregular plain of pack-ice, gave a wild and
grand view to the north ; and every night the mountains of
Grinnell Land appeared in the fleeing sunlight as burning,
phantastic castles on the western horizon.
GREAT BLOOD-BATH FJORD
April 16th. — On the 16th of April we continued our journey
northward on a broad ice-foot which gave easy and rapid pro-
gress. The ice-foot is only formed in places where the water
ebbs and flows to a considerable height. When the water falls,
at ebb-tide, the cold is already so severe by the end of
September that the coast, up to the high-water mark, is covered
with a crust of ice, a thin layer being deposited at every ebb.
In the course of October and November the ice-foot has reached
its full thickness and forms a belt along the coast, a ribbon of
ice following all the branchings of the shore. The level of the
top of the ice-foot marks the highest tide of the year. Viewed
from the sea-ice it stands boldly like a wall.
Where the coast consists of steep mountains the ice-foot
is quite narrow, because in these places it hangs on the sides of
the cliffs without support beneath ; but where the coast is flat
the bottom of the sea supports it, and in this case it is often
very broad. In no place is it broader than along the coast of
Kane Basin, where it measures from sixty to one hundred
metres.
It was a joy to us all to shoot along this lovely road. We
58
GREENLAND BY THE POLAR SEA
followed the foot of the beautiful sandstone mountains which,
with flaming red colours, fresh as ruddy cheeks against the
white snow, flanked our way. Out to seaward of us were the
pressed-up ice-floes of Kane Basin, where deejpjnow made_bad
travelling, and, as we passed above it, raised beyond all its
difficulties on the chaussee of the tidal waters, wantonly we
cracked our whips at all this devilment which we had robbed
of all opportunity to trip us up and hinder our quick progress.
Washington Land could already be discerned ahead. Every-
where was April's sun and high spirits.
At Cape Taney we passed four large tower-traps and six
ordinary fox-traps ; the former are rather common here but
unknown in the rest of western Greenland.
A tower-trap is about 170 centimetres high, built in the
form of a beacon ; the Eskimos call it Uvdlisat, which signifies
a trap which may be left for several days without inspection.
The foxes are caught in the following manner : Rotten seals
are put at the bottom of the hollow stone beacon, which is built
in such a way that it is roomy at the base and very narrow
towards the top. So as not to arouse the suspicions of the fox,
the opening is covered with willow branches smeared with
blood. When a fox jumps down into a trap it cannot get up
again ; and in the course of a few days several foxes may be
caught in the same trap.
At Marshall Bay we divided into two parties, so that eleven
sledges, with Dr. Wulff as leader, drove right out on the broad
bay where travelling was easiest, while Koch and I with two
other sledges drove inland by the head of the bay looking for
Eskimo ruins. For our guide we had the great Tornge, who
had lived here himself in 1916. His longing for reindeer-
hunting had lured him to these northern parts. Next to bear-
hunting, reindeer-hunting is the most exciting game an Eskimo
knows. It is considered more "swell" to catch a bear, but
otherwise the hunting of reindeer is without comparison the
most elegant. Wild reindeer are very shy, and to get within
shooting distance not only skill and cunning is required but also
an incredible amount of endurance. They provide both tender
54
FROM THULE TO HUMBOLDT'S GLACIER
and savoury meat and delicious tallow, and their skins are in
great demand.
The place where Tornge wintered is called by the Eskimos
Inugarfigssuaq or '"Great Blood-Bath Fjord." As in all
places where human activity has left its marks, tales are bound
up with the country. Tornge tells the following :
At the time when there were many people and all countries
were inhabited, many houses were to be found by the Bight of
Qaqaitsut near Advance Bay, not far from the great glacier.
One day two boys started fighting here ; their grandfathers
stood looking on. It so happened that one of the old men
interfered and started thrashing one of the boys. But the
other grandfather became so enraged by seeing his grandchild
thrashed, that he went forth and killed the grandchild of the
other man. But then the first grandfather killed the other
grandchild and the murder of the two boys gave occasion for
everybody at the camp to take sides ; so the first thing they
did was to kill both the grandfathers. This beginning made
people wild and gave rise to a senseless slaughter. A madness
which no one could explain had seized on the camp, and all
travelled southward, fleeing and killing, so that all the little
bays the sledges had to cross were filled with slaughtered men.
And all the dead showed black against the white ice, just like
seals sunning themselves on a spring day. How long the
killing lasted no one knows ; but suddenly they discovered that
rage had carried them so far that really one had no quarrel at
all with the man one killed. Then they stopped, heartbroken
over the wrong they had committed. But the flight continued
southwards to lands where the sun was warmer and the winter
nights shorter.
And the largest of the fjords where most dead were lying
was later on called "Great Blood-Bath Fjord. . . ."
This is a simple and naive Eskimo tale of the origin of war
— naive, but eternally true wherever man kills.
This myth Tornge told us as an introduction to the tale of
55
GREENLAND BY THE POLAR SEA
his wintering. He was interested in everything connected
with the camp and the hunt, and with great perspicuity he
gave us a picture of the life he had led so that all his great and
small joys stood lifelike before us.
As a rule the winter-ice lies untouched until the following
autumn. But the end of August or the beginning of
September — so late that a thin ice is already being formed —
the rivers melt round basin-like holes in the ice at their mouths,
and a fissure which during summer-time has formed off Cape
Russell widens out broadly. This is all the open sea they have.
The inland tracts were prolific in hare and reindeer.
Tornge and three camp-fellows had killed no less than a hundred
during the autumn. They had moved far into the country to
some large lakes situated near the inland-ice, and here they
had camped in small stone huts during August and September.
These huts are primitive houses, having walls of stone and roofs
of hide. Women and children accompanied the men on these
expeditions, remaining by the huts while the men were hunting.
The best hunting memories of Tornge's life were linked up
with his visit to the surroundings of Marshall Bay. The
wintering had one drawback only — it was difficult to find
sufficient food for the dogs, as the seals did not last out well.
One felt the lack of narwhal and walrus, which yield more
lasting food.
Eiderducks and ice-gulls were to be found in all openings
of the ice, and on the lakes long-tailed ducks and loons.
During a hunt for reindeer, salmon was found on the top
of Cape Russell at a height of about 300 metres. The lake was
not very large, but notwithstanding this many salmon were
caught, some of them as long as a man's arm.
In the camp were found altogether eighteen ruins of houses,
with many tent-rings and meat-pits. Tornge's house was an
old ruin which had been repaired. In the wall we found the
remains of whale-ribs, and in the midden remains of whale,
walrus, bearded seal, seal, musk-ox, reindeer, fox, and hare.
Fishing-hooks made from the antlers of reindeer had also been
found.
56
NASAITORDLUARSSUK : THE YOUNGEST MEMI1KR OP OUR EXPEDITION
THE LAST IMMIGRANT FROM BAFFIN I.AM) : MERQUSAK
FROM THULE TO HUMBOLDT'S GLACIER
Tornge's house was large and beautifully built ; it was of
the type called Samisulik, containing a large main room with a
small room at the side, both provided with benches. In the
small side room his daughter and son-in-law had been living.
A short distance away we found an unusually large ruin, which
had an inside circumference of rather more than 30 metres.
This points to the probability that local hunting conditions
must have been, also during an earlier period, ideal. The head-
land where the houses were situated was full of gneiss, inter-
sected by many well-grown grass meadows. The place looked
kind and smiling ; and there was plenty of water, both in
rivulets and lakes.
Three kilometres from the mainland there is a small, steep,
and rather inaccessible island of gneiss, whose entire breadth
is about 200 metres, and whose length is 500 metres. On this
little island we found no less than ten houses. This strange
choice of a place of habitation was probably due to the easy
access which it provided to the open sea by Cape Russell and
Cape Taney ; besides which, the ice outside the island is
probably a better place for the Utut-hunt.
We named the island Avortungiaq's Island, after Tornge's
daughter, who was the first to discover the ruins.
On another little island nearer land, ruins and houses are
also found. The ruins, which are the remains of an earlier
Eskimo camp, in this comparatively small bay number about
sixty. In addition to the camps here mentioned ruins were
found by Cape Russell, Cape Wood, Dallas Bay, and in the
bight of Advance Bay. On the stretch from Anoritoq to Cape
Agassiz one can thus reckon with at least a hundred houses —
a surprising number. Good ice-hunting must have taken place
here during spring and autumn, and, in connection with the
land-hunting, which must have been uncommonly good for a
district like this, it has evidently tempted many people to settle
here. The country from the coast inward seems a perfect oasis
in this desert, for one must go right down to the south before
one finds such a broad expanse of land.
With the exception of the houses on the gneiss headland
57
GREENLAND BY THE POLAR SEA
by Tornge's home, all ruins of houses on this coast are remark-
ably small in size. The ruins at Cape Wood consisted of eight
houses in a row, built of sand. The bank of earth encircling
the house was quite plain and large, and small stones had been
added to it ; but everything seems to indicate that the builders
must have had some difficulty in procuring material. Re-
mains of turf walls were not to be found at all, neither was
there any trace of vegetation ; the country was absolutely
barren, and no peat was discovered in the neighbourhood. The
camp gave one the impression of having been an " experiment
station." The conditions for hunting must have been excel-
lent. By a big stone near the houses one yet saw soot from a
cooking-fire. Wherever possible the ruins were measured, but
a proper exploration was out of the question, as we passed them
in the beginning of April in 30° (Cent.) of cold. Everything
was covered by deep snow.
April 18th. — On the 18th of April we reached Dallas Bay,
from which, near by Cape Kent, we drove out on Peabody Bay
to cross over to Washington Land.
The first day's journey we made fifty-six kilometres,
though for the first twenty kilometres we had to toil slowly
through deep snow. In some places we drove across awkward
floes of old ice, similar in character to the edge of the inland-
ice. These floes have a rugged surface with deep holes, due
to many summers of sunburn ; they look like a high sea, and
the heavy sledges bob up and down on them as ships on the
waves.
April 19th. — When we arrived approximately in the
middle of the bay, we built a camp of snow-huts, and here for
the first time we had an excellent view of Humboldt's Glacier,
thejargest glacier in Greenland, so highly praised by Dr. Kane.
Our expectations were tremendous because of his picturesque
descriptions, which really do give the picture of an imagination
overwhelmed by the great unknown. I will therefore quote
this white man, the first who set eyes on this region.
"I will not attempt to improve on reality by a flowery
description. Man can only improvise about Niagara or the
58
FROM THULE TO HUMBOLDT'S GLACIER
ocean. My notes speak artlessly of the long ever-gleaming
line of mountains, and of the dazzling plain of ice. The
mountain-line raised itself like a massive, glass-like wall, 300
feet above the sea, with unknown, unfathomable deeps at its
foot ; and its arched surface, sixty miles long from Cape
Agassiz to Cape Forbes, lost itself in unknown spaces, no more
than a single day's train journey from the North Pole. The
inland regions with which it was connected, and from which it
issued, was an unknown iner de glace, an ocean of ice of, so
far as one can see, limitless dimensions.
" In my inmost mind I had expected to meet with such a
great glacier if ever I was happy enough to reach the north
coast of Greenland ; but now, when it lay before me, I could
hardly grasp it. Here it lay, plastic, movable, a half-solid
mass, crushing out life, swallowing cliffs and islands, and
forcing its way with an irresistible movement down through a
frozen sea."
Reality proved a great disappointment to us. The glacier
certainly was mighty in extent, for it was about a hundred
kilometres broad ; but for one who is accustomed to travel
under the extravagant glaciers of Melville Bay, which in a
single sneeze throw gleaming iee-mountains out into the ocean,
Humboldt's Glacier seems to be merely a good-natured
attempt at a half-dead ice-stream — scarcely capable of repro-
duction. The edge of the glacier, which, almost without
crevasses, slopes evenly as a high road out into Peabody Bay,
is in most places of a height not exceeding fifty metres. In
several places it runs smoothly down into the water, so that it
is easily accessible from a boat. Our survey showed that the
water for the greater part in Kane Basin is very low ; and the
little ice-mountains, which approximately have the character
of pieces of Sikussaq, are aground. A measurement of their
height proved that Peabody Bay, as far out to sea as fifty-six
kilometres, was no deeper than forty metres.
Advance Bay itself consists of a lot of small, low islets, and
the coast from Cape Agassiz is cut up by many shallow bights,
59
GREENLAND BY THE POLAR SEA
so that a comparatively small rise in the ground here by Kane
Basin would reveal large stretches of land. It is only possible
to understand the nature of Humboldt's Glacier rightly by
looking upon it as a continuation of the quiet and fissure-free
edge of the inland-ice which runs down on Inglefield Land.
Thus it is not correct to characterize Humboldt's Glacier as a
glacier, but only as an even edge of ice to which the sea
reaches up.
The overwhelming impression made on Kane and his fol-
lowers by this glacier must have been due to its extent. I
fully admit that, looked upon as an ice-stream, it is imposing
in its calm and quiet enormity, even if its kindly round back
is quite different to what one would expect from the largest
glacier in Greenland.
60
FORWARD AT AN EVEN TROT
THK LITTLE BEAR, SURROUNDED I5Y ALL THE DOGS
I'KOM HUMHipLDT GLACIKR TO NEWMAN BAY
CHAPTER III
WASHINGTON LAND TO HALL LAND
WASHINGTON LAND TO HALL LAND
ESKIMO bear-hunters had often told me that on the other
side of the "Great Glacier" I should find a country
dissimilar to theirs. In many places the cliffs were
whitish-grey, in other places their foot showed up black as coal ;
but only rarely did one find vegetation of any kind in the barren
valleys.
Now and then hares would come jumping from the moun-
tain plateaux, and it also happened that the dogs would suddenly
scent big game, presumably musk-ox ; but in spite of many
expeditions inland, these had never been found. What was
of most interest to us, however, was that the bear-hunters also
spoke of many places along the great headlands where heavy
currents met and opened up the ice very early in the year.
Many bearded seals were to be found here, which would pro-
vide us with a welcome addition to our stores.
It was therefore in a state of great excitement that we
approached this country which the Eskimos call Akia — i.e.,
"the country on the other side of the Great Glacier," whilst
the Americans have christened it "Washington Land."
April 20th. — Driving had been easy across the whole of
Peabody Bay, so with a distance of 66 kilometres behind us we
made camp by an ice-mountain off the cliffs of Cass Bay on the
evening of the 20th of April, under a heavy snowfall and grow-
ing storm. The next morning we woke up to the same kind
of weather, but, as we were all impatient to get northward, we
had no time to consider this. Lauge Koch went on land near
Cape Clay, whilst I rounded Cass Bay along the ice-foot to see
61
GREENLAND BY THE POLAR SEA
if I could not come across winter-houses which might continue
the chain of the surprisingly many we had passed at Inglefield
Land. The result was a negative one, and we had to be con-
tented with the finding of a number of meat-pits of the ordinary
Eskimo type ; a single tent-ring we also found, but it was a
square one, and therefore would be one of the remains from
Morton's and Hans Hendrik's voyage.
Late in the evening we came back to the tent-camp, with
wind-bitten faces and stiff limbs, and soon discovered that
something joyous mustTiave happened. The camp was in a
tumult. The Eskimos ran towards us with loud shouts, and
now and then they would spring up in the air slapping their
thighs — always a sign of happiness. As soon as we were
within shouting distance, we were informed that Koch and
Inukitsoq had shot a bear off Cape Clay, and the " Star" and
Majaq had slain another two bears not far from the tent-camp.
This news meant fresh and savoury meat in the pots for many
a day ahead, and a change in diet from walrus to bear is always
beneficial.
In addition to the successful bear-hunt, Koch had had a
great geological success, as he had found rich stone-bearing
strata on the stretch of coast which he had examined.
Nothing is more stimulating on a voyage than the success
of a comrade, and as the results of the day had been rather
poor so far as I was concerned, I decided to continue the jour-
ney towards Humboldt's Glacier on the next day whilst my
comrades continued northward. At this early stage of the
voyage we could not afford to let the whole of the expedition
wait for me, wherefore I must try to make a double journey
and overtake the others in the course of the next two days.
I knew there ought to be houses in the vicinity, as many
hunters, through their parents, had heard tales of a camp north
of Humboldt's Glacier ; but nobody knew where it was
situated, and the problem was to find the place. I therefore
started my journey in along the coast early next day, while all
the other sledges in a long row continued slowly northward.
Koch wished to pay a supplementary call at Cape Clay, and
62
WASHINGTON LAND TO HALL LAND
with Inukitsoq as our companion we started explorations in
good spirits, having firmly decided not to give up. We pro-
gressed along the ice-foot, so that nothing could escape our
attention. The passage here was often impossible and certain
distances had to be driven on a most uncomfortable Sikussaq
ice, a sign that the bays here are hardly ever free of ice.
At last, 12 kilometres east of Cape Clay, some way into
Benton's Bay, my toil was rewarded with success. The ice-
foot in this place was Aery high and ridged, but a sudden
impulse made me stop by one of the most inaccessible places,
and I climbed upwards across neck-breaking ridges. My
instinctive scent of houses was correct, for before me lay the
camp for which I had searched in vain. It consisted of alto-
gether six winter-houses, numerous tent-circles, and large,
roomy meat-pits. The houses were built right on the beach on
sand and pebbles. The material consisted entirely of stones, flat
and oblong, and although some of them were not quite small,
it was easy to see that it had been difficult to procure fitting
material. A well-built house has an elaborate joining of walls
and roof, but there was no sign at all of any such arrangements
here. In spite of a thorough examination, I did not find any
kind of vegetation in the vicinity. One of the houses was
square, which is quite unusual in Eskimo architecture and must
owe its form to consideration of the material. The others
were of the usual beehive shape. We found only one remark-
ably large house, a so-called Quarajalik, consisting of two
houses built together, but with a common entrance. Whale-
ribs were also found built into the houses ; they seemed to be
inevitable in the architecture of this district.
The meat-pits were similar in form and size to those we had
measured and sketched in Melville Bay ; in some instances the
stones had been put on edge — an uncommon method. Fur-
thermore we found Qulisivit — stone hives wherein meat is
dried. All this bore witness that the catch here had been a
good one.
In addition to the ruins already mentioned I found ten
tent-rings. Some of these were unusually large and built with
63
GREENLAND BY THE POLAR SEA
comparatively high stone walls, so that they gave one the im-
pression of having been a sort of structure between a house
and a tent. It may be that lack of material has led to an
invention peculiar to this locality.
I have mentioned the excellent conditions for seal-hunting
which this neighbourhood offers ; even for Eskimos with very
primitive hunting gear it cannot have been difficult to procure
their daily food. The catch must have been chiefly seal, and
there may also have been, especially in spring and autumn, a
good hunt of ice-bears in Peabody Bay, and of reindeer and
musk-ox in Inglefield Land.
April 23rd. — I was glad that the energetic explorations
during these latter days had given such good results ; for the
ruins found and measured by me pushed the record of Eskimo
ruins to the north side of Humboldt's Glacier ; and as my aim
was to collect material for a contribution to a study of the
Eskimos' wanderings north of Greenland, I considered the
start made was a good one. The point was now to prove
whether camps had existed further ahead along our route ; and
even if at the outset one might take it for granted, with some
degree of certainty, that habitation must have been somewhat
fitful all the way along this inhospitable coast, I had some
reason to hope for decisive results in the great fjords between
Cape Bryan and Cape Washington north of de Long Fjord.
Encouraged by our good luck, we set out at once to over-
take our comrades and the pack-sledges which had already a
day's start of us.
Near Cape Webster we met Uvdloriaq, previously a mem-
ber of the first Thule Expedition. He was now engaged with
a pack-sledge, and although he originally should have accom-
panied us right up to Cape Constitution, he had had to stop
here, as severe and painful sciatica prevented him from navigat-
ing the sledge across the pressure-ice and on the, in some places,
rather awkward ice-foot.
Round this steep red cape a fresh wind and a sweeping
snow-spray is always blowing, and Uvdloriaq had been forced,
in spite of his pains, to build himself a snow-hut against the
64
WASHINGTON LAND TO HALL LAND
mountain-side. Here we stopped, and as we found Koch
busily collecting fossils a little way ahead, we took the oppor-
tunity to make ourselves a cup of cocoa to celebrate as cheer-
fully as possible the parting with our old comrade.
The whole coast of Washington Land had, like Inglefield
Land, a broad ice-foot where driving was easy; we first
mounted this at Cape Webster, as the sea-ice up to that point
had been good. After an hour's rest we continued the
journey, but unfortunately we did not succeed in overtaking
our comrades on that day, for when we came to Morris Bay we
had covered a distance of 90 kilometres ; we ourselves were
sleepy, and it is always unwise to overstrain the dogs at the
start.
The coast mountains, reaching a height of from 200 to 300
metres, were everywhere rich in fossils and often of unusual
beauty. The reaches from Cape Webster to Wright Bay
especially impressed us. Here we found limestone mountains
of phantastic formation, with grey, cold colours at their foot,
and near the summit glowing red shades finely attuned. The
formations themselves with their massive contours led one's
thoughts back to the burghs of the Middle Ages, where the
wide gateways were not the least imposing feature of this
natural architecture. Near Cape Callhourn the country
changed character. The steep mountain-sides, which gave an
impression of sky-scrapers — because we on the ice-foot drove
right underneath them — were relieved by low country sloping
evenly and picturesquely upwards ; simultaneously the ice-foot
turned into a broad and snowless chaussce which made the
dogs go for dear life.
We looked in vain for game. Sometimes the dogs got
the scent, so that any moment we expected to see the black
fluttering coat of a musk-ox in one of the broad-bottomed
doughs. But nothing living could we discover.
We made camp hurriedly and after six hours' rest we con-
tinued, to overtake our comrades at last near Cape Jefferson ;
they had camped right off a coral reef which, in this landscape,
had a paradoxical effect.
E 65
GREENLAND BY THE POLAR SEA
The reunion was a merry one. They had shot a small bear,
which was already half eaten when we arrived ; and, in spite
of its shyness, a small hare also had had to lay down its life for
Tornge's sure aim. The antlers of a reindeer which were
found a short distance inland we looked at with interest.
After a short rest, during which we were given our part of
the tender bear-flesh, we drove on and reached in the morning
Cape Constitution, having passed a lot of pressure-ice in
Lafayette Bay.
April 24£/i. — In Lafayette Bay the dogs had repeatedly got
the scent, and after some minutes of hot pursuit we had as a
rule met with fresh tracks. But as it was difficult to follow the
trails across the awkward pressure-ridges, where the sledges
frequently toppled over among the uneven ice-blocks, we had
had to give up the hunt. But the dogs' keenness was now
aroused, and although the journeys of the last few days had
been very long, and the load on the sledges weighed at least
500 kilograms, the speed increased during the night. In the
neighbourhood of the big Crozier Island the dogs forgot all
their weariness and galloped along towards Cape Constitution.
During the monotonous everyday drive the dogs are always
hypnotized forward by the will of the driver ; herein lies all the
art of dog-driving. But if something unusual happens and the
dogs stand trembling against the wind with quivering nostrils,
then it is often the animal which influences the man. Thus it
was to-day ; even we were smitten with the contagious hunting
fever.
Hardly had we pulled in under the grey mountain-sides
when off they rushed with us. Three times fresh bear-tracks
pointed forward, and the dogs, who had been cheated several
times during the day, now seemed firmly decided to overtake
the bear so that the journey might end with a meal of fresh meat.
The wind had blown away the snow along the mountain-
sides, and the sledges shot across little blocks of pressure-ice
with such speed that I often feared that the runners would
break. In a bay between Cape Constitution and Cape
Independence I made a halt by an ice-mountain, well adapted
66
WASHINGTON LAND TO HALL LAND
for a camping-ground. The dogs were very disappointed
because the hunt had been interrupted, and gave vent to their
impatience with a loud yelping which made the echoes vibrate
between the steep mountains of the bay.
A little way behind me the other sledges came on, and as
soon as they discovered that I was on the point of unloading,
they gave their dogs the bear-signal and came rushing towards
me at a desperate speed. We spread out over the ice in
different directions, but even here it was difficult to follow the
tracks because the snow had drifted so firmly together that no
marks were left after the bears' paws. After four hours'
tracking we had to give up the hunt, and one by one the
sledges returned to the camp, slowly and hesitatingly, with dis-
appointed drivers and disgusted dogs.
But up above from the highest summit of Cape Constitu-
tion a falcon sailed down to meet us ; proud and silent, it swept
towards us with pointed wings restfully spread out, to bid us
welcome to its royal hunting-grounds. But as it reached our
camp and set its little cold eyes on our loads which, in our
eagerness for the hunt, we had thrown about in wild disorder,
we heard a screech which quickly turned into derisive laughter.
It saw in an instant that this was not a meeting with com-
petitors, and to show its contempt it beat out in a quick circle
across the ice where the bears had escaped.
We all stood near our sledges, looking after it with poorly
disguised envy ; for we knew that the falcon would, with the
same shrill laughter, in the course of a few minutes glide
above the big game which in vain we had tracked all through
the day.
WE WRITE TO DENMARK
April 25th. — For the last time we made a large camp. Five
pack-sledges must now return, so that only two men remained
to accompany us to Hall's Grave.
But before the sledges left us, we were to write our last
letters home ; for one of the musk-ox hunters we met at
Anoritok, and who lived right down by Cape Seddon in the
67
GREENLAND BY THE POLAR SEA
southern part of Melville Bay, had promised to wait for our
mail. From Cape Seddon they would be brought by one of
the whalers by the end of May to the district of Upernivik,
from whence they would reach Denmark some time during
the course of the summer.
Our camp was bitterly cold and there was a strong wind,
but nevertheless we worked busily at our reports ; the already
considerable collection of fossils was suitably packed for being
sent southward.
In the afternoon everything was ready, and the pack-
sledges at once started on the homeward journey so that they
might not unnecessarily waste our provisions and the food
for our dogs. Their departure was quick and without cere-
mony, as is the custom amongst hunters ; but we knew that
their thoughts would often dwell on our fate, for they are all
men whose lives have been spent on long journeys, and they
know by experience how quickly evil and good interchange in
the life of a hunter.
They are : The great Tornge, who, after an unsuccessful
journey towards the North Pole, has fought for life through a
long winter by the big Lake Hazen in Grant Land ; the hand-
some Pauluna, who has shared in the adventurous winterings by
Cape Sheridan ; and finally Majaq, the courageous hunter who
played the part of the northernmost provision dealer in the
world at Renslaer Harbour.
When we took leave of these men something happened
which moved me deeply. Besides those mentioned as re-
turning, young Inukitsoq was also present ; he had his bap-
tism of fire during the first Thule Expedition, and together
with Uvdloriaq he is well known to those who have read my
travelling diary of 1912. Once during serious difficulties we
promised each other that we would never undertake such a
journey again. Inukitsoq kept his word, I broke mine. We
remembered this incident during all the fun of leave-taking,
which the Eskimos appreciate so highly, and he became sud-
denly very serious and went up to his team of dogs, which is
renowned throughout the tribe as the strongest and most
68
WASHINGTON LAND TO HALL LAND
enduring. Without a word he unharnessed three of his
strongest and best dogs and brought them to me with the pro-
posal that I should exchange for them the three poorest ones
of my team. Only the man who knows the value of sledge-
dogs will be able to appreciate this friendly act.
In the afternoon, immediately after the pack-sledges had
left, we made ready to break camp, and drove off in the cool
sunlit night northward along Brown's coast. We constantly
came across bear-tracks, but having gained experience through
our many unsuccessful attempts, we decided not to put an
extra strain on the dogs ; keenness for the hunt wears them
down, especially when the result is a negative one.
Some way out on Kennedy Channel we met with a high,
difficult pressure-ridge, through which we had to hew our way
with axes. It represents several years of Polar-ice which has
drifted into the channel and been ground together by current
and wind. For long stretches we passed the ill-famed
Sikussaq, which is so dangerous for heavy-laden sledges. And
right enough, one of our sledges was driven to pieces. When
we had tied it together with straps we decided to break through
towards land ; we succeeded, and here, to our great joy, we
found good and easy new ice.
April 26th. — Thanks to this circumstance, we reached the
south-west side of Cape Bryan, where we made camp at
ten o'clock in the morning during the beginning of a snow-
storm. The distance covered during the day's journey of four-
teen hours was 66 kilometres, in spite of considerable delays
caused by the pressure-ice. All through the night we had a
view of the steep coast mountains on Grinnell's Land, which
with their glacier-swathed peaks looked like spirit forms
against the banal pressure-ice of Kennedy Channel.
Thanks to the snowstorm, we had our first long and un-
stinted sleep since the departure from Etah. The violent
gusts which occasionally swept down from the 300 metres high
mountains occasionally threatened to tear down the tent above
our heads ; but the thin canvas bravely resisted the attack of the
69
GREENLAND BY THE POLAR SEA
storm, and we were warm and comfortable in our sleeping-bags
and relished doubly the sweetness of rest which is the reward
only of honest toil.
April 27th. — A little after midnight we woke up and pulled
ourselves together sufficiently to make a refreshing cup of
cocoa ; then, as the storm persisted in sweeping across the tents
and seemed to be still on the increase, we let sleep have its will
with us and slept sweetly until dawn. We then broke camp
and continued. Taught by yesterday's experience, we kept
closely to land, occasionally driving upon the ice-foot wherever
this was possible. Thus driving was fairly easy along our
route, whilst out in the channel the pressure-ice was even worse
than on the previous day.
Off Cape Bryan we got quite clear of the pressure-ice and
made good speed on the almost snowless ice which seemed to
have settled late in the autumn. Off Hannah Island we found
the carcase of a seal, half -eaten by a bear.
We passed Bessel Fjord in a fresh breeze, and the peculiar
indentation, surrounded on all sides by steep mountains inter-
sected by hanging tongues of ice, looked eerie and desolate.
We halted by Cape Morton, and as the storm was still on the
increase, we succumbed to a momentary laziness and made
camp, although we really meant to cross Petermann Fjord on
this day.
April 28th. — However, later in the day we found that our
laziness was merely a proof that we had eyes in the back of our
head as well. This is how it happened :
As soon as the dogs were fed, and the tent stayed so as to
be able to withstand the storm, Koch and I decided to take
Inukitsoq and set out on a small excursion to the bay in our
immediate vicinity. Surrounded by high mountains, the head
of the bay looked very inviting with a high terrace-like beach
stretching like an amphitheatre up towards a broad, dead
glacier.
Here Koch and Inukitsoq found an old depot from Nares'
1875-76 Expedition a little way above the beach. It consisted
of six boxes, each containing four 9-pound tins of Australian
70
WASHINGTON LAND TO HALL LAND
mutton, fresh and delicious as if it had been left only the previous
day. Next to the boxes we found a broken barrel marked :
Arctic Service.
H.M.S. "DISCOVERY."
Sugar.
Unfortunately a sweet-toothed bear had been here before
us, and this was all the more annoying as sugar happened to
be the article which we all coveted. So we had to content our-
selves with unusually well-preserved boiled beef. The tins
were marked : " Meat Preserving Co., Ltd. Agents, Wother-
spoon and Co. Works, Winton Southland, N.Z."
For a long time we were thus able to live grandly on food
originally meant for Arctic colleagues who had travelled here
before any of us were born. Our thanks to the brave English-
men who left it here ; our compliments to the excellent firm
which prepared this durable article !
Besides the mutton we found a large tin containing 20 kilo-
grams of tallow, which was the dogs' share in this unexpected
meal.
April 29th. — We had to stay here for yet another day
because of the violent storm. Although the snow seemed firm
and the ice in many places lay bare and shiny, now and then
there was such a thick drift that the high mountains on the
other side of Petermann Fjord disappeared. At length,
towards evening, the wind calmed down so that we could break
up and cross the fjord.
This fjord looked quaint and foreign in its surroundings.
Everywhere the mountains along the coast fall steeply down
towards the ice, and the dark-brownish tones showed gloomy
and serious against the even, white inland-ice which appears
everywhere as a bank of white fog behind the coastland. In
several places along the fjord, tongues of the glacier shoot
down between the mountains, but at no point here is the pro-
duction of ice-mountains apparent. On the whole, it seems
that the ice up here on the northernmost latitudes differs from
the ice further southward, in that in no place does one find real
71
GREENLAND BY THE POLAR SEA
ice-mountains. Even the blocks which now and then calve
off from Humboldt's Glacier look like huge pieces of Polar-ice.
In some places these are rather large, but never did we see
them of such a height that they might be called icebergs, such
as we know from the glaciers near Inglefield Gulf, Wolsten-
holme Sound, and Melville Bay.
After a few hours' driving it was manifest that we had
been right in waiting whilst the storm was on, for even now.
after the snow had ceased to drift, the wind blew so hard from
the fjord that we had difficulty in standing when the FohnAike
squalls whirled around us. The sky was uncannily beautiful,
with big balloon-like clouds drifting along under the pressure
of a hurricane. The ice seemed to have lain immovable here,
as it consisted entirely of uneven Sikiissaq. Frequently we
were blown out into great basins formed during the ice-melting
of the summer, big lakes up to 1 kilometre long covered with
fresh-water ice, shiny as a mirror where neither men nor dogs
could find a footing. Powerless to resist, we were flung away
and slid along limply towards the opposite shore with the sledge
in front and the miserably whining dogs behind us. Here we
had to keep all our wits about us in order to prevent the sledge-
runners being broken. But it would have been hopeless to
attempt to make camp here, and in spite of everything we had
to let matters take their course, for in no place could we find
shelter for a tent ; and the complete absence of snow on the
ice seemed to indicate that in this neighbourhood storms were
the order of the day. After twelve hours' tussle with wind
and slippery ice, we at last reached Offley Island.
April 30th. — In the shelter of the small but high and steep
island the tent was erected, and after that we attempted a
musk-ox hunt. This tract consisted of dark limestone ; it was
quite barren and gloomy. The storm whipped across it with
such violence that it was often quite impossible to go against
the wind. In spite of all our efforts the long chase had no
result. We found no track of game and the country was
almost void of vegetation.
WASHINGTON LAND TO HALL LAND
During the night we continued northward under the same
difficult travelling conditions, being swept along the shiny ice-
by the wind. Not until we were about six miles from Hall's
Thank God Harbour did we reach a quiet zone with sufficient
snow ; then the dogs, joyous in the sensation that they could
once more stand firmly, set off at a sharp run so that early in
the morning we were by Hall's Grave, where we camped.
On this last part of our journey we saw several breathing-
holes of seals, but although we might have hunted near these
holes with some success, we were, thanks to the many tins of
savoury mutton which Nares' Expedition so kindly had left
us at Cape Lucie Marie, more interested in our progress than
in the procuring of fresh meat.
The sea-ice between Offley Island and Hall's Grave was
young autumn ice, a broad belt stretching from the coast and
outward. It would seem that everywhere here, probably dur-
ing the month of August, the sea opens up along the land. But
one need not go far out into the basin before one finds floes of
several years' old Polar-ice, which is just as uninviting for
sledges as it is for ships. I do not think it would be a mistake
to lay down the rule that the ice right from the northern part
of Smith Sound, Kane Basin, Kennedy Channel, Hall Basin,
and Robeson Channel works loose during the short period of
transition in August and September, when sudden autumn
storms fight with the short Arctic summer. This is proved
not merely by the ice we had an opportunity to observe every-
where, but also by the experiences of all previous expeditions.
But a real open Polar Sea is quite out of the question, for even
that part of the Polar Sea which under the name of Lincoln
Sea washes round Grant Land and the north coast of Green-
land, has almost the same appearance summer and winter. In
certain places basins of open water are found, but they are
never very extensive and always owe their existence to some
local cause or other. In the same way broad or narrow fissures
in the Polar pack-ice are formed, but these also are quite local
and temporary.
It happens every summer that the pack-ice which is forced
73
GREENLAND BY THE POLAR SEA
in from the great Polar Sea through the relatively narrow
channels which lead to Baffin Bay, beats down all resistance
and tries to find air towards south-south-west. As soon as this
enormous mass of ice starts moving — partly owing to the open
water off the coast, partly aided by the current — commences
towards Baffin Bay that drift of ice from the north which for
periods creates comparatively open water. But it is only open
water in a certain sense, as on all horizons one sees masses of
huge drifting floes.
These are the facts of the open Polar Sea, which right up
to this year has tempted Polar expeditions. As a rule sailing
is out of the question — one merely drifts with the ice in the
direction of the current.
These theories tempted the first North Pole pioneers to
push ahead as far as possible northwards along the lands, and
it was for this reason that they chose winter camps so far
north ; they thus succeeded at a comparatively early period in
giving us some idea of the nature of the country and the life
of its creatures, whilst at the same time they charted the coasts.
HALL'S GRAVE
May 1st. — We arrived at Hall's Grave on a beautiful and
sunny spring day and camped on the ice-foot. We had for a
long time been anxious to see this place of which we had read
so much, and where a large Polar expedition had fought
through the dark period of the years 1871-72.
As soon as the dogs were tethered at a sufficient distance
from the sledges we ran up the steep clay bank which led to a
plateau.
The lines of the landscape were beautiful. A plain-like
sweep of several kilometres lay like a carpet in front of the
high mountains which comprise the inner region of Polaris
Promontory. The plain led eastward round the peninsula
down to Newman Bay and, being covered with snow, appeared
to provide easy driving.
74
WASHINGTON LAND TO HALL LAND
But how barren and desolate was all the country one could
survey from this point ! In no place could one find the
slightest sign of vegetation ; everything was sand and pebbles,
monotonous and bleak. We had been hoping for a hunt
before we parted with the last two pack-sledges, but this hope
seemed to be sheer vanity.
A short distance from the clay bank we found Hall's Grave,
easily distinguished at a distance by the copper plate between
two wooden pillars which Nares' Expedition had erected in
front of it, this great Polar expedition which visited the same
regions four years after Hall's death. The inscription on the
plate is as follows :
SACRED TO THE MEMORY OP
CAPTAIN C. F. HALL,
OF THE U.S. SHIP " POLARIS,"
WHO SACRIFICED HIS LIFE IN
THE ADVANCEMENT OP SCIENCE
ON NOVBR. 8TH, 1871.
THIS TABLET HAS BEEN ERECTED
BY THE BRITISH POLAR EXPEDITION
OF 1875,
WHO FOLLOWING IN HIS FOOTSTEPS
HAVE PROFITED BY HIS
EXPERIENCE.
A bear had paid a visit to the grave a short time previously
and tried to destroy the monument ; some of the wood was
splintered, but the stout pillars which supported the plate had
resisted the attack. The marks of the animal's teeth were
plain.
A short distance away we found two more graves. The
inscription on one of them had been made on a wooden plate
and was now illegible ; but on the other it is scratched on to a
flat limestone, which, however, has been broken by a bear.
One can merely decipher the word Discovery, but this is suffi-
cient to show that it is one of Beaumont's men who sleeps his
last sleep here.
75
GREENLAND BY THE POLAR SEA
Our minds were impressed by the atmosphere of this little
Arctic cemetery ; for the men whose earthly remains rest in
this place lost their lives in an attempt to reach the places which
are now our goal.
Some distance from the grave we found remainders of a
small wooden hut which had probably served as a scientific
station on land ; also some wood, a couple of zoological scrapers,
and a large rusty stove — a bizarre-looking piece of wreckage on
this coast. By the side of this stove we found some huge,
unwieldy cooking utensils, pots and kettles which, weighing
from 5 to 10 kilograms each and being of iron, must have
formed rather unpleasant loads for a dog-sledge.
Our Eskimos, whose senses are always doubly keen during
an examination of old, previously inhabited camps, found
under a stone mound two large tins of coffee which proved
excellent. A mouthful of port wine in a bottle had also pre-
served its bouquet in spite of fifty years of frosty nights near
the Pole. It was, of course, drunk in a mood of devotion,
although each man's share was no larger than just to wet the
tip of the tongue.
We further discovered some lead and some large pellets
suitable for the hunting of hares, which our pack-sledges appro-
priated with delight.
We had, however, to turn our thoughts towards hunting,
and as soon as the neighbourhood had been examined we set
out in two parties, one making with sledges and dogs in the
direction across the plain towards Newman Bay ; here we hoped
to meet musk-ox, for Hall's Expedition had shot no less than
twenty-six animals in this vicinity. A find amongst the ruins
of the houses on the bank, furthermore, encouraged us ; for in
a hollow in the ground which had been dug out for a sleeping-
place, we found three musk-ox skins which did not appear to
be very old. Sipsu's opinion was that they were put there
about 1900 during one of Peary's stays at Fort Conger. By
way of a broad valley which stretched itself inward through the
Polaris Peninsula itself, the second party went to hunt hares.
76
WASHINGTON LAND TO HALL LAND
WE TAKE LEAVE OF OUR LAST PACK-SLEDGES
There was a feeling of summer in the air when we paid our
visit to Hall's Grave, for quiet, mild weather and warm sun
greeted us pleasantly after the three days of storm by Peter-
mann Fjord.
The sun, which shone night and day, was most agreeable in
the cool night with its softer light. As we were not troubled
by the cold we could give ourselves whole-heartedly to the busi-
ness consequent on this being our last day of companionship
with Sipsu and Inukitsoq. They had to leave us here and
hunt their way homeward via Grant Land, so for the last time
we were able to send a greeting home, with a message as to
how we had fared hitherto.
I have already mentioned that Sipsu was not new to this
territory. He was an experienced traveller who had often fol-
lowed Peary on his Polar Expeditions and knew Grant Land
well ; as a hunter he made certain and safe dispositions — a calm
man when luck turned against him and intrepid in a dangerous
situation. He was helpful, always good-tempered, being
merely enlivened by the risk attendant on a long journey where
success in hunting constitutes the thin thread by which life
hangs.
His companion Inukitsoq had really only accompanied us
because he was Ajako's brother. He was a good-natured
fellow, in no way remarkable, but in the company of Sipsu he
could always be used with advantage for driving those loads
which a pack-sledge had to carry.
These two men were to take with them southward the
geological collections we had gathered from Cape Constitution
to Polaris Promontory. As we could not spare them any pro-
visions, they were to take the road across Fort Conger,
Greely's famous winter quarters, where musk-ox was always to
be found.
We ourselves had reckoned on the possibility of having to
cut across Hall Basin in order to get our provisions in Grant
Land before we lay a course north to the unknown and
77
GREENLAND BY THE POLAR SEA
doubtful hunting-grounds. But as for the time being we had
sufficient dog food, this was not now necessary.
We did not expect to find the same good ice as that on
which we had driven along the coast in Hall Basin, where the
great land between Robeson Channel and Sherard Osborne
Fjord acts as a buffer against the enormous pressure of the
Polar Sea. Not a single ice-ridge was found on the ice-foot,
which in certain places was quite broad and easy to drive on,
though in other places it was too narrow for the passage of
sledges.
Towards evening the different hunting parties returned ;
Inukitsoq and Hendrik had been almost to Newman Bay, but
had seen nothing alive — they had not even come across an old
track.
Ajako and Bosun had been inland on the Peninsula and
had killed two hares.
For the last time we made our camp with three tents and
feasted modestly on the hares. The fine weather continued
so that we rarely stayed in the tents ; it was far better to be
outside.
We paid a visit to two beacons in the mountains near
by, but could not find any records. By one of them, however,
we found a big flat stone with the inscription :
A. A. ODELL. 1872. R. W. C.
Odell was one of the engineers of the Polaris.
The neighbourhood was beautiful, though its history turned
our mood to one of seriousness. For we were camping near a
cemetery, and the men whom fate had broken here were young
and capable ; but they had met difficulty and toil stronger than
their own strong constitutions.
Opposite to us the Discovery wintered during 1875-76,
and the Alert farther northward the same year. Both ships
had sacrificed brave and intrepid members of their crew for the
exploration of this land. Finally, the Greely Expedition had
wintered in Lady Franklin Bay — an expedition which gave
78
WASHINGTON LAND TO HALL LAND
rise to the greatest tragedy which has ever been played in these
regions.
The ground on which we stand is dearly paid for; its
exploration has cost the life of many a brave young man of
iron will. But for each one who fell there were others who
offered to take his place ; thus our knowledge of the northern-
most regions of the earth moves farther and farther North.
North ! North !
From our tent-camp in towards Cape Tyson the land
stretches itself in soft, even lines. This landscape, which is
merely a desert of stone and sand, has the contours of a gentle
sea swell.
At Cape Tyson the panorama changes in character. Wild
mountains lie inward toward the inland-ice by the bight of
Petermann Fjord, darkly edging its blue, glistening ice.
Against this background big rolling clouds drive out from the
fjord where the air never seems to be at peace ; and while we
are lying far outside the mouth of the fjord in golden spring,
the colours of the storm above the cliffs change in threatening
hues.
Much more fertile looks Grant Land, this no less historic
place, separated from us merely by the narrow Robeson
Channel. Here, again, the mountains are grandly and phan-
tastically formed, whilst the even land sweeps away in all
directions.
Westward, through broad doughs, we catch a glimpse of
the valleys where hundreds of musk-ox graze on the banks of
broad rivers, and where thousands of hares tumble like a ravine
of snow down to the plains, curious and over-eaten, white,
woolly hordes, often of such enormous size that it seems as if
the earth itself were alive.
And all this huge, white landscape somehow seems to
gather round the tall Ballot Island, which in the mouth of Lady
Franklin Bay lifts its head like a sky-scraping monument over
man's fight for the North Pole. A memorial here by the very
threshold where the word is always :
North, North, farther North !
79
CHAPTER IV
CAPE SUMNER TO DRAGON POINT
CAPE SUMNER TO DRAGON POINT
"M jW AY 2nd. — We started at ten o'clock. We expected
▼ I bad driving, and we got it. According to its position,
the Polaris Peninsula lies like a wedge in the midst of
a strong drift of ice-floes which, under the pressure of all Lin-
coln Sea, break their way past the large capes to be ground in
through the narrow Robeson Channel. By midnight we had
nearly reached Cape Sumner and made camp utterly worn out.
The dogs also were worn out by the pressure-ice, and as soon
as the signal to stop was given they laid down almost on top
of each other, never stirring all through the night from the
spot where they had flopped.
The quality of the ice showed that there had been open
water along the coast until late in the autumn. From Hall's
Grave to Cape Lupton we therefore had excellent going, but
here the character of the ice changed, and, as it was not always
possible for us to follow the belt of the tidal water, we often
met pressure-ridges which towered up in front of us to a height
of 10 to 15 metres. It was quite impossible to drive across
these huge blocks, which lay piled together as if thrown there
by a giant's hand. For hours we had to stop in order to make
a road for the sledges with our ice-picks.
In some places the ice was pressed up towards land, lying
like an exquisite diadem round the ice-foot, gleaming in beau-
tiful colours when the rays of the sun caught the many broken
crystals.
While the country south-east of Hall's Grave is low with
occasional rounded hills, the north coast stands like a steep
wall of cliff's with a beautiful design in brown and grey on its
80
CAPE SUMNER TO DRAGON POINT
enormous flanks. A snow-shower had just swept the awl-
pointed peaks standing in white and brilliant contrast to the
dark bands lower down.
There was a storm from south-east, and the gusts of wind
swept down from the mountains with such force that it was
impossible to stand upright under their attacks. We pitched
the tents with great difficulty, and as soon as we had strength-
ened ourselves with some food, little Hendrik and I walked
along the ice-foot to Newman Bay to reconnoitre. We crawled
up on the ice-foot and crept slowly forward against the storm.
What we saw was not very encouraging ; on the morrow we
should once more have to hew our way towards the bay where
the ice seemed more even. We climbed the mountains to get
a view of the places where travelling might be easiest ; then we
returned to our comrades. On one crossing of the mountain
we were overwhelmed by weariness and the pain of our wind-
lashed faces, so we sought shelter behind a hummock of ice.
Whilst we tried in vain to doze, our thoughts reverted again
and again to Markham's journey across this very Polar-ice,
through the frozen spray of which we were now about to force
our way.
I have mentioned before in how slight a degree we were
impressed by the natural phenomena which so often had ren-
dered our predecessors speechless. Rut here, where for the
first time in my life I looked across the mighty ocean of the
Pole, I had no words to express the feeling with which this
living though ice-bound sea overwhelmed me. The infinitely
distant horizon, where on all sides one sees only endless white
ice-steppes, lying there without the evenness of the plain and
full of unrest, is like an Epos of nature which renders one
dumb.
And whilst the wind raged round us and the steep moun-
tains of Cape Sumner stood threatening above our heads, the
surroundings forced me to go through again in imagination all
the sufferings which the stubborn Englishmen from Nares'
Expedition had undergone.
F 81
GREENLAND BY THE POLAR SEA
Right opposite to me was the north-east coast of Grant
Land and, as a blue line in the horizon, the faint contours of
Floeberg Beach, the Alert's winter harbour.
Nares' Expedition of 1875-76 was made at the expense of
the British State during the reign of Queen Victoria, and was
equipped with everything which at that time was considered
necessary for Polar exploration. Expense had on no point
been considered.
The expedition left Portsmouth on the 29th of May and
arrived at Disko with three imposing ships ; from this harbour
one of the ships, the Valorous, was returned, so that Nares
had now command of two big, strong ships, the Alert and the
Discovery. The plan was that one of the ships should go no
further than N. Lat. 82°, where it was to take up its winter
quarters. The other ship was to push on as far north as
possible.
The goal of the expedition was the North Pole, and, as
soon as it had passed Cape York, it worked its way system-
atically northward, leaving in all suitable places depots to
be used in case of shipwreck. Simultaneously beacons were
built where information was laid down for eventual search expe-
ditions. It was one of these depots which we found at Cape
Morton, as previously described.
According to plan, the Discovery took up its winter quar-
ters in Lady Franklin Bay, whilst the Alert made its way up
to the north point of Grant Land, which it reached on the
25th of August. The winter was spent on Floeberg Beach.
In the beginning of April, 1876, all the long sledge jour-
neys started, which, due east, seaward due north, and due
west, were to accomplish the task of the expedition. I will
mention here only Markham's voyage.
Markham's task was to push northward as far as possible,
preferably to the North Pole itself. He started with a train
of nineteen men with sledges whereon provisions and baggage
were distributed in such a way that each man would have a
load of 230 pounds. Besides the sledges they also brought two
boats much too heavy and unwieldy for such a long sledge
82
CAPE SUMNER TO DRAGON POINT
journey. Very soon after the expedition left land, they had
to leave the first boat behind.
Daily these men fought a terrible fight against both the
cold and the natural obstacles in their path, and it was not long
before they began to suffer from frost-bite. They faced this
misfortune bravely. But when the dreaded scurvy* made its
appearance, the expedition was on the point of breaking down
altogether. On the 19th of April it became evident that three
of the men had contracted this dreaded and terrible complaint.
On the 24th, N. Eat. 83° was passed, and then no less than
five men were ill and unable to do any work. On the 7th of
May the position was already such that three men had to ride
with the baggage, while two of the patients were yet able to
manage for themselves, although they were hardly able to
walk. On the 10th of May it was obvious to Markham that it
was hopeless to continue, and, while the patients were given
two days' rest, he himself and the strongest of the men set out
on an excursion to N. Lat. 83° 20', the farthest north ever
reached — a record which was destined to remain unbeaten for
many years.
On the commencement of the return journey five men had
to drive, whilst a further five were only enabled to keep up
with their comrades because the drivers must cover the dis-
tance three times in succession to bring up all the baggage.
* J. Lindhardt, M.D., Professor at the University of Copenhagen,
and member of the Danish Expedition of 1906-08, has kindly supplied
me with the following information: "Scurvy (scorbut) is an illness due
to an improper dietary, the cause of which is now attributed to the lack
of vitamines in the food. These vitamines are to be found in fresh meat,
and, more especially, in vegetables, but they are destroyed by unsuitable
preservation. Thus they are not to be found in the salt meat which
previously constituted the chief food of Arctic expeditions. The illness
manifests itself by tiredness and weakness, often accompanied by pains
similar to rheumatism, haemorrhage under the skin, sores on the legs,
often also on internal organs, and a peculiar affection of the mouth with
swollen, tender, and delicate gums which give rise to haemorrhage and
wounds and, occasionally, a loosening of the teeth. The treatment of
the illness is hygienic-dietetic (fresh vegetables). In severe cases death
follows general exhaustion or is caused by complications, especially
affections of the lungs."
83
GREENLAND BY THE POLAR SEA
When they approached land, still another three men fell ill,
and as there were now only two officers and two men left, they
decided at length to leave the second boat, which they had
dragged along fearing that they might meet open water.
On the 5th of June they reached land, and after two days
of rest Lieutenant Parr had sufficient strength to cover the
distance to the ship on foot. A relief party was promptly sent
out, and all the men were brought on board, but several of
them were already so ill that, in spite of all efforts, they died
after having reached harbour. The men who left the ship
were fine fellows — they had been picked from a large crew ; but
of what avail is youth and strength when the constitution is
undermined by scurvy?
This is briefly the tale of the first journey across the Polar-
ice, which now lies before us. The story the ice axes hewed
out here was just as gloomy as, in consequence of its surround-
ings, it must necessarily be. It was a fine and noble record,
and Markham has for all eternity carved his name on the scroll
of the foremost in Polar exploration ; but hard was the journey
and dearly were the results paid for, for this great cold Polar
Sea claims a sacrifice from every man who tries to unveil its
secrets.
Hendrik and I got up stiff with cold, but were blown home-
ward and soon got warm. Often we were flung along the ice
against pressure-ridges which did not receive us kindly ; and
it was with genuine joy that we arrived, bruised and stiff, at
the camp of our sleeping comrades at four o'clock in the
morning.
This was a cold and inhospitable coast !
May 3rd. — We had pitched our tents between the big
pressure-ridges close to the ice-foot, attempting to find shelter
from the storm.
The landscape would have been gloomy had it not been for
the warm sun, which gave life and colour to everything : even
the precipitous mountains behind us changed in warm tinges.
We hoped that we should wake up in quieter weather, as
84
CAPE SUMNER TO DRAGON POINT
the gusts of wind made progress so difficult on the shiny ice
between the big ridges. During a storm one is unmercifully
flung down, and the dogs, which had worn down their claws
during the last days of fighting for a foothold on the shiny ice,
were swept together in bunches which were flung against the
sledges ; here they lay until a lull in the heavy squalls gave them
a chance to push ahead for another short distance.
We had the same weather to-day as yesterday, and we
pressed on to get out of this awkward neighbourhood ; in the
course of the day we reached the strongly folded ground of
Cape Sumner, from which point driving was easier, resting us
whilst we passed Newman Bay.
I discovered no young ice in the bay ; everywhere was
several years old Polar-ice, hilly and rough, slippery and bare
of snow, but nevertheless fairly easy to cross, as it was not
necessary for us to use our axes. In the afternoon we camped
near Cape Brevoort, a high limestone mountain standing as a
counterpart to Cape Sumner.
These monumental coast mountains are worthy memorials
of the two American senators whom Hall wished to honour by
this christening. From their summits one has a view not
merely over the Polar Sea and the north coast of Grant Land,
but also far inland across the country behind Newman Bay,
where the land at an even gradient trends inward, ending in a
great tableland near the inland-ice.
The success with which Hall's people met on their various
hunting expeditions in this neighbourhood tempted us to try
our fortune once more. The musk-oxen had had a close season
of many years' duration, ever since the days of 1871, so two
men were now sent out. Ajako and Bosun walked for ten
hours across the stony land, and then returned tired and foot-
sore to the tent, late in the evening, without having seen any
sign of game.
May 4th. — One day succeeds the other in great monotony
during this period ; all our attempts to find game for ourselves
and the dogs are unsuccessful, but we have yet sufficient stores
to continue the journey on full rations.
85
GREENLAND BY THE POLAR SEA
The fight for progress through the Polar pack-ice was
monotonous and strenuous. Hour after hour was spent in the
same way. Sometimes the axe had to break the ice-blocks ;
sometimes we had to lift the sledges when they toppled over ;
and the whole time we had to force the dogs forward with
iron-fisted discipline, through sharp and slippery blocks of ice
where it was difficult to find so good a foothold that the sledges
could be pressed through the difficult passages without delays.
At all the great capes the same pressure-ice was piled
across the ice-foot as an obstructing wall, through which we
could not hope to pass. We therefore had to work our way
either along the belt of tidal water on the shiny ice, or, where
this was impossible, along those rare places where a belated
lane from January and February had stretched an arm of
young ice towards land. But we tried as far as possible not to
get too far out to sea, as these new lanes often end in a cul-
de-sac and force one into a wilderness of pressure-ice.
During the forenoon we passed Gap Valley, where Beau-
mont and his men pulled their heavy sledges up across land
when they found the route forward blocked by open water
near Cape Brevoort. As the name implies, the valley here
forms a broad gap betweeD two steep mountains, a stony valley
full of doughs which goes in towards the great lowland near
Newman Bay. We who have our dogs to help us bow down
in deep respect to those sick and exhausted men who them-
selves had to pull their heavy, iron-mounted sledges up across
the trackless terrain with its many large stones which lay bare
of snow. Maybe those old pioneers were unpractical as
regards their equipment, but what stubbornness and pride
they must have possessed, these enduring and herculean
mariners who were the first beasts of burden for the Polar
travellers !
Near Repulse Harbour we succeeded in climbing on to
an ice-foot along which driving was possible, although the
gigantic Sikussaq ridges in some places towered up and formed
banks from 10 to 30 metres high. These phenomena testify
to the fights which every year are fought out between the
86
z
b
A l'AUE OF 1'EAKY S REl'OKT FOUND IN THE CA1HN
CAPE SUMNER TO DRAGON POINT
creaking, current-harassed ice-ocean and the mountain-sides,
the outposts of the lands. Inukitsoq, who during one of
Peary's Polar Expeditions wintered on the north coast of
Grant Land, remembers that he has seen rifts and holes with
open water far into the winter. It appears that the ice here
between Greenland and Grant Land is seldom firm and
dependable until February or March.
Near Repulse Harbour we passed a beacon as tall as a man,
where, in an empty brandy-bottle, we found the following
record from Peary :
"June 8th, 1900.
"Am passing here on my way to Ft. Conger. I left
Etah March 4th and Conger April 15th. Reached Lock-
wood's farthest May 8th ; the northern extremity of the Green-
land archipelago on May 13th ; a point on the sea-ice north of
that N. Lat. 83° 50' May 16th ; and a point down the east
coast about North Lat. 83° May 21st. There followed over
a week of fog, wind and snow, this made the travelling very
heavy and the return slow. This is my 16th march from my
farthest and 9th from Lockwood's farthest. Yesterday passed
Black Horn Cliffs with much difficulty over loose ice. There
is open water now off this point and a lane of open water this
side of C. Brevoort extending clear across the channel. Have
with me my man Matthew Henson, one Eskimo, 16 dogs and
2 sledges, all in fair condition.
" This sledge journey is part of a program of Arctic work
Undertaken by me under the auspices of and with funds fur-
nished by the Peary Arctic Club of New York City.
"R. E. Peary,
"U.S.N."
We were now free of the pressure-ice and enjoyed the even
going inside the fjord-ice. But unfortunately the sledges ran
heavily on the snow, which, here mixed up with little grains
of sand and gravel, hampered our iron runners. It was with
great difficulty that we made the dogs keep up a slow trot, but
this, nevertheless, represented a good push forward. On this
87
GREENLAND BY THE POLAR SEA
stretch of the coast Wulff found a living saxifrage with fully-
developed flowers on stems an inch high ; in full bloom it had
been suddenly surprised by the winter, which it had allowed
to pass over its head as if it did not exist at all, and it quite
calmly continued its life now when spring and sunshine once
more melted the ice. All its tissues were full of life although
the temperature of the air was minus 11° (Cent.), and there
had as yet been no thaw during the year.
Near Black Horn Cliffs we made our camp after twelve
hours of driving, as neither the dogs nor we ourselves could
stand any more. After a slight meal and a refreshing cup of
tea I climbed the mountains with the Eskimos so as to ascer-
tain what conditions for travelling the next day would offer.
The ice was similar to that of the preceding days, and in spite
of all difficulties this was a pleasant surprise ; for the ice of
Black Horn Cliffs, which run steeply into the sea without a
trace of ice-foot, is not dependable, open water being often
found.
Inland we looked across even land with knolls which almost
entirely consist of pebbles, clay, and sand. In spite of the
absence of vegetation, the view, with its soft, calm lines, is a
kindly one. Behind it all the mighty Mount Punch was
enthroned, broad and solid with a skull-cap of white snow.
The land was bare of snow and in vain our two good field-
glasses ransacked plains, valleys, and doughs. Not a hare,
let alone a musk-ox, was to be discovered anywhere.
From the wind-swept look-out of our mountain we could
see clear across to the country round Grant Land, looming
far, far to the north amidst a sea of ice like blue banks of fog.
Furthest away Inukitsoq recognized Cape Sheridan, the winter
harbour of Nares in 1875-76, and later on Peary's quarters
during no less than two Polar expeditions.
Looking from this point across the huge plain of rugged
Polar pack-ice with very occasional narrow lanes of new ice,
one cannot but feel the greatest admiration for the old English
sailor who already forty years ago found a way for ships so
near to the North Pole.
88
CAPE SUMNER TO DRAGON POINT
May 5th. — As usual, we camped on the ice between the
highest ice-banks so as to be sheltered from the sweeping blast
which whirled across the ice-foot and whipped our tents with
showers of snow and gravel. An inhospitable country to wake
up in when the day's journey must begin after a good night of
rest in a comfortable sleeping-bag ! Each day has to be started
with a little reconnoitring. One or two men go seaward
armed with ice-picks in order to rid the road~~oT~TrTe~ first
obstacles. It is always a good thing to get quickly away from
a camp, for nothing is more demoralizing than looking too
long at the place where last one slept.
We soon found that by going seaward we quickly came
across fairly good ice, though it was old Sikussaq with slippery
hilly slopes and annoying hollows. But this old ice alternated
with good driving, and thus it happened to our great surprise
that we quickly crossed the place where we had expected the
greatest struggle. Near Cape Stanton we onee more got up
on the ice-foot, which was everywhere bounded on its outer
side by ridges of from 5 to 20 metres high. We were now
rid of the pressure-ice, but the clayey snow gave the dogs hard
work in pulling the sledges.
During the previous day's journey we had seen tracks of
Polar wolves, a very large male and its mate, which a few days
ago had travelled in the very direction in which we were now
struggling. On this day also we ran across the same tracks,
and the dogs, which scented the strange animals, were animated
a little by the hope of a possible hunt. Also we were interested
in the tracks, for where wolves exist one will, as a ride, find
musk-ox, and we were all longing for fresh meat. In several
places on land we found excrements of musk-ox, but unfortu-
nately they were all very old and covered with moss.
So far the day's journey differed only from the many others
of laborious and weary struggles along a monotonous and barren
coast, in that we passed two beautiful bays. There was Hands
Bay, with two peaceful valleys edged by high mountains which
further emphasize the idyllic aspect ; at the head of this bay the
ice was even and appeared to have been melted during the
89
GREENLAND BY THE POLAR SEA
summer. Similarly in Frankfield Bay, which with a narrow
mouth cuts broadly into the country. The background of
this country is formed by Mount Punch with its genially-
sounding name, lifting its snowy cap rakishly towards the
clouds.
The wind appears to be the only guest in these harsh tracts
where even the snow is forbidden to lie as a cover for the sparse
vegetation — the charitable gift of summer to the insects, the
little birds, and the stray hares and lemmings. But there was
sufficient food for musk-ox, for wherever small, clough-like
hollows give shelter for the snow, or where a river forces its
way from some lake towards the ocean, there is plenty of grass
and willow.
The result of the hunt was three lean ptarmigans. One of
these was so tame that Harrigan, stealthily creeping towards it,
got so near that he could easily take it with his hands. The
ptarmigans were boiled in our porridge and imparted to it, with
their keen delicious juices, a new and agreeable flavour.
Our two tents were pitched under a steep ice-bank, screwed
up under the pressure of the Arctic Ocean to a height of
30 metres above the ice-foot. This bank looked phantastic with
its many knotted ice-blocks crawling over each other, and pro-
vided a welcome screen from the wind. The place is called,
quite appropriately, "Rest Point." The day's journey had
been fifteen hours long, and, after this last wandering across
the mountains, we all accepted the blissful rest which bathes
our tired limbs as a rain-shower a thirsty field.
May 6th-7th. — It was six o'clock in the afternoon before
we were once more ready to start.
Again on this day the ice-foot made travelling heavy. It
was almost impossible for the sledges to get along because of
all the sand and gravel blown on to the snow, and it was difficult
to make the dogs go ahead. The coast was desolate and cheer-
less, monotonous and depressing. The ice-foot on which we
travelled is along its inner edge covered by rather low rounded
heaps of gravel, without character and entirely without the
90
CAPE SUMNER TO DRAGON POINT
variation of form which otherwise breaks the monotony. Every-
thing about us bears the stamp of the iron climate of the
country. The eternal blast has whipped the sparse vegetation
flat along the ground, nothing has had a chance to grow erect.
All life here bears the yoke of storm and frost.
We snailed along from headland to headland, and every
point of land ahead looked like the one we had just passed. The
whole coast is clipped and cropped, blockaded by ice-ridges and
chilled through by an ocean of ice.
We made occasional halts to give the dogs a short rest, and,
in the meantime, we ourselves walked into the sandy desert,
where not the slightest track encouraged us to persist. The
crushing monotony of death seems to be the only ruler in this
district.
During the journey I suddenly discovered a piece of wood
placed by human hands in a conspicuous place near a large stone
mound. Although in a way it formed a link with other men
who have visited this coast, owing to our mood our thoughts
involuntarily turned to graves. I hurried up to it to see
whether it was not some sad memorial or other connected with
Beaumont, but soon discovered that this place had once been
merely a depot of provisions, perhaps a salvation for those who,
starving and exhausted, managed to reach it.
The coast trends sharply and straightly due north-east and
permits no view ahead ; little headlands continually block the
horizon. But under Cape Bryan the coast suddenly turns
southward and opens at once the view to the north, where all
the lands which we had dreamed about for months rise up from
the ice-ocean and show their brilliant contours in the clear,
sharp air.
It was two o'clock in the morning. The sun had not yet
reached such a height as to emit a flat and monotonous light :
sharp shadows were thrown on to the dark mountain walTs, and
a fine, tender red still trembled round the topmost peaks,
covered in ice and snow.
It suddenly seemed as if the low, dreary coast which we
had followed from Rest Point sank into the ocean behind us
91
GREENLAND BY THE POLAR SEA
and no longer existed. We could now see far ahead, and with
the wide view came that excitement of travel which always
carries one across dead points ; it was as if suddenly we
approached our fate with visors raised, in a manner much more
dauntless than before.
Quite near us we saw St. George Fjord, narrow as a river
of ice cutting into the land, encircled by high mountains, which,
with steep fells seaward, run right in to the inland-ice.
Dragon Point juts out like a wedge between this narrow
fjord and the broad, far more impressive Sherard Osborne
Fjord, where the broad lines, with the quiet country behind
Cape May, put one in a mood quite different to the one created
by the wild St. George Fjord. There is a breadth here and a
depth, a wild monumental grandeur which fascinates one,
especially when one looks upon it from this point and contrasts
it with the rest of the landscape. Far seaward one gets a glimpse
of Beaumont Island's sharp profile, like a clenched fist in the
midst of eternal snow. Even the highest mountains here do
not seem to be covered with snow, thus forming an agreeable
contrast to the white immensity spreading out at their feet.
Across the lowland behind Cape May, where the cone-
shaped Cape Hooker dominates the horizon, we discern Cape
Britannia's gimlet-pointed peaks on John Murray Island near
the mouth of Nordenskjold Fjord.
The sky was dazzlingly clear, the air deep blue and fresh,
and it was as if the wind itself had other songs here than on the
dead coasts from which we had come. On the uttermost
horizon of the iee-ocean one sees occasional mirages lifting the
sun-bathed pack-ice up towards heaven, giving relief to the
monotony which rests over the frost-bound ocean. The im-
mensity, the power and violence which Nature breathes here,
where we have halted for a moment so as to take possession of
all these new things, communicates itself to our will ; and with
the enthusiasm only known by men who have dared to leave the
high road for the by-ways, we approach the land which holds
our future fate.
The glorious immensity gives us new power, and merrily
92
CAPE SUMNEB TO DRAGON POINT
we turn the dogs down across the ice-foot, driving to Dragon
Point along the even ice of St. George Fjord.
At five o'clock in the morning we land on the outmost point,
and for the first time for a long period we stand where the rays
of the sun are allowed to warm us right through. Not a wind
stirs, and a tiny, curious bunting circling above our heads gives
us a welcome to our first spring camp.
CAPE SUMNER : DRAGON POINT.
98
CHAPTER V
SHERARD OSBORNE FJORD TO
NORDENSKJOLD FJORD
BEAUMONT AND HIS MEN
IN the month of May, forty-two years ago, in the very neigh-
bourhood through which we are now travelling, one could
have seen a remarkable trail of sick people, exhausted and
stumbling, fighting their way through the snow for the purpose
of mapping the land, and later on in order to save life and results
under an immensely toilsome wandering southward. It was
Beaumont and his men from Nares' Expedition.
On our expedition we had passed many historical points, but
here more than anywhere else did we feel the contact with those
brave Englishmen whose goal was identical with ours, and whose
trail we had hitherto followed. As soon as we arrived we dis-
covered in the mountain a beacon, which we visited, and here
we found Beaumont's report of the 25th of May, 1876, deposited
in a beautiful, water-tight copper case. Besides the report, of
which I here give a facsimile, we also found an original map of
the tracts which had been visited and charted with English
thoroughness. We took this record so that it might later on
come into the hands of the British Admiralty as a chapter of
Polar history, and put down another record in the same beacon,
seizing the opportunity to express our admiration for our brave
predecessors.
Lieutenant Beaumont set out from the Alert on the 20th of
April with a band of twenty-one men, pulling four sledges on
which the loads were so distributed that every man would be
pulling 218 pounds — a rather stiff proposition.
94
MAKKIIAM PLANTS THE DNION JACK FAR'IHEST NORTH
LIEUTENANT L. A. BEAUMONT, ROYAL NAVY GREENLAND
SLEDGE PARTY, H.M.S. DISCOfBRY, 18T8 IWO
50"
45°
%
\
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<5j, Capejtamsay %_ Cape yfohn <?
45
SHBRARD OSBORXE F.toRD — DE LONG FJORD
SIIERARD OSBORNE FJORD
In the course of a week they reached Repulse Harbour and
built the beacon, which we passed on the 4th of May, where
Peary's record was found. In the same place a rather consider-
able depot was laid down for the return journey, and they con-
tinued their push forward on the 27th of April, no longer on the
ocean-ice, but along the ice-foot just as we ourselves had done.
Black Horn Cliffs were passed, and immediately afterwards a
new store was deposited for the return journeys. Dr. Cop-
pinger then left the party, as after the deposition of the stores
the assistance of him and his men was no longer required. On
the 10th of May the discovery was made that one of the men
had contracted scurvy, and Lieutenant Rawson was immediately
sent back with the sick man in an attempt to reach the ship.
The others continued to put down depots to secure their retreat ;
thus one was deposited by Cape Bryan, which is no more than
one day's journey from the previous depot. From this point
they went via Cape Fulford across to Dragon Point, where we
ourselves at present are camping.
As the illness spread among the men it soon became obvious
to Beaumont that he could not succeed in reaching very much
further north. He now wished merely to climb a high moun-
tain on the north coast of Sherard Osborne Fjord so as to take
bearings in the direction of the land which must be found, but
which so far had remained hidden. For this purpose he chose a
large cone-formed mountain, Mount Hooker, and he now bent
all his energy towards reaching it. But the snow lay deep every-
where, and when the people could no longer bear up, Beaumont
set off alone to see what sort of travelling he would meet with
further on. Of this he himself writes the following :
• The coast which we tried to reach did not appear to be
more than two miles away from us, and I therefore went on to
examine whether it would not be easier to travel by land. I
covered about one and a half miles in three hours, and then gave
it up.
" My strength was nearly exhausted, and I hailed the men
and told them to have their lunch, but I myself would rather
forego three meals than walk all the way back."
95
GREENLAND BY THE POLAR SEA
On the 19th of May Beaumont writes :
" No one will ever be able to understand what hard work we
had during these days, but the following may give them some
idea of it : When we halted for lunch, two of the men crept on
all fours for 200 yards, rather than walk through this terrible
snow."
On the 22nd of May they were forced to begin the return
journey without having reached Mount Hooker. Subsequently
a report was left on the small Reef Island, and also the one on
Dragon Point which we had now found. We decided to take
only the record from Dragon Point, as the other one, which
would probably be similar to ours, ought to stand as a memorial
of English endurance here in the very country where the work
was done. During the last days of May everybody with the
exception of Beaumont and Gray was ill ; they therefore had to
leave behind various things which were not considered absolutely
necessary, as the point was reached when the exhausted men had
to ride. The first who fell was a sailor named Paul, and another
followed him on the 7th of June. On the 10th of June they
reached the depot at Repulse Harbour. They had plenty of
provisions, but unfortunately it was just the provisions which
had caused the disaster.
Open water prevented them from crossing over to the Alert,
so they decided to travel down to Hall's Grave. The day after
they had altered their course a seaman named Dobing died, and
another man named Jones had, because of his weakness, such an
awkward fall that he had not the strength to go very much fur-
ther. How they managed to pull the sledges up Gap Valley,
with all this illness and exhaustion, is a perfect riddle to us who
have looked at the stony pass. The English will, which often
stiffens into obstinacy, manifested itself here ; there is nothing
to say but this, that as there was no other way they went up
through Valley Pass. We others can only bare our heads to
those who did it. At last they reached Newman Bay, where
Beaumont himself, as it was no longer possible to pull all the six
comrades along on the sledge, intended to go to Hall's Grave,
96
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SHERARD OSBORNE FJORD
for there was a possibility that a relief party might have been
sent out and would be waiting there. And there fortune met
them, and saved those who eould still be saved, as they fell in
with Lieutenant Rawson, Dr. Coppinger, and Hans Hendrik
with his dog sledge.
After a long rest near Hall's Grave, Beaumont continued his
journey across Hall Basin to Lady Franklin Bay, where the
Discovcri) was lying. On the 14th of August, after a most
adventurous journey on drifting ice-floes, they at length reached
the ship.
TO WORK AT LAST
We now started in earnest. Our expedition had covered
the first thousand kilometres of the journey, and we were already
in tracts where we might hope for a good hunting. We had
left home with provisions for two months, but half of them we
used up on our journey, the other half being deposited a short
distance below Beaumont's beacon. This latter half consisted
of pemmican, biscuits, coffee, oats, tea, sugar, tobacco, and a
quantity of ammunition, the last so far superfluous. We hoped
that, before our departure, we should be able to supplement this
with some fresh meat for ourselves and the dogs. We did not
yet know from which point we should ascend on to the inland-ice
on our return journey, but as the probability was that it would
take place here, we relieved the sledges as soon as possible of
superfluous things, so that we should not drag on unnecessary
baggage. We also left two sledges, and the teams of these were
distributed among the other sledges. Above everything, it was
of importance that we should make good speed, and so we burnt
our boats behind us by providing ourselves with food for men
lor three days only, and for the dogs only one meal, which would
be given to them the first time we made camp.
AVe had now six dog teams of altogether seventy dogs, and
if these could only have a few days' rest and strong food, they
would soon regain their full strength. At the moment the posi-
tion, so far as the dogs were concerned, was somewhat critical ;
G 97
GREENLAND BY THE POLAR SEA
the fight against the pressure-ice had obviously worn down both
their bodies and their tempers. They no longer walked proudly
with tails erect, the expression of their eyes was subdued, and
their skins no more possessed that glossiness which is the surest
proof of well-being and strength. Their tails flopped limply
between their legs, and we all felt it our duty to restore their
strength as soon as possible.
A reconnoitring in the neighbourhood had a discouraging
result. We walked far into a snowless, stony terrain, but
nowhere could we find fresh tracks of musk-ox. Scattered
flocks seemed to have been here many years ago, but not even
the clay showed recent tracks. Of ground game there was a
fair amount of hares ; they were very shy — an unfailing indica-
tion of the absence of musk-ox. In all places where the hares
eat grass side by side with the wandering wolves, they flee as
soon as they get a glimpse of any other living thing. And,
according to the tracks, it would seem that there were not a few
wolves. It was obvious that the hares were used to meeting
enemies only. But where they live on land with peaceful musk-
oxen, they show, on the contrary, no nervousness even if one
takes them by surprise rather suddenly on the hill-crest.
We often saw ptarmigans, but only in single pairs ; but these
were too small, so for the time being we would not kill any great
amount of them. Their white winter coats, which previously
made them so conspicuous in snow-bare spots where they seek
their food, were already beginning to give place to the brown
feathers of the summer. They filled the landscape with their
cooing, which between these silent mountains sounds like a song
in the loneliness.
The tableland inside St. George Fjord, dotted with moun-
tains, so far did not tempt us to waste our time hunting ; and
those parts of Sherard Osborne Fjord which from the moun-
tain we had been able to survey with our field-glasses were, to our
great disappointment, so glaciated that a visit there would be
too risky. I therefore decided to postpone the exploration of
these fjords for the time being, until we felt our existence some-
what secure by successful hunting. We were beginning to feel
98
SHERARD OSBORNE FJORD
a little of the hazard which is bound up with the life of the Eskimo
and of the expeditions, whose future, after the manner of the
hunters, depends upon hunting on new grounds.
THE FIRST HUNTING
May 8th. — We have been continually looking out for the
snow which caused Beaumont and his men such great difficulties,
and only to-day on our way to Cape May do we find it. For
the first time since we left Thule the dogs lie down and refuse to
continue, and, so that the whip might not be used too indus-
triously, we prefer to go in front on skis. The dogs then will-
ingly follow, dragging the heavy sledges. We have all taken to
our snowshoes and skis, for without them it is quite impossible to
make one's way through the snow. Once more we admire Beau-
mont and his men who, with the intolerable pains of scurvy,
stumbled across ground like this, with stiff legs, tender, skinned
feet, and, from the traces of the sledge, sores on shoulders and
back.
After six hours of toilsome marching, we reach a large block of
ice where we make a halt, as thick weather from the west draws
across the fjord and blocks our view. A clammy fog envelops
everything and a raw breeze gives us a gloomy greeting from the
Arctic Ocean.
May 9th-llth. — The following day we have to continue in the
same weather, for it would be impossible to remain here. Some
distance from Cape May the weather clears and turns out fine,
and we hurry ahead and reach land after six hours.
We round Cape May through difficult pressure-ice, and when
we have passed a headland where the ice is even and bare of snow,
the dogs set off at a trot whilst we ourselves for the first time
during a long period throw ourselves down on the empty sledges.
We know from previous American expeditions that half a
score of years ago there were musk-oxen in this neighbourhood,
and I therefore decide to try to hunt in earnest before the dogs
are too far gone. Ajako and Inukitsoq are sent up through the
valleys to some large mountainous stretches, topped by glaciers,
99
GREENLAND BY THE POLAR SEA
which certainly appear more generously covered with ice than
suits us. Koch and I accompany them for some distance, and
discover to our joy that the land here has a far richer vegetation
than the barren coast between Newman Bay and Sherard
Osborne Fjord. We also find tracks in the clay of musk-ox and
a quantity of excrements which cannot be very old. And while
the two hunters continue their way, each dragging his dog along,
we hurry back to the sledges to find a convenient place for a camp
further ahead.
As soon as we find a place, I run off to the mountains with
Bosun and Hendrik, while Wulff and Koch are left behind to
pitch the tent.
After a laborious climb up the mountain-sides, consisting
only of small stones which slide downward under our feet, we
reach the top of a high tableland stretching inland. We pass
two skeletons of musk-oxen, but they are too old to damp the
excitement which has seized upon us. A little later we reach the
edge of the stony tableland, and from this point we look across
a broad, large valley penetrating far into the land. Two large
rivers still lie frozen on both sides of the valley, right against
the high mountains. We barely get a glimpse of some large
lakes, the fertile banks of which would surely present a tempt-
ing abode for the game we seek. The land shows a grand
alternation of plain and mountain, but in vain do we examine
with the field-glasses all cloughs, river-beds, and valleys which
our eye can reach. Not a living form do we discover, and we
return disappointed to our tent.
Disappointment always increases a hunter's weariness ; we
therefore all felt as if we had weights of lead round our ankles
when we returned without a catch. Slowly we slid down the
mountain without energy in our movements, without spirit as
we rushed down the steep snowdrifts. But hardly had we got
near the tent before Wulff tore aside the flap, running towards
us ; Ajako had shot the first musk-oxen on our voyage — three
cows ! This certainly put new life into us ; our tiredness seemed
blown away, and we began at once to crawl up the big moun-
tain from which we had just rushed down, and where the hunters
100
SHERARD OSBORNE FJORD
were still busy flaying their quarry. I need not describe this
beautiful finish to a Long day's journey; suffice it to say that
we gorged ourselves with tongues and choice morsels far into
the night, and that the sleep, which later overwhelmed us and
all the sated dogs lying around the tents, was as long as it was
well-earned.
We have now to exploit the country through systematic
hunts, wherefore we divide into two parties. VVulff, Ajako,
Inukitsoq, and Hendrik go in different directions into the great
valley which we saw from the mountain yesterday. Inukitsoq
had on his hunt found a lot of fresh tracks and excrements in
sand and clay. It would therefore appear that the hunters
would have an exciting time if only they would persevere.
According to this arrangement we should have sufficient hunters
for the immediate vicinity, so I myself chose to drive in Vic-
toria Fjord with Bosun, partly for the purpose of hunting,
partly so that I might more closely examine the country. We
have the advantage of being relatively many, so that in the
course of a few days we shall have obtained a perfect survey
of the new land. When I mentioned the first disposals for our
journey, I emphasized that we could with certainty expect to
catch seals some time during the spring, as Eskimos who had
accompanied American expeditions in these regions had told
of the many breathing-holes they found in places where the ice
was young. But we could not reckon on a catch yet, as it was
still too early in the spring. Neither could we reckon on find-
ing bears so far north, where the massive quality of the ice
would make it difficult for then; to find food. We found a
track off Cape May, but that was the only one we had so far
observed.
During the coming few months we must thus rely upon the
musk-ox only, and as, according to the map, the inner reaches
of Victoria Fjord contain large stretches of land, Bosun and I
hurriedly collected our best dogs and set off before our com-
rades were ready. Yesterday's meals of solid meat had revived
the dogs, and in the beginning we made good speed. We
101
GREENLAND BY THE POLAR SEA
drove into the narrow inlet between land and the tall Stephenson
Island, impressive with its steep, exclusive mountains, the
inmost regions of which are covered by local glaciers.
We set off in the evening, and in quiet, beautiful sunshine
we struggled inland, taking turns at leading. Bosun, a boy
not yet twenty years old, had repeatedly shown a surprising
capacity for endurance ; he had a healthy, even temperament
and did not seem susceptible to any kind of adversity, if only
he could get somewhere near the rations which his young
muscles demanded. He enjoyed his meals very much, and occa-
sionally surprised us with his voracious appetite.
A rather large island behind Stephenson Island is marked on
the map, but it proved to be non-existent. Twenty-five kilo-
metres into Victoria Fjord we got the view which we were in
search of, and drove into a bay to the west of the big island, look-
ing for a place suitable for a camp, so that the dogs might rest
while we, in snowshoes, continued further inland.
We ascended the mountains immediately, and found to our
surprise that this fjord, which had previously been described as an
enormous arm of the ocean, so deep that one could not even dis-
cern the land at its head, is hardly more than 80 kilometres in
length. The head of the fjord ends in a broad glacier which,
faintly sloping, merges into the inland-ice itself. The great
stretches of surrounding land, which the old map promised we
should find here, do not exist. Far to the north-east we found
land, but it consisted only of steep, glaciated mountains, stand-
ing like narrow walls with their backs clean against the inland-
ice. Also to the south-west we saw far inland a steep alpine
landscape with occasional broad doughs, but the entrance to this
was blocked, as the inner reaches of the fjord consisted of floating
inland-ice, slowly moving outward, so that trackless ravines were
apparent not very far from our look-out.
This fjord, from which we had expected so much, proved to
possess none of the means of subsistence necessary for the accom-
plishment of our scientific work. Hunting in this country would
be both dangerous and futile. We could only hope for better
conditions round Nordenskjold Fjord. We discerned moun-
102
SHERARD OSBORNE FJORD
tains far away to the north-east, but even from the point on which
we were now standing, it was obvious that the land would not
stretch far in ; for the back of the inland-ice shot up all-embracing
over the tracts where we had expected land-hunting.
The only place left to us was the big peninsula between Vic-
toria Fjord and Sherard Osborne Fjord, but even this did not
seem promising. Although occasional, even stretches with low
knolls exist here — a landscape much favoured by musk-oxen —
many little local glaciers shot in between them, killing all life.
Our hunt over the surrounding neighbourhood resulted in a
bag of two hares, one of which we cooked before, disappointed
and tired, we started the long return journey to our comrades,
whom with unwilling and weary dogs we reached after an
absence of twenty-four hours.
On our arrival Koch came running out of the tent, and his
gestures showed us at once that he had good news. Ajako and
Wulff had shot six musk-oxen, and all the three sledges had
gone out to fetch the animals !
Great joy !
Towards morning — it was one of the first really warm days —
the sledges returned with barking, overeaten dogs. Inukitsoq
had, during his hunt for hares, met a flock of ten animals right
opposite to the six which had already been shot, and which they
had come to fetch, and the hunt of the day thus brought in
sixteen musk-oxen.
Still greater joy !
At eight o'clock in the evening Koch and Inukitsoq drove
in Victoria Fjord for the purpose of charting it.
DAYS OF REST AND FATTENING
May 12th-17th. — The welcome meat which we have now
collected makes it possible for us to give the dogs the rest which
they so richly deserve. They will now be allowed to laze about
for a week or so, and to eat as much as they can get down ; then
they will once more be fit to take up the work which for the
103
GREENLAND BY THE POLAR SEA
time being is interrupted. And these days of good hunting do not
merely mean that in the course of a few days we shall again be
ready to continue our journey with fit and willing dogs ; they
also mean that we shall be able to clear up behind us before we
continue. For we are now going back to Sherard Osborne
Fjord so that we may chart this fjord as well.
To-day we choose a convenient site for our camp, where we
can enjoy life at not too great a distance from the killed musk-
oxen. We drive up the river which runs through the southern
side of the valley to the big, beautiful lake on the banks of which
the welcome big game had to bite the dust. The tracts round
the river and the sea look kind and fertile, comparatively large
grass plains stretching across the well-watered spaces. We,
who for a long period have been accustomed to barren, stony
fields, feel that all this grass dotted with willows is a greeting
from the summer, which fights its everlasting battle against
the ice.
Here is plenty of excrement of musk-oxen ; every stretch
of clay and sand bears the imprint of their hoofs, and all signs
point to the probability that the killed animals must have lived
near this sea for a long time.
Behind the sea the lowland stretches inland as a broad
clough-like valley. Wherever the eye rests, stone predominates ;
but nevertheless it is apparent that the many little rivulets, which
during summer-time seem to run down the brown sides of the
mountains, water the neighbourhood so plentifully that in the
midst of this desert of stone one finds little oases where
herbivorous animals can exist. Apparently here is also an abun-
.dance of hares, and for the first time since we left the flesh-pots
of home we have the feeling that we can eat our fill, without
the fear that a greedy appetite shall take too big a slice out of
the rations apportioned to each man.
The ice on the lake bears witness that we have arrived in
no quiet valley. Along the bank it is bare of snow and shiny,
but further in the drifts have been whipped stony hard by sand
and gravel. On the snow-bare grass plain we pitch the tents,
and it is delicious for once to lie on ground which does not con-
104
7'
* ^*?*v
THE FIRST THREE MUSK-OXEN
INUKITSOQS TEN MUSK-OXEN
I
SHERARD OSBORNE FJORD
sist of cold, creaking snow. The nearest musk-oxen are being
dragged down and the dogs have a meal so substantial that they
lie down with big, balloon? stomachs, groaning and ovcrgorged,
dreaming of the time when there was nothing called expeditions.
We men sink into the same materialistic state, but with the
difference that we carefully select all the delicious morsels which
constitute the chief relish of an Eskimo hunter after a successful
catch. Of the killed animals, fourteen are cows and eleven
bulls. Round the hearts and kidneys of the oxen we find not a
little fat, and also in the hollows of their eyes there are large
adipose deposits; this we eat with a specially keen appetite, for
the meat we have lived on hitherto has been very lean, and in
these regions one's craving for fat is greater than in other places.
The days are raw and cold in the valley, and, although the
temperature registered is only between 10 and 12 degrees of
frost (Cent.), the wind is unpleasant. There is an incessant
drift of sand and stone, and when we go out for meat, our coats
are covered with dirty, sandy snow, which sticks between the
hairs and is almost impossible to shake off. We therefore
decide as far as possible to remain in the tents, where we spend
a pleasant day munching.
May 15th. — The 15th of May is uncommonly raw and
windy. We bring the last carcases down to the tent, and make
ready to go down on the ocean-ice again, where there is more
shelter and more warmth from the sun than in these windy
quarters.
A couple of the large animals, which were deposited near
a mountain from which transport was particularly difficult, were
fetched immediately before we moved. On this trip we found
behind a big stone a dead musk-ox which strikingly illustrated
animal life up here. The musk-ox was a young animal ; it had
been pursued by a wolf, and in its fear of its deadly enemy it
forgot to use its eyes and got its legs squeezed in between two
large stones. In this helpless position it was an easy prey for
the wolf. With one single snap the thick gristly throat was
ripped up, and the rent, as if cut with a blade, went straight
downwards through the chest to the diaphragm, which had been
105
GREENLAND BY THE POLAR SEA
torn up with a single wrench of the iron jaws of the wolf. The
whole cut was dealt by an expert possessing a certainty in the
method of killing achieved only by the habitual perpetrator of
violence. Only the tongue, the heart, and the fat round the
intestines was eaten, otherwise the flesh had not been touched.
There were traces of fox round the spot, but strangely enough it
did not appear as if the fox had feasted greatly on the huge car-
case ; perhaps they prefer the tender and fat lemmings to the
tougher big game.
Early in the morning of the 16th of May, Koch and
Inukitsoq arrived from Victoria Fjord. Not only had they
examined and charted the fjord, but in addition they had had
the good fortune to shoot six musk-oxen on the lowlands which
Bosun and I traversed in vain. We could not withhold our
shouts of joy when we received this news ; for beside the chart-
ing work of this last fjord, our stay in Nares Land since the
9th of May has resulted in a catch of twenty-six musk-oxen and
thirty hares. The survey of Sherard Osborne Fjord now
remains. I consider it advisable to set the course southward
again as soon as weather permits, and the expedition is divided
into two parties : One hunting party, consisting of Dr. Wulff,
Hendrik, Inukitsoq, and Bosun, continues northward towards
the supposed land round Nordenskjold Inlet. The charting
party consists of Koch, Ajako, and myself. We return tem-
porarily to Sherard Osborne Fjord to finish our work there.
But we decide that Hendrik and Bosun shall accompany us in
order to fetch part of the goods left at Dragon Point, whilst
Inukitsoq drives in Victoria Fjord to fetch the rest of the meat
deposited there by himself and Koch. Wulff remains in camp
to hunt hares in the neighbourhood until his party is collected
and clear for the journey.
In the meantime dirty weather seems to be brewing, and in
order not to prolong unnecessarily our stay in this valley of the
far too powerful lungs, we move our camp on to a little island
at the mouth of Nares Fjord where, at the same time, we deposit
all our precious musk-ox meat. Whilst the rest of us drive the
meat-laden sledges to the depot, Wulff elects to walk the .5 kilo-
106
SHERARD OSBORNE FJORD
metres across land to the little island which we call Depot Island.
Although the distance is short, it took Wulff fourteen hours to
find his way through the heavily driving snow. We were unable
to search for him, as none of us knew in which direction the
hunting might have led him, and great was our joy when at last
he arrived with a catch of ten hares.
The hares here appear in big flocks, and arc surprisingly tame
compared to those we have hitherto met. They are obviously
accustomed to grazing with the musk-oxen, and therefore con-
sider man to be just as peaceful as are these huge animals.
BACK TO DRAGON POINT
May 18th-l9th. — The storm of the last few days has added
more than a foot of soft, new snow, aggravating the old and
already awkward going on the fjord, so that we now have the
'" icing-sugar " state of which Beaumont complains in his report.
Although the dogs have had eight days' rest, during which time
they have been gorged with food, it does not take long before
they are again ready to give up. Once more we have to start
our old game of walking in front of the dogs on snowshoes and
skis, but it is slow work, and progress is made without the good
spirit usually attendant on a sledge-train when the dogs trot
willingly ahead. We have twenty-two shoulders of musk-ox
meat, and these we hope will enable us to accomplish the work
which we have decided on. During our stay in the musk-ox
valley we have already killed all the dogs which we thought we
could do without ; for even if hunting has been favourable so
far, it is an advantage to have as few mouths as possible to feed
in these regions — partly because musk-oxen are very lean at
this time of the year, partly also because the bones are too mas-
sive for the dogs to gnaw. AH our dogs lack the saw-edges of
the_raptorious tooth, these having, according to the custom of
the Eskimo, been removed whilst the dogs were young. This
operation is advantageous for the travelling explorer, in so far
as the dog is unable to eat his harness and traces when hunger
107
GREENLAND BY THE POLAR SEA
forces him to make such an attempt, for harness and traces
are unplaceable during a journey. But, at the same time, it
is robbed of the ability to eat very hard bones.
We had fine, beautiful weather, but for all that we did not
succeed in reaching the depot in one run. We had to camp
right out on Sherard Osborne Fjord, just as we did on the
outward journey, and not until the 19th at noon did we reach
our old camp.
May 19th. — Immediately before our arrival at the depot
we saw to our great pleasure the first seal crawling up on the
ice to sun itself ; unfortunately it was not killed, although Ajako
got very close to it, the bullet passing above its head. In spite
of this mishap, the occurrence was of the greatest importance
to us. For when the seals begin to crawl up through the old
thick Polar-ice already by the middle of May, we are sure of
good hunting here nearer the end of June. Successful seal-
hunting in this neighbourhood will simplify our return journey
very much.
Twenty hours of hare-hunting gives the very meagre bag
of only one animal, for in this neighbourhood the hares are so
timid that they run off long before a shot can reach them.
Some distance from the camp we found the skeleton of a seal
on the shore ; it had been caught and eaten by a bear. It thus
seems that the bears pay occasional visits here, and it is to be
hoped that we may succeed in meeting one of these wandering
fellows.
While Hendrik and Bosun drive back to Depot Island, the
rest of us make the last preparations for the journey into
Sherard Osborne Fjord. First, however, we watch their start.
Slowly, very slowly, the dark figures move across the ice. The
snow is deep and so loose that the sledges sink into it in spite
of the skis. The dogs sink down to their bellies, dragging their
tails behind them.
For a long time we hear across the quiet fjord the drivers
desperately shouting to the dogs.
108
SHERARD OSBORNE FJORD
IN SHERARD OSBORNE FJORD
May 20th-22nd. — The ice in along the fjord proves to be
better than we expeeted, and for the first 20 kilometres we
could drive at a loitering pace without an outrunner. Six kilo-
metres from Dragon Point we again see a seal. I 'nl'ortunately
we do not get within shooting distance, as it heard us before we
caught sight of it, and plopped down through its breathing-hole
as soon as we stopped in order to attempt to creep up to it.
We pass the tall, beautiful Castle Island and get 30 kilo-
metres into St. Andrew Bay, as further in the snow gets deeper,
absolutely unnerving the dogs. The ice here is very uneven
and has the characteristics of floating inland-ice. East of Castle
Island we come across a couple of large pressure-ridges running
at right angles on to land, parallel to the glacier; this indicates
that the ice, even so far out as this, has been under the pressure
of the main glacier itself.
At nine o'clock in the evening, Koch and Ajako go into the
mountains with a theodolite to take the bearings of St. George
Fjord. At three o'clock in the morning they return, having
had a view of the fjord, discovering large snow-free land behind
and to the south-west. They have also seen an evenly sloping
glacier which, between a couple of large mountains, seems to
have an even and good connection with the main glacier. This
observation further strengthens my resolve later on to try an
ascent from this vicinity, when the return journey will some-
time lead us on to the inland-ice.
Ajako has shot two hares, which constitute a delicious even-
ing meal and enable us to save the musk-ox meat for the dogs.
We have only brought one single, though abundant, ration for
them, depositing the rest at Dragon Point for the return
journey.
Shortly after the arrival of my comrades two snow-white
wolves are silhouetted high up on a hill-crest. Their slender
bodies show their plastic beauty against the sharply-blue sky,
and they look quite anciently Norse as they trot down towards
our camp, sniffing and scenting, full of wonderment.
10!)
GREENLAND BY THE POLAR SEA
They stop suddenly by the iee-foot about 500 metres from
our tent and follow for a whole hour, thoroughly examining the
trail of Koch and Ajako, trotting up and down, now and then
stopping to sniff. Then they lift their heads and howl long
and persistently, a strangely melancholic and lonely-sounding
song of lamentation, which echoes between the mountains.
Our dogs prick their ears and look landward in surprise, as if
they heard well-known but forgotten tunes ; they arise and
stare searchingly towards the mountains, but they do not join
in the chorus. As the wolves do not appear to wish to come
nearer, Ajako approaches them with gun and a dog, a small,
lean bitch which has previously shown itself to be a good bear
dog. One of the wolves, evidently the male, is very large and
strong, and its trot is springy and the fall of its feet rapid.
The other one seems somewhat frailer, but nevertheless it is
more sinewy than a dog. As soon as the little white bitch
catches sight of these rare beasts of prey, which have the same
colour as itself, it rushes barking to the land, with tail erect,
ready to attack. But the big, silent hermits, which are so much
stronger and in full possession of their knife-sharp teeth, put
their tails between their legs and flee cowardly in among the
mountains. They both have blood on their chops, and have
presumably just been feasting on musk-ox meat ; a smaller
animal could hardly have smeared them so extensively with
blood. An hour later the little dog returned, steaming with
heat, but apparently disappointed over the lost opportunity of
an open fight.
It is six o'clock in the morning when we go to rest after a
long day full of events.
On the inward journey travelling conditions are yet more
difficult ; the uneven ice and the snow, which becomes deeper
and deeper the further we go, take the strength out of the dogs
to such an extent that I decide to abandon driving and attempt
to continue on skis. We make a halt by a headland and shoot
four of the slackest dogs. After this, we give the remaining
dogs a feed of musk-oxen. The original decision was to con-
110
SHERARD OSBORNE FJORD
tinue inward at once, but this has to be given up, as Koch is so
exhausted after several days of diarrhoea that he has to rest;
furthermore, Ajako has gone snow-blind. Thus the distance
covered during the day is only 10 kilometres; but then, the
dogs were unusually slack and weak. The only encouragement
the day had to offer us was the trail of a lemming, which showed
that this strong and obstinate little animal had set out on a
journey which was to take it from one coast of the wide fjord to
the other.
May 23rd. — At one o'clock in the night Koch and I.
respectively on snowshoes and skis, begin our toilsome walk
through deep snow in towards Cape Buttress, which stands as a
mighty signboard on the point where the fjord contracts into
a narrow channel, from which it widens out again to a great
breadth. Ajako, who is now perfectly snow-blind, has to be
left in the tent. The journey is very strenuous and takes us
fourteen hours, but it is with interesting results that we return.
Sherard Osborne Fjord was marked on the map as the largest
of all fjords, as Cape Buttress formed merely the half-way point
to the inner widening which contracted here, and later on, in
the full breadth of its mouth, swung slightly towards south-
west up towards the white inland-ice.
Cape Buttress is a wild and monumental complex of high
mountains, the summits of which are covered by a glacier,
gigantic and brilliant with red hues, blossoming out under the
rays of the sun.
We had followed the coast on the western side rather close
to land, and every time we looked eastward we saw a low cloud-
like brim which often covered the lower part of the shore. It
was like a small bank of fog which, white and trembling,
encircled the feet of the mountains. Only when we arrived
quite close to the great cape towards which we made our course
did we come suddenly out on the fog-bank itself, and we now
discovered that the mystery was low-floating inland-ice, reach-
ing right down to Cape Gray on Castle Island. This floating
inland-ice, which further out raises itself only a couple of metres
above the old Sikiissaq ice, mounts quite evenly inward where,
111
GREENLAND BY THE POLAR SEA
with the real characteristics of a glacier constantly increasing
in thickness, it passes Cape Buttress on the inner side. No
fissures were apparent, wherefore this ice-stream, which runs
out between two beautiful mountain tracts, would present a
convenient point of ascent on to the inland-ice itself if one did
not run the risk of finding clefts further inland. At any rate,
both Peary and Astrup mention that on the main glacier inside
Sherard Osborne Fjord they often had to take an inland course
to get inside the many broad and deep clefts which blocked
their way.
The discovery of this far-reaching tongue of the glacier
reduces the extent of Sherard Osborne Fjord to a bare third of
what previously it was supposed to be, and at the same time it
gives an explanation of the belts of pressure-ice which a few
days ago we saw at the height of Cape Gray. This ice-stream,
then, is in constant, even movement outward, and thus exerts
a pressure on the old Polar-ice, so that the ridges arise in places
where otherwise one would not expect to find any movement.
To the south-west of Cape Buttress a fjord cuts in, sur-
rounded by a great lowland ending in a high cape on the western
bank. This fjord, with its surrounding land buried in deep
snow, we christened " Ski Cove."
When we had completed our survey we turned homeward,
and it soon became apparent that Koch, who during these last
few days had not been well, was much more ill than I had sus-
pected. A few times before we reached our tent he had to lie
down on the ice to avoid fainting, and I am sure it was with the
utmost effort that he succeeded in accomplishing the journey,
which even for a healthy man is very tiring, as we had con-
tinually to toil through the deep snow, which was so soft and
fine that neither skis nor snowshoes would carry one.
May 2Mh. — Whereas the weather was clear with almost a
dead calm at the head of the bay where we had been, at the
mouth of the fjord there had been strong showers of driving
snow during the last few days. The ice was therefore partly
blown away, and although the dogs during the last couple of
days had to live on their four killed comrades, we had no great
112
■
v!
a
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<-
-?'
,
x
x
urn
THE LOW GLACIER WITH LINES OF MOVEMENT
DIGGING OURSELVES OUT AFTER A SNOWSTORM
SHERARD OSBORNE FJORD
difficulty in driving them ahead, as travelling conditions were
better.
During the latter part of the journey we met with an adven-
ture which gave us a good push ahead. We discovered sud-
denly, ahead of us, two white forms slowly approaching. In
the beginning we imagined them to be bears, and rejoiced
already in our good fortune which would provide us both with
food for the dogs and fill up our own flesh-pots.
The big white animals moved slowly towards us and at a
distance they behaved just like bears, scenting their way towards
the enemy. Hardly had the dogs discovered them when off
they flew, all weariness forgotten and the carnivorous urgings,
which had so long been suppressed, aroused with a new and
unknown force. We rushed across the ice at a speed which we
had not found possible since our last bear-hunts. Unfortu-
nately the whole thing was dissolved in deep disappointment
when we found that the animals were two wolves which had
wandered out on the ice. As we approached them they ran off
in the direction which we were taking, and thus it happened
that the rest of the distance to our depot was covered at a full
gallop.
Our excitement was of course great, as the trail showed that
the wolves had just come from the depot where, beside our
clothes, we had also left some shoulders of musk-ox meat which
were to save our dogs. But fortunately the unwelcome guests
had been too cowardly to go right up to the depot, which was
quite untouched, though, judging from the tracks, they had
been slinking about for the better part of the day tempted by
the smell of meat.
AT DRAGON POINT
May 2ith-26th. — The state of the fjord can hardly be worse,
and yet it has again started snowing ! The tracks which we
were to have followed to Cape May, and which would have
cased the work of the dogs, are quite obliterated. The position
is not encouraging. At our arrival here last night we fed the
dogs with the last of the musk-ox meat, and we ourselves have
H 113
GREENLAND BY THE POLAR SEA
very short rations to live upon if we are not to attack our depot,
so far sacred as a reserve for the return journey.
Koch lay down immediately after our arrival, and all
through the day he has had high fever, which has further
enfeebled him. He is in a bad way, though some improvement
is noticed towards evening after a good sound sleep. However
much we wish to get away from this place, which offers no
possibilities for existence, I dare not continue with Koch in his
present state. We must therefore kill more dogs and calmly
wait for better times. The snow sings softly but uncannily on
the canvas ; it falls in fine, close flakes which for every hour that
goes make travelling conditions worse. But the mood conse-
quent on these happenings, when everything seems to go con-
trary to our wishes, finds a natural outlet in a little verse of
Sophus Clausen :
For such is life up and down,
And such is life out and in,
And he who nothing better knows
Must take his lot with an open mind.
The following day we have to lie up again ; the weather clears
up beautifully, but although we make repeated excursions
inland we find no game. Neither does any seal crawl up on the
ice, so to-day we have to shoot three dogs — three poor, lean
dogs.
With a heavy heart I have to shoot old Miteq — " the Eider-
duck " — the oldest one in my team ; a patient and industrious
animal which dragged until it tottered with exhaustion between
the traces. It was probably the most faithful one in the team,
therefore the most worn-out and the one which, with its skinny
carcase, must serve to satiate its comrades.
Poor Eiderduck !
I would fain have given it a safe return and an old age free
of cares. Through Hall Basin and the destructive pressure-ice
of Robeson Channel, across the heavily gravelled ice-foot
between Cape Brevoort and Cape Bryan, and at last through
the bottomless snow of Sherard Osborne Fjord, it has worked
patiently and steadily. It reached Nares Land and ate as much
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SHERARD OSBORNE FJORD
as it could manage of delicious musk-ox meat. But then it had
to turn hack once more through the trackless country. It was
a mute but willing worker in the service of exploration. Always
industrious, it dragged to and fro with its stumpy tail straight
up in the air ; but just as I was ready to set across to our meat
store, illness claimed it — a sacrifice for the benefit of its mates.
Therefore let the old dog take these memorial words with
it in its painless death. A Winchester bullet pierced its temple.
I have just flayed it, and yet, whilst I am scribbling this in my
diary, the strong, sickening smell of its blood clings to my
fingers.
As shortly afterwards I go out to feed the dogs, I find that
old Miteq had no significance at all as food ; there was no flesh
on it — it consisted of skin and bones only. We therefore had
to kill another two dogs — altogether five carcases — to feed the
rest ; for on all the slaughtered animals there was scarcely any
nourishment.
It is a disgusting work, fit only for an executioner's assistant,
to flense these animals, and that not least because they were
good dogs which should have worked for us yet awhile if only
we had been able to get on quicker to better hunting-grounds.
On the evening of the 26th, Koch's condition seems so much
better that we dare to cross the fjord. We make ready to
break camp, and a new report is deposited in Beaumont's beacon.
We have to give up the idea of letting Koch drive his own
sledge, as I fear he has not the strength to do this ; it is hard
and laborious work to drive the dogs forward, and the cannibal
food which we offer them agrees so badly with them that they
often vomit. Ajako and I therefore share the rest of Koch's
team between us.
The dogs are so exhausted that we can hardly hope to be able
to ride on the sledges, wherefore Koch sets out a few hours
before the rest so as to get somewhat ahead of us. When later
on Ajako and I set off with our melancholy animals, we leave
this headland, which now stinks with the gnawed bones of dogs,
with a sigh of relief.
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GREENLAND BY THE POLAR SEA
WHITE WHITSUN
May 27th.- — Slowly, slowly, we struggle ahead 2 kilometres
to the hour, the dogs, with hanging tails, ready to drop when-
ever a slight ridge hampers the sledge.
For the first four hours we crawl along through a clammy
fog surrounded by greyish-white thickness on all sides ; nothing
to see, nothing to steer by, like blind men we struggle along in
the white gap, and the monotony makes our advance still more
miserable.
Suddenly the sun appears as a huge white ball through the
fog ; in the zenith the sky bursts forth, breaking through the
clouds like blue unfolding flowers ; and now the sun follows up
its victory, whilst the edges of the clouds begin to glow, and
soon the close blanket of fog trembles under the beams of the
great heater.
The white tops of the country round Cape May break
through ahead, first the cone-shaped Fusjijama (Mount
Hooker) and then the rest of Beaumont's Mountains, Mounts
Coppinger and Farragut, still paddling with their feet in the
fog ; soon the ice bursts into transparent silver ribbons, hovering
like narrow wisps of smoke over the lands, promising good
weather.
And so the most glorious Whitsun weather drove in to
Sherard Osborne Fjord with clear sky and calm warmth.
At five o'clock we had to stop, as the dogs could endure no
more ; we made camp, hoisted our flag, and commenced our
day of rest. A festive Whitsun, with a solemn mood which
the mountains and the white snow communicated to our
minds. . . .
It is 10 degrees of frost (Cent.), but the feeling is that of a
hot August day in Denmark, and with the warmth in our hearts
which all this grand beauty generates we celebrate Whitsun
according to our poor means.
We make tea, and drink it whilst we suck fruit-drops, and
with the taste of red currants and cherries on our lips our
thoughts involuntarily turn to home — the long, long way,
116
: *y
DR. THORILD WULFF, TAKEN AT THE TIME WE LEFT ETAH
A GENERAL COUNCIL
SHERARD OSBORNE FJORD
almost across the whole globe, to the vicarages in Sealand, which
in this moment lie like islands among the trees' green drifts and
flowering fruit-trees. We sense the fragrance of flowers, we
hear the songs of larks and nightingales, the contented lowing
of cows in the meadows, and the happy laughter of merry
people celebrating Whitsun in the shady beech forests.
And we sit here in an ocean of light which blinds our eyes,
in the midst of the winter-white Arctic spring, with pure new
snow round our feet, the sun-gilded horizon of the glaciers
behind the russet mountains, and the cold, bound Polar Sea
before us lonely, wandering explorers, with a whole world
between us and our relatives and friends.
Yet we celebrate the day, and with a longing for the fertile
south which has so often given nourishment to our thoughts up
here on the skull of the world, we eat, materialistic as always,
a tin of Mauna Loa, the only one we possess, tinned at Hawaii
and exported from Honolulu ; and as we see before us the dark-
eyed, garlanded girls who picked the fruits, it is as if we cut
through all horizons and conquer the world.
Hawaii and the Polar Sea, N. Lat. 82° !
So we cook the musk-ox meat from Nares Land, drink
coffee from Java after the tea from the Congo, and smoke
tobacco from Brazil !
A glorious Whitsun !
TO CAPE WOHLGEMUTH
In spite of our efforts, we do not succeed in covering those
poor 55 kilometres from Dragon Point to Depot Island in less
than two days. We have had to drive slowly out of considera-
tion for the sick Koch, who is as yet so poorly that he cannot
manage long stretches in one run. It seems he cannot stand
the complete diet of meat to which we up here are confined ;
during the marches weariness and sudden dizziness overwhelm
him so that he has to lie down to prevent himself from falling.
Fortunately, he takes his illness calmly, and, thanks to his
young, strong constitution, he resists it so stubbornly that we
are not verv much hampered. He refuses all offers of a halt
117
GREENLAND BY THE POLAR SEA
near McMillan Valley, and, as he himself is of the opinion that
he is strong enough to continue, we take the shortest possible
rest, as hunting conditions force us ahead as quickly as possible.
The hunting here has been successful beyond all expecta-
tions, but we must be careful lest the good result mislead us.
For, after all, the ice-free country is only small in extent, so
that only a limited number of big game will be found in the
immediate neighbourhood, and the point is not to exhaust the
district entirely. In all probability we shall return at some
time, and we would have to pay dearly later on if on our outward
journey we let things slide and did not offer a thought as to
future emergencies.
Just behind Cape May we see six hares ; two of them we
shoot, whilst a cup of strong tea is made to give us strength for
the last stage of the journey towards the little island where we
have deposited two rations of musk-ox meat for every team.
There seem to be many hares here, but we dare not depend
to any great degree on this game. The animal is too small and
also too bony, and it does not go sufficiently far as provisions on
a journey on the inland-ice.
The dogs scent our meat depot far away and we finish the
journey at a merry trot, which is quite stimulating although
one knows that the cause of the speed is an artificial one. For
a moment we are seized by a nervousness easily understood
when we discover that tracks of foxes lead to the depot. For-
tunately, Reynard has been too careful, or perhaps not hungry
enough, to attack the meat, which we find quite untouched.
We can now finish our journey with a really solid meal which
is as well deserved as it is necessary.
On our old camping-ground we find a hare swinging at the
end of a long stick which has been rammed down in the snow.
We run up full of curiosity to see if, maybe, other precious
things are hidden in a tin placed on the same spot, and in
which we find a letter from Dr. Wulff, who very funnily tells
of his party's experiences during the time we had been
separated.
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SHERARD OSBORNE FJORD
On the following day, the 29th of May, we reach Cape
Wohlgemuth through the same heavy snow which we have
hitherto met on the fjords ; the downfall seems to be sufficient
here, but little wind. In spite of the trail of our comrades,
which is of great assistance to us, it takes us eleven hours
to cover the distance of 29 kilometres. Here by Cape
Wohlgemuth we celebrate this high-spirited name by giving
our dogs the last meat we possess. During a short ski excur-
sion we find on a ski-staff another letter from Wulff with the
information that on this spot they have shot a musk-ox.
Next day at noon we reach our comrades, who receive us
with storming shouts of welcome. They have again shot six
musk-oxen, a heaven-sent gift for our hungry dogs.
Yesterday Harrigan tried to hunt in Nordenskjold Fjord,
but returned quickly, as he saw at once that the country was
no good hunting-ground. He found everywhere tall, vertical
mountain-walls ; the few cloughs which ran across the great
compact chains of mountains were stony deserts without vege-
tation. He did not go far inland, and we, who wish to keep
as long as possible to the tracts marked on the old charts, are
hoping that the fjord may be so deep that at its head we may
find land and game.
However, one matter must be decided on at once. Accord-
ing to our original plan, a permanent headquarters was to be
made by the head of Nordenskjold Fjord, where the botanist
of the expedition during our wandering life was to make his
observations in peace. Hendrik Olsen, Harrigan, and Bosun
were to remain with Wulff, and were to hunt in preparation
for our journey homewards ; while Koch, Ajako, and I were
to cross over to the land of the big game and Nyeboes Glacier,
and then via Independence Fjord go north of Peary Land, call-
ing at Mylius-Erichsen's beacon on Cape Glacier, at Koch's
beacon near Cape Bridgeman, and at Peary's beacon near Cape
Morris Jesup. After the lapse of a good one and a half
months the members of the expedition were to meet again off
Nordenskjold Fjord to start the return journey together.
But after Inukitsoq's sledge journey in the fjord the plan
119
GREENLAND BY THE POLAR SEA
of the botanic stations has to be given up, and we decide to
divide the expedition into two parties, with the following
tasks :
One hunting-party must immediately go northward to de
Long Fjord to hunt for musk-oxen in the district northward
up to Cape Morris Jesup. Dr. Wulff accompanies this party
so that he may see as much as possible of the coast.
But Koch, Ajako, and I must go in to the head of Norden-
skjold Fjord, chart this, and then across the inland-ice go
towards the hunting districts round Poppy Valley, then
through Independence Fjord north of Peary Land.
All these plans were discussed in the best of spirits whilst our
comrades tried to tickle the palates of us, the last ones to arrive,
with ever\r possible delicious morsel from the newly-killed
animals. The subjects of our conversation seemed to be
inexhaustible after our twelve days of separation, and as
we had to go each in our own direction on the following
morning, our meeting was a hearty one which I shall always
remember.
IN NORDENSKJOLD FJORD— TIRED DOGS, NO HUNTING
Our position would be a serious one if hunting should fail
hereafter, and we had yet a chance to run away from the fight
and return home. For although there was yet the possibility
of seal-hunting, which might provide us later on with meat,
the chances in the midst of all this old Polar-ice were so uncer-
tain that we could not be sure of success. On the other hand,
if we were to save our skins by going southward now, our work
would only be half accomplished, and no one approved of this
solution of the problem. When we left we all knew the risks
we ran, and the position was already now such that our lives
were at stake in the accomplishment of our task. To my great
joy there was not one of my comrades, neither among the
scientists nor among the Eskimos, who for one single instant
doubted what we had to do.
Everyone agreed that the expedition in the face of all odds
120
NORDENSKJOLD FJORD
ought to continue, and not one would give in until we had kept
the promises made at the time when we left Denmark.
Through 1 metre of deep soft snow we drove slowly in the
fjord, whilst our comrades set their course towards Cape Salor,
where they expected to find a depot from Peary's time.
We did not succeed in penetrating the fjord more than 17
kilometres, and at this point, early in the morning, we camped
off a broad clough which cuts into the country. Here Ajako
tried musk-ox hunting. For eight hours he tramped across
the country, but all he saw was stones, stones, and glaciers
along all the mountain-tops. Not a trace of musk-ox or
hare was found, not even ptarmigan seemed to live in this
desert.
When he returned with his discouraging report, the fog
settled thickly over mountain and ice, and there was nothing
else for it but to settle down to wait and wait, with short rations
for ourselves and nothing for our dogs. On the ice near the
tent I found a dead lemming. It had walked across the deep
snow from the other side of the fjord. The energetic and
obstinate little animal appeared to have been wandering through
the fog, as occasionally it had been walking in a circle, and had
moved along in an uneven zigzag which showed plainly that
it had lost its bearings. It was almost incredible that this small
rodent, which is no larger than a fair-sized bunting, had
managed to make its way through the deep snow, of which the
upper layer was so soft that it had had to press its small sinewy
body through a deep and assuredly most toilsome furrow. All
its paws were skinned, and so torn that the toes were frozen
together with stiffened blood. The snow had, presumably in
the same manner as it happens with our dogs, stuck to the hairs
between its toes ; then it had made an effort to try to cleanse
them with its teeth, so that it had torn both hair and skin away.
In one foot it had a deep wound which it must have inflicted on
itself, and the consequent loss of blood must have occasioned
its death.
The Eskimos, who admire the unusual qualities of the
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GREENLAND BY THE POLAR SEA
lemming, its courage, its endurance and stubbornness, say of it
that it possesses the chest of a man, the beard of a seal, the feet
of a bear, and the teeth and tail of a hare — a characterization
of its appearance which is very striking.
On the 2nd of June we must kill another four dogs, as
we are continually unable to find food. Ajako and Koch now
drive a team of ten dogs and I drive one of seven ; and although
this is yet a fair number, we need to be careful not to kill many
more for the time being. For if we are to drive and not to walk
on the return journey, with our collections and the food for our
dogs, we ought to have four sledges with seven dogs in each
team. The six musk-oxen which were killed by the mouth of
the fjord provided only three meals a team for our forty-four
dogs. We therefore decide to leave two rations at our old
camp, so that we shall not be quite without dog food when we
return later on to cross over to Chip Inlet.
In spite of the unfortunate hazy weather which we have had,
we have succeeded in examining Nordenskjold Fjord, for a
fresh breeze has now and then lifted the clouds aside and given
us the necessary view. The nature corresponds on the whole to
what we observed round Victoria Fjord. The surrounding
land, with the exception of the quite small and barren brim
along the shore, is covered with glaciers ; and the fjord, which
ends in broad inland-ice, but behind which one can discern
Nunataker, is hardly more than 20 kilometres long. The extent
depends somewhat upon one's decision as to where the ocean-
ice proper is relieved by floating inland-ice. Five or six kilo-
metres inside our camp a big bank of ice-mountains shoots right
across the run, so that the passage is entirely blocked. As
these ice-mountains to a height of from 3 to 6 metres stand
closely by the main glacier itself — with deep snow in all crevices
and apparently being moved by the glacier just as is the floating
inland-ice in Victoria Fjord — one may decide that the real fjord
ends here. These ice-mountains make the passage further
ahead impossible. Thus no accession to the inland-ice is possible
from this point, and it follows as a matter of course that we
must give up every thought of pushing through to Inde-
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NORDENSKJOLD FJORD
pendence Fjord. We can find neither the road nor the pro-
vision for this purpose.
As soon as Chip Inlet has been explored, we must speedily
set off after our comrades and then, later on when de Long
Fjord has been charted, set the course south towards the seals
by Dragon Point.
Our geographical discoveries have been very interesting up
to now, and it is already obvious that the relation between
inland-ice and coastland should be marked out in an entirely
different way for that part of Greenland which we have now
traversed. We find everything is glaciated to a far greater
extent than we expected, and although of course it is the task
of every expedition to bring home as much new information as
possible, I cannot deny that, for our own safety's sake, we
might have wished for fewer corrections of all the lovely exten-
sive hunting-land which has up to the present been marked
down on all the American maps.
Again to-day we see a lemming attempting to cross the
fjord. It comes from the clough close by our camp and
stubbornly sets its course where the crossing is at its broadest.
In comparison to its size it shoots ahead with dazing speed,
swimming through the snow with queer jumps. Occasionally
it disappears entirely in a tunnel to shoot up further ahead like
a dwarf seal coming up to breathe. With its weeny size and its
phenomenal energy, it seems paradoxical in these enormous
surroundings which swallow it up.
One of our dogs scents it and rushes up so violently that the
traces break. In the same instant a cloud of snow whirls up
round the trail of the little wanderer ; for a few seconds yet the
lemming fights its way ahead, then suddenly it is flung high up
in the air to disappear still alive into the mouth of the dog.
123
CHAPTER VI
THE CAMP BY THE OWL'S NEST
THE FIRST WANDERING IN PEARY LAND
JUNE 4th. — We had no other choice but to get away from
Nordenskjold Fjord as quickly as possible. A hunting
expedition across the ground where Hendrik and Bosun
had shot their musk-oxen gave no result ; we merely made the
acquaintance of a stone desert which gave no promise for the
filling of our meat-pots, and close behind the mountainous
coast lay the inland-ice. As the weather appeared to be clear-
ing up, I decided to go in along Chip Inlet. The fjord had to
be charted, and it would be as well to get it done on our outward
journey. Also, at a distance the land looked good ; the moun-
tains had even slopes and many doughs seemed to cut into the
land like valleys. We therefore set off in spite of the discourag-
ing haze. The fog lasted obstinately all during our day's
journey, until we were quite near to land ; then the clear sky
slowly began to break through, with rich promise for the day
from which we now expected so much. In the forenoon the
sun at last conquered the raw thickness.
A cold, snow-white, mountainous land lay before us in full
winter dress, but brilliantly beautiful with cone-shaped moun-
tains, big cloughs, and sloping foreland. No glacier covered
the land ; here was at last a piece of Peary Land which
seemed to promise good hunting.
But pushing ahead was slow work. We had to walk the
whole way, two men by the sledges and one in front, and thus
twelve hours elapsed before we had covered the 31 kilometres
to the point which we found convenient for making our camp.
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THE CAMP BY THE OWL'S NEST
We cooked a panful of porridge and a cup of tea, whereafter
Ajako and I at once went into the country ; out of considera-
tion for our dogs we could not nurse our own weariness. On
snowshoes and with each our own dog, we went into the
mountains along the sloping fells.
It was at once evident that wc were in Peary Land, for such
fertile oases we had not seen before. In some places we found
thick, lush grass, not merely the miserable meagre tufts to
which we were accustomed. Everywhere Polar willow grew
abundantly, and poppies, saxifrage, and cassiope, but every-
thing is yet withered with winter. Here is at any rate plenty
of fuel, if only we can find something to cook. At the begin-
ning of our expedition we shot a couple of ptarmigan and gave
them to the hungry dogs, which were helping us on our hunt
for musk-ox .
We followed the slope of the mountains along the fjord and
soon found excrements of musk-ox, but all very old. Probably
the snow is too deep this time of the year. Ptarmigan we saw
in abundance, but decided we could not afford to spend am-
munition on them.
On a steep, picturesque brink leading down towards a
clough we discovered an owl, which was apparently sitting on
its eggs, for hardly had we discovered it before another owl,
which we had not seen at all but which sat not far from the first
one, began to detract our attention from the nest. First it
ran along a big snowdrift, but as we did not let ourselves be
deluded, it flew up and began circling above us, anxiously
hooting and apparently very nervous as we approached its mate.
As we continued our walk undisturbedly, however, it became
downright impudent ; high up from the air it would throw
itself with lightning quickness down at us, rushing at our
heads with such tricky violence that we had to defend ourselves
with the butts of our guns. Then it shot up in the air again,
circling for awhile above us, to fall down once more right on
our heads. Its manoeuvres were sudden, silent, and incalcul-
ably swift, and when it passed right in front of us its strong
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GREENLAND BY THE POLAR SEA
beak whizzed past our eyes, and we had to duck to protect our
faces from its outstretched claws.
On the utmost point of the brink we found a primitive nest
containing nine white eggs, not unlike hen's eggs but somewhat
smaller and rounder. The nest, which was very simple, con-
sisted of a depression of the soil with a little grass at the bottom.
We left them in peace, to the great surprise of the male owl,
which was only accustomed to fight against ermine and wolf,
which know not mercy.
Some distance further ahead Ajako shot two hares, where-
after we parted to hunt each in our own direction. I climbed
the mountains to obtain a view, whilst he continued right ahead.
The mountain I ascend is a slate-stone mountain 40 metres
high, black and cone-shaped, with crumbling stones which pro-
vide a poor foothold. When at last I reach the top I obtain a
view which nearly takes the breath away from me. I have to
rub my eyes before I dare to believe in the reality of that which
I look upon. Before my feet, in along the fjord, I discover a
whirlpool with a couple of floating ice-mountains.
An arm of the fjord, only 2 kilometres broad, cuts into the
country, first in the direction of north-west towards Mascart
Inlet, to which it seems to send an arm, later, turning north
and north-east in the direction of de Long Fjord, it is lost
among the mountains, where I cannot see its head. But the
circumstance that here, in the middle of a Sikussaq fjord, nearly
at N. Lat. 83°, we came across an opening in the ice, points
to the probability that this narrow branch must be part of a
channel which either runs out into Mascart Inlet, or probably
into Jewell Inlet. There is a very strong current in the open
water. From the high ground on which I stand I can plainly
discern vortices. And the main direction runs towards Chip
Inlet. On the firm edge of the ice I discover to my surprise
and joy two seals, and in the snow the depressions of a third
which has just gone down.
This surprising discovery opens up unsuspected possibilities.
The land itself is ice-free in all directions — i.e., without a
connected glacier ; merely an occasional local tongue of a glacier
126
THE CAMP BY THE OWL'S NEST
shoots from the summits down into the many doughs which
intersect the mountain. But everywhere one sees deep snow.
The head of the main fjord is plainly visible about 30 or 40
kilometres inland from our camp, and only now it becomes
clear to me that it is an entirely new fjord we have discovered.
Chip Inlet was not very long, and was supposed to run parallel
with Nordenskjold Fjord, but this fjord does not exist at all.
But north of Nordenskjold Fjord a large new fjord cuts east-
ward for about 50 kilometres into Peary Land. Near its head
a big mountain is discerned which crosses the run and merges
into the inland-ice. Whilst the south-west side of the head of
the fjord is thus directly connected with the main glacier, large
snow-covered but apparently ice-free stretches of land spread
out in the direction of north-cast.
When Ajako and I meet again our faces beam with joy over
the great discovery we have made ; but for the moment we are,
of course, most interested in the opportunities which this un-
expected whirlpool with its seals offers us. Provided the ice
near the edge where the seals lie is not eaten into too much by
the current underneath, we have here the possibility of a wel-
come store of meat. But as seal-hunting brings the best result
during the warm sunshine of noon, we postpone for the time
being the hunt, taught by our sad experience at Dragon Point,
where the seals, I do not know for what reason, were very timid.
So we return to our camp, with no other catch than the two
hares.
Of fresh musk-ox tracks, or merely of year-old excrements,
we saw none ; the signs of life we ran across appeared to be
several years old. But it is possible that musk-oxen are to be
found still further in along the fjord, and these regions are to
be explored as soon as we have had a rest. In the meantime
we have been in incessant activity for over thirty hours. We
ran across lemming holes everywhere, and also ptarmigan,
which in couples celebrate the mating season with a lively
cackling.
By midnight we are once more back in the tent. Again
127
GREENLAND BY THE POLAR SEA
two poor dogs have to be killed to provide food for their mates ;
they give a poor meal with scanty nourishment, but nevertheless
they constitute "some belly-fill," to keep life in those which
have to push on.
WEATHER-BOUND IN A SNOWSTORM
I have not been in the mood for scribbling in my diary, and
during the last two days I have kept exclusively to meteoro-
logical observations, which four times during night and day
pleasantly checks our time.
The weather and the bad state of the ground persecute us
systematically. There is snow in abundance, through which
we must toil our way ; on the last journey we found snow up
to 1 metre deep and had to put skis under the runners of the
sledges. The loose snow which freezes into balls under the
paws of the dogs treats them much worse than does hunger ;
in their attempts to cleanse their painful paws, which may be
so full of hard ice lumps that the toes become quite distended,
they bite, like the little lemming I recently described, big
bleeding wounds in their paws which leave a trail of blood in
the snow. This affliction is the chief reason for the diffieulty
we have in driving them ahead, and it quite unnerves them.
And now travelling conditions are to be still worse ! The
snowstorm begins on the 5th, and on the 6th it rages with in-
creased violence ; and the snow gathers in big, deep drifts
where the sledges will stick when we have to continue our
journey.
There is nothing for it — we must, like the little saxifrage
which sometimes winters in full bloom, sleep everything away
and let the storm pass over us as if we did not exist ; later on
we shall have time enough to face its consequences.
On the 7th of June the storm seems still on the increase ;
the snow' whips against the canvas of our tent, the squall
threatens to tear it to rags. Our ten still living dogs are lying
outside in the snow, and they seem to have a difficulty in recon-
ciling themselves to all this adversity. We dare not kill any
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THE CAMP BY THE OWL'S NEST
more, or we shall he left without effective teams. Hunting
in this storm is unthinkable.
TENT DUTY WITH SENTIMENTS FROM DENMARK
At last! At last the sun had mercy on us and appeared
with a clear blue sky, quite early in the morning. About two
o'clock we dug ourselves out from the tent and made our pre-
parations for the hunt, and for a reconnoitring expedition which
Koch and Ajako were to undertake. We were lying deep in
big snowdrifts, so that only the ridge of our tent was visible ;
it was like mid-winter and nothing around us bore witness to
the fact that we were already far into June, the loveliest and
mildest of all the summer months.
Nothing could be seen of our sledges. Only the points of
the uprights stuck out, and of the dogs merely the contours of
their bodies could be suspected in the snow. Their quietness
was uncanny and showed, unfortunately, that not one of them
had spirit enough left in it to gnaw at the traces, or to go out
robbing between the sledges and the tent. They had given up
entirely and were now trying merely to keep warm, rolled up
in a ring with heads buried between legs and tail.
At four o'clock Koch and Ajako set out. I had to remain
keeping watch over dogs and tent ; the latter would be torn to
strips if under these conditions the dogs were left without con-
trol for a day. Fain would I have exchanged yet another night
and day of inactivity for my comrades' lot ; but someone must
do the miserable job.
For a long time I stood in the drifting snow looking after
my departing friends. Koch was to chart the inner reaches of
the fjord, whilst Ajako hunted in an attempt to save the sad
remainder of our dogs.
At an even march they go in along the fjord, where stormy
clouds are yet drifting round the thunder-split peaks. One of
them is on skis, and slowly they glide through the loose new
drifts. Ajako, the undaunted hunter whose straight back and
lithe movements plainly reveal that he has not yet given up
I 129
GREENLAND BY THE POLAR SEA
hope of finding big game, is in appearance not unlike the wolf-
dog which he leads at the end of a trace. Like his dog he is
light, with tense muscles, hardy and used to starvation. By his
side goes Koch — broad of shoulder, strong of build, tough, and
showing the consciousness of his strength in the swing where-
with he walks, like a young Great Dane.
Good hunt, oh wolves ! Never have warmer wishes accom-
panied two wanderers ; for to-day is the day ! The great
seriousness is over us and our fate.
Whilst I stand here weighing our chances, with the raw
blast in my face, my thoughts go out to the other party which
has endured the same weather as we. May they have had more
success on their hunting before the storm overtook them and
put its seal on the land.
Opposite to me a couple of ptarmigan are sitting cooing
caressingly to each other. Their coat is quite brown, and they
sing about the summer that should have been. Their cheerful
presence is stimulating and makes one forget the uncanniness
of the storm-rushing clouds.
Occasionally they look enquiringly at the tent and the man
at its entrance ; but there is no cause for their anxiety — they
may safely coo for me all through my lonely day. I cannot
afford to spend a ball on so little meat, and our shot-gun and
its ammunition was deposited for the return journey by the
mouth of Nordenskjold Fjord.
My day will to-day be stamped by excitement, but it is
excitement of the kind which one should not feel too frequently
during an expedition.
For the first time during a long period there is a positive
temperature, 1-2 degrees of warmth (Cent.). There is a dead
calm and hardly a cloud in the sky. Whilst I wait in the mild
weather I am tempted to kill time by writing.
It is now six o'clock in the afternoon, thus it is fifteen hours
since my comrades left. They were to return immediately if
they caught a seal by the whirlpool on their outward journey,
and their absence is therefore not a favourable sign.
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THE CAMP BY THE OWL'S NEST
I feel as if I were on a redoubt, alone against fifteen.
The dogs are raging with hunger ; nearly all of them have
bitten themselves loose from harness and traces, and are re-
peatedly attacking the tent, where a small piece of boiled meat
is still kept. It would have been an uneven fight, had not
experience given them a respect for the whip which they know
that their beloved master has always ready to hand. They
have suffered through the snowstorm, but this would not have
meant much for a wolf-dog if recently they had not so often
been given flabby dog-flesh instead of real food. It is for this
reason that they are now so desperate and threatening, and they
would surely throw themselves over me if only they dared.
They express their suffering in very different ways. The nobler
natures amongst them are no longer greedy and offensive ;
their eyes have taken on a singular forsaken and melancholy
expression ; they keep away and seek the snow-bare patches of
ground, where they try to let the warmth of the sun ease the
pains of their empty stomachs. The plebeians amongst them,
on the contrary, have got an evil expression in their eyes ; they
lay siege to the tent and approach the entrance whenever they
think they can take me by surprise.
Poor animals ! But what else can we do for them but to
walk ourselves half to death into the country on hunting tours
which last for days. We really do not save ourselves !
The day goes slowly, and I often seize myself in the belief
that my watch has stopped. In vain the ptarmigan try to
cackle some relief into the monotony.
A couple are cackling to each other warmly and tenderly of
the nest which they are going to build. Their gurgling gut-
turals remind me of a bull-frog's croaking in the ponds of
Sealand. I forget where I am, and my thoughts go back to
the garden of my father's vicarage, where so often I have
listened to these remarkable frogs, whose clear, bell-like tones
from the deep mud of the pond could fill the air with harmony
in the cool Danish summer evenings.
A mild breeze wafts the fragrance of the wild roses of the
cemetery wall towards me, and many old memories revive, so
131
GREENLAND BY THE POLAR SEA
that in the midst of ice I live over again that which once was.
I see my dear old mother coming from the strawberry-beds, her
apron filled with big red berries ; as usual, she picks out the
biggest and gives them to us, and it is as if the flavour is doubly
sweet and precious when one knows that every one of them has
cost her pains in her old back as she bent down to pick them.
And I hear my father's firm, somewhat heavy tread between
the trees of the garden. He takes his evening walk, stopping
frequently in front of the fruit-bushes, the growth and thriving
of which he follows from day to day in his dear garden. Now
and then there is a sound of the balls from the croquet-ground.
The cool evening breeze sighs round the great lime-trees, while
the white fruit-blossoms float down on to the garden paths.
During the heat of noon the first winged sign of summer
comes to me as a couple of bluebottles buzzingly break into the
tent and circle round that innocent little piece of meat which so
vigilantly I watch over. Three curious gulls sail across our
camp on pointed wings, to disappear towards the whirlpool ;
and when I add that a couple of small buntings have also tried
to keep me company during the day, I have finished my day's
biology.
In the quiet, mild weather the sun quickly melts the snow.
At eleven o'clock in the evening Koch returns to the tent
after his twenty-five hours' walk. No game has he seen. His
discoveries fully confirm my observations of the other day from
the black slate-stone mountain. We are in quite a new fjord
which has nothing to do with Chip Inlet, and which has not
been visible from the route which has previously been followed.
We agreed to call this fjord LP. Koch Fjord. Neither is to
be found the great island, marked down inside the mouth of
Chip Inlet ; in its place we have a tall mountainous peninsula
which, with no less than sixteen glaciers, shoots out between
Nordenskjold Fjord and I. P. Koch Fjord. The land north
of the fjord and to the east is partly ice-free, but it consists of
wild alpine landscapes where one cannot hope to find musk-oxen.
Ajako has gone further into the fjord, and at nine o'clock in
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THE CAMP BY THE OWL'S NEST
the morning he has not yet returned. But as long as he re-
mains absent we keep on hoping.
Heigh ! ! !
At nine o'clock on the 9th, after thirty hours' hunting,
Ajako returns to the tent ; he has shot two seals by the whirl-
pool, and three hares. The hares he carries on his back, but
the seals he has left, as it will be more practicable to move our
camp nearer towards the whirlpool.
Our joy over this report is so intense that we feel as if warm
waves beat through our bodies, and we cannot prevent ourselves
from shouting meaningless words. There is now a hope that,
at any rate for the time being, we can keep part of the dogs
alive ; and it is not unthinkable that we may succeed in shooting
still more seals. Ajako has been far in along the fjord, where
he has found some old excrement of musk-oxen ; but every-
thing points to the probability that these animals many years
ago left this district, which they have probably passed on their
way eastward. Furthermore, he has seen an owl brooding,
and a white fox eagerly hunting fat lemmings.
The beautiful weather has tempted a lot of Arctic gulls
towards our little camp — they sail above our heads or sit on the
hummocks along the mountain slopes, from which places they
hail the returned hunter with shrill, merry cries.
GOOD DAYS BY THE WHIRLPOOL
The camp is now moved a few kilometres further in along
the fjord, so that from our tent we may have a convenient view
of the little whirlpool which temporarily will be our larder.
June 10th-13t]i. — I nfortunately both Koch and Ajako are
taken ill again. Koch has nausea and has felt dizzy after the
long walk of yesterday. His stomach will not stand the ever-
lasting diet of meat which we have to live on ; occasionally he
is given a little oat-porridge, but as we have to economize
strictly under the uncertain conditions life offers us, it is unfor-
133
GREENLAND BY THE POLAR SEA
tunately impossible to let him have the daily ration which his
constitution seems to claim.
Ajako has overstrained his eyes in the sharp light during the
longTmnt, and has again gone snow-blind. So, as soon as the
tent is raised, I leave my comrades and drive to the pool to
fetch Ajako's seals. It is beautiful and quiet weather, and the
warmth has again tempted a couple of seals to take a sun-bath.
One of them is, unfortunately, very shy and dives down long
before I get within range ; but I succeed in catching the other.
We are now on top again, for as we have so few dogs left, these
seals, with their profusion of blubber, will see us through for
some time.
Our cup of joy is, as usual, not unmixed with bitterness, as
it appears that some serious illness is breaking out among the
dogs. The hind quarters of some of them are becoming
paralyzed. This may be a consequence of the cannibalist diet
with which they have too often to be satisfied. Dog-flesh
seems to contain some poison ; at any rate, the liver and
intestines contain something which does not agree with the
dogs, for after devouring it they frequently vomit, and during
the day they are limp and weak and have pronounced diarrhoea.
Two of them have already been killed, as we cannot hope for
a speedy recovery.
Yet another matter is troubling us : We have great diffi-
culty in making the dogs eat sufficient food. The blubber,
which is so good for them and at which in the beginning they
rushed with such greediness, they will not touch at alb now.
This, however, has nothing to do with the disease, but is well-
known by everybody who on long journeys has had to starve his
dogs for periods. When at last one arrives at a place where
there is food in plenty, the dogs eat only a few good meals, and
after that they turn so finicky that they will only accept
solid meat.
On the 11th of June Koch feels somewhat better, and im-
mediately goes out into I. P. Koch Fjord to complete the
cartographical work which he began.
On the following day he is again tired and unwell, and as
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THE CAMP BY THE OWL'S NEST
Ajako constantly suffers from pains in his eyes we decide to
remain here for another few days, although it is desirable that
we should catch up with our comrades as soon as possible.
After this numerous seal-hunts miscarry ; the few animals
that have their home by the whirlpool are so shy that they
disappear as soon as we show ourselves. So in the forenoon of
the 14th we agree to break camp and continue our interrupted
journey.
During the night we are aroused by barnacle-geese, which
two by two fly across the tent in flocks, to settle down on the
grassy slopes. For a long time their cries vibrate with a fresh,
promising sound. There is always adventure in the boom of
a wild-goose flight, when on their broad wings they disappear
beyond the horizon.
TO CAPE SALOR
June lith-loth. — We had long been looking forward to
the day when our work here should be finished, so that with a
good conscience we could set our course towards Cape Salor on
the northern extremity of the great island off the mouth of
Chip Inlet. McMillan had promised us that we should there
find one of Peary's depots from his last Polar expedition, cached
in 1908, and consisting of pemmican, biscuits, sugar, and paraf-
fin. These were tempting delicacies.
We start at eight o'clock in the evening and, as for the
first time during a long period going is good, we succeed in
making the 40 kilometres to Cape Salor in twelve hours. We
halt east of the cape, right opposite to Cape Emory, where we
expect to pick up information from WulfF. It is baking hot,
the temperature being the highest we have yet experienced.
In 2 degrees of heat (Cent.) we half-strip, after which Ajako
and I set out for the depot, which should be about 4 kilometres
distant from our camp.
The sun scorches our faces. On the ice the snow is melting
and has already formed pools of more than a metre depth in the
old Polar-ice. Dripping with perspiration we reach the depot,
where a tin box, hanging down from the end of a staff, contains
185
GREENLAND BY THE POLAR SEA
a greeting from our comrades. Right off us there is a pressure-
ridge of about 20 metres ; outside this the ice is smooth,
whilst the pressure-ice of the old Polar-ice commences already
a few kilometres seaward. Along the ice-foot there is an old
track of bear.
The depot proves a disappointment in so far as we find only
three cans of paraffin and six tins of pemmican.
To our surprise, we find excrements of musk-ox also on this
island, which almost entirely consists of high, rugged mountain-
land without a trace of valley tracts. The musk-oxen, then,
must have been here only temporarily. Three barnacle-geese
come flying from far out on the Polar Sea, and on land the
ptarmigan are cackling.
We are back again in the tent at eleven o'clock, gourman-
dizing to our hearts' content on Peary's pemmican. This
Polar pemmican, in contrast to the sort with which we are
acquainted, has a wonderful addition of lots of raisins and sugar
kneaded into the meat and fat, so that it has the consistency
almost of a sweetmeat ; at any rate, no marzipan cake could
have tasted better. For the sake of economy, we mix it with
porridge, and boil it into a thick gruel, which settles down in
our stomachs with an unusual, but not uncomfortable, heaviness.
Wulff 's letter, which is as usual a welcome sign of life in our
monotonous treadmill round, goes from hand to hand and gives
rise to much discussion and conjecture. We then snuggle
down in our sleeping-bags, relishing for the first time outside
our tent the unusual summer warmth. We close our eyes after
a journey of thirty-six hours.
But our food has been heavier than our customary meals of
hare ; our sleep is restless and we frequently wake up.
136
CHAPTER VII
CAPE SALOR TO LOCKWOOD'S REACON
OUR MEETING WITH DR. WULFFS PARTY
JUNE I6TH-17TH. — We now press forward in order to
overtake our comrades as soon as possible. We have no
time to wait for the coolness of the afternoon, but set off
in the sun-warmth of i>.30 on fair ice. The dogs have benefited
from the rest and the fat seal meat ; with the light sledges they
go a good pace if one of us will only walk in front ; and so that
we may make as much as possible of our opportunity, we decide
to try another day's journey of at least 40 kilometres.
After two hours we pass Cape Emory, which juts out in a
comparatively low headland with a cleft rich in vegetation,
where Ajako shoots a hare and catches a litter of young ones.
The surrounding country is an impressive alpine landscape
which, snow-covered, precipitous, and with jagged pinnacles,
trends in to a narrow fjord.
In a little bay a few kilometres from Cape Neumcyer, we
suddenly spy two sledges ; we start with amazement and almost
lose our breath with excitement when we discover that it is our
comrades, who, with a much reduced team of dogs, slowly,
very slowly, work their way towards us. Wulff and Harrigan
walk in front, whilst Hendrik and Bosun trail behind with the
sad remainders of the three teams. We put on extra speed
and it does not take many minutes before we meet. It is
obvious from their thin, worn faces that they must have had a
hard time since last we saw them.
They have hunted in vain for sixteen days, and during this
long period they have had to feed exclusively on dog. They
1:57
GREENLAND BY THE POLAR SEA
are now fleeing for life southward, as it has been impossible
for them to reach de Long Fjord. They had been obliged to
reduce the number of dogs, and were now driving one team
consisting of five dogs, with their baggage wrapped up in a seal-
skin. The other team of nine dogs was yet able to pull a real
sledge. Of the twenty-seven dogs which, distributed among
three sledges, left Cape Salor on the 2nd of June, only fourteen
remained.
They had made their headquarters at Low Point and con-
tinued their hunting excursions from this point right across to
Cape Wykander ; as, however, they had seen not the slightest
sign of musk-ox, they had returned so that they might save the
last of the dogs for the homeward journey. They had taken
our long absence to indicate that we had succeeded in crossing
the inland-ice to Independence Fjord, and as it seemed obvious
that they would not be able to find food for the long period of
waiting which this would necessitate, they had decided on the
homeward journey whilst they were yet in a fair condition and
had some of the dogs left.
Considering the bad luck they have had, nothing could be
said against this decision ; one must act according to one's own
judgment under such desperate conditions, and the different
parties of an expedition must always, within certain limits, have
a free hand so that one does not run the risk of losing everything
out of consideration for agreements when presuppositions prove
to be incorrect. For all that, I was glad to meet them and to
prevent their lonely homeward journey.
We then made camp, and discussed the position during a
feast of seal meat, hares, and abundant coffee.
It was essential to my plan that everything must be risked
in order to push on along the coast where our comrades had been
defeated ; when so near to our goal, I could not decide to give
up and start the homeward journey without having convinced
myself personally that progress was really impossible. On the
other hand, we must not wantonly attempt something which
would be disastrous for the whole expedition. Furthermore,
the prospects of what one might meet northward were so dark,
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CAPE SALOR TO LOCK WOOD'S BEACON
that I could only continue if those of my comrades, who neces-
sarily must accompany me, volunteered to make the attempt.
Once more I experienced the joy of seeing how serious they
considered the task which we had set out to accomplish. Koch
and Ajako immediately declared themselves willing to accom-
pany me, and as I, provided we should have to lose yet more
dogs, wished to have two men by each sledge, we strengthened
our party by Bosun, who was not afraid to return to the coast
where he had recently been starving.
So we decided that Dr. Wulff with Harrigan and Hendrik
should make an attempt at getting their dogs down to the seals
of the whirlpool. Provided we did not meet with too great
difficulties, both parties might then meet in about a fortnight
at Cape Salor. Failing this, Dragon Point was decided on as
the place where we should all meet before the commencement
of the return journey. After this we parted.
During the halt we had had high, sunny weather ; but now
our mortal enemy the fog once more sneaked in from the Polar
Sea, raw and cold, drifting across all the land which we were to
survey. We became suddenly miserable and desolate, not least
because of the prospects which, according to our comrades, we
must reckon on when we move eastward. It was hopeless to
continue the journey whilst the visibility was so poor, and we
made camp at ten o'clock in the evening between Cape Neu-
meyer and Cape Bennett.
It seemed well worth while taking matters easy and rumin-
ating on the decisions which had to be made. Our position
was really a very serious one. Of provisions we had merely a
piece of seal meat and about a whole sealskin of blubber. Our
dogs would not be able to stand an immediate period of starva-
tion, neither could we reduce their number if they were to pull
the two sledges.
As if to intensify our despondency, the barometer fell
incessantly and did not promise well for the weather we might
expect. Whilst the others were asleep, I sat thinking about
our position.
Would it be possible to push along the path which had cost
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GREENLAND BY THE POLAR SEA
our comrades half their dogs ? I was ready to give up the idea
of reaching as far as Cape Morris Jesup or Cape Bridgeman,
which had been my goal the whole time. But de Long Fjord?
How very, very reluctantly would I relinquish that hope ! It
would be with a heavy heart that I, after all I had staked
on this expedition, would go home without having been able to
carry through my programme. The great main fjords and the
north coast were now charted ; and dearly we had paid for that
work, because of the scarcity of game, and because of fog and
deep snow. And now de Long Fjord? From our present
camp to that field of work the distance is only about 100 kilo-
metres, but if we do not get any hunting we shall probably lose
all our dogs.
At five o'clock in the afternoon I make tea, and call Ajako
and Bosun, who have both slept soundly, refusing to be dis-
turbed by uncharted fjords and much too uncertain future
possibilities. I consider it my duty to make the position clear
to them, and to point out what significance it will have for the
expedition if they succeed in procuring meat in this place.
The fog yet lies across the mountain-tops, and the barometer
continues to fall, steadily and inconsiderately ; but a light
breeze has lifted the haze somewhat, so that the ice and the
foot of the mountains are visible, and I send the two plucky
hunters out.
June 17th. — At two o'clock in the morning of the 17th they
return, Ajako with a giant seal, Bosun literally dressed in
newly-killed game, with one goose, three hares, and eight
ptarmigan.
Once more we are saved from a serious situation. Never
has booty been brought to our tent which had such a decisive
significance for the result of the expedition, and I am filled
with happy gratitude to the fate which has so kindly favoured
the two young Eskimos in this desert, where the others had to
give up.
Without risking too much, we may now continue our push
towards de Long Fjord, and we furthermore cache two or
three meals for each team on this spot. We celebrate our good
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CAPE SALOR TO LOCKWOOD'S BEACON
fortune with a mighty least, in which the dogs take a generous
part ; then we decide to set off in the evening of the same day.
The Polar-ice, closely packed against the coast, has lie gun
to develop casual lanes, approximately 4 kilometres l'roni land ;
it was by one of these lanes that Ajako had found his seal,
which, as usual, was remarkably shy.
TOWARDS CAPE MOHN
June 18th-20th. — Cape Neumeyer is — at any rate in the
weather we have had — an unusually depressing cape; it pos-
sesses occasional little valleys where a chary growth of grass
enlivens the visitor ; but apart from this all is stone and stone,
which not even by their shape enliven the traveller. We have
spent our most intense hours in this place, but other men also
have crossed this point with death at their heels. It was here
that Peary on his Polar expedition in the spring of 1916 tried
to land when, starting from the northern extremity of Grant
Land, he had been driven out of his course by a strong eastward
current.
I look across the pressed-up and difficult Polar-ice where
a way had to be hewn for the sledges through the ridges, whilst
hungry men, living on raw and frozen bits of starved dog-flesh,
toiled towards the coasts where also we had found it difficult to
exist. It brings to my mind my friend Manigssoq, who on this
journey had his eyes frost-bitten and was marked for life. In
vain had he tried to keep up with his comrades, who in longer
and longer days' journeys struggled for life as they nearcd
Grant Land, where the ship and salvation was to be found.
When at length he could manage no further, he was left in a
cold snow-hut with the frozen leg of a dog for his only food, and
here he fought alone against incipient frost-bite for days, until
a relief party from the ship reached him and restored him to life.
With our gipsy-like temperaments, and on the strength of
yesterday's catch, we were now in the happy position of being
able to ignore for the present the conflicts of life which might
here arise. "Forward," which was our watchword until the
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GREENLAND BY THE POLAR SEA
goal was reached, again sang through all our being. The
weather was bad, showers of wet snow drifted over us, and the
going was heavy and miserable. All through the day we labour
ahead through the showers, which for hours rob us of any view ;
but as we have no time to waste, we wade stubbornly through
the snow. When occasionally the thick weather eases, the
most beautiful landscape is unveiled before us ; in Mascart
Inlet we are everywhere surrounded by high, cone-like, snow-
clad mountains, furrowed by many clefts which create life and
change in the monotony. At the head of the inlet we see the
place where the channel of the whirlpool runs out, and in this
we find the solution of the problem of the open water, which in
the beginning puzzled us.
Out in the middle of Mascart Inlet we meet with a depress-
ing sight. On a high hummock of ice we find the sledge which
our comrades had had to leave. Poor litter of various kinds
is deposited by its side to lighten it, but the most pathetic sight
is the carcase of a poor dog which had tried in vain to follow
the tracks of its masters from Cape Payer, to reach exhausted
this sledge where nothing eatable was to be found. Summon-
ing its last strength, it had crawled up on the transom, where on
our arrival we found it dead.
The storm seems constantly to grow worse ; the squalls of
wind whip our faces with wet snow ; and as at last our clothing
suffers too severely, we have, much against our will, to pitch
our tent already by Low Point. Here we find our comrades'
camp of starvation, which does not need commentaries ; strewn
about were the bones of the many dogs which had had to die to
be eaten by their comrades and the four men who, in spite of
their persistence, were unable to find sufficient food.
From the top of a small mountain we discover, rather close
to land, a small seal which has crawled up onto the ice in spite
of wind and weather. It is on good ice and the mere sight of
it makes us imagine that we have already skinned it and put
it in the pan, for none of us doubt but that, in the course of an
hour or so, it will be our prey. We soon find, however, that
it is an animal just as fond of its life as are the rest of us ;
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CAPE SALOR TO LOCKWOOD'S BEACON
furthermore, it is an expert in the art of teasing. As soon as
we approach, long before we can get within range, it dives
down through its breathing-hole ; but hardly have we turned
towards land before it crawls up again, repeating this comedy
every time we continue the hunt.
We cannot understand the reason for the seals being so
uncommonly shy here, where no hunting takes place. The
fact that they are very few in number may probably sharpen
their attention towards every unusual sound, more so than in
other places where they gather in greater numbers ; and up to
this time we have merely seen one single seal at a time.
Neither are there any ice-bears here to hunt them ; if the bears
exist at all, they are so few in numbers as to be insignificant ;
otherwise it is not our experience that these make the seals shy,
for in Melville Bay, where the ice-bears yet have their El
Dorado, the spring seals are tamer and less nervous than any-
where else in Greenland.
Joe and Hans Hendrik made the same discovery during the
"Polaris " expedition, and it seemed to them so strange that
the seals should disappear through their breathing-holes at the
slightest creak even from a very long distance, that they com-
municated to Hall their supposition that human beings must
exist in the neighbourhood.
From land we had watched a couple of seals attentively
through our glasses before we started hunting them. When
in the South of Greenland a seal crawls up on the ice to sleep, it
rolls about in the snow for a quarter of an hour before it
stretches out with its head on the ice, falling into a sleep so deep
that, with care, one can as a rule get within range without
waking it. But up here the seal remains quiet only a few
minutes at a time, then it will raise its head and look search-
ingly in all directions, just as if it were continually expecting
an ambush of some kind or other. Thus we have come to the
conclusion that it is the great and sudden pressures of ice which
have made them so timid and nervous ; for if a pressing-up,
due to the exertion of ice masses from outside, is commenced
suddenly and without warning, the little cleft where the seal
143
GREENLAND BY THE POLAR SEA
lives will be closed, and its access to the ocean and to food will
be barred. Even if the seal should succeed in slipping down
through the fissure, it woidd run the risk of being killed, and
this is probably the reason for the short duration of its sleep,
and for its being so easily startled by the slightest sound.
When we had wasted a good deal of time on the teasing
seal, we abandoned ice-hunting to try our fortune on land.
Here Bosun quickly succeeded in bringing down three fat,
delicious barnacle-geese, which proved a comforting com-
pensation.
We spent a day at Low Point with quick changes in the
weather, and a temperature of a constant minus 1° (Cent.).
Due north the sky is clear, but thick banks of fog constantly
drift in from north-west, enveloping everything in a raw,
whitish-grey haze ; the sun is permitted to shine on us for a few
moments, then once more it disappears ; towards evening a
belt of fog settles on the mountains to the south-west, leaving
the horizon visible, and we decide to continue.
We cross Jewell Inlet, which, with its pointed high moun-
tains, reminds one of Mascart Inlet. We pass Cape Wykander,
which proves to be an island, and from this point we enter on
an even gradient of coastland trending in towards the mouth of
de Long Fjord. All this even mountain-land is very fertile,
and seems to be the favoured haunt of hares and ptarmigan.
Without the slightest delay in our progress, we succeed in
killing, almost straight from our sledges, four hares and six
ptarmigan. But in spite of the wealth of willow and grass,
we find no sign of musk-oxen. The whole of the connected
high mountain ridge which runs from the sound by Cape
Wykander in to de Long Fjord has before its foot a wide and
pretty plain.
On a very low projecting point we find a small beacon which,
to our surprise, contains a report from Lock wood.
In a lane 5 kilometres from land Ajako shoots a seal, and
we now feel well provisioned for our stay in the fjord where we
are to finish our work.
144
CAPE SALOR TO LOCKWOOD'S BEACON
LOCKWOODS VOYAGE
Every time we meet with memorials of those who fought
the same fight for progress as we do on this lonely coast, we
feel that unknown men greet us, reaching out a friendly hand
to comrades who continue their trails.
Lockwood's beacon is situated on a large plain, stretching
in front of the high mountain ridge up towards Cape Mohn.
It is small and insignificant, no more than 1 metre high,
wherefore in no way does it attract attention. This explains
how it came to pass that both Peary and McMillan drove past
without noticing it. But we who examine every little irregu-
larity in the ground, in the constant hope of finding game,
discover it at a considerable distance. The report was deposited
in a tin which was in no way water-tight, but, notwithstanding
this, the writing was easily deciphered after the thirty-five years
of varied weather which had beaten round the open beacon.
With ancient Norse brevity the statement is made that
in May, 1882, two Americans, Lockwood and Brainard,
together with the Greenlander Frederik Kristiansen, passed
this place.
Lockwood was a member of the Greely Expedition which
started from America in 1881, as a section of the great Inter-
national Meteorological Exploration which during that year
took place all the world over. The expedition, which had its
winter quarters in Lady Franklin Bay, approximately at Dis-
covery Harbour, was taken so far north by the steamer Proteus,
which immediately after the landing turned back again. Here
the house was built which later on became so famous under the
name of Fort Conger. In America the following arrange-
ments had been made for the maintenance of communication
with the scientists who were sent out : As early as 1882 a ship
would be sent up, but if this could not get into communication
with the winter quarters, a depot was to be laid down as far
north in Grinnell Land as possible. The following year a new
attempt would be made ; if also this were to fail, a relief party
K 145
GREENLAND BY THE POLAR SEA
was to make its way as far up into Smith Sound as possible,
later on, when the ice had settled, to attempt a connection with
the expedition by the aid of sledges.
In Godhavn and Upernivik the services were enlisted of two
Greenlanders, Jens and Frederik Kristiansen, who, during the
absence of the expedition in 1881-1884, proved to be very
valuable members. The Americans — contrary to Nares' men
who have previously been mentioned — employed the Eskimos
fully ; and with the aid of these two excellent dog-drivers they
succeeded in breaking all previous records.
Lockwood was without comparison the most interesting and
important man of Greely's staff. On the 3rd of April he left
Fort Conger with a train of twelve men, each of whom was to
pull a load of 130 pounds ; further, there was Frederik, who,
with his eight dogs, was to freight a load of 100 pounds per dog.
On the 27th of April he returned all the human beasts of
burden, and continued northward with Brainard and Frederik.
Like ourselves, he got at Cape Bryant a view of the land which
Beaumont at such great personal risk had explored, and he
tried at once to set his course for Cape May, where all the many
secrets of the land due north should have revealed themselves
to the sick Englishmen. But hardly had he progressed half a
score of miles inward when he met with the same soft snow
which had constituted such a difficulty for Beaumont. He
resolutely decided to continue northward far out at sea, rather
than waste his time on details.
On the 1st of May he reached Cape Britannia, which, ac-
cording to Greely's order, was the goal of his journey. But as
the coast which he was to follow on the return journey was
provided with many depots, and as the dogs, which had met
with no difficulties worth mentioning, were as yet in prime
condition, Lockwood decided at once to continue further north-
ward, constantly keeping the distance from land necessary for
good driving. This voyage must be looked upon as a recon-
noitring. It was important for him to make sure of land ahead
as far north as possible without examining it closely ; and
146
CAPE SALOR TO LOCKWOOD'S BEACON
because of the task he had set himself he could thus with a good
conscience plant his American flag on Lockwood Island in the
mouth of de Long Fjord on the 13th of May. England, which
for three hundred years had held the honour of being the nation
which planted its flag farthest north, must now yield to the
Americans. England's farthest north, reached by Markham at
83° 20' 26", was now beaten by Lockwood's 83° 24'. It was
not much, but it was a record nevertheless. In his book
Greely describes the event in the following manner :
" For three centuries England had held the honours of the
farthest north. Now Lockwood, profiting by their labours and
experiences, surpassed their efforts of three centuries by land
and ocean. And with Lockwood's name should be associated
that of his inseparable sledge companion Brainard, without
whose efficient aid and restless energy, as Lockwood said, the
work could not have been accomplished. So, with proper pride,
they looked that day from the vantage-ground of the farthest
north (Lockwood Island) to the desolate Cape which, until
surpassed in coming ages, may well bear the grand name of
Washington."
Already on the 1st of June, sixty days after they started,
the expedition was back at Fort Conger, with all men in good
condition.
Unfortunately, consideration of space limits my description
of Greely's Expedition, which, when one takes into considera-
tion the tragic fate which befell it, must surely be called the
most famous of them all.
The members worked energetically during the whole of their
stay by Fort Conger, both in across the land and northward.
The most interesting part of their work was the exploration of
Grant Land, the inner reaches of which were at that time en-
tirely unknown ; by the aid of small light hand-carts the
explorers were enabled to examine the land thoroughly.
Especially important were the ethnographical results, as inland
near Lake Hazen several Eskimo camps were found. Greely
himself took part in the inland excursions, and the men's
capacity for work was highly increased by the circumstance
117
GREENLAND BY THE POLAR SEA
that, in contradistinction to all previous expeditions, they did
not suffer from scurvy, thanks to a sensible diet.
Lockwood himself exceeded everyone else in energy and
working ability. In 1883 he went northward on a fresh excur-
sion along the land which he had discovered, and in a surpris-
ingly short time he reached Black Horn Cliffs, where, however,
he had to turn, as he found open water.
The road being blocked, Lockwood, with Brainard and
Frederik, chose a new route across Grinnell Land, which was
explored simultaneously with the discovery of the big Greely
Fjord. In the meantime two winters had passed without com-
munication with the relief expeditions which had been promised
for the return journey ; and as, unfortunately, the expedition
had been ordered, failing connection with the ship, to attempt
a movement southward in the direction of relief, they now began
to prepare for that journey, which proved altogether disastrous
and gave rise to the greatest tragedy which has ever befallen
an Arctic expedition.
To this must be added that the state of affairs on board was
not a happy one, things even going so far that the physician to
the expedition, Dr. Pavy, was arrested for insubordination
during the last summer at Fort Conger. If ever there are
conditions in life where comradely co-operation under a firm
leader is absolutely essential to success, they are to be found
during Arctic exploration where the few people who have to
live together are entirely dependent upon each other. A situa-
tion like this, therefore, proved a great calamity. Further,
opinions differed as to whether a couple of sledges ought to be
sent down to Littleton Island, where, as a link in the whole
chain of plans put down for Greely before his departure from
America, a depot had been promised. It is always easy to
criticize afterwards when the results of the dispositions are
evident, and it cannot be denied that the plans here mentioned,
under the leadership of one of the by now well-trained sledge
travellers with one of the Eskimos for his companion, must
have appeared quite natural. But Greely was against the pro-
position and managed to frustrate it. They then decided that
148
LAUGE KOCH
THE SNOW BEGINS TO GET WET
CAPE SALOR TO LOCKWOOD'S BEACON
they should all go southward along Grinnell Land, attempting
to communicate with the relief ship or depots.
When they broke up, the order was given that private-
property must be left behind ; the officers, however, being
permitted to bring a load of 16 pounds each, whereas the
rankers were only allowed 8 pounds. Such partiality must
have a very bad effect during an expedition, where no differen-
tiation based on rank ought to be permitted. Furthermore,
the unfortunate decision was carried that all dogs were to be
left behind at Fort Conger, whereby they were cut off from all
possibilities of hunting, should they have to undertake another
wintering without outside help.
On the 9th of August all men left the station in boats. At
this time they had yet provisions for a year, and they knew that
the country was prolific with game.
Under great difficulties the boats, through drifting hum-
mocks of ice, reached Cape Sabine, about 400 miles distant,
where at last in some beacons they found information of what
had hitherto been done for the relief of the expedition. The
first ship was wrecked ; the second, not being able to penetrate
the ice sufficiently far up, had returned with all the provisions.
In another beacon they were solemnly assured that everything
in human power would be done to save the expedition next
year.
There was nothing to do but prepare for winter as well as
might be. A wretched house, consisting almost entirely of a
boat with the keel turned up, was erected on Pim Island. A
few depots were found, but far from sufficient for the needs of
autumn, winter, and spring. One can picture to oneself the
regret with which the men thought of the good warm winter-
house at Fort Conger, where even a coal-mine was to be found
a short distance from the door, and of all the good provisions
which would have seen them through the winter ; finally, there
were the dogs, which could have led the hunters far inland on
musk-ox hunts.
This "starvation camp," as it was later called, gives the
most tragic pictures of human need and misery. Autumn
149
GREENLAND BY THE POLAR SEA
passed tolerably ; during that period Greely even tried to keep
up the spirits of his people by lecturing to them in the midst of
cold and hunger. Later on they lost strength for any attempt
at resistance, and one by one they were consumed by terrible
suffering. One of the Eskimos, Frederik, died as a result of
over-exertion during an unsuccessful hunting excursion ; the
other, Jens, was drowned in his kayak during an attempt to
work through thin ice in the endeavour to reach a shot seal ;
and as the expedition no longer had the services of these pro-
fessional hunters, everything seems to have gone slowly down-
hill. Even the energetic Lockwood, full of initiative, succumbed
to hunger, which slowly stole a march on him ; towards spring,
when the light returned and most of the men were unable to
walk, one might discover, after the catastrophe had taken
place, that one shared the sleeping-bag with a dead comrade.
At long last, on the 22nd of June, 1884, the ship arrived, but
then there were only six men alive out of the twenty-four.
Greely himself finishes his report with the following pathetic
words :
" Towards midnight of the 22nd, I heard the sound of the
steam-whistle of the Thetis, which, by the order of Captain
Schley, was to call his people together. My ear did not deceive
me, although I could hardly believe that, in the storm, a ship
would venture so near to land.
"In a weak voice I asked Brainard and Long if they had
strength enough left to go out, and to this they replied as usual
that they would do their utmost. I requested them to return
and inform us if they sighted a ship. In the course of ten
minutes, Brainard returned from the ridge about 50 yards away,
and reported in a very subdued voice that nothing was to be
seen, and that Long had gone to hoist the flag of distress which
had blown down. Brainard again crept into his sleeping-bag
whilst we started an aimless discussion of the sound which we
had heard, during which Bierderbick maintained that the ship
must be lying in Payer Harbour — a statement in which I did
not believe, as I thought the whistle must have come from a
150
CAPE SALOR TO LOCKWOOD'S BEACON
ship passing along the coast. We had given up all hope when
suddenly we heard strange voices calling my name, and with a
feeling as madly mighty as our exhausted condition permitted,
it dawned on us that our country had not failed us, that all our
long sufferings were passed, and the remains of Lady Franklin's
Expedition saved."
151
CHAPTER VIII
DE LONG FJORD TO CAPE SALOR
AT THE GOAL
THE result of the previous day's reconnoitrings was that,
from the high mountains situated 10 kilometres in along
the fjord, one might expect to get a view of all the ter-
ritory which we had yet to map. The Island we named Hanne
Island, whilst the mountain which was to be the base for the
last observations was called Thule Mountain.
Without any greater difficulty we covered the distance to
Thule Mountain on good ice, and Koch and Ajako ascended the
mountain at nine o'clock in the morning. There was a gale
blowing, and during the day we observed many and increasing
-Fd/in-clouds which, like huge dragons, drifted across the sky.
At two o'clock Ajako returned with the following letter
from Koch :
"Thule Mountain,
"21. 6. 1917.
" Ajako and I arrived at the top here, which is 780 metres
high, sufficiently early for a noon observation. De Long Fjord
is large, and rich in surprises. Let me start at Cape Mohn.
To the south of this, a fjord inward due west, with a sound to
the Polar Sea and valley across to the sound south of Hanne
Island, so that I see water in front of Cape Ramsay Island.
Then a fjord due south-west with valley possibly to Mascart
Inlet. Further, fjord due south with inlet ice as background.
Further, a broad fjord, some thirty kilometres long, due south-
east, from which two valleys due east, whereof the northern-
most cuts far into the country. There is probably a lake in the
direction of Frederick Hyde Fjord. Due north from here
Wild Fjord lies as a panorama. The two large new fjords can
be taken with a vertical base. Strong and cold wind will unfor-
152
DE LONG FJORD TO CAPE SALOR
tunately delay sketching somewhat. But the air in over Peary
Land continues very clear."
After this encouraging telegram I immediately went up to
the survey station. It was a laborious and strenuous walk
* '-. 1 1 "///,.''''/.'.'''.,
'Mium<
rrr>>
Mm)?'};,;}
THE LOWER SKETCH SHOWS DE LONG FJORD AND SURROUNDING DISTRICTS AS KNOWN
PREVIOUS TO THE SECOND THULE EXPEDITION.
THE UPPER SKETCH SHOWS THE SAME DISTRICT CHARTED BY US.
across loose stones, but when at last I got a full view of the sur-
roundings I nearly dropped with surprise at the enormous Arctic-
landscape which lay before my eyes.
On the one hand the Polar Sea, the enormity of which I
1.53
GREENLAND BY THE POLAR SEA
have often described ; on the other Peary Land, which I knew
from Independence Fjord, but which here, towards the ice-
bound ocean, had quite another winter character than it has in
its eastern regions during the same season. The land was every-
where covered with snow, with glaciers on all tops, and every
hope of rinding hunting-ground, corresponding in conditions to
Poppy Valley on Adam Biering Land, was torn up by the root.
By the foot of Thule Mountain we had found the remains of
very old musk-ox bones on some small grassy slopes ; but they
crumbled with age and gave us no encouragement to try our
fortune across the surrounding coastland.
Lockwood, who gave this fjord its name, passed so far out
at sea because of the travelling conditions that he got no survey
of de Long Fjord, which he viewed as a single great fjord
cleaving its way in between the mountains of Peary Land.
Later on, Robert Peary passed by almost the same route, and,
as also his observations gave no details of the fjord complex,
the theory has arisen that de Long Fjord probably continued
so far inland that it, as a huge channel, combined itself with
the assumed Peary Channel approximately midway between
Nordenskjold Fjord and Independence Fjord. After the whole
of the big Peary Channel had been reduced to a myth, partly
by the first, partly by the second Thule Expedition, there was
still the possibility that de Long Fjord — at any rate in contra-
distinction to the quite small Nordenskjold Fjord — might pene-
trate so deeply as to create around its head a stretch of country
of the same kind as that which in 1912 I had found by the head
of Independence Fjord. If this were the case, the distance
from here to Poppy Valley in Adam Biering Land, so prolific
in game, was so short that with advantage one might have
founded a station for rest and recreation, which would have
been of especial benefit to the botanist.
These reasons had, on the 31st of May, led to the division
of the expedition — a division which in itself did not seem very
risky, as we knew that, in any case, it would be possible to save
oneself by a comparatively speedy journey on good ice down
to the neighbourhood of Cape Morris Jesup, where the
154
DE LONG FJORD TO CAPE SALOR
Americans twice had found conditions favourable. But this
plan, as we have already heard, proved impossible to carry out ;
an unusually persistent storm had contributed considerably to
the destruction of the first party's dogs. Thanks to our better
fortune, Koch and I were at last standing on the summit of the
mountain from which the work of the expedition could be com-
pleted. This fjord was the northernmost goal of our voyage.
Even here by Greenland's last, large fjord, one might expect
surprises and results to be added to those already experienced.
This was the reason why we, in spite of our comrades' uncanny
experiences, had staked everything on reaching this spot, and
as now we stood by our goal, with our return journey safe-
guarded by seal meat and blubber, we all felt that inexpressible
joy known only to him who has shouldered a task and carried
it through in face of all difficulties.
We named the two new fjords, calling the one due south-
west Th. Thomsen Fjord, after the inspector of the National
Museum, who so often during our preparations had helped us
with good advice. The great main fjord itself kept, of course,
its name of de Long Fjord ; whilst the 30 kilometres long fjord
to the north-east of the middle arm was named after Professor
Bernhard Boggild, a member of the scientific committee of the
expedition. Not only the geological but also the cartographical
and ethnographical explorations found their natural conclusion
here. The stretch of coast from de Long Fjord to Cape
Bridgeman was in 1900 traversed by Peary, and no deviations
in the contours of the land in the form of islands or deep inden-
tations had been found. Thus no correcting work was left for
us ; no mistakes were possible. When Peary had come to
wrong conclusions with regard to places like Nordenskjold
Fjord and de Long Fjord, not to mention Independence Fjord,
these mistakes were, as I have already pointed out, easy to
explain. Due to the great stretches of entirely unsurveyed
country which Peary had to traverse, his task assumed a form
which merely demanded that the main contours of the land
should be put down and the details left, these details becoming
the work of the subsequent expeditions for which the first
155
GREENLAND BY THE POLAR SEA
excursions showed the way. Thus there was no reason for us to
continue, all the more as on our departure we had pointed out
this fjord as being our absolute goal.
As far as our work was concerned, I had arrived at a result
which could not be elaborated by a continuation of our excur-
sion ; for the possibility of a migration of Eskimos north of
Greenland had been disposed of by the natural conditions which
we found here by the last great fjord on the north-west coast.
The land offers no means of subsistence, and the inner regions
of the fjord, being covered with floating inland-ice, forbid the
seal-hunt so essential for all Eskimo life.
On the same day we built a final beacon, the Thule beacon,
near the large mountain which gave us the terminating view of
the last regions of Greenland which were not yet known.
HOMEWARD AT LAST
June 22nd-2Srd. — The sudden arrival of the spring had
melted the snows, so that we began to find water beneath. This
isa stage rightly feared by all Arctic travellers ; for at any
moment the sledge may be sucked down by the wet snow, when
it is only with the greatest difficulty that one can get it up
again. The good seal meat had once more stiffened the tails of
the dogspbut the slushy ground quickly wore down their courage.
It therefore seemed high time to go down to Dragon Point.
Even our skis, which had been of such great advantage to
us, were heavy as lead with all the wet snow that clung to them ;
we rubbed them with a candle, but the beneficent results did
not last long. And the snowshoes which bore up so well in the
soft snow were now, like the skis, enveloped in thick layers of
wet snow and hung like weights round our feet.
We started at seven o'clock on the 22nd, and by one o'clock
we had covered the 22 kilometres to Lockwood's Beacon, where
we pitched our tents and cooked as many hares as we could
manage to eat. We had shot seven on the way during the
day, and with the addition of a piece of blubber these lean hares
were a delicacy. We suffered from the heat and went about
156
DE LONG FJORD TO CAPE SALOR
half-naked ; the temperature on this day swung between 3°
and (1° (Cent.) of warmth.
At nine o'clock in the evening we continued the journey,
each man having, during this camping period, disposed of rather
more than one hare. The sudden mildness was now succeeded
by raw, cold weather, and all the ice of the Polar Sea seemed
to drive its cold at our faces, creating a feeling which is not
exactly in keeping with midsummer night.
Some movement in the ice was already apparent, as we
could plainly feel a fissure from Cape Mohn right across to Cape
Neumeyer, whilst another at a distance of 2 kilometres from
land followed the coast towards Cape Wykander.
June 2ith. — The cool weather improved the going, as we
had expected, and it was a pleasure to note the good distance
made by the dogs.
We were all anxious to celebrate midsummer night, and our
wish was fulfilled in an amusing manner. Just as we passed
Boatswain Sound by Cape Ramsay, a large barnacle-goose flew
above our heads, circled for awhile round us, and, to our great
surprise, flew down a short distance in front of the dogs within
easy shooting distance. It had, of course, to pay with its life
for its curiosity, and it provided us with a delicious midsummer-
night roast, broiled in blubber according to the rules of the art.
The day's journey ended at six o'clock in the morning by Low
Point, where once more for a few hours we let ourselves be
teased by the seal, which apparently had its fixed quarters here.
Forced by necessity, we decided, after repeated attempts, to
leave it in peace. The distance made during the day was
24 kilometres.
June 25th-26th. — The first thoughts which occur to one on
waking up are connected with the ice and the going which it
will provide. We were now in the midst of such a tedious
grind that for the first hours of the day's journey we could not
avoid slow-going. Involuntarily we started slowly — one had to
save one's strength ! But as a rule the stiffness of the limbsquickly
disappeared and the journey was finished with a firm step.
The snow was quicklv melting along the coast ; great pools
m
GREENLAND BY THE POLAR SEA
lay below the ice-foot, and the water had already begun to find
outlets in the fissures which were being formed off the coast.
By Cape Bennett we found a tumbledown beacon, where
another letter from Lockwood had been deposited . A short greet-
ing to other coastal travellers had been scribbled, probably during
a coffee-halt ; otherwise the note contained nothing remarkable.
After twelve hours of a dead-march through heavy snow
with water beneath, we reached Cape Neumeyer, having
covered a distance of 30 kilometres.
Once more fog and rain forced us to lie over, and in order
to suffer as little as possible from the bad state of the ground,
we covered our skis and the over-runners of our sledges with
sealskin, which slips easily across the wet snow.
BY THE FLESH-POTS
June 27th. — The Eskimos say that at the bottom of the
ocean lives an old hag who rules over all aquatic animals. The
history of her life is involved and circumstantial. Originally
she was married to a storm-bird in human likeness, but on a
voyage, when the travellers were on the point of being wrecked
and were of the opinion that her husband was the cause of the
storm, she was thrown overboard. As she tried to cling to the
gunwale of the boat, her hands were chopped off, whereafter
she sank to the bottom. At the bottom of the sea she developed
peculiar and great qualities, which made her the ruler of all
aquatic creatures. She got a small house where she lived ac-
cording to human customs, happily and in abundance. But her
handless stumps of arms made it impossible for her to comb her
hair or to free herself from vermin. The wise men among the
humans had to assist her in this work by spirit journeys to the
bottom of the sea. In her gratitude she sent huge shoals of
animals to the sealing-grounds, so that the camp which had sent
its necromancer down to her grew rich. She was given the
name of " The Great Flesh-pot."
Although none of us were in the possession of qualities which
permit one to make a spirit journey down to the source of all
abundance, Ajako was of the opinion that somehow the woman
158
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■v
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PS
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DE LONG FJORD TO CAPE SALOR
favoured us ; tor after some hours of toilsome travelling through
snow and water, we skirted a little low headland where we were
literally stranded, because none of us could manage any more.
We climbed the mountains so as to view the neighbourhood,
and there we discovered to our surprise that some seals were
lying outside our accidental camp. It was the first time such
fortune had smiled on us, for the seals we had caught up to now
were solitary animals. We immediately tried hunting, and in
the course of a few hours we had shot three big, fat seals. Now
was our opportunity to feed without stint, and the dogs soon
lay with distended stomachs struggling for breath out of sheer
satiety. In addition the generous land, which is called Blue
Point, presented us with three hares and some ptarmigan.
We consistently continued our fattening cure. It would
be of no avail to continue hunting, as we could not transport
any more through the difficult snow ; but we looked upon our
future fate with confidence. In happy gratitude we erected a
memorial to the old Eskimo myth bv calling this strip of land
"The Flesh-pot."
In the baking sun nobody could be bothered to pitch the
tent. We spread our sleeping-skins across some oblong hollows
which, filled with cassiope, provided the softest of beds for
weary bodies. We only managed to smoke our pipes before we
dropped to sleep. A flock of ptarmigan settled down cackling
near the sledges, but no one had any thought of killing.
WE MEET OUR COMRADES
June 28th. — Ever since we left de Long Fjord our thoughts
had constantly been occupied with the fate of our comrades ; their
train of tottering starved men and dogs had been a cheerless
sight. If they did not soon meet with good hunting they would
probably lose all their dogs, and this would be an additional
difficulty for the return journey.
It was close to this camp that we had last met them, and,
as the decision was that they should make for the whirlpool and
attempt to catch seals there, we expected to find a message from
them somewhere in the vicinity. But we vainly examined all con-
159
GREENLAND BY THE POLAR SEA
spicuous points in the hope of finding beacons, and as we found
nothing, we began to believe that they were yet in the fjord.
We then made for Cape Salor through heavy going, making
very slow pace with our overfed dogs and meat-laden sledges.
As usual, the snow was soft and wet ; the skis carried us, but
the dogs sank through, and generally we found water under the
snow. Koch walked a short distance ahead on snowshoes, and
we others followed with sledges and dogs. But as he approached
Cape Salor he put on greater and greater speed, and we who
followed in his tracks could see that his steps became in-
creasingly longer. At length, a few kilometres further ahead,
we discovered the reason for this sudden hurry, as our comrades'
tent suddenly appeared on the utmost headland of Elison
Island. We also increased our speed, and off we ploughed
through snow and water. With beating hearts we floundered
through the slush ; even the dogs caught our eagerness and
increased their pace. What news would we find ? Were they
yet in possession of the dogs? Or were we confronted with a
journey of 1,000 kilometres with three sledges?
Under these isolated conditions, in the large silent fjords,
so far from other men, one forms a society of one's own, where
even the smallest occurrence attracts one's attention and be-
comes significant.
No wonder, therefore, that the news we were now racing
towards, and which would be so decisive for our arrangements,
made us impatient and nervous. For no life was apparent
round the tent, although it was our custom, whenever we had
been separated for a few days, to celebrate the reunion with
shouts and merry gestures. At long last we were relieved as
a man appeared outside the tent, flinging his arms out with joy
over our arrival. Shouts would reach him. We stopped and
for a moment there was a breathless silence.
' ' How are you ? ' '
"All well."
" How many dogs have you left?"
"Nine."
"Have you food?"
160
DE LONG FJORD TO CAPE SALOR
" Harrigan has shot six seals !"
Rejoicings and confusion of reunion !
June 29th. — At last a day arrived when we could take mat-
ters easy ; we were not entirely inactive, though it would have
been better for the dogs merely to lie in the sunshine digesting
in a semi-conscious state. Two seals shot by Harrigan were
fetched from the mouth of I. P. Koch Fjord, and another was
lying on the ice off Cape Salor at a distance of about 4 kilo-
metres from land. In the midst of the pack-ice, young ice was
lying by a rather considerable whirlpool, looking strangely lost
between the massive pressure-ridges.
June 30th. — It would have been tempting to remain here
for some time yet, as the Flesh-pot situated not far away seemed
to offer good seal-hunting. But we dared not postpone the
journey down to St. George Fjord ; a sojourn on this spot
might be of immediate significance as a fattening period for
the dogs and ourselves, but to freight a considerable load with
the snow in this state was unthinkable. Furthermore, after
the experiences of the past few days, we were sure to run across
those seals, of which we have so often spoken, by Dragon Point.
We started at five o'clock in the morning, but already by
nine o'clock we had to stop on a floe of dry ice as the heat of
3° (Cent.) drove the perspiration out of our bodies so forcibly
that all our pores hurt ; simultaneously we were so fagged out
by the melting slush and the deep water that it would not be
to our advantage if we made longer journeys at a stretch.
The day's journey had been a modest one : the odometer
registered 8 kilometres.
Twelve hours later, after the cool of the evening had set in,
we ma^e another attempt. We found, however, that going
was still worse. The sledges constantly stuck in the slush, and
when the dogs gave up all attempts and lay down quietly looking
at us with their sad eyes, there was nothing else to do but put all
our strength into getting the sledges out of the water-
logged snow.
Juhj 1st. — Out of consideration for the dogs, we pitched
our tents as early as ten o'clock in the morning. Although we
r, 161
GREENLAND BY THE POLAR SEA
had only made a distance of 10 kilometres, we were all weary
and fagged out. The Eskimos call this state of the ground
" putsineq." The weather was uncommonly beautiful ; glori-
ous colours, blue and reddish, rested on Nordenskjold Fjord's
wonderful landscape. For the first time we looked at this fjord
approximately from the point from which Peary previously
observed it ; and we realized why it was that, with this view,
he assumed it to be the inlet of an enormous channel stretching
right to Independence Fjord. From this point one sees only
the coast mountains out by the mouth which forms the entrance
to the channel. The end of the fjord is not at all visible, as the
inland-iee which finishes the fjord merges entirely into the ocean-
ice, which thus seems to stretch infinitely inward. Some backs
of Nunatak, which from the fjord itself we discern far in on the
inland-ice, appear deceptively from this point to be a continua-
tion of the coast mountains, and it has thus seemed obvious to
connect this with the fjord on the east side. We looked across
the beautiful landscape towards Elison Island, which, bathed in
sun and with the clear sky above its sharp silhouette, breathed
a peace and quietness far removed from the disturbance which,
a few hours ago, we made by our progress. The air was then
reverberating with incessant and desperate shouts to the dogs,
now raging, now coaxing ; whilst the animals gave up entirely
and could hardly be forced through the last piece of slush on to
the little island where the rest and the well-deserved strong food
awaited them.
We pitched our tent on an insignificant little flat island
which we called " Centrum Island," as during the following
days it formed the centre for the cartographical station in this
fjord-complex.
July 2nd. — Wulff's party, which had chosen a somewhat
different route from Cape Salor, arrived to-day at noon. Un-
fortunately they had lost a dog on the way ; it fell down, unable
to travel any further. We now had twenty dogs left, and these
were sufficient for the homeward journey if only we succeeded
in keeping them in good condition by plentiful feeding.
Ajako and Bosun were for the time being sent to the mouth
162
DE LONG FJORD TO CAPE SALOR
of Nordenskjold Fjord, where on the outward journey we
cached some clothes and other property which was not required
for the journey ; they returned at midnight with a hunting-bag
of eight hares and one ptarmigan. At the same time Harrigan
shot a seal a short distance from our tent, so that conditions for
acquiring food now seem promising.
During camp-life a fire, crackling and sparkling and with
smoke which rises straight in the air, is the thing which most
tenderly attunes one's feelings. One understands the offerings
of the ancients when, with the holy fire and smoke, they sent
their message up in the air towards all that which they did not
understand. But though we have become less naive, we
cannot get away from the worship of nature which this atmo-
sphere forces on to us. Our mind is moved ; in our thoughts we
write poems, some light and happy, others heavy and sad ; but,
wherever inspiration may lead us, something is roused in our
inmost being, created by the fire. And not least in nature like
this, where one stands as a puny being, forced to fight a daily
battle against forces stronger than oneself. Life always seems
to hang by a thread, because the day's coming events are so un-
certain and so far beyond one's own control ; and this it is which,
more than the many intensive joys one experiences, stamps
one's thoughts and feelings up here.
A strange country ! We are now in the month of July, but,
notwithstanding this, large expanses are yet covered with snow
to such an extent that one prefers to move about on snowshoes
or skis. The flowers are not merely patient, they even put
all their strength in opposition to their mortal enemy, and grow
and blossom in many places in the midst of the snow.
A large country, which seems doubly large to him who must
struggle forth along its coasts, with open and wide horizons
which through fjords and bays run up across the inland-ice to
meet the sky in a dazzling distancy which makes one's eyes ache.
Steep, reddish-brown cliffs shoot up from the sea as blockading
walls, desirous of restricting the view ; but in the midst of the
mountains' barrenness, the sun splashes its colours so that the
163
GREENLAND BY THE POLAR SEA
poverty is ennobled and becomes the work of the great light -
bringer.
A land without a heart, where everything living must fight
a hard battle for life and food. Like a frozen expanse of cold
and waste, the Polar Sea presses itself up above the shores to
meet its brother the inland-ice, who threatens the last land from
the inner deserts. The poor seals coming from the living ocean
occasionally find their way up on the ice, but everywhere they
are frightened by the giant mill of the pressure-ice, and they
rush down in the deep again before they have had time to enjoy
the sky and the sun. Down there they become lean, their layer
of blubber becomes thin, they must fight against the cold which
the fat ones do not notice ; and the mighty vault above the
ocean passages separates them from their friends, so that they
are banished to the dead loneliness.
Now and then the ice-bear plants his paws on the snow of
the shore-ice, but the tracks show that he walks with feet turned
inward and with pinched belly, distrustful of the ice which is
stronger than he himself, and with no inducement to visit the
valley tracts, which are too poor to offer him a meal. Only the
musk-ox and the little lemming, which is the incarnation of
easy contentment, thrive and grow fat, together with the hares,
whose teeth and digestion are satisfied with frozen little plants.
Amidst these the slim ermine, like a bunch of living muscles,,
stalks hares and lemmings ; rich, fat and strong it is, quite
unconcerned with the poverty of the country because it lets the
little vegetarians work for it. It is the good beast of prey of
the region, because it is open in its animosity ; thus it becomes
a happy and sympathetic animal in spite of its blood-smeared
jaws. Behind it sneaks the white wolf, which is always hungry
and thin, although it seeks its food on the same hunting-
ground : cowardly and wretched, with lowered tail and the fever
of an evil conscience in its eyes — more of a hyena than a hunter.
Behind the lives of all these animals lies a miracle, the miracle
of the country and the vegetation ; for in this one month during
which the sun rules, grows the mean vegetation which creates
animal life. Without these stunted children of the sun, there.
164
DE LONG FJORD TO CAPE SALOR
would be no musk-ox, no lemming, no hare ; and without these,
again, no ermine, no wolf — just a cemetery where only the
silence of death broods.
From our flat camp-ground we had an excellent view of
Nordenskjold Inlet. Our thoughts took their own way in across
the inland-ice at its narrowest point to Independence Fjord.
From here it was that Mylius-Erichsen, Hagen, and Bronlund
were the first men to view the head of the fjord which overthrew
the whole theory of the Peary Channel ; and even if they did
not succeed in mapping their discovery, they laid down a report
in a beacon with full information as to what they had seen. The
tragedy which struck them down on their homeward journey,
when they were forced to spend the summer in a place in Den-
mark Fjord, poor in game, is too well known for me to repeat.
Suffice it to mention the heroic task which Jorgen Bronlund
accomplished, when from the depot in Lambert Land he fetched
food for his two comrades who could keep up no longer — a
sacrifice which was not destined to save their lives. When,
later on, after the death of Mylius-Erichsen and Hagen,
Bronlund once more struggled along to Lambert Depot to
deposit the scientific results in a spot where they would be
found, he wrote his own and his camp comrades' death-rune on
the leaf of his diary with the proud words :
" Skirted 79-Fjord after attempt return journey across inland
ice in November month. I arrived here in waning moonshine
and could not continue because of the darkness and of frost-bites
to my feet. The corpses of the others will be found in the
middle of the fjord in front of glacier. Hagen died 10th Novem-
ber and Mylius about ten days later."
The concluding work of charting the head of Independence
Fjord and its near surroundings was executed by the first Thule
Expedition, when Peter Freuchen was cartographer. In
memory of his contribution towards the exploration of the
northernmost Greenland, we named the great expanse between
I. P. Koch Fjord and Nordenskjold Fjord, Peter Freuchen
Land. 165
CHAPTER IX
ACROSS MELTING ICE TO SUMMER VALLEY
ICE-WATER BATHS
JULY 3rd-14th. — After two fickle months the weather at
last settled down, a change which apparently will last
through this month, fortunately for us ! For after every.,
day's journey, during which with great toil we cover a modest
distance of 15 to 16 kilometres in twelve to eighteen hours, all
our clothes and goods need a good drying, and this could not be
managed if the good sun did not during our nightly sleep once
more make serviceable everything which the distracting summer
conditions of the ice destroys for us.
The journey goes through ice-water, and it is only occasion-
ally that we have an opportunity of a moment's rest on " dry
ice." The warmth has converted the rough Polar-ice into a
hopeless system of channels and pools, where from occasional
blocks push up as islands in a huge swamp of ice. In the begin-
ning we sought obstinately for the best places where a zigzag
advance was possible ; but this method has been given up long
ago, for everything is wet through in spite of all our efforts. All
through the day we wade up to our knees in the ice-water, and,
whilst we get wet through to our waists under the work with the
sledges, which constantly get stuck in the holes, the same fate
overtakes our reserve clothes. First the water pours over the
sledges in front, then behind, according to the different posi-
tions it occupies in the melted hollows.
We have crawled in this way for three days — from Centrum
Island to McMillan Valley by the mouth of Victoria Fjord —
a three-days-long bath in the cold water, often covered thinly
by new ice which cuts the paws of the dogs as it breaks into
166
THE SLEDOE BEING SUCKED DOWN BY TUB WATER UNDER THE SNOW
ON THE LOOK-OUT FOR MUSK OX
ACROSS MELTING ICE TO SUMMER VALLEY
knife-edged fragments. The eold water takes it out of those
of the dogs which have not yet quite recovered from their period
of starvation ; to our great sorrow, we have had to leave one
dog which was so exhausted that it fell down unable to get
up again.
When neither we nor the dogs could move a step further,
we select an ice-island and pitch our tent on it. A place like
this can never be an ideal spot for a tent, but there is the
comfort that one need not trouble to go far to fetch the water
one needs for cooking. One merely opens the tent-flap slightly
and fills kettle and pan.
Under these somewhat cheerless conditions, Koch celebrated
his twenty-fifth birthday. We hoisted the flags, both the
Danish and the Swedish, and made an extra cup of strong
coffee. Each of us then presented the hero of the day with a
few lumps of icing sugar — a much appreciated and, at present,
exceedingly valuable article. The last of the store of this sugar
put aside for the homeward journey across the inland-ice has
been distributed in rations and everybody watches as a beast of
prey over his modest share. We might have had a feast, but I
sheered off from the festive feelings of the moment for rational
reasons. We are the possessors of delicious pemmican, oats
and biscuits ; but these delicacies must only be touched when
the journey on the inland-ice commences. In that desert we
shall require all dietetic stimulants. In spite of temptation, I
therefore hardened my heart and contented myself by cooking
double rations of seal meat, and, at the same time, I promised
faithfully to celebrate the day when, on the return journey, we
had reached to a height of 2,000 metres on the inland-ice.
The short and slow daily journeys benefited the carto-
grapher, who took latitudes and longitudes, sighting all the
more conspicuous points as often as occasion permitted.
During a halt, approximately 13 kilometres from McMillan
Valley, the coast was carefully surveyed with the glasses. We
looked for hares, which were now visible far away as tiny white
dots. Our store of meat was finished and we found no seals on
this bad water-filled ice. Bosun and I were somewhat behind,
167
GREENLAND BY THE POLAR SEA
engaged in lashing our sledge afresh. As is well known, all
transoms are tied to the runners with leather straps, and when
these are immersed in water too long, they soften and give so
that the lashings loosen and the whole sledge falls to pieces — as
a rule, of course, where the water is deepest ! To lash a sledge
takes an hour's time and is laborious and tedious work, especi-
ally so when the hands are numb.
Whilst we were bent over the unloaded sledge, and strug-
gled to tighten the wet straps, which were difficult to handle,
new life was suddenly put into the crowd ahead. They had
been lying tired and dead on the sledges, but now they began
to jump about like mad, and both Harrigan and Ajako ran far
out to the side, jumped high into the air, flung their arms about
and slapped their thighs, all of which are Eskimo signs of some
unusual happening.
Bosun and I looked at each other for a moment incredu-
lously, without saying a word ; for this could mean one thing
only. But as we stood there staring, not quite daring to believe
that for which we had hoped more than anything else, Bosun
sensibly delivered himself of the relieving sentence :
• ' One does not cheat hungry and wet comrades who are
toiling ahead through the water !"
In the same moment we both gave vent to a bellowing shout :
"Musk-oxen!"
The sledge was finished in a twinkling, and as rapidly as the
bad going permitted we were up on the ice after our comrades.
All faces beamed ; what we had guessed was really true.
We ourselves took the glasses to see. Off a small glacier tongue
in McMillan Valley, on a ridge towards our old spring camp,
a herd of grazing musk-oxen was plainly visible.
We embraced each other and behaved like lunatics. No
dignity here ! For what we saw meant not merely food in
plenty for ourselves and the dogs, but also implied rest and
drying of our clothes for some days in the beautiful valley, which
must now be in its full summer garments.
With great difficulty we covered the last piece of the way ;
under favourable conditions it would have been done in an hour,
168
ACROSS MELTING ICE TO SUMMER VALLEY
now it took seven, before at last we beached with dripping
clothes after a thorough bath of thirteen hours' duration.
I arrived an hour after the others, as the sledge for the
second time during the day had fallen to pieces and had to be
lashed afresh. My comrades had already pulled off their wet
clothes and were taking sun-baths stark naked on a small grassy
slope. And surely this was necessary, for we were red and
wrinkled right up to our waists just as if for a long time we had
been in soak. The temperature here on land was perfectly
tropical, showing 5° (Cent.).
I was hoarse with shouting to the dogs, which for the last
stretch had been almost impossible to drive through the water ;
and Dr. Wulff came smilingly towards me and told me that
during the hour whilst they had been waiting for me, he had
experienced the truth of the word of the holy Augustine :
"That the joy of the blessed consists not merely in knowing
oneself to be on the right side, but also, and that not least, in
the constant listening to the despairing cries of the damned."
Thus they on land had felt it, after having fought their way to
the right side, when they heard me out in the slush alternately
yammering and raging at the dogs !
We were all hungry as wolves and therefore voted for an
immediate hunt. So we went across the land, taking all the
dogs with us. Unfortunately, we were stopped about half an
hour later by a flood-like river about 400 metres broad, and after
having made several desperate attempts to ford it we had to
postpone the hunt until the following day, as the river could
only be passed some distance seaward out on the ice. In spite
of our hunger and murderous instincts, not one of us was to-day
in possession of sufficient courage to cross this ice just as we
had reached land.
To stave off the hunger, we arranged a hare-hunt, which
gave an excellent result. In the course of a couple of hours no
less than eight of the little white-clad animals had to lay down
their lives, and a temporary camp was made so that we might
have a little rest before the musk-ox hunting started in earnest.
169
GREENLAND BY THE POLAR SEA
The wet clothes were spread out to dry, and we dozed off
half naked in the most varied postures, not unlike a horde of
Serbian refugees, with all our earthly property distributed
about us.
After five short hours of rest we again went seaward on the
ice, navigating between and through a complex of deep chan-
nels by the mouth of the great river, it being our intention to
attempt a landing a few kilometres due east of the main course.
The ice here was particularly bad to walk on ; the whole surface
was so far melted that everywhere it had taken on the character
of an expanse with thousands of nails side by side turning their
points upward. The tracks of the dogs were red with blood
after the many awls which found their way into the pads of
their paws, and even we men felt the pain through our soaked
boots. With a feeling of relief we at length reached land and
pitched our tent in a small sheltered cove by a kindly bubbling
brook. Sledges and goods were deposited up on land, and as
soon as all our wet clothes had been put out on the cliffs to dry,
we took the course up a mountain and into the valley where
yesterday we had seen the musk-oxen. We brought all the
dogs so that they might be as near the slaughter-ground as
possible.
After an hour's walk we got a view across a low ridge, and
hardly had I had time to examine the surrounding district when
instantly and simultaneously we all gave a start. A little more
than 100 metres from us five musk-oxen were peacefully graz-
ing, unsuspicious of the beasts of prey who had been counting
on their death for the last twenty-four hours. All the dogs
with the exception of two were carefully tied to some big stones
before they got wind of this fragrant game. For if the dogs
are loosed in a flock on a musk-ox, especially if they are
hungry, they will as a rule throw themselves so recklessly and
greedily over their prey, that one runs the risk of having them
gored ; and at that moment we certainly could not afford to
lose more dogs. We therefore contented ourselves with taking
the two poorest ones, and walked along to the herd. We
170
ACROSS MELTING ICE TO SUMMER VALLEY
divided into three parties, and before the musk-oxen had dis-
covered us, we stood before them on three sides as if shot up
from the ground.
The musk-oxen lay ruminating ; they now arose without
haste and took up their usual fighting position, the famous
square with a front to all sides. Thus they remained standing
without making the slightest attempt at flight, whilst we on our
side had the greatest difficulty in holding back the two wolf-
dogs, which wanted to spring on to them.
There were five bulls, and they all accepted the position
with dignified calmness ; their great shiny eyes stared at us
without fear, and they contented themselves with an occa-
sional almost contemptuous twist of the corners of their
mouths.
To us they seemed phantastical in their enormous size, be-
cause for such a long time we had been used to the sight of hares
and lemmings only. They were in the midst of shedding their
coats, and the loose wool, which appears to come off in big
cakes, lay across the manes and backs as bunches of mourning
crepe. Occasionally they breathed deeply through their enor-
mous nostrils, and blew wheezingly out into the air. Then they
would, as if in impatience, beat a hoof against the soil so that
small stones flew about our ears. Otherwise they remained
quiet, making no attempt to attack.
As the rare and occasional hunts had given us no good op-
portunity for photography, all the three of us — Koch, Wulff
and myself — took our position and snapped. More patient
clients no photographer could have wished for, notwithstanding
the fact that we did our work very thoroughly. We took them
from all sides and angles, from a distance of from 2 to 10 metres,
profile, full-face, whole-figure, half-length, and only when we
had finished did we pass sentence of death.
First we made an attempt to drive them further down to-
wards the tent, so that it would be easier for us to carry the meat
down to the sea-ice. We went, still with the dogs on leash,
close up and began to throw stones at them. At first they
seemed surprised and indignant over this treatment, which
171
GREENLAND BY THE POLAR SEA
appeared to them most unworthy ; but then the devil took
possession of them !
The biggest of the bulls, apparently the leader, suddenly
stamped his hind hoofs so hard into the soil that a rain of gravel
and stones fell over us ; then he let out a bellow, turned right
about and galloped across the plain with the remainder of the
herd behind him.
We unleashed the dogs immediately, and they tore after the
oxen ; but the whole proceeding had taken place with such
lightning swiftness that the bulls had got a good start, and it
took the dogs some time to draw close to them. We ran with
all speed, so as to be near and ready to shoot when at length the
drive would stop on the top of a hill where they could defend
themselves against the attack of the dogs.
But things did not work out according to plan. The bulls
ran for dear life, and they made such a pace that it almost
looked as if they were blown along by a hurricane. Right out
by the end of the plain the foremost of my dogs succeeded in
overtaking the herd. We saw it attempt to bite itself fast on
to the hind leg of the rear fighter ; but instead of stopping at
once, collecting its comrades in a square and receiving the
attack, the bull, with the dog yet hanging with teeth buried in
its flesh, was content to turn round with lightning quickness,
shake the dog off, scoop it with its horns on to its enormous
neck, and fling it up in the air like a ball. The poor dog whirled
round and crashed heavilv to earth ; its courage cost it its
life.
In the meantime the hunt raged on. The other dog, which
was an old and experienced bear-dog, had come up with the
fleeing herd and succeeded in stopping the hindmost ox outside
a steep high cleft. Ajako, who was ahead of us all, rushed up
ready to shoot, but in the moment he raised his gun, the bull
threw itself down over him like a landslide, paying no attention
to the scolding dog, which in vain tried to hold it back. They
disappeared together into the cleft, and I only saw the cloud of
sand and gravel which whirled up round them. I rushed up as
quickly as I could, and to my great joy I soon heard a shot, then
172
ACROSS MELTING ICE TO SUMMER VALLEY
another, and a moment later I myself was down on the battle-
ground. Ajako, his face yet aglow with excitement, stood by
the killed bull, whose dreadful and sudden attack so nearly had
cost him his life.
The four remaining bulls ran in close formation up a hill,
where they passed close by our tethered dogs. These rose up
and commenced an infuriated barking, whereafter the bulls,
obviously bewildered by the many wolves, once more changed
their direction towards the river to the south-west.
One duffer, who could not keep up with the others, sepa-
rated from the herd and galloped towards the lake where we had
camped during the spring. After a hot chase, it was overtaken
here and stopped by two dogs which had torn themselves loose.
Whilst they held it Bosun arrived and shot it down.
The remaining three gained their freedom for the time being,
but although we were sure that it was only a matter of time
when we should find them again, we nevertheless repented too
late our stone-throwing ; for it would surely have been better
for the transport to have the animals collected in one place.
For the moment we had to be contented with the humour of
having photographed them at a distance of a few metres, and
then in spite of our need for meat, to lose them ! It is the first
time during my many musk-ox hunts that I have seen an
attacked herd which has not stopped and formed square after a
short run, to meet their inevitable death.
The two musk-oxen were skinned ; and we all ate fat mar-
row-bones until we were in that peaceful mood which follows on
a good meal. We could not deny that our joy was mixed with
bitterness, for three big, lovely animals had temporarily escaped
out of the flock which we had reckoned on with such surety as a
foundation for a couple of restful days in the beautiful and
summerlike McMillan Valley.
We were all agreed that something must be done ; both we
and the dogs needed a rest before we had to wade on across the
broad Sherard Osborne Fjord. In the meantime we had al-
ready had a turn of over thirty hours under very severe condi-
173
GREENLAND BY THE POLAR SEA
tions ; then, after a few hours of sleep, we had again been keenly
active for rather more than fourteen hours ; nevertheless, it was
desirable that the hunt of the three musk-oxen should be con-
tinued at once, before they got too far away.
We were all sleepy and tired. Whilst in the cleft the last
meal was cooking, one after another drooped down and slept.
The many days' bath in the cold ice- water had not passed over
us without leaving its mark ; some of us had in a most uncom-
fortable way lost the powers of the knee-muscles, and to-day
especially Harrigan and I had sunk to our knees time after time
during the musk-ox hunt when we ran down the slopes, for we
had no strength in the muscles of our legs.
Under these conditions there was only one man on whom
I could count, and that was the best and indefatigable hunter,
Ajako. Time after time I have had the opportunity to empha-
size his invaluable qualities for a voyage like this ; his splendid
physique, his endurance, his never-failing hunter's instinct. He
it was who shot the first musk-ox at a time when the position
began to be critical for the dogs ; he it was who caught the first
seals by the whirlpool and saved the rest of our team ; and,
finally, it was he who in the midst of the Polar pack-ice off Cape
Neumeyer got the seal which secured the voyage to de Long
Fjord. Therefore it was also this man whom I suggested should
continue the hunt at a time when the rest of us had to give in
because of overstrain ; and the hunting excursion he was to
undertake would take at least another fourteen hours. Ajako
accepted my proposal with a smile : oh yes, it had been his own
opinion the whole time that it would be better to continue the
hunt at once ; thus the matter was settled. As soon as the con-
tents of the pan were cooked, we turned out on a big flat stone
delicious pieces of tongues and hearts, floating in fat, and had
our meal together. Then Ajako seized his gun, loosened the
dog which usually followed him on all his hunting excursions,
and disappeared behind the nearest ridge, light and supple, as if
he had just got up from a long and refreshing rest. Over his
walk and all his being rested a beauty which only youth and
strength gives.
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ACltOSS MELTING ICE TO SUMMER VALLEY
Twelve hours later Ajako returned to the tent tottering with
sleepiness. Not only had he found and shot the three oxen
which had tried to escape : he had also shot another three. Ail
the animals were skinned and cut up, and the meat had been laid
out in the sun to dry, so that it might not be destroyed by the
bluebottles which shoot up from the soil everywhere in the
vicinity of a piece of meat.
To these good tidings he added smilingly that he had also
seen another herd of six musk-oxen, peacefully grazing near his
slaughter-ground, undisturbed by the hunt. These last animals
he judged it best to let live until the camp had been moved
nearer to that spot.
To crown it all, he carried on his back, in addition to the
hearts and tongues of the newly-killed animals, two delicious
barnacle-geese which he had shot near to our tent on his
way home.
He honestly deserved the twenty-four hours' sleep he had
after this excursion.
Later on we moved the camp 10 kilometres ahead to a valley
in the vicinity of Cape May, off the point where both the killed
and the living oxen were found. We set out in glorious sun-
shine, and the good warmth which, during the last few days on
land, had baked right through our bodies, which were often
quite red and swollen after our wading trips, gave us new
strength for the coming toil. And that was urgently required,
for it took fifteen hours to cover the 10 kilometres through
water, ice-rivers, and nigged Polar-ice. We made ready for
the hunt when we had pitched our tent by the sea-ice.
We were now able to face the coming week with calm minds.
There was a sufficiency of meat for men and dogs, and plenty of
work for the botanist of the expedition in the fertile, well-
watered valley.
For the first time during our journey we all had real feelings
of summer with 7° (Cent.), and fine, calm, clear weather ; that
was why we called the valley with the name which sounds so
sweetly to an Arctic traveller, Summer Valley.
1 75
GREENLAND BY THE POLAR SEA
SUMMER VALLEY
July llth-lMh. — As soon as our clothes were once more fit
to use after the wading trip of the previous day, we all went into
the mountains with the dogs leashed; they were to go "into
the country " for four days to regain their strength, and during
that time they would be allowed to eat as much of solid meat as
they could get down ; they were to laze, gorge, and grow fat.
To the uninitiated it may perhaps seem that sledge travellers
are inconsiderate and cruel to their animals. Maybe that now
and then we have to harden our hearts towards them when,
during heavy going, they throw up the sponge and refuse to
proceed ; but what else can one do under such circumstances but
harden one's heart and force the poor beasts ahead ? It is surely
to their own interest that we should get them as quickly as
possible across bad ground. If a tired dog is cut loose, it will
simply lie down on the spot to die without making any attempt
to follow. And even if now and then we do treat our dogs
harshly — under conditions when we ourselves are no better off —
nobody is more happy than we are when for a period we are
able to give the faithful animals a holiday and leave them to
enjoy the pleasures of the present in excessive gourmandizing.
So we then select a well-watered and sheltered place for them,
preferably by a small brook with fertile and soft ground along
its banks ; here all their food is brought to them and they have
full compensation for all the evil days we have forced them to
live through.
Unfortunately such days appear only as oases in a desert,
where generally one must fight for existence from day to day.
But then no driver shirks the longest and most strenuous hunt
to procure game ; and if hunting fails, he will as a rule share
with his team the crumbs destined for his own pot.
Our eighteen dogs, then, the remains of the seventy with
which we arrived up here, were to spend a few days in lazy
abundance, wherefore they were taken up into Summer Valley
to a place where Ajako had his meat depot of the six oxen.
First, however, the last observed herd was to be killed, and we
176
Ik*'
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Eh
H
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ACROSS MELTING ICE TO SUMMER VALLEY
now found that it consisted of five animals instead of six, as we
had originally assumed.
The hunt was quick and easy. The musk-oxen, one bull
and four cows, grazed on a fertile hill near to the killed animals.
By way of a small valley we had approached unseen by them,
and we now stood before them suddenly and without warning.
As soon as they discovered us they gathered and formed into
their famous order of battle, in no way appearing to be
surprised or impressed. They quite calmly looked into our
eyes and contented themselves by occasionally sharpening their
horns against the stones.
A herd of wild cattle like this possesses a most impressive
dignity ; not for a moment does their calm ruminating balance
desert them as long as the onlooker keeps quiet. They show
not the slightest sign of fear as does other game of the wilder-
ness, such as the bear or the reindeer, which run away at a long
distance. To run across a musk-ox means really to meet it ; it
remains quietly standing, examining and scanning us, but over
our meeting there is a certain equality, a silent dignity, which
almost bears the stamp of an audience in the midst of the great
silent waste where no other sound is known than the rush of
the rivers and the scream of birds.
They do not suspect, these black, long-haired majesties,
that two-legged knick-knacks like us carry such mean devilment
as quick-firing machine-guns, nor that all the wolf-dogs, which
in the beginning we considerately kept back, will be urged on to
them as soon as they attempt to retire from our obtrusive
presence.
As usual, we wish to start by photographing them, but this
did not fall in with the wish of the bull. He made a few light-
ning-swift sallies, so sudden and dangerous that we quickly had
to shoot him so that we might photograph his wives in peace.
When this was finished these also had to bite the dust ; and I
must say that they accepted death with the same contempt for
pain as did the great bull. A bullet through the chest, and
they sink to their knees once more staring at us with their large
unfathomable eyes, as if protesting against the deceitfulness of
M 177
GREENLAND BY THE POLAR SEA
wounding an enemy at a distance instead of during a close fight.
Then they quiver in pain, until another bullet cuts off their
breath and their enormous bodies topple over in the sand,
drawing with a heavy gasp their last sigh.
When the skinning was finished the dogs were given as
much meat as they would eat ; they were then tethered on the
selected spot by a running brook, where they could sink into a
comfortable sleep until once more they were ready for a
meal.
After that we ourselves went down to the tent to take our
rest, no less deserved. Every man carried on his back as much
of solid meat as he could manage. For we humans have at any
rate that advantage over the animals that we offer a thought
for the morrow.
We remember Summer Valley as an oasis in our period of
distress. It was full summer and at every step we took we
could enjoy the many beautiful flowers which pushed up from
the mean earth wherever there was the faintest possibility to
strike root. Besides these many aesthetic pleasures there was
also the material boon of abundant and savoury provisions for
so long as our visit lasted.
Summer Valley stretches about 6 kilometres from north to
south, or from the sea-ice to the inland-ice. A river, which at
our departure will present great difficulties by the great and
deep delta which it melts far out in the Polar Sea, has created
the valley and flows through 200 metres high hilly tracts, the
so-called " stubble mountains," whose slopes are very fertile.
From all fells and mountains little brooks run down in the main
river, and from certain yet unmelted snowdrifts water oozes
down through a throng of yellow, red, white, and blue flowers
and lush, green grass.
Whilst at the camp on the ocean-ice we have a temperature
which swings between zero and 2° (Cent.), we have 10° of
warmth in the shade both night and day as soon as we come a
little way up into the valley. In the sun there is upwards of
25°, a temperature so overwhelming that we must search
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ACROSS MELTING ICE TO SUMMER VALLEY
out shady places in order not to suffer too much from
the heat.
In strange contrast to this teeming summer is the Polar Sea
with its thawing, whitish-grey ice stretching northward as tar
as the eye can reach.
Snorre mentions somewhere in " Hejmskringla " that
Hakon Jarl, during his visit to Harald Gormson, the King of
the Danes, whilst a fugitive from Gunhild's sons, had so much
to think about through the winter that he took to his bed. He
often lay awake, and ate and drank only sufficient to keep up
the strength of his body.
I am on the point of sharing his fate ; I have serious prob-
lems to consider, and although conditions do not permit me to
go to bed to seek the perfect quietness in which the tangled
skein may be unravelled, I fully understand the old Viking and
his eccentric behaviour. I often lie awake during this period
while the others sleep, and it appears to me that one is never
nearer to the " pink dawn of decision " than when, with one's
body at rest in the sleeping-bag, one's brain is working. Un-
deniably at this time there is plenty of food for thought for one
upon whom rests decision and responsibility.
The bad going of melting ice and water through which we
must force our way leads naturally to considerations of the
practicability of a summering in this valley where, so far, game
seems to abound.
My comrades have repeatedly asked me if I did not consider
it wisest to break the journey for the time being, and continue
later on when the air was cold enough to freeze the water on the
ice. But I have postponed my decision and maintained that
we ought to continue so long as we make any advance on even
the most modest daily journey.
During the days we have spent here I have thoroughly con-
sidered the question and made my decision.
We must continue, and in spite of the demoralizing state of
the ground we must make all efforts to reach a point of access
179
GREENLAND BY THE POLAR SEA
to the inland-ice somewhere by the head of St. George Fjord.
A summering here might prepare for us the same fate as that
which overtook Mylius-Erichsen, for we must rely upon the
land-hunting, and, when the neighbourhood is exhausted of
game, it will be extremely difficult to reach fresh hunting-
grounds. We cannot reckon on catching seals to such an extent
that we could feed seven men and eighteen dogs for a period
until the going is better, which will hardly be until the begin-
ning of September.
By continuing our journey now, unless misfortune overtakes
us, we are able to travel with three teams each consisting of six
dogs. At the moment we are all in full strength ; but nobody
knows in what condition we and our dogs may be after two
months of hunting life here.
There is now the hope that we may find seals by Dragon
Point, whereas in September we shall find none. Our catch
during the summering would have to give such a surplus that,
beside our daily needs, we would also be able to provide for the
homeward journey ; all of which is very doubtful.
Should we postpone the return journey, the difficulties we
meet with now would come back on us in another and far more
serious way. Later in the year there will be more snow on the
inland-ice, consequently our gear and provision will be so inade-
quate that we must take the route across Fort Conger and make
a temporary wintering there. That would complicate our dis-
positions to a far greater extent.
Now in July and August there will be no unusually low
temperature on the inland-ice, we shall have the sun to dry our
clothes, and we shall be able to do without our sleeping-bags
and suchlike articles, which will considerably reduce our loads.
Even if we should not find very good hunting by Dragon
Point, we can safely cross the inland-ice on the provisions which
at present we possess ; finally, at this time of the year we can
cut short our journey and go down on land near Humboldt's
Glacier, where hunting of reindeer and hare is good. Later on
in the autumn the darkness will deprive us of this chance for
hunting.
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ACROSS MELTING ICE TO SUMMER VALLEY
Last but not least : two months of hunting life in these
tracts, where necessarily one must traverse huge expanses of
land, will wear heavily on our boots, which are already in
poor condition because of the constant wading through
the water.
Therefore, homeward as quickly as possible in spite of all ;
everv dav that goes will increase our difficulties !
181
CHAPTER X
SHERARD OSBORNE FJORD TO ST. GEORGE
FJORD
ACROSS SHERARD OSBORNE FJORD FOR THE LAST TIME
IV T OT without sadness do we take leave of this little valley
I A where both men and dogs have had four glorious rest days.
We all have a feeling that in front of us lies a fight for
life which will require all our strength.
We cannot take with us much meat of the eleven oxen killed in
this place. We have carried down to the sledges twenty -four
shoulders and legs, which for human consumption would go
rather a long way, but as dog food it is too lean to last out well.
We cannot take more than this quantity, for, as the load con-
sists of other things as well, it would be quite impossible for us
to pull heavier sledges out of the many water-filled holes which
we shall pass. Furthermore, the temperature in the valley was
so high that it was impossible for us to keep the meat fresh.
Enormous swarms of bluebottles literally shot up from the soil
and laid their eggs everywhere on the meat. A skinned piece
which is put aside will in a few seconds be entirely covered with
flies. So quickly do the eggs develop that the fat and dis-
gusting maggots pour out of the eyeholes of the killed animals.
Also the solid meat is destroyed in the same way ; but fortun-
ately it is not a great quantity which is being wasted, as from
the very outset we overfed our dogs, and we also have had as
many meals as we could possibly get down.
All our energy is now bent towards the crossing of Sherard
Osborne Fjord, however heavy and difficult the going may
prove. For now we want to get home. The day before yes-
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SHERARD OSBORNE FJORD
terday I sent Harrigan and Ajako to Cape May to reconnoitre ;
their observations revealed the fact that the road from our camp
to the cape itself will be difficult ; on the other hand, it seems
that the fjord itself, despite occasional clefts, will not be quite
impossible. Therefore, let us spit on our hands !
At five o'clock in the afternoon of the 15th of July we are
ready to start. Standing there on the ice ready to throw our-
selves out into the water, Summer Valley appears more pretty
than ever. The afternoon sun sheds its colours over the green-
speckled slopes, and the inland-ice behind the country hangs
over the friendly babbling river in beautiful pink shades. Even
the great ice-covered ocean has put on gay garments, phantastic
mirages breaking the dead monotony of the horizon by erecting
aerial castles above the plane of the desert. Beaumont Island
with its sharp, dark cliffs has risen above the ice and hovers high
up in the air swathed in violet hues.
But we have no time for poetic moods ; before us lies the
grey, everyday prose in the many water-filled hollows we have
to cross. For the first four hours we work our way out through
the great river delta, where the water often reaches to our
waists. In most places the dogs cannot reach the bottom, so
we ourselves must undertake the work of getting the sledges
across the deep lakes. Especially when the sledge-snouts get
stuck below the hollowed ice-hummocks we find work hard, for
then we have to lie down with our arms in the water, wrenching
the sledges backwards out of the obstacle.
To save our collections, the photographic material, diaries,
and other important matters, from a soaking, we build another
storey to the sledges, erecting two staffs on the foremost tran-
soms and building a bridge of skis between these and the up-
rights ; this is a very helpful invention.
Near Cape May the ice improves greatly, and to our great
surprise we find on the first half of Sherard Osborne Fjord the
best ice we have as yet encountered up here. The melted water
has apparently oozed through, so the basins are for the most
part dry or at any rate covered merely by very shallow water.
The dogs trot along in good fettle with one man on the sledge,
183
GREENLAND BY THE POLAR SEA
an encouraging sight which we have not witnessed since the 7th
of May ; they all wear kamiks and do not suffer much from the
sharp points of the ice. At six o'clock we pitch our tent in the
middle of the fjord off Reef Island, which is one of the Beau-
mont Isles. In spite of the occasionally difficult condition of
the ground, we have already rather heavy loads for the return
journey. We have paraffin, pemmican, biscuits, coffee, tea,
sugar, oats, our clothes, and each eight ox-shoulders and legs,
besides tallow and melted marrow. We really do not need a
great addition of seal meat for each sledge. But so far we have,
strangely enough, not seen any seals at all.
If only we can get two whole seals per sledge — altogether
six — in addition to what we shall require before we ascend the
inland-ice, we shall easily reach the land by Cape Agassiz,
situated only 400 kilometres from St. George Fjord.
It is the fourth time on this journey that I come to Sherard
Osborne Fjord. Without comparison it is the most beautiful
of all the fjords up here, the wildest horizon outward, most air
inward, with peculiar geological formations. The Devonian
section out towards the mouth is light brown and warm in tinge,
with numerous tongues of glacier pushing down between the
high out-jutting capes ; the Silurian further in, bluish, leaden-
grey, strongly changing in colours in the varying light ; and
inmost the tender, often pink algonkium, the eozoic section
with its fine pinks of dawn.
In the background, through a mighty wide gateway by Cape
Buttress, is the inland-ice, which from this point shows against
the horizon as a whitish sun-glittering fog.
In the beautiful, quiet afternoon as I am writing this, pre-
vious to the start for Dragon Point, the enormous stillness of
the fjord is broken by occasional rolling thunder from the many
small local glaciers which seem unusually lively here on the
north-east side of the fjord. Our camp is in the middle of the
fjord. At seven o'clock in the afternoon we break up, setting
our course for Dragon Point.
Fortunately we have the same easy going as yesterday. The
184
SHERARD OSBORNE FJORD
many great water-basins have poured out their contents
through the melting-pores of the ice, and in most places they
are now quite empty. The porous ice with its sharp needles is
painful for the feet, bidfthe dogs constantly wear their shoes,
which prevent their paws from being cut. In some places we
meet lakes which are from 2 to 3 kilometres broad. As a rule
the water here only reaches up to the ankle, but it is very cold
and covered with a layer of thin ice which breaks with a jingle
as soon as we tread on it. This sharp new ice troubles the dogs
when it breaks between their paws, for the fragments have edges
like knives, having the hard consistency of fresh water in con-
tradistinction to the softer toughness of the salt water. To get
around the worst and biggest of these lakes we drive in a zigzag
course, and only at two o'clock do we reach Dragon Point after
having made a distance of 13 kilometres.
To our surprise we meet here a belt of open water between
land and the oeean-ice. The excessive quantity of melted water
of the last few days has oozed down from land and softened the
ice ; the pressure of the tidal waters underneath has added its
work to hasten the melting, and these forces together have pro-
duced a broad belt of open water between land and the ocean-
ice. We find a spot with a breadth of only 40 kilometres
and ferry across with the sledges which, with the aid of bladders,
we have made capable of floating.
To our indescribable disappointment, we have not yet seen
one single seal ; the reason must surely be that the ice, because
of the hasty melting of the snow, has become so rough and
prickly that the seals do not care to crawl up on it. Neverthe-
less, we are hoping that a systematic hunt may give some result,
as in the water-belt between land and ice we have seen several.
After a hurried meal Harrigan and I climb the mountains
in order to find, from the top of the high Dragon Mountain, a
point of access to the inland-ice. Going is bad and we fre-
quently cut our feet, which are already sore from walking across
the ice, on the many little sharp stones which cover the mountain
slopes. These stones alternate with heavy, soft clay, now in
such a state because of the thaw that we frequently sink down
185
GREENLAND BY THE POLAR SEA
and stick fast. Finally we have to cross several rivers which
give us difficulty.
We decide to climb the mountain due south by south-west
of Dragon Point and hunt hares on our way. There are not a
few, but they are incredibly shy. We succeed in bagging
eight, which we deposit by the foot of the mountain.
We see a seal on the ice near a whirlpool outside a large
river which appears to intersect entirely the land of Dragon
Point. The ice where the seal lies is, however, so strongly
thawed up because of the fresh water, that it proves impossible
for us to approach to within shooting distance. That is the
only seal we have seen so far.
It is slow work to climb the mountain, as our feet are burn-
ing with walking on the small sharp stones which torture our
foot-soles. Not until five o'clock in the afternoon do we reach
the top of a great firn* with deep and fatiguing snow. We are
now well over 1,000 kilometres above sea-level. But our efforts
are rewarded, for we have a glorious view of Sherard Osborne
Fjord, St. George Fjord, and the country in all directions.
But our eyes do not appreciate the grand Arctic panorama
glistening in fresh light colours from glaciers and firn-covered
land ; they search for one thing only : the many tongues of the
inland-ice down towards land which shall make it possible for us
to ascend and find a way homeward ; and simultaneously we
give a loud shout with joy :
We have found the place !
Approximately 40 kilometres into the fjord the inland-ice
lets down a white fold across an even gradient of mountains at
a distance of 5 or 6 kilometres from the fjord-ice. No crevasses
are apparent, and across the peaks behind shines the broad even
back of the main glacier. Here the attempt must be made.
Late in the night of the 19th we return to the tent after an
activity of nearly two nights and days. Hendrik and Koch
then climb the Dragon Mountain to find an observation
station with a view of all the new land.
* Firn — i.e., covered land.
186
SHERARD OSBORNE FJORD
THE SEAL-HUNT FAILS COMPLETELY
July 19th. — In the afternoon of the 19th, Ajako and Bosun
return after three days of seal-hunting, which has brought no
result. They have been right across the fjord and followed the
coast right down to Cape Bryan, where they were stopped by a
broad open ocean trending far seaward due north, and then due
west in the direction of Black Horn Cliffs. No seals were to
be seen here, probably because they kept further seaward. But
they have seen many along land in the broad water-belt. Here
they had shot six, the very number I had mentioned as a safe-
guard for the homeward journey ; but every one had dived to
the bottom like a stone.
The habits of the seals of this fjord — or perhaps on the
coasts of North Greenland generally — are so different from
what is known in other places in Greenland, that we were
landed in a very serious position. Everywhere the seals at this
warm summer-time will crawl up on the ice, and a sure aim
gives an easy catch ; in that way we got our seals by the Flesh-
pot and Dragon Point. But those which must now be shot in
the water will sink at once because they are so thin. It is pos-
sible that the water-filled surface which constitutes rough and
slippery ice does not tempt them to come up, wherefore they
must fall back on the open water either at sea or along land or
ice. But under similar ice conditions and at the same time of
the year in Independence Fjord in 1912, and by the previously
described sealing-grounds by Marshall Bay and Renslaer Har-
bour, we saw the seals crawling up. A water pantomime like
the one here being performed along the land, none of us have
previously witnessed. From our camp we have shot altogether
three, but they also went to the bottom without a movement,
and in spite of all efforts it proved impossible to fish them out of
the turbid water. It was therefore essential that we should now
take stock of the provisions which we have deposited, and also
of those which we have acquired during recent hunts ; we shall
scarcely be able to get more, but we ought to have sufficient,
even though it be the smallest possible sufficiency.
187
GREENLAND BY THE POLAR SEA
I reckon twelve days' journey from the edge of the inland-ice
to the land by Cape Agassiz near the southern corner of
Humboldt's Glacier. The distance will be 400 kilometres ;
with the possibility of four weather-bound days, that will be
altogether sixteen days' travelling. To meet all emergencies
we ought to take provisions for twenty days.
The stock-taking of the stores which we cached on this
headland in May gives the following result : Rolled Avena
oats for twenty days, with one cooking a day ; biscuits, little
rye-flour biscuits of the size of the well-known Marie biscuits,
five per day for twenty days ; about 50 pounds of pemmican,
divided into small rations for seven men for nine days ; also
coffee and tea for twenty or twenty-five days. We must pro-
cure meat provisions for about ten days. If, as for the moment
seems likely, this is to consist entirely of hares, we reckon three
hares per day for seven men, which again means that thirty
hares must be found. These represent a very undurable and
bony article, so we must cut them in two and bring only the
hind part.
But as long as we remain on the ocean-ice, as long as the
many seals splash in the melted water right in front of our eyes,
we will cling to the hope that after all we may succeed in
catching a few. Should even the land-hunt fail, we have only
our dogs to fall back on ; this is unfortunately neither aesthetic
nor tempting, but circumstances may arise when the fight for
existence simplifies the lines on which dispositions have to be
made, and the situation thus created alters one's feelings to a
certain degree.
For the dogs we have twenty-four pieces of musk-ox meat,
chiefly legs and shoulders, also skin and blubber of two seals.
This we hope will suffice for twelve travelling days, provided
we have not to make inroads on it in St. George Fjord. Thus
there is yet a possibility that most of the dogs with some luck
will come safe to the land south of Humboldt's Glacier. When
we arrive there we shall be within Etah — the hunting-grounds
of the Eskimos — and can surely then manage the last 250 kilo-
metres till we meet men.
188
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DR. Wl'LFF HEADY TO GO THROUGH THE WATER
WE FERRY ACROSS TUB COASTAL LANE BY DRAGON POINT
SHERARD OSBORNE FJORD
Already it is now quite clear to us that the homeward
journey will require the last of our strength ; but we have no
choice, we must reach home and get away from these regions
where there is not game enough to make existence possible for
any length of time.
Ajako and Bosun, immediately after their return from their
unsuccessful seal-hunting, went out to hunt hares ; after an ab-
sence of twelve hours they returned with five hares, having also
seen a largish flock of ermine, of which they brought one. In
order to save our ox-meat the dogs were fed on hares — a meal
which tastes well enough, but did not seem to satisfy them. In
the course of the day Koch and Hendrik returned from Dragon
Mountain. Koch was full of enthusiasm over the beautiful
view he had had, and over the excellent results his climb in the
mountains had yielded.
Hunger and death stalked us from all sides, and we decided
to break up quickly. As it pays best to have the hunters dis-
tributed as well as possible, the journey was arranged so that
the expedition temporarily was divided into two parties.
Wulff, Koch, Hendrik, and Bosun were to follow the great
river which penetrates the country, and go so far in that they
would come out on the height of the point from which we were
to cross over to Daniel Bruun Glacier on Warming Land.
Harrigan, Ajako, and I were to drive the sledges to our meet-
ing-place.
During camp-breaking we were all in high spirits. ^Ve did
not offer much thought to the fact that now we unavoidably
had to tighten our belts ; it was far more important to us that
we had at last found a way homeward, and that our stay up
here was completed with good results. Before we parted we
had a merry shooting competition with a revolver, which must
be left behind, as we had to reduce weight so as not to drag on
unnecessary burdens. During this competition Hendrik re-
presented, as usual, good spirits and transmitted, with all his
amusing fooleries, his happy mood to us. Immediately before we
each went our way, something happened which at the moment
seemed of no consequence, but which later was destined to
189
GREENLAND BY THE POLAR SEA
occupy my thoughts much, even though I could not regret the
decision I had made.
Just before we broke camp, Hendrik came up to me and
asked to be excused from going inland ; he could not explain
why, but he would rather not, and therefore asked my permis-
sion to join our party and cross the ice. I explained that there
were practical reasons for the distribution, as it was of impor-
tance that as many as possible should go land-hunting ; further-
more, the walk on land would be much more comfortable than
driving across the ice, as the latter would go chiefly through
water-basins. He found an excuse by saying that his boots
were bad, and that it would hurt his feet to walk across the stony
stretches. I gave him at once a pair of my own kamiks to pull
on top of his own, so that the soles of his feet should not suffer.
At that moment Harrigan, who had heard our conversation,
came up to say that if Hendrik would rather not go across the
land, he could take Harrigan's sledge, so that the latter could
go hare-hunting with Bosun. But Hendrik had now come to
a new decision and declared that as I had decided he ought to
go with the land party, he had better do so — and thus matters
were settled. The only thing in this little incident which for a
moment surprised me was that Hendrik, who always in the best
of spirits accepted the task allotted to him, on this occasion
hesitated to carry out his orders ; but as during the past few
days, with his Remington rifle of the Royal Greenland Com-
mercial type, he had shown himself to be one of our safest shots
when it was a matter of bagging the shy, fleeing hares, I was
nevertheless satisfied that my decision should stand, little sus-
pecting the uncanny catastrophe which was destined to be a
consequence of this arrangement.
THE MEETING WITH OUR COMRADES BY HARTZ SOUND—
HENDRIK FAILS TO APPEAR
July 20th-2ith. — At last on the 28th of July we set off on
a beautiful evening to attempt an ascent in the place we had
noted from the top of Dragon Mountain. Our stay by Dragon
190
SHERARD OSBORNE FJORD
Point had in every way disappointed our hopes ; but in spite
of the not very generous store of provisions we could not hut
feel elated, for the sun shone above us and dried our clothes
whilst we slept.
Waving our hands to our comrades, and with encouraging
shouts to the dogs, we drove out in the middle of the fjord,
where going seemed to be better. But we soon found that
conditions were more changeable than ever. The ice consisted
of old Sikussaq, and an unusually bad one at that. The melted
holes were up to 3 metres deep, and in some places they were
so close to each other that the small hills of ice which separated
them were so narrow and sharp that it was almost impossible
to run the sledges across without toppling them over. Occa-
sionally we met lanes right through the ice, and these proved
a great obstacle to us because the dogs flatly refused to swim
out into them. With all our strength we had to keep the
sledges upright, so that they should not fall down in the seas ;
and gradually we got very tired of holding them, for they in-
creased in weight as the load became waterlogged. Although
we helped each other across all difficult passages, the sledges
often got the upper hand on the slippery ice, where we slithered
about in our water-filled, soggy boots, and when they did over-
turn there was nothing to do but jump out into the water as
quickly as possible.
Everything was soaked, even our holiest of holies — the
photographic films, taken on the whole of our journey, Wulff's
collection of plants, the oats, the cameras with their valuable
films, and everything else bore the marks of that damned drive.
After twelve hours' bathing we stopped at nine o'clock in
the morning, hoarse with shouting at each other and the dogs.
Our slight advance was 20 kilometres into St. George Fjord.
By five o'clock in the afternoon the baggage was once more
so fairly dry that we could continue. The state of our own
clothes was of less consequence, for we would be driving into
the water again in any case.
Just as we were ready to start, a seal popped up in the lane
right under our noses, and at the same instant it got a bullet
191
GREENLAND BY THE POLAR SEA
through its brain ; but in spite of all our speed it sank like a
stone before we had time to touch it.
It blew from north-west and a fog set in ; in an instant the
summer was as if blown out of the fjord, and as the sun disap-
peared we felt so cold in our wet clothes that our teeth started
chattering. Off we went through ice and water, but in the
midst of our hurry we must stop frequently to renew the
kamiks of the dogs, which were being worn out on the rough
ice. Without their shoes the dogs would have big wounds on
the pads of their feet within a few minutes, and thus be of no
use for the remainder of the journey ; so we tied on their
kamiks with hands swollen and stiff from the cold water. As soon
as possible we continued inward, and to our joy we found that
going was better than yesterday. The wind rushed round in the
fjord in a funny way. It entered as a south-easter on the south
side of the fjord and left it as a north-wester along the northern
shore. We were in the middle of the ring, and we felt exactly
as if we were on a merry-go-round.
We followed the shore-ice inward and were stopped by a
shout from land. Through the fog we discerned Bosun sitting
on a big stone just inside the belt of the tidal waters, wildly
gesticulating as is the custom of the Eskimo when he has an
important communication to deliver. As soon as we ap-
proached we understood that he had really important news. He
had just shot a seal, which lay plainly visible in low water.
He also told that on the way he had shot seven hares. This
put new life into all of us. A long stake was hurriedly formed
from the tent poles, and at the end of this the point of a har-
poon was fixed, to be run into the seal so that we could haul
it up by the aid of the line fixed to the harpoon. It was the
first time that a killed seal had sunk in a spot where it was
visible, and we already sensed the taste of its delicious meat in
our mouths and the warmth of its blubber in our bodies. A
ferry was made, but at the very moment the improvised har-
poon entered the water, the seal, as if seized by an invisible
hand, rolled out and disappeared in the deep.
We did not swear on this occasion, our disappointment was
192
SHERARD OSBORNE FJORD
too great ; strangely silent we continued inward to meet our
comrades.
Bosun told us that Hendrik had remained behind, as he had
chosen to take a little snooze and then continue the hare-
hunting.
July 22nd. — At two o'clock in the morning we met W'ulfl'
and Koch, rather weary after their long journey. But as soon
as they had had boiled hares and coffee their weariness was as if
blown away, and we could once more discuss the position. The
country had been trackless and desolate, and though a fair
number of hares had been observed, they were so shy that one
could not hope for hunting which would make a rest here
possible.
We had yet eighteen dogs, and if these were to live on
hares they would require at least ten per day ; even that would
be a somewhat mean meal, as at this time of the year there is
little meat on their bony carcases. We saw clearly that it
would be impossible to get so big a bag that it would suffice for
the dogs and for ourselves, and in addition yield the thirty hares
which, according to our ideas, would be required as a supple-
ment to the provisions for the homeward journey. Thus there
was nothing for it but to continue inward, as every hour of
delay meant a further decrease in our stores.
None of us gave a thought to Hendrik's absence at this
time ; under the changeable conditions of our existence, we
were so accustomed to hunt each in his own direction, and to
remain absent for indefinite periods as often as we thought fit,
that there was no cause for anxiety. For safety's sake, two
men nevertheless went to search the mountains in different
directions, and even when they returned to the tent at two
o'clock in the afternoon, twelve hours after our arrival, without
having seen a sign of Hendrik, none of us felt any uneasiness
about the matter. This last excursion gave a bag of eleven
hares, whereof ten were immediately given to the dogs, whilst
we ourselves shared the one amongst us.
It was Ajako and Inukitsoq who had been in the moun-
N 193
GREENLAND BY THE POLAR SEA
tains ; immediately after their return Bosun was sent over to
the point where he and Hendrik parted on the evening of the
21st, but also he returned after a long absence without result.
Only then did we begin to feel anxious about Hendrik, and
incessantly one or two men went into the mountains, where we
tried to attract Hendrik 's attention by a thorough search and
also by shots and shouts.
Bosun gave the following report :
After a walk of ten or twelve hours into the fjord, during
which Wulff and Koch were constantly visible on the opposite
shore, Hendrik and he reached a large stone, where they lay
down to rest and to cook a hare. Not for a moment had they
doubted the direction they were to take, and they knew now
that they had reached the spot where they had to turn down-
wards to St. George Fjord. Especially was Hendrik, who had
been with Koch on the top of Dragon Mountain, well
orientated.
They were both very hungry, but as they had only fresh
willow-shoots with which to light a fire under a little tin, they
did not succeed in making a fire and had to give up the cooking.
Whilst sitting there, neither of them anxious to eat the raw
hare, Hendrik fell asleep. Bosun was anxious to get in touch
with us on the ice as soon as possible, and he roused Hendrik to
tell him that he intended to continue now. After that he went
down to the river, which was large and broad, but he found
with ease a ford where the water reached no higher than to the
ankles. On one of the shores of the river he sighted some
hares, which he pursued. Here he turned round to look for
Hendrik and saw that he stood upright by the side of the stone
where he had been sleeping. Hendrik had at that time a bag
of four hares, and was yet in the possession of thirty cartridges,
and as Bosun assumed that he would continue the hunt down-
ward along other paths, he went towards the fjord in the direc-
tion in which he and Hendrik had just seen Wulff and Koch.
Through a clough he reached a large stony highland which led
straight down to the fjord, and here we met him about an hour
after his arrival.
194
SHERARD OSBORNE FJORD
The situation at present is a desperate one ; we do not
know at all what to do or where to search, for as the country is
yet bare of snow there are no tracks to guide us, and as
Hendrik, according to Bosun's tale, seems to have continued
his hunting, it is impossible to know which direction he has
taken. It is unthinkable that he should have lost his way,
especially as he is on an island. We incline to the assumption
that during the pursuit of hares he must have fallen with his
gun and shot himself. The hares here have their haunts be-
tween clefts and stones, and to find a man who has had
an accident in such a place would be purely a matter of
chance.
In this connection I am reminded of an episode from the
colony Christianshaab, in Danish North Greenland. A boy
was accidentally shot about 3 or i kilometres from the colony
itself. The whole camp, numbering about eighty people, went
searching for him, but without result. Three years later he
was found quite accidentally, as a couple of ptarmigan hunters
ran across him ; and here he lay, literally on the high road of
the ptarmigan and hare hunters, but in a stony track where
only sheer chance had led people to him.
For the time being we continue our search. In the mean-
time the fjord-ice which we must pass along on our crossing to
Warming Land approaches its absolute melting. Around us
the water grows deeper and deeper, in certain places form-
ing holes which go right through the ice. For every day
the difficulties connected with the traversing of such terrain
increase. Furthermore, the immediate neighbourhood has
been hunted empty of hares, so it is increasingly difficult to
keep the dogs in fair condition.
A large, showery cloud-bank draws up from south-east and
increases the dismal feeling which rests over the tent and makes
us all silent. At every sound from the mountain, when a
stone loosens and rolls down or a bird breaks the silence with
its scream, we start up and run out of the tent to see if, maybe,
it is the missing one returning. If in addition a storm is to set
in it will probably be impossible to cross the fjord ; and we have
195
GREENLAND BY THE POLAR SEA
had good weather for so long a period that an immediate change
is to be expected.
To-day all the country inland has been searched in the direc-
tion of the great river, also the coast as far as we could get along
Hartz Sound.
July 2ith. — As a final attempt we decide to spread our-
selves simultaneously across the stretches of the island where
there might be a possibility that Hendrik has met with an ac-
cident. We walk incessantly for twelve hours, spread out at
a distance of some 3 to 4 kilometres from each other. All the
night in the great oppressive silence the landscape resounds
with our shouts, but never do we hear the reply or the shout
for help which we so anxiously await. Eerily sounds Hendrik 's
name across the island which is now to be his grave. When at
last we have to give up further attempts we return to our tent,
tired and without a word, creeping each to our place.
We then hold counsel and decide unanimously that nothing
more can be done for Hendrik, and that we are forced to con-
tinue the journey. The cloud-banks which have threatened us
from the south-east horizon, now fall on us with rain and make
the position in our camp yet more untenable.
It was with heavy hearts that we broke camp. But before
our departure we built three beacons on conspicuous spots, one
on a mountain-top which was visible from the whole of the
stony plain behind the mountains ; there we left a letter with
information as to the route we had taken, and where he could
reckon on meeting with us during the next eight days. An-
other beacon with similar information and a map was deposited
down by Hartz Sound ; finally we built a beacon right off our
tent-camp, and here we deposited a little provision and
clothes, so that, in case he should have lost his way, he would be
able to reach us without difficulty at the camp of Warm-
ing Land.
Yet once more we searched the surroundings, as somehow
none of us felt ready for the start. Subsequently, on our
journey across the fjord we searched with our glasses time after
time the districts which we had walked through during these
196
SHERARD OSBORNE FJORD
last few days. When from the utmost headland on Warming
Land we turned in towards Daniel Bruun Glacier, the search
had lasted for seventv-two hours at one stretch.
THE LAST DAYS OF TRAVELLING ON HOTTEN ICE
Our lives were now at stake ; that was the brutal truth. So
we set out on an ice which was so rotten that under all other
circumstances we should have considered it entirely unfit for
travelling, but forward we must go and that as speedily as pos-
sible. Three of us had to walk in front of the dogs, which
could hardly be forced through the water, often so deep that
they had to swim.
Twelve hours after our start a seal was shot in the lane of
tidal water along Warming Land. For a few seconds it was
as if we were torn out of the oppressive mood which had settled
on us, as the hope of a fat meal revived our courage. An ice-
floe was used for a ferry to the point where the seal had sunk,
and before long we discovered it, as the water was fairly clear
and not very deep. In great haste our harpoon of joined tent-
poles was made ready, but just as we were commencing to fish
up the seal, some large floes came floating, arranging them-
selves as a death -guard above the sunken seal. It was there-
fore of no avail to sacrifice our night's sleep in a desperate
attempt to get it. The rain poured over us, and that small
section of the upper part of our bodies which the water had not
been able to reach was unmercifully soaked from above.
It is well known that even if in reality we humans have
given up every hope, nevertheless we keep as long as possible
an opening for the very last little possibility. Thus we have
been hoping that Hendrik for some unaccountable reason or
other might have crossed Hartz Sound ; and if this was the
case, we would now meet him on Warming Land. To-day
this hope also failed ; and now when we must consider Hendrik's
death to be a fact we begin to discuss the fate which overtook
him. It is possible that whilst asleep wolves fell on him ; on
our journey to-day we have seen three, one of which came from
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GREENLAND BY THE POLAR SEA
the country we had just left. There is also a possibility that he
may carelessly have tried to cross a river at a point where it was
deep, with a current strong enough to pull him down. Finally
there is the possibility, which I have mentioned before and
which perhaps is the most likely, that he has stumbled and
shot himself.
During the walk to-day I had such an experience of the
wolf as I have never had before. Straying in across land, I
heard slinking footsteps behind me, and, as I suddenly wheeled
round, I saw, about 50 metres behind, a pair of round flaming
eyes which were fixed on me. At the moment when our eyes
met the fire of its glance was extinguished, and the animal
stood in a relaxed position with cowardly limp limbs, void of all
interest in me. I was unarmed, holding only a stick in my
hand, and it was almost as if the animal was aware of my per-
fect harmlessness but dared not show it. It amused me for
awhile to probe its mind, with the result that as soon as I ad-
vanced, turning my back on it, it doubled its pace and followed
me ; but in the moment I turned, the fire died out of its eyes
and it tried to demonstrate interests entirely unconnected with
me. On the other hand, if I walked backwards it never fol-
lowed me, being content to stop in its expectant but indifferent
position. This, then, was the ambush personified, and it was
with a shudder that I thought of poor Hendrik's fate.
July 26th. — We had continued our journey last night after
a few hours of rest on the spot where we lost the seal, and
now we had again divided into two parties, as there was ever
the possibility that game might be discovered on land. So
Wulff, Koch, and myself were walking here, gazing across the
country void of game until our eyes ached, when suddenly our
attention was drawn towards the sledges, which were driving
some way out on the fjord and had now made a halt. We
immediately directed our glasses on them and discovered that
the great moment which for many days we had been hoping for
had arrived. A seal was visible on the ice a few kilometres
from the sledges, and Inukitsoq had already begun to creep
towards it. An hour elapsed, during which time we hardly
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SHERARD OSBORNE FJORD
dared to breathe, then at last our tense nervousness found relief
in loud shouts of joy : Inukitsoq had shot the seal ! We had
now crawled along for sixteen hours, and naturally we took
this rare and welcome opportunity for camping. With great
trouble we sailed on small ice-floes across the land of tidal
waters and reached the ice, where soon after we were with our
comrades.
We then feasted according to all the rules of the art. Our
craving for fat was satisfied by the lovely fresh blubber, and
after that we boiled rich blood soup, which gave us a feeling of
satiety such as we had not felt since Summer Valley. The
dogs were given their share of the catch, and we had an addition
to our provisions which was of the greatest significance for us.
July 27th. — We are now not far from the point of ascent to
Daniel Bruun Glacier — hardly more than 6 kilometres ; but in
spite of all our efforts the distance covered on the rotten ice is
merely some 10 kilometres in a day's journey of twelve to
fourteen hours !
Early in the morning we set off again in pouring rain, but
the good meal of yesterday has had its effect. Yesterday we
had blood soup with blubber, mixed with a cup of oats, which
thickened it agreeably ; to-day we had boiled meat.
Wre are all very lean and, although we are sunburnt and
look healthy, the work of the last few months has left its mark
on us. Under such circumstances good food put into one's
body is like putting coals in a stove ; so we do not feel the cold
in spite of the miserable rain and the soaked clothes, and all
through the day we enjoy an inner warmth which reminds us
of the times spent care-free round the flesh-pots of home.
In the evening we reach a deep, strong river which has
formed a great delta on the ice, thus making it impassable.
We are approximately off the point where we must attempt to
bear up towards the inland-ice, so we make camp on land
hoping to find a ford later on.
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GREENLAND BY THE POLAR SEA
THE POINT OF ASCENT ON WARMING LAND
July 28th.— Although the temperature has been high and
the thermometer from midnight to noon has registered be-
tween 0° and 2° (Cent.), we have spent a cold night, as all our
clothes and skins were wet.
Never has a night seemed to me so endlessly long ; drizzle
alternated with snow, and I lay with the barometer literally in
my hand, constantly watching for some little change for the
better. But in vain ! At length I had to settle down to the
fact that in this life, and not least when travelling, one must
take the evil days with the good ; when my restlessness had
found an outlet in this way I really did fall asleep.
In the morning we wake up to a blissful day ; the rain has
stopped and the sky is clearing between the heavy storm-
clouds. Dragon Mountain and Mount Wyatt shoot out of the
fog, standing with their sharp profiles as enormous sentinels by
the mouth of the fjord, where nature is now dressed in its
winter garb. In the forenoon the sun breaks through with
fine calm weather, and we get busy to exploit its delicious
warmth by drying all our gear.
The promises of the day increase as we approach noon, and
with the good weather the prospects for the future suddenly
alter ; out by the open water of the great river delta seven seals
crawl up on the ice, giving rich promises of a good return
journey, with meat in the pots every mortal day. A mere
couple of them, with all their delicious blubber, would entirely
alter the situation.
We have still left seventeen good dogs, which in a wonder-
ful way have gone through and resisted all adversities ; never
have the dogs of any expedition been more hardy and enduring
than ours. Not even the last month of swimming and wading
in the ice-cold water has done them much harm.
Seal-hunting must be attempted, and Inukitsoq crawls out
on the ice. To our great disappointment there is no result.
The water on the ice is so deep that the seals hear his splash at
200
^
SHERARD OSBORNE FJORD
a distance, however carefully he moves, and with a pang
through our hearts we see one seal after the other disappearing
through the ice. But also this disappointment we can bear if
only the weather will keep so that we can get our clothes dried
and push on upward.
In the afternoon a seal is shot in the tidal water lane, but,
as usual, it goes to the bottom. We now know through long
experience that it is really hopeless to spend ammunition on
this hunt, but for all that we cannot help trying, for there is a
bare possibility that some time we may succeed ; and this hope
carries the day every time the round, shiny heads with the big,
staring eyes appear above the surface of the water, scanning us
at a distance which is within range. But the fresh water pre-
vents the seals from floating.
When we return to our tent hungry and despondent after
this last seal-hunt, some degree of calmness settles over us when
we openly admit to each other that the hope of any increase of
provisions must be considered dead. It is necessary to resign
ourselves to our fate. The only living animal whose tracks we
occasionally run across is the craven and dastardly Polar wolf,
which as a rule visits the ice-foot below the tent whilst we are
asleep to see if there may be something to steal. But the wolf
also suffers from the terrible poverty of the country. Hunting
on land is attempted, but Hendrik's Island appears to be the
border for the game ; there at any rate were hares. With
heavy hearts we take to the last way out, killing one of our
dogs ; this happens for the first time on our journey. Our
spare provisions for the glacier we dare not touch, and we can-
not face a hard walking journey entirely without food.
To-day we certainly got something in our stomachs, but as
the dog had been tough in life, so also was its flesh tough to
masticate. And contrary to our usual custom we take our
meal without joy.
Towards evening adversity once more sweeps over our
heads. Big storm-clouds come up from the south-west, drift-
ing at a hot pace in across the steep -mountains of the fjord ;
the barometer is falling, and to our sorrow the rain once more
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GREENLAND BY THE POLAR SEA
lashes the canvas of our tent, whilst our clothes go mouldy on
us. We heap big stones on the canvas, tighten the guy-ropes
thoroughly, and prepare for the worst.
RAIN AND SNOW
July 29th. — All through the night heavy weather has raged
in the fjord. There was a gale on, but fortunately we did not
feel this, being sheltered behind the mountain. The rain has
poured down as never before, unfortunately right through the
canvas, which is no longer water-tight. Towards noon the
barometer goes up somewhat and the rain turns to snow. This
cooling generally means an improvement. The country around
us is quite covered with snow, and its appearance is autumnal.
I give strict orders that we must economize in provisions
as long as we remain quiet, so we have no food to-day. But at
five o'clock Koch arrives to announce that those in the other
tent can bear it no longer. I then distribute small rations of
musk-ox tallow and promise them boiled dog's flesh as soon as
the weather permits us to make a fire. The snow falls thicker
than before, but the barometer is on the upward grade.
Some time during the afternoon I heard the strong calving
of a glacier somewhere inland — an uncanny sound. It appears
then that a producing glacier must be situated in the vicinity
of our point of ascent. From Dragon Mountain we thought
we could decide with certainty that Daniel Bruun Glacier was
connected with the main glacier due north-east, with a direc-
tion towards Ryder Glacier in Sherard Osborne Fjord, where
the inland-ice, so far as we could see, merged evenly with the
horizon. Harrigan and I were both quite sure that favour-
able conditions for ascent were to be found here ; but of course
we would rather reconnoitre beforehand. But the rotten ice
does not permit of a closer survey inward, so we must make a
bold stroke and attempt to get up on the inland-ice. We have
no other choice ; our many hunting excursions for hares have
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SHERARD OSBORNE FJORD
made a good inroad on the ammunition ; there is a difference
in what one gets in return for the shot when one shoots a musk-
ox or a hare !
By midnight we again eat some pieces of musk-ox tallow.
STORMY THOUGHTS
July SOthSlst. — Through the last twenty-four hours the
meteorologist has reported fog after fog with a constantly
falling barometer. By two o'clock in the morning I can stand
it no longer, but seize my diary to find an outlet for the despon-
dency which weighs upon us all. The snow falls heavier than
before — soon it will be heaped up, bad and heavy going.
Nobody will be surprised to hear that it is difficult to kill
time ; we cannot sleep continually, and, hungry as wolves, we
do not feel in the mood for reading, though our library yet con-
tains the Bible and fragments of Snorre.
We still possess two tents and we have pitched them both
so as to shelter our possessions somewhat ; Wulff , Koch, and
Harrigan occupy the one ; Ajako, Bosun, and I the other. The
atmosphere of our little camp is not a light one ; we have felt
strangely subdued since our happy little Hendrik disappeared
in such a mysterious way. On a day like this everything
seems sad.
Heavy in heart, we observe how every day which goes
makes our good dogs thinner and thinner ; we ourselves are not
much better off, but we understand the purpose, so we shall
soon be accomplished in the art of starving.
For the time being we must remain waiting — waiting to
get a view of the glacier which we must ascend, waiting for
the sun to dry all our clothes ; and when we break camp we
shall certainly need what strength we have left. All of us
have dear ones to whom we are bound for life ; in their name
and for their sake we will sell our lives as dearly as possible and
not give in as long as we can stand on our legs.
Temporarily we must endure and await. Evil times go
slowly, go slowly ; such is their nature.
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GREENLAND BY THE POLAR SEA
At six o'clock in the morning hunger forces us to break in
on the provisions reserved for the glacier ; in good spirits we
boil oatmeal gruel on the Primus, as it is impossible to make a
fire outside. Each man receives two cups of gruel, and the
good A vena oats warm our bodies like a fire, and rest like
caresses on our empty stomachs.
Oh, how good it is ! We are all in a funny, childish mood
which reminds us of the birthdays of our childhood ; this is the
result of a little proper food. We can keep up for another
while, for as long as we are weather-bound the point is to put
physical energy on the lowest gear.
Noon is as a rule the time when changes for the better
occur, and we therefore always approach the middle of the day
with a feeling of excitement. It is thus also to-day. At
twelve o'clock the weather clears and a couple of seals crawl as
usual up on the ice some way from the tent. They catch fleas
and roll happily about in the snow, occasionally glancing to-
wards the camp, then again stretching out at full length,
drunk with sleep, taking their sun-bath in the cool afternoon
with closed eyes. Previously we were happy when they
popped up, now we have begun to hate them.
After the last attempt Harrigan declared that he considers
it hopeless to hunt seal through the deep water ; but Ajako,
who does not know the feeling of giving up as long as there is
the faintest possibility of success, declares that in spite of all
he will attempt to wade out into the water. For this reason
we cook seal meat and a cup of coffee and the situation immedi-
ately seems lighter. Alas, how we humans are ruled by our
stomachs and the little ballast which they claim !
I admit it, dear reader — one does become materialistic
when food so extensively claims one's thoughts. But the crav-
ing for food is far from being a sovereign ruler. Many
thoughts go out to one's nearest relatives, and it is the longing
for home and the thought of the dear ones which is the real
source of strength.
So one drowns in an ocean of good intentions, and if only
204
SHERARD OSBORNE FJORD
one succeeds in realizing a small fraction of them, one will
become a shining paradigm for wondering humanity. My
memories of the country are my strongest tie. I have never
felt really homely in the flats in Copenhagen, for I never get
more out of them than just the temporary and occasional
which their Danish name implies* — temporary life in a colony
in a street which in no way concerns me, between strange
people without the stamp of personality, without rest, without
the inducement to enjoy home life which only country life
offers.
A big town is like a bird-mountain made by man ; it is well
enough for a time, but one soon has enough of the noise, of the
screeching auks, the whistling guillemots, the greedy gulls,
and from one's inmost heart one longs for the lonely nest of
the wild duck by a quiet distant lake, or out amongst the
rocks of the ocean where eiderducks ride the crested waves.
Late in the afternoon, Ajako returns from the seal-hunt
with no other result than a wetting to the skin. We warm
him with a cup of tea and lend him some of our garments
until his own shall be dried ; but yet the thawing snow falls
quickly and unmercifully.
Next morning I wake up about three o'clock, and no
longer hear the snow pattering against the canvas. I turn out
and find to my great joy that the snow has ceased to fall and
the sky is clear, though as yet it hangs low about the mountain.
The landscape is wintry white, so dazzling that one can scarcely
keep one's eyes open, and even the rotten water-logged ice is
hidden under a beautiful spread of snow. I boil coffee and
arouse my comrades. Again a couple of seals have crawled up
on the ice, and though they be looked upon merely as will-o'-
the-wisps on a marsh, they represent nevertheless some little
possibility.
Yesterday we had to kill three dogs because of the lack of
food for both men and dogs. So in the beautiful morning we
make a big fire and boil the flesh.
* Flat: Danish leilighed, which means literally "occasion." — TEAKS.
205
GREENLAND BY THE POLAR SEA
By noon yet another seal-hunt is attempted, which, as
usual, for three or four hours puts us into a state of violent
excitement ; once more it is Ajako who risks his skin, but the
only result is another drenching.
So we exploit the good weather by freighting the baggage
across the big, rapid river by which we have camped ; and the
first party drives it on the new snow up to the edge of the
inland-ice, 6 kilometres from our camp.
YET ANOTHER SEAL
August 1st. — The new month started unusually hopelessly.
Pouring rain, no dog food if we were not to broach the glacier
provision, and only a few lumps of worn-out dog meat for our-
selves ; but towards noon the weather unexpectedly clears.
As usual, a seal crawled up, though at such a distance that it
could not be shot from land. Although the ice after the last
days of pouring rain had become mortally dangerous to walk
on, Ajako again volunteered to make an attempt. By a
roundabout track he approached the seal, for the pools of
water were now covered with ice which broke under his feet
with such a clatter that the seal could hear it far away. It
took some time to get within shooting distance, and also an
admirable patience. When the seal suddenly raised its head
and began looking around, Ajako had to lie down on his
stomach in the deep, cold water and remain there absolutely
motionless for minutes at a stretch, until the seal once more
went to sleep. Most of us were so excited about the result of
the hunt that we could not bear to look at the many stirring
details ; we went into our tent and flung ourselves down, un-
able to get up a conversation ; our thoughts were incessantly
with our comrade who was executing a masterpiece. The shot
banged and we rushed out of the tent, the seal did not stir, and
a moment later Ajako was beside it and had seized it by the
hind flappers.
As I am writing this, both men and dogs are happy and full,
200
SHERARD OSBORNE FJORD
and yet more than half of the seal has been put aside for the
journey on the glacier !
The following day we wake up under a flaming sky, with
storm-warning clouds drifting before a strong south-wester in
the upper air. The temperature is high, swinging between 4°
and 8'5° (Cent.), and two strongly developed parhelions with
rings indicate great unrest in the air, so that once more we must
postpone our start. Sure enough, in the afternoon the rain
pours down again, and, as usual, we have to creep into our
tents ; but the short periods of sunshine and a temperature in
the shade which has been right up to 9° (Cent.) has helped us
so that at last the clothes we must use for the journey along the
inland-ice have been examined and dried.
As everything is now ready for the journey and we are only
waiting for the weather to clear in order to start, we build by
the great river a beacon in memory of Hendrik. Deeply
moved, we here remember our deceased comrade, and whilst
the others stand about the beacon with lowered flags, I give the
following memorial address, first in Danish and then in
Greenlandic :
" Somewhere in my diary I have written that, when a little
handful of men like us live ourselves by degrees into a unity
on the harsh and desolate coasts, we form, as it were, a small
society of our own. The great living world which we left soon
becomes so distant as to exist for us merely in our thoughts
and in our longings.
"Our home is the little tent where, tired and hungry, we
gather round our experiences after the toil of the day, and our
country is that casual strip of coast where for the night we
settle down.
'"We live life as it must be lived in these surroundings,
simply and primitively ; we execute our task as conscientiously
as each man knows how, and in the solving of the problems
which the expedition has set us we learn to know each other
more intimately than do people as a rule.
' The best qualities of each man here meet with the weaker
ones, but we help each other according to our ability, and,
207
GREENLAND BY THE POLAR SEA
with the good comradeship and the joy of labour which from
the outset we made it a point of honour to esteem on this ex-
pedition, surely we have all experienced that, in spite of all
differences between us in mind and in character, for every day
that goes, for every good result achieved, and for every diffi-
culty surmounted, we grow in unity, are tied to each other
with closer bonds and love each other more dearly.
" What concerns one concerns us all. For here where we
have only each other to fall back on, we have a common fate,
and common are all the dispensations allotted to us.
" When commonly we feel it so, how obvious then that
our unity should manifest itself yet more strongly when the un-
usual happens — especially when a catastrophe strikes down a
comrade.
" Never shall I forget the atmosphere in our tent during
the days when we searched for Hendrik, constantly hoping
that he might reappear from behind some hill. The uncanni-
ness, the feeling of desperate helplessness, at not being able to
do anything, a strain on the nerves which made us all start,
listening to every unusual sound which broke the great stillness
about us.
" In vain we searched, in vain we stared our eyes tired
across mountains and doughs. Hendrik was destined never
to return to share the joys of the home-coming with the rest of
us. Never was he to reap the reward for all his faithful help-
fulness after toil, and his happy laughter will no more sound
for us during the stir of camp-breaking.
" It would be superfluous in this modest memorial address
to say anything about Hendrik himself. We all knew him for
a brother, and to know him meant to love him.
' We know how out of nothing he created his position,
which amongst his people and in his circle was a leading one,
and we know with what faithfulness and interest he executed
all his duties.
" In Thule his place will be empty and it will be difficult to
fill, and never shall I have a helper there who in such a beautiful
way will understand how to make the interests of the station
208
SHERARD OSBORNE FJORD
his own. In Thule he found a field of labour which entirely
engrossed him.
" During all his life he had led a nomadic existence — during
the Danmark expedition on the east coast, where he had rich
opportunities to make himself useful to, and beloved by, all his
comrades ; and later on in various positions on such far-stretch-
ing coasts as from Cape Farewell, and now to Greenland's
northern extremity.
"The little orphan boy from Rittenbenk was to die not
merely as the Greenlander, but altogether as the man who
traversed and learned to know the greatest stretch of his
Fatherland's coast.
"Peace had begun to settle over him, and he was just on
the point of reaping the fruit of many years of industriousness,
to build house and home, and for ever settle down in the camp
which he had chosen so far north — then misfortune overtook
him and struck him down, here, far from friends and relatives.
" The Polar Eskimo has a proverb which says that no man
will settle down and take up new land for good until death
overtakes him and ties his body to a stone mound ; first then
is it possible to attach a man to a country. I therefore propose
that we hold to this idea, born by the enormous spirit of liberty
of primitive man, and to this island, where Hendrik found his
grave, give his name.
'* Hendrik was a Christian man ; we all know how fond he
was of singing his hymns when occasionally his mind was sad ;
so before we lose sight for ever of the land where he fought
the last big fight alone, we will say the Lord's Prayer in his
own tongue, as a final farewell from his old comrades."
o '20'.)
CHAPTER XI
THE HOMEWARD JOURNEY ACROSS THE
INLAND-ICE
CAMP 1.— DANIEL BRUTTN GLACIER
AUGUST 4th-5th. — Fortunately we had gradually carried
up so much baggage to the edge of the glacier that the
"remainder could be taken in one load. The distance from
the river to the sledges was 7 kilometres, which we covered in
five hours. I must admit that none of us is in the condition in
which he ought to be when he faces a walk of 400 kilometres.
Especially Wulff and Koch are very tired after the compara-
tively quick walk and complain of the smallness of the food
ration which, because of our critical situation, I had been forced
to distribute to the expedition. But they fully agree with me
as to the necessity for this temporary period of starvation. We
are now in possession of provision, divided in half -rations, for
twenty days, besides musk-ox meat and some blubber and seal
meat reserved for the dogs.
Because of the strenuous march upward we therefore cook
not merely a panful of oat-gruel, but also a solid meal of seal
meat. The pemmican is not yet touched, although the tempta-
tion is great ; we must economize, for the position is not with-
out seriousness. We must remember that it was only from a
distant height that we had a view of the homeward route which,
so far, has led us to this place ; only in a couple of days will it
be proved whether we are on the main glacier itself. Because
of the weather, we had had to abandon any thought of recon-
noitring during the time we spent by the great river.
We ascended Daniel Bruun Glacier at a steepish point, and
after a march of 2 kilometres we had reached a height of some
•210
ASCENDING THE INLAND-ICE, WITH A VIEW OF ST. GEORGE F.IOBD
WE ARE STOPPED I1V LAND Willi STEEP J-LOI'K^
r
1 :
/ .Vv. •/.,„■ Z™*£ 6 Porsild's Nunatak
: //,•//,//•,/,- Land. 7 The Midgard Snakf.
J J/tutz .Sound 8 The Devil' t Glowjh
4- Wtwming Limit .9 Iti/dar Utacier
<5 Steertsbu, niccier JO Wulff Land
11 OsieiJiZd Gl. ' ' 14 ZKP.XoiA /j,,,-,/
12 Jungcrseji iii. 15 TfuThom&ejt, l-'Jirnl
13 Frcr.cA.ri. LajuL Iff O.B.Bocjcpld Ijn-d
THE UPPER MAP SIK.WS THE NORTH COAST OF GREENLAND AND THE DISTRICT ROUND
INDEPENDENCE FJORD WITH PEARY CHANNEL, AS KNOWN PREVIOUS TO THE FIRST
AND SECOND THOLE EXPEDITION
IIIK LOWER MAP SHOWS THE SAME DISTRICT MAPPED Bf THE THULE EXPEDITION
THE HOMEWARD JOURNEY
900 metres. There was no river, and with surprising rapidity
we got on to "dry snow." We then camped, and Inukitsoq
and I drove the two sledges with half-loads further in on the
inland-iee for the purpose of reconnoitring. Early in the morn-
ing of the 5th of August we succeeded in penetrating 5 kilo-
metres further in through deep, heavy snow, and at a height of
about 1,400 metres we obtained a view which revealed to us the
inland-ice as far as we could see. Due north-east, nearly 4 kilo-
metres off our course, stretched a big cleft with high moun-
tains on both sides, but as far as could be seen from our look-out,
it was completely filled with snow further in, and merged into
the glacier. By the head of the fjord, on the southern side,
shot in a long narrow stretch of land which, furthest away, more
and more took on the appearance of Nunatak, but later on it
merged entirely into the inland-ice. Between this tongue of
land and the cleft we could discern a bridge which, without
break, appeared to run onto the main glacier. Here the
attempt must be made. The ground was somewhat hilly, and
masses of loose snow were heaped up after the many days of
bad weather. Although nothing could be decided with cer-
tainty, we agreed to continue inward, and with this conclusion
we returned to our comrades, whom we roused to a feast of
pemmican, oats, biscuits, and coffee.
The temperature to-day in the various places we have passed
has been as follows : The river by the fjord was 5° (Cent.) ; the
inland-ice, at a height of 760 metres above the sea-level, was
minus 12° (Cent.); and at our look-out, 1,140 metres above
sea-level, minus 4° (Cent.).
CAMP 2.— DANIEL BRUUN GLACIER
(1,300 metres above sea-level).
August 6th. — We succeeded yesterday in working our way
10 kilometres in on the inland-ice, but it is tough and slow going
through the snow. It is a good help that we have over-runners
to the sledges, for the dogs quickly grow tired.
In spite of all our reconnoitring, we have not yet succeeded
211
GREENLAND BY THE POLAR SEA
in getting a clear view of the route, but the mere fact that we
are now so far in that our return to St. George Fjord is improb-
able is a great stimulant. Yesterday we lost sight of the dead
fjord ; in spite of all its beauty we parted from it without sad-
ness. The sea-ice, with its thousands of greater and smaller
water-holes, looks from the glacier like a large mosaic, until the
distance becomes so great that it all disappears as a small bluish
lake.
The land behind St. George Fjord extends very far. Ahead
of us the route which we must follow is unfortunately already
cut by the dark clouds, which always indicate land and not ice.
Possibly we may meet with more glacier bridges to make a
passage between the cleft-land on our north side and the large
new land to the south-west. If, however, we should happen to
meet with land, we must get across it with the baggage on our
backs.
We are toiling in the heat ; the thermometer registers
between minus 2 3° and minus 4° (Cent.).
CAMP 3.— THE MOUNTAIN CAULDRON
(Distance, 13 kilometres).
That which we have feared the whole time has now hap-
pened : Daniel Bruun Glacier is merely a local glacier — of great
extent, true enough, but nevertheless bordered by land on all
sides.
In the afternoon, about four o'clock, we sighted land right
across our course. A quick reconnoitring convinced us that it
was the cleft which we had already had for a couple of days to
the north-east of us. At the point where, from the look-out
the other day, I had believed it to be filled with snow merging
into the inland-ice itself, it suddenly trends to the south-west,
uniting with the land behind St. George Fjord. The cleft,
which has a depth of between 600 and 700 metres above sea-
level, is everywhere edged by naked, steep mountains which
appear to debar any possibility of descent. Inukitsoq, who has
often proved himself in possession of a sure instinct with regard
212
THE HOMEWARD JOURNEY
to the finding of a road, is now sent out to reconnoitre. He
has an uncommonly independent nature, makes his dispositions
wisely and with a sure instinct for doing just the right thing.
He succeeds also in solving this fateful problem as after a run
of a couple of hours on skis he finds a place which later on proves
to be the only way down on the whole extent of the cleft. This
result, so significant for us in our present position, was some-
thing in the way of a pathfinding miracle, which saved us from
turning back to the fjord, where we should have been reduced
to living on small, lean sea-scorpions and rattlewort.
It was obviously not with enthusiasm that we, from the
sorely-gained height of 1,300 to 1,400 metres, drove down into
a wild and desolate mountain cauldron, where once more we
had to start from the beginning, bearing upwards on some
snow-bare mountains where driving is impossible. But the
thought of the return journey instantly revived our spirits ; we
could at last see quite plainly the main glacier ahead, which was
to be our road home.
CAMP 4.— THE DEVIL'S CLEFT
August 7th. — The distance was only 3 kilometres, but, as
everyone knows, one cannot measure work according to the
distance covered ; the transport was difficult and of long dura-
tion. We found a camping-ground on the other side of the
cauldron, and a sledge was sent out with a double team to
reconnoitre and to freight part of the baggage along.
In spite of the obstacles of the land, it did not seem too
difficult to pass. Partly across firns, partly across snowdrifts,
to-day we got out of the cauldron. Later on we reached a
mountain where we ourselves in several journeys had to carry
the baggage across to another firn on the north-east side of the
cauldron, and here we stayed for the time being to await the
result of the two men's reconnoitring.
The sun is shining and we have the mildest of summer
weather with a temperature of upwards of 4° (Cent.). It is as
if, after an evil dream, one approaches a new day with the gle;un-
213
GREENLAND BY THE POLAR SEA
ing light of the inland-ice ahead. The road to the white glacier
leads homeward, to all that for which, our work accomplished,
we are now longing. Home-sickness has appeared suddenly
now when the day is no longer swallowed up by the fight for
food ; for it is a blessing to know that every day there will be
something to eat, even though the rations are small.
To-day we wearily struggled on to the mountain, from
which we had a mighty view across a wild canyon which we
named " The Devil's Cleft." On both sides 500 metres high
mountains fall steeply down into a barren, brownish valley,
through which a melancholy little brook winds ; the glacier
hangs out over the ravines like waves stiffened in horror over
the mute uncanniness which rests over this eerie landscape in
the midst of eternal winter.
No sign of life, not a bird, not a plant, softens the impression
of this utmost desolation, where nothing but a few lichens have
sucked strength enough from the warmth of the sun to clothe
the sharp stones with a grey, modest cover. Never, it appears
to me, have I experienced anything so distant and isolated as
this wild landscape, fighting its lonely, stubborn fight against
the glaciers which from all sides threaten to pour down over it.
Thus, whilst century follows century, everything changes.
Even this desert has had its adventures, for we find great, beau-
tiful branches of coral, bearing witness that even here in this
heart of winter was once a tropic climate, where the waves of a
living ocean, driven by mild breaths of wind, merrily lapped
across the stubborn remains of a bygone period.
There is a peculiar atmosphere in the tent to-day. Perhaps
it is the bright prospects, and the weather, which at last seems
willing to put an end to the nervousness which, under eternal
changes between rain, snow, and fog, has endured for the last
three weeks ; both the internal and external disquiet have given
way to a restful security, and when we are calm for a little while
idyllic feelings abide in our tent. During the forced daily
marches there somehow is no time for quiet communion ; but in
an afternoon like this one draws breath and plans the work of
all the collections which now we struggle to get safely in har-
214
THE HOMEWARD JOURNEY
bour. The inland-ice is never a safe route ; if anything happens
here all results disappear without a trace, and all our toil and
stubborn fights for food have then been to no purpose whatever.
The precious articles have now been freighted through water
and whirlpools, through clefts and over glacier edges, and imme-
diately another aspect of the problem must be faced. The col-
lections must be brought forward to mankind, and all this
makes them doubly precious to one.
Outside the tent Wulff is sitting preparing the only vege-
tation we have found so far here in the Devil's Cleft, grey
lichens covering some of the stones. These plants, which grow
right on the very stone blocks, are surely unique in contenting
themselves with so little, and I therefore get Wulff to tell me
something about their biology.
Lichens are organisms consisting of an alga and a fungus
which have united for the benefit of mutual housekeeping. The
alga is that shareholder in the limited company which is the sole
possessor of an ability to create organic substance out of
inorganic matter. The fungus, on the contrary, forms the
small aerial roots with which the lichen clings to the substance.
The colour of the lichens, as we see it, is a result of the respec-
tive colours of the alga and the fungus.
The lichens are highly impervious to drought, warmth, and
cold, and are oidy able to vegetate in turgid condition, but are
at rest when it is dry. In this climate they probably vegetate
merely a few days in the year, and a patch as big as a penny can
often be more than a hundred years old in this neighbourhood,
where vegetation is at rest for 350 days of the year. Their chief
nourishment they get from the stone through its slight crum-
bling, and that cannot be much. The lichen thus is a plant
which in all its meanness has eternity before it.
CAMP 5.— THE MIDGARD SNAKE
August 9th. — We broke camp on the 9th in the morning,
and drove slowly up the great firns of the Devil's Cleft to the
north-east. We ascended at an even gradient, groaning under
215
GREENLAND BY THE POLAR SEA
a temperature of 4° (Cent.) and dazzled by the light, which,
reflected from the newly-fallen snow, hurt our eyes. At a
height of 1,000 metres we took an observation. We now have
a beautiful and grand view across the remarkable canyon and
Nunatak — land which, during the last few days, we have dis-
covered across our course. It stretches like a brim of 20 to 30
kilometres broad from the land behind St. George Fjord, with
great local glaciers on one side and the inland-ice itself on the
other. In an enormous arch it bars our way also in the direc-
tion of Sherard Osborne Fjord, and we therefore give it the
name of the Midgard Snake. There is no way outside ; after a
short reconnoitring, we take a bite of the sour apple and once
more leave the glacier to drive down on the brim. We find a
fine, even ascent and immediately after a cup of tea commence
transporting the goods to the inland-ice.
The land was dry and even to walk on, but barren and naked
as a desert ; not even a tiny river enlivened it — everything was
completely dried up despite the great glaciers with their inclines
towards the country on both sides. It was one of the so-called
karst landscapes where all water oozes down into the soil.
The vegetation was accordingly. We found a few poppies,
some of which were yet in bloom, small stunted grasses, mosses
and lichens, but no animal life. Only a wolf had a long time
ago left his imprint in the clay near the place where we pitched
our tent to cook a ration of pemmican gruel.
After the meal three men returned to our point of descent,
while Koch and I continued to transport the baggage to the
glacier.
On our walk we found the jaw-bone of a musk-ox, which
appeared to be more than a hundred years old. Close to this
was a fossilized piece of an octopus from the Silurian period.
These two proofs of former life, the musk-ox and the octopus,
have between them a period of probably at least ten million
years— a good mouthful on which to exercise active imagination.
After twenty-four hours of toil with the transport we were
once more gathered by the tent, sleepy and hungry, but all in
good spirits and with a good conscience, knowing that in spite
216
THE HOMEWARD JOURNEY
of the difficulties we had made 22 kilometres forward, half the
distance having been traversed twice.
Sleep is sweet as honey and milk after such a day !
Seven hours later we were again in harness. We were in
for a race where the lives of the dogs were the stake, for we
had only two feeds left and the country south of Humboldt's
Glacier was yet 350 kilometres away.
Seven hundred metres above sea-level with the inland-ice on
all sides, and notwithstanding this we have 3° of warmth (Cent.)
at three o'clock in the afternoon ! Some time elapsed in
getting properly going again, for tender were our feet after the
many small, sharp stones, and stiff were shoulders, neck, and
back after the heavy burdens. But I must admit that every
man accepts it all cheerfully, and we try to stimulate each other
by poking fun at the miserable appearance which many of us
present. There is nothing for it but sucking nourishment from
one's humour during these days ; home-sickness turns us into
giants forcing our way through all difficulties, and we do
manage surprisingly well. On our meagre rations we toil like
Icelandic ponies, or perhaps rather like hunger-hardened
coolies. For it cannot be denied that we get hungry all too
soon after the meals which we now eat with an almost religious
solemnity.
We must try to get out of this desert as soon as possible. A
depressing and barren land where the deep silence is unbroken
even by the little chirp of a bird or the low murmur of a brook ;
a remarkable piece of snow and ice-bare karst which might be
moved into the midst of the Libyan Desert without causing a
break in the unity of the landscape.
We have almost reached the edge of the inland-ice ; in a
couple of hours this toilsome transport will be a mere memory,
and then at length the journey across the next and last big
desert will commence in earnest.
217
GREENLAND BY THE POLAR SEA
THE EDGE OF THE INLAND-ICE
(588 metres above sea-level).
August 10th. — We reached the edge of the inland-ice at
half -past one, after crossing a last turbulent moraine river which
we had to bridge with the sledges.
This moment, so significant for the expedition, was cele-
brated with an additional meal, outside the rations, and an extra
strong cup of coffee.
Dead calm, a clear sky, sun, a temperature of 1° (Cent.),
satiated men, sun-gleams in our souls !
During the meal we recalled in memory that American
National-Economist who proposed that food and not gold
should be the standard of value in life. As far as I remember
he proposed that edible money should be made out of wheat,
for what is a millionaire with all his gold in a desert like this,
and what would we be without food?
CAMP 6.— ON THE INLAND-ICE
(900 metres above sea-level. Distance, 4 kilometres).
We make camp at ten o'clock in the morning after the
longest day's journey we have had ; 10 kilometres of it went
across land bare of snow, wherefore we had to make the distance
twice. We got to rest at one o'clock too tired to write.
We awake at half-past seven. After the rest, the soreness
of our bodies is apparent with a vengeance. Our loads had an
average weight of 70 to 80 pounds, and we carried them inces-
santly from four in the afternoon until one in the morning,
when the inland-ice was reached. So to-day every little move-
ment is painful, but the sky is clean as newly-fallen snow, not a
cloud, beautiful travelling, everything once more ready for a
long day's journey homeward, so that we may reach the ship
and Denmark before the winter.
The Midgard Snake now lies far behind us, and the height
we have reached assures us that we have passed all difficulties.
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THE HOMEWARD JOURNEY
The glacier is an ideal one, even and bare of snow, entirely free
from the system of crevasses which forced Peary and Astrup to
set their course further in on the inland-ice.
Temporarily we make a line towards south-west, following
the back of the glacier along the land which has just turned up,
stretching from the head of St. George Fjord in towards Peter-
mann Fjord. A wild and riven country where deep ravines
intersect mountains and little glaciers, obstinately and defiantly
contrasting its broken and disquiet lines to the dead monotony
of the inland-ice.
We give it the name of Nyeboe Land.
CAMP 7
(1,200 metres above sea-level. Distance, 43 kilometres).
August llth-12th. — During this time, when we are often
in activity for from twenty to twenty-four hours at a stretch,
we have, in order to keep our capacity for work somewhat near
to the mark, been forced to introduce a slight meal in the middle
of our day's march. It consists of a cup of oat-gruel with a
few pieces of pemmican, and is subtracted from our regular
morning and evening rations and does us extraordinarily well.
With a start at 9.30 in the evening, we make camp at 10.30
in the morning, after having covered 43 kilometres of fine
going. It is really a considerable distance. The sledges ran
somewhat heavily and we men used skis and snowshoes. In the
eternal white surroundings the long walking tour seemed some-
what monotonous, although not really tiring except for the first
three or four hours. As soon as one has walked off the sore-
ness of one's body, a good and increasing speed is developed as
we gradually approach the time when we have our meal. Thus
we adopt entirely the habits of the seal. We have now reached
such a height that the rise of the inland-ice is no longer felt ;
the horizon about us is without a change ; only casually do we
pass a small ice-clad mountain-top. There is somewhere near
1 metre of softer snow down to the "ice," but the surface
carries the dogs fairly well so that it does not trouble them.
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GREENLAND BY THE POLAR SEA
We are excitedly speculating as to how long we may keep
this good -going.
The first dog fell to-day in the middle of our day's march, and
we drove it to the camp, where immediately it was distributed
as food for the other dogs. We do not attempt to hide the fact
that the very difficult conditions of the ground and of the trans-
port on Daniel Bruun Glacier, the Devil's Cleft, and the Mid-
gard Snake, have taken it out of us ; our faces show that we
have become very thin. But our spirits and our will to endure
are unshaken.
It is a great boon that we have plenty of paraffin, but of real
provisions we possess merely enough for six days. It is there-
fore desirable that the weather should favour us ; it will be awk-
ward if we have to help the remaining dogs to any considerable
extent to eat those that fall out. We are forced to exploit as
largely as possible the advantage of the feed which the dogs had
yesterday, and for that reason we must be content with a short
sleep, and we break up after only five hours' rest. Before we
start, we put ice under the sledge-runners, as the temperature
is now sufficiently low for this purpose. The thermometer
registers minus 6'5° (Cent.).
During the march yesterday we were quite suddenly sur-
prised by the visit of a young gull which had strayed in to us.
For a long distance it fluttered feebly to and fro in front of
the dogs until the wind seized it and carried it further in towards
the waste and death. A storm blew it in here, and it was unable
to find its way back to the sea again.
CAMP 8
(1,100 metres above sea-level. Distance, 34 kilometres).
August 12th-13th. — To-day we again put ice under the
sledge-runners, after first having put skis beneath them. The
barometer is falling ; in the clouds there is a strong drift from
the south-west, and we have a temperature through the day of
between 0° and 2 1° (Cent.).
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THE HOMEWARD JOURNEY
The first 20 kilometres offered even and firm going, so that
in six hours we covered 28 kilometres. Later on the Fohn,
which we had expected since the morning, came over us ; then
the snow rapidly grew soft, the sledges went heavily, and the
dogs sank through and soon grew tired and unwilling to push
on, although three of us walked in front. After a day's journey
of 34 kilometres we were forced to stop.
The ski-ing had been excellent all through the day, and the
surface of the glacier was so even that the sledges had difficulty
in keeping up with those of us who wore skis. Under circum-
stances like these, for one who is used to them, the skis are far
preferable to the Canadian snowshoes, which merely carry one
without at the same time giving the gliding speed across the
snow.
About two o'clock we sighted the land inside Petermann
Fjord, and our course is now abreast of it. It is very stimu-
lating to have a landmark, but unfortunately we shall scarcely
be able to pass 80 degrees to-morrow as we have been hoping
for the whole time, for with this high temperature going will
be bad. Otherwise we have fine, clear, windy weather with
summer warmth in the tent.
The gathering clouds from the south-west carried out their
threat. Just as we had taken down our tent in order to con-
tinue the journey, a sudden change in the weather occurred,
with low clouds drifting with great velocity, so that, fearing the
approach of a snowstorm, we pitched our tent once more and
awaited developments. It turned showery, alternating between
snow and drizzle, and we resigned ourselves to it, deciding to
take advantage of the storm for a rest — the first since the ascent
from the river in St. George Fjord.
Our involuntary stay unfortunately leads to the slaughter of
two dogs, partly as food for ourselves, partly for the other dogs.
It is midnight, and I am writing these lines whilst the smell
from the pot affects me not at all disagreeably. Never before
during my fifteen years of travel have I been forced to eat my
dogs, wherefore I have always with discomfort, and not entirely
without criticism, looked upon the expeditions which wore out
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their dogs to the last rag, later on to eat them. It appeared to
me not only unsesthetic and unappetizing, but also akin to
cannibalism. It seems entirely different now when we our-
selves have to save our lives with dog-flesh ! The unsesthetic and
unappetizing aspect no longer exists.
The snowstorm whistles round the canvas and, with our
scanty provisions, we feel infinitely far away from humanity.
We are hungry, and have been hungry for the last month. So
we are merely longing for the meat to be cooked so that our
hunger may be assuaged. The flesh looks light and delicious
though very thin and sinewy ; but as the steam arises from the
pot and fills the tent we imagine that we are going to eat mutton
— the smell is similar. And the prospect of every man being
satiated, instead of merely " sticking it " on a sixth of a ration
of pemmican gruel, highly invigorates and pacifies us. What
the Devil ! The dog is merely a domestic animal, and all the
world over one eats one's domestic animals !
We are all fighting for life here in this desert ; we toil
regardlessly in order to reach the better hunting-grounds, and
as we and not the dogs possess the right of the stronger, it is we
who eat the dogs. In a position like ours there is no room for
sentimentality. Soon or late they would have to die by our
hand. On this expedition where they have served us so faith-
fully in life, let them then also serve us and their comrades after
death.
Maybe someone will turn up his nose at this argument.
But through half a year we have now got accustomed to accept-
ing our food with gratitude, in whatever form we might receive
it ; wherefore, perhaps to a greater extent than man generally,
we have had an opportunity of revising our estimation of what
a formidable factor an empty stomach is : it does not acknow-
ledge many considerations.
The meat is cooked now, and maybe the meal is a plebeian
one, but no appetite in the world is more royal than ours !
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THE HOMEWARD JOURNEY
CAMP 9
(765 metres above sea-level. Distance, 44 kilometres).
Yesterday we at last got clear fine weather with a mild
breeze from the south-east and only minus 19° (Cent.). One
cannot recognize the glacier at all in this summer temperature.
During the first Thule Expedition we found further in on the
inland-ice, at the same time of year, a temperature of between
minus 20° and minus 5° (Cent.). This heat, which in various
ways is very acceptable to us, is of course due to the fact that
we are so near to the coastland. In strong cold our lean dogs
would surely have frozen to death in their thin summer coats.
With a start at 7.30 in the afternoon we succeeded in
making 44 kilometres by a fair and even pace until six o'clock
in the morning. Unfortunately we have had to give up our
small midday meals out of economic considerations ; we can no
longer afford them. We content ourselves with a cup of tea.
The glacier was firm like the floor of a room, the sledges
slipped along easily and without any friction worth mentioning,
and our eleven dogs with the two sledges occasionally went at a
pace which made it difficult for us to keep up with them. Off
the inland Nunatak of Petermann Fjord we passed a somewhat
complex system of great crevasses which were connected by
wide bridges so that they did not represent much difficulty ; we
merely had to alter our course slightly in order to get outside.
For the present our tent is open with a wide view to the
Nunatak which on the eastern side merges evenly into the
glacier, but outwardly forms a high and split-up foreland
towards the fjord, which we see in a glorious bird's-eye view
with blueing cliffs far out in the western horizon.
CAMP 10
(1,010 metres above sea-level. Distance, 41 kilometres).
August 15th. — We had to clench our teeth in order to cover
our 40 kilometres to-day. A rough south-wester blew right
against us, and the snow consisted of fine little needles which
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hurt us right through the kamiks, breaking under our weight.
A wearisome walk ! In addition, the journey was at an even
upward incline, and as soon as we encountered the slightest
rise we felt in our knees that we were exhausted.
As the paws of the dogs began to bleed, we had to sacrifice
all our gloves, wrapping them round their feet as kamiks. That
was a help.
At a height of 900 metres above the sea-level we came to a
lot of great and small lakes, the largest of which had still open
water, rippling deep blue and beautiful in the white surround-
ings. It seemed peculiar here in the midst of the glacier to see
these basins of living water, of seas which could be up to 300
metres long and 100 metres broad. We also passed some
smaller crevasses and little frozen rivers.
Due west, we had Washington Land in sight all day, with
its high steep mountains standing like a wall against the inland-
ice. Beautiful white glacier tongues intersected and slit the
reddish-brown and yellowish cliffs like mighty waterfalls.
Through dips in the land we could occasionally discern the
pointed alps of Grinnell Land like fine, violet banks of clouds —
a view which encouraged us on the march, and broke agreeably
the monotonous plane which everywhere surrounded us.
This voyage across the inland-ice, which has loomed threaten-
ingly in the horizon during the last few months, now appears
in the light of a pleasant surprise, a final spurt, a reward for all
our adversities.
CAMP 11
(1,100 metres above sea-level. Distance, 35 kilometres).
August 16th. — Immediately after the beautiful journey of
yesterday a south-wester came up with thick weather, blowing
us quickly to sleep. Towards evening it dropped somewhat,
and we tried to set off; but after making 14 kilometres we had
to call a temporary halt because of the fog and snow, and we
took the opportunity to kill a dog which was too exhausted to
travel any further. In the course of the night we had a tem-
perature of minus 75° (Cent.), and the result of this cooling
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THE HOMEWARD JOURNEY
was that the sky once more cleared up, so that we could con-
tinue immediately after taking a noon observation which
showed us that we were on N. Lat. 75° 45'. After 20 kilo-
metres' march we had again to stop because of thick weather
and snow, so we definitely made camp for the day.
Over a Pipe of Tobacco.
August 17th. — It blew bravely last night, it beat and
whipped across our thin canvas tent, which has now the appear-
ance of a veteran ; and as we have no sleeping-bags and our
clothes are wet with the perspiration of the long marches, our
sleep was interrupted by little shudders of cold and frequent
stamping of the feet.
In the middle of the night, after only two hours' sleep, I
light my pipe to think seriously about the position. Apart
from our dogs, which are no longer in the best condition, we
have provisions merely for two or three days. The only thing
we possess in abundance is paraffin ; therefore another week
will be possible on boiled dog meat — if one can really call that
thin bony food by the name meat. A more serious thing is
that, in a couple of days, we ourselves must pull the sledges
when the dogs can carry on no longer and are reduced to being
food for man. We yet possess nine, but their number speedily
decreases. Also other circumstances contribute to the desir-
ability of reaching land quickly. Harrigan carries a swollen
hand in a sling ; Koch has just got over an awful gumboil which
closed entirely one of his eyes, and he has now acquired a
choicely vicious boil under the nail of the big toe. Wulff is
walking, to speak plainly, with a boil on his behind, which I am
daily doctoring, and all these little painful incidents, in addition
to the daily semi-starvation which gradually develops into a
downright feeling of hunger, necessitate that we should as
quickly as possible find land and hunting. We had hoped to
be able to reach the land behind Marshall Bay, but it now seems
improbable that we can cover the remaining 200 kilometres.
I therefore decide, after this night's communion with myself,
to try a descent in the neighbourhood of Cape Agassiz. From
P 225
GREENLAND BY THE POLAR SEA
there it is only 250 kilometres to Etah, the country of hares and
reindeer.
As a light in the distance shines the possibility of meeting
my ship, the Cape York, at Etah in the beginning of Septem-
ber, and the thought of getting home to Denmark this autumn
undeniably stiffens our energy considerably.
CAMP 12
(1,130 metres above sea-level. Distance, 21 kilometres).
August 18th-19th. — At eight o'clock in the morning we set
off, but it was soon apparent that it would not be a good day.
With the wind half a point abeam we walked heavily through a
very strong drift of south-south-west. Now and then the gusts
would be so violent that we tottered on our skis, but on we must
go, the knife at our throats ! I was on the point of being over-
whelmed by tiredness a few times during the fight against the
rough snow-showers, but there was nothing for it but to swallow
the pain and forge ahead. With our decreasing provisions this
was an uncanny race. Stubbornly we toiled ahead for five
hours until one o'clock ; then suddenly the drift increased to a
storm which swathed us all in white layers of snow. We
stopped on the spot, as all resistance was in vain.
To pitch the tent in weather like this proved both a fight and
an art, but we did succeed. It was impossible to clear anything
of snow, and all baggage was quickly thrown into the tent in its
snow-covered state, whereafter we ourselves sat down in a circle
like perching hens and let the storm blow. Such is the situa-
tion whilst I am writing this. The Fohn has thawed the snow
in our clothes and we are wet through. The fine " snow-sand "
of the glacier drifts in through the seams of the tent and covers
us ; but we try to take it all in good spirits, singing American
football songs which we remember from McMillan's gramo-
phone whilst we cook a panful of pemmican gruel.
A few hours later the violent showers, which threaten to
rob us entirely of our old tent, cease, and the wind becomes a
steady and persistent gale. Having eaten the gruel, we lie
down to sleep, leaving the storm to its own moods.
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THE HOMEWARD JOURNEY
Eleven o'clock in the evening. The same weather, the same
wind. To sleep again.
We turn out again, but find the same weather and the same
wind. Despite our hurry, then, we are weather-bound for
another day ; and whilst previously we have been starving on
days when we did not travel, we dare not do this again, as in
our present condition it would weaken us too much. So we
cook our cup of coffee, the last but one, and a cup of thin pem-
mican gruel. Our entire provisions now consist of a pound of
pemmican for each man, and the distance to land must be at
least 100 kilometres. But the barometer is rising, and we pin
our faith on a speedy change in the weather.
Twelve o'clock noon.
The same weather, the same wind, but less violent, and the
snowdrift is decreasing. We have had to kill two dogs for a
meal for ourselves and the seven animals we have yet left. Once
more we are squatting on our heels in a ring in the tent,
gathered about the warming Primus, which will soon make the
pan boil.
Three o'clock.
The barometer, which had risen somewhat, falls again, and
the thickness about us prevents us from setting a course for the
time being.
One o'clock, morning.
August 19th. — Same weather, same wind, and despite all
impatience to get away whilst we have yet a couple of dogs left,
we are forced to hibernate like bears as long as the storm lasts,
sleeping as much as possible. Even if we could keep a fair
course by the aid of the wind, we dare not set out in the thick
snow, as we cannot be far from the edge of Humboldt's Glacier.
Unfortunately we possess neither the bear's capacity for sleep in
our cool den, nor its capacity for doing entirely without food ;
so we often wake up from dreams which maliciously emphasize
our situation. Thus I now woke up after the following dream :
I am at my father's vicarage at Lynge, standing with my
mother in the larder, where is to be found a drawer which is
always full of cakes. Mother has just finished baking and put
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GREENLAND BY THE POLAR SEA
two lovely warm Christmas cakes into the drawer, sweetly
fragrant with delicious ingredients, bristling with raisins and
citron. She cuts a couple of thick slices for me, saying in her
gentle voice : "There you are, my boy; eat as much as you
like !" As I raise the delicious cake to my mouth, I wake up
to all our misery.
My comrades are lying asleep, the wind is whipping the
drifting snow around our tent, and an exhausted dog is lying
out in the drifts, whimpering pitifully.
Four o'clock in the morning.
There is hardly any wind now, but the snow is falling more
heavily and our little camp is quite wrapped up in a white
thickness. Again I awake from a mocking dream, and as com-
pensation we make coffee from the old grounds and distribute
half a rye biscuit to each man. The coffee pours like a warm
wave through our bodies, and with pipes between our lips we
meet the day in good spirits. It will all come right in the end !
It was from our own free choice that we left the comforts of
home ; but how keenly we shall appreciate it all when once we
return !
Half -past six o'clock.
Half an hour ago a gleam of sun penetrated the canvas.
We immediately arose from the different postures in which we
had attempted to rest, and gave vent to our jubilation. The
teapot was put on, and a sixth of a ration, exactly a mouthful
of pemmican for each, was distributed together with one of the
small biscuits. The horizon is yet hazy, but above our heads
the blue sky is breaking through, and we may hope for travel-
ling weather towards noon. There is once more a fresh note in
our voices, and bright prospects for the coming day.
CAMP 13
(800 metres above sea-level. Distance, 35 kilometres).
August 19th. — Thanks to the excellent going, we are now
35 kilometres away from our bad weather camp. The snow was
so firm after the storm that we required neither skis nor snow-
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THE HOMEWARD JOURNEY
shoes. We walked from ten in the morning until half-past
eight at night. One of the sledges was pulled by three dogs
and the other one by four, and the persevering animals managed
very well during the day.
When we began to move after the days of rest occasioned
by the snowstorm we felt very weak in the knees, but we
quickly beat the weakness down, putting our best leg foremost,
especially as the clouds still looked threatening and a fresh
storm might interrupt our journey at any moment. Fortu-
nately it proved to be merely a threat. With great velocity
the clouds raced above our heads before a south-west gale ; later
in the day their speed decreased and the sky assumed a more
quiet aspect.
The last 15 kilometres of the journey we were much ham-
pered by crevasses, presumably local ones, as they were all
situated in the vicinity of an elevation where the ice appeared to
have cracked through its own tension. They were of an
unusually deceitful kind, merging entirely into the surface of
the glacier and in most places covered by thin bridges, so that
it was difficult to notice them in the hazy atmosphere. Once
Wulff was on the point of falling through, but fortunately he
hung by the arms, so that I was able to get hold of him and
pull him up. The crevasse was narrow at the top, but widened
out downward into a dark, bottomless abyss. After this
dreadful experience we tied ropes round our waists and con-
tinued our march without further obstacles.
We have had to kill another dog.
At the beginning of our day's journey we sighted land due
north-west — probably Cape Forbes and its westward continua-
tion. About half -past three more land became visible, and we
thought we recognized Cape Webster. From our point the
land inward looked like a multitude of little seas in a frozen
ocean.
August 20th. — It was one o'clock when we went to rest,
and already by seven o'clock we had to set to, cooking our last
cup of coffee and the last but one portion of pemmican gruel.
A person who has not been starving is unable to understand
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how wonderful food, real food, tastes under such circumstances.
The small dry biscuits which for the last few days we have used
as sugar for coffee and tea possess an aroma and a savour which
one does not notice at all when one has access to plenty ; and
the oaten porridge, which during our wintering we looked at
with contempt, affects us like caresses ; we are agreed that we
would all be happy for life if we could only have sufficient
Avena oats.
The weather is continually disturbed, but as the sun breaks
through at eleven o'clock we set off. The entire journey of
the day goes across slippery ice covered by a layer of new snow ;
we often fall and the dogs, which continually walk in kamiks,
find it difficult to get a foothold. We pass some small crevasses
and a number of dried-up sea-basins and river-courses. The
first great river-course is passed 16 kilometres from our previous
camp at a height of 750 metres. The inland-ice during our
journey to-day appears to have been subjected to a severe pro-
cess of melting ; the surface consists entirely of tiny, fine grains
which inflict considerable pain on the dogs. Our route lies
across an even terrain faintly sloping towards Peabody Bay,
where all rivers find their outlets.
CAMP 14
(600 metres above sea-level. Distance, 30 kilometres).
The sky threatens us constantly with Fohn clouds. The
minimum temperature of the night was minus 5° (Cent.), whilst
during the forenoon it rises to 1° (Cent.). A ring forms round
the sun, gleaming viciously with parhelions. It looks beautiful,
but our thoughts centre round the evil meteorological promises
which it gives.
To-day we still drove two sledges, each pulled by three dogs.
Although we had to assist, the dogs were yet an invaluable help.
We made good speed all during the journey, and by seven
o'clock we were able to camp with a view of Peabody Bay,
mostly ice with occasional holes of open water. We are
probably 25 kilometres from the edge of the glacier, and Wash-
ington Land has been visible almost through the entire day.
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THE HOMEWARD JOURNEY
Again a dog has to be killed.
It was the best dog we had yet tasted, despite which I was
seized during the meal by a sudden feeling of discomfort, so
strong that, notwithstanding my hunger, it was impossible for
me to eat any more. According to our calculations we should
now be some 30 kilometres away from the land round Cape
Agassiz — " the great land without mountains," as the Eskimos
call it — and here we hope our bad experience will have an end.
Just think of tallow and fragrant reindeer meat, and probably
a delicious autumn hare !
CAMP 15
(600 metres above sea-level. Distance, 12 kilometres).
August 21st. — The day begins with the cooking of the last
portion of pemmican gruel, and a thin one at that, for there
must be sufficient to go round. But however thin it may be,
it lies like cotton-wool round our vitals, refreshing us with its
substantial taste. At the same time the last biscuits are dis-
tributed, four to each man. If only the weather will last
things do not seem too black, for we have five dogs, which con-
stitute sufficient provisions if unforeseen obstacles do not delay
our descent to land. The weather does not promise well ; we
have a positive temperature of 3°, which is never a good sign
on the inland-ice ; furthermore, the clouds are coming up with
the velocity of a storm from the south-west. We leave behind
us everything that is unnecessary, both skis and snowshoes, and
hasten forward.
The glacier is firm and bare of snow ; it consists of little sharp
needles which hurt us and the dogs, and as the animals wear
out their kamiks we tie up their paws in bits of an old towel.
LAND AHEAD
At twenty minutes past one the great moment of the day
and of the journey arrives : Land ahead ! Involuntarily we all
hail the saving coast with loud cries of joy. The dreadful ten-
sion of the journey seems at an end. The expedition is once
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more on the safe side, and we can see a happy finish to the death
march of the last few days.
What matters it that our joy is very quickly interrupted by
bad visibility and pouring rain? We have seen the land and
we know that we have the strength to reach it ! At four o'clock
in the afternoon we pitch our tent and again kill a dog. It all
seems to us merely a small trial for the exercise of our patience ;
there is land ahead where men live — the blessed land of
reindeer !
Four o'clock in the morning.
The violent rush of a river suddenly bursts through the ice-
cover right by the side of our tent, frothing and roaring to a
breadth of 30 metres. We rush out in the belief that we our-
selves will be swept away, but fortunately it is only a temporary
outbreak, which quickly subsides.
It has been raining hard all night, but now it has ceased.
We will attempt to continue.
CAMP 16
(620 metres above sea-level. Distance, 20 kilometres).
August 22nd. — The rain and the continuous mild weather
seem to threaten us with calamity. In all dips of the ground
great and deep rivers break out, causing us the greatest diffi-
culties. These rapid, broad glacier torrents are surely the
greatest danger with which a glacier traveller can meet ; for if
he slips during the crossing, or loses his foothold when he jumps,
he will without fail be carried along the shiny bottom and swept
to perdition as the river pours out into the ocean itself.
There were three great courses which caused us especial diffi-
culty, as in several places the run divided into as many as eight
rivers. Wherever practicable we made a bridge of the sledges,
experiencing during these crossings some of our most exciting
moments, particularly when the collections had to be brought
across. Often these had to be thrown with a sure aim from one
side of the river to the other, and seized on the other side with
the same accuracy. A slight twist of the hand, a wrong step of
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the foot, and the result of all our five months' toil would have
been irredeemably lost. After twelve severe hours, during
which we zigzagged and often made great detours, we found
ourselves 20 kilometres away from our last camp, so that we
really ought to have been down on land if only through the day
we had been able to keep a straight course. On a dry elevation
we rested, intending to continue about an hour later ; but unfor-
tunately we found that Dr. Wulff could not go further on this
day. All through the day he had felt exhausted and looked ill,
but I had hoped that a few hours of rest and a little dog meat
would before long enable him to continue ; for we had only
three lean dogs left, and there was no knowing what obstacles
the rivers or the descent to land might confront us with. We
faced the situation openly and without attempt at camouflage.
When we struggled with the sledges we felt dizzy and weak in
the knees, and all sudden exertion made the blood retreat from
the brain.
The fog has once more settled on the land which we must
cross, and for the moment we do not know where we are. All
through the day we have waded through water, and our feet
are cold and wet. Numerous little pools have formed on the
surface of the glacier, and the bottom of these consists of sharp,
painful grains of firn. It is a comfort that we now discover
everywhere quantities of "land-dust." A small sea-king
swims merrily on a frothing river from the inland-ice and seems
quite pleased with the slide it has found towards the sea. Fur-
ther, we have seen two ivory gulls. Once more we must kill a
dog and, without pitching our tent, as it is calm, mild weather,
we eat it with a good appetite.
Eight o'clock in the morning.
To ease the load, we threw away a few days ago all our
ground-skins, and now, so that we shall not lie on the bare
glacier, we spread out the tent and lie down on it. Through
the night a heavy fog has hidden all surroundings from us. It
still hangs about, and although we are unable to find our bear-
ings we must continue. A great frothing river is visible ahead
of us and, to begin with, we make for that.
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GREENLAND BY THE POLAR SEA
2.30 afternoon.
The glacier river, which proved to be a frothing ice-stream
of 60 metres breadth, nearly destroys all our hopes ; for at the
point where we struck it it was so deep that there was no pos-
sibility of fording it. After a long reconnoitring I succeeded in
finding a place where the water reached us merely to the hips,
and as the current seemed to be less violent here we made the
attempt. We succeeded, and in the course of a couple of hours
our instruments and diaries were safely deposited on the
opposite shore.
This bath, with its accompanying strain and excitement,
told on us so much that once more we had to prepare a meal, so
we killed our third dog. The one which we killed yesterday
provided merely one poor meal for the six men and the three
dogs. The fog which has all day been lying clammy and close
around us now seems to lift. The sun is on the point of break-
ing through, and a blissful warmth begins to stream through our
bodies, which are icy-cold under the wet clothes. We now
attempt to set a course straight on land towards the south-west.
CAMP 17
(525 metres above sea-level. Distance, 15 kilometres).
After a day's journey of thirteen hours we had to make a
halt by a great river, which we have not had the strength to
cross to-day. Comparatively soon after we broke up from the
place where we took our meal yesterday, we sighted land. Our
course is straight and the remaining distance must be scarcely
20 kilometres. But a mighty net of rivers so far separates us
from it. About eight o'clock yesterday we had to wade across
a deep river which was some 40 metres broad, and where the
water reached us to the waist. The cold water told chiefly on
the muscles of our knees. We have to pull the sledges our-
selves now. In the evening another dog is killed, as we prefer
to transport its flesh on the sledge ; we have now only one left.
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THE HOMEWARD JOURNEY
CAMP 18
(430 metres above sea-level. Distance, about 10 kilometres).
August 23rd. — The new river which yesterday completely
unnerved us was crossed with surprising ease. Only the fog
seems disinclined to leave us, but we hope that our course is the
right one. A number of smaller rivers are passed in alternate
drizzle and sleet.
At five o'clock in the afternoon, in the midst of fog and
hopelessness, we see the first sign of life from land — a small fly
buzzes past us right up on the ice ! It affects us like the olive-
branch of Noah's Ark, and this enlivening experience is a good
pace-maker.
We follow an incline leading towards a dark bank of fog,
which has the appearance of land. We advance quickly until
we reach a large, very beautiful glacier lake, with an affluent
river forming a deep canyon in the glacier. The sea has won-
derful colours — green along the shore and dark blue in the
middle ; along the shore lie big ice-blocks, tall as a man. The
crossing of this river required all our strength. Furthermore,
the fog grew so heavy that we dared not continue our course.
The snow fell closely and we had to seek the shelter of our tent.
Our wet clothes feel like cold compressions round our limbs, but
fortunately we are so tired that we quickly go to sleep.
The glacier has during the whole of our day's journey been
very porous, with large pointed ice crystals and deep round
Cryokonite holes.
THE LAST DAY ON THE INLAND-ICE
August 2ith. — Twelve o'clock noon.
During part of the night I was awake, as I had to keep an
eye on the weather ; for as soon as it clears the least bit we must
continue in order to get down to land and safety.
Wulff's increasing exhaustion is a source of great anxiety to
us ; when, after a rest, we have been walking for three hours,
he lies down and declares that he can go no further. We then
235
GREENLAND BY THE POLAR SEA
stop, make him a strong cup of tea, and refreshed by this once
more he quickly continues in good spirits. But he is as thin as a
skeleton and the expression in his eyes becomes weaker and
weaker. As long as we had the small rations of pemmican and
Avena oats he kept up surprisingly well and nearly always was
to be found with the foremost. But apparently he cannot
digest the dog-flesh, and he gives away the better part of his
ration in spite of our protestations. The rest of us can manage
for a few days more. If only the visibility were better — we are
really quite close to land !
After short, refreshing sleeps I start up to look at the
weather — I have merely to put my eye to the canvas, which is
full of holes — but every time I meet only the same heavy fog
and sleet ; only the uncanny rush of rivers can be heard around us.
At length weariness overcomes my watchfulness, and I sink
into a good sound sleep, during which my dreams, as is usual at
this time, carry me away from the seriousness of the moment
and towards the longings which alone prevent me from falling
into complete exhaustion. When I wake up it is beautiful
weather ; the fog has lifted and the sky seems to be clearing up.
I arouse my comrades and make a cup of tea. Then at half-
past nine in the morning we start. We speed ahead as well as
we can with our sledges and our goods, and after a good hour's
walk we sight the land towards which we are rushing. • We
keep our constant course straight on to it ; many details are now
visible and the distance cannot be great — perhaps merely a good
six miles. The distance is nothing, but the great rivers may
prove severe obstacles in our way. It may take us several days
yet in the worst case, but only a few hours if we are in luck and
do not meet with difficulties when we descend.
Our excitement is intense. Every hill of the glacier which
we ascend gives us a sure view of the land ; then the fog once
more rolls up from the horizon in the west, and in a few minutes
the land we are steering towards has disappeared in grey banks
of fog.
Once more we must stop and sit inactive on our sledge,
hungry as wolves. What good is it to sit here in glorious sun-
236
THE HOMEWARD JOURNEY
shine when we are robbed of our view ahead ! I consider our
position and decide to kill the last dog. For if we become too
exhausted we shall be unable to hunt when we do reach land ;
so let us stake everything on one card and eat the poor animal.
Merely one tube of glycerine is now left to us.
Three o'clock in the afternoon.
We have reached land, we have returned to food and to
life ! We have escaped from the terrible embracing of the
inland-ice ! The expedition and all its results are saved ! Only
one who has experienced excitement similar to that of the
last few days will be able to realize the feelings which flow
through us !
Ajako's reconnoitring took the following course :
After a couple of hours of absence his form appeared out
of the fog, and at a distance we could see from his walk and
from the movement of his arms that he brought good tidings.
He was wild with joy. Not merely had he found a place of
descent to land, but he had also been on it, seen a hare, and
found tracks of reindeer ! We received him with loud shouts
of rejoicing and in a moment we were all on our way down
through the fog.
The place of descent was steep, and we had to retard the
sledge with straps fastened under the runners ; but after a
daring descent we landed on the steep cliff to which a narrow
little tongue of glacier led across like a bridge. For miles on
both sides we saw the steep edge of the inland-ice ; thus half
blindly we had found the only place where descent was possible.
With an indescribable feeling of happiness and relief we jumped
on to land and soon after all the baggage was in safety.
Only the sledge remains on the inland-ice, its snout turned
towards the cliff walls ; standing there alone and abandoned, in
this landscape it looks like a wrecked ship.
We yet possess a spoonful of tea, and hurriedly we boil a
kettle of water. There is loud good-humour in our little camp,
for in half an hour all men will be hunting.
237
GREENLAND BY THE POLAR SEA
THE SITUATION IS DISCUSSED
First we call a council, as we are accustomed to do on serious
situations like the present. We all agree that our arrival on
land means salvation, for on this very land where now we set
our feet the inhabitants of Etah are hunting hares and reindeer
every autumn. On the other hand, it is clear to us that the
remaining 200 kilometres to Etah is a serious distance for men
so exhausted as we are.
Dr. Wulff immediately declared that he cannot continue at
once. Koch also is of opinion that he requires a couple of days'
rest before he will be able to undertake the long walk. But, on
the other hand, various circumstances make it essential that we
should reach men as speedily as possible. First of all we do not
possess ammunition for a prolonged stay here. Secondly,
because of the water, our clothes are so far gone that our lives
will be endangered unless we fall in with people before the
approach of the first cold of autumn.
So we agree that Ajako and I must go to Etah for relief ;
we are both of the opinion that we are able to set out for the
long walk without a preceding rest. Harrigan and Bosun
remain in order to hunt for Wulff and Koch, who have no longer
strength to pursue the game.
Ajako and I reckon that in this stony and cleft land, inter-
sected by a number of great rivers, we shall hardly be able to
make the journey in less than eight days, considering the bad
weather. Then the relief sledges have to be fitted out, and
this will take at any rate twenty-four hours. At this time of
the year people have not yet their sledges ready for use, and
these preparations require time, so that the relief sledges could
hardly be here for twelve or fourteen days.
None of us consider it advisable to remain here for such a
long period. The neighbourhood will be quickly exhausted of
game, so the best thing is to move the camp towards Etah in
short daily journeys. For other reasons also this arrangement
is desirable.
Ajako and I reckon on the probability of being so com-
238
THE HOMEWARD JOURNEY
pletely exhausted by the time we find people, that neither of
us will have strength enough to return with the relief sledges.
These will have great difficulty in finding our comrades' camp
in this moraine tract, full of seas and knolls, so that one point
looks just like another. We must therefore agree upon a point
where those who are to be saved can be found without delay.
In the near neighbourhood it is impossible to point to such a
place ; but behind Cape Russell, in the immediate vicinity of
the inland-ice, there is a big lake known to Harrigan from
previous reindeer hunts, and with which all the inhabitants of
Etah are familiar. We decide that our comrades must move
by short journeys to this spot. If the place is not reached by
the time the relief sledges are expected to arrive, the two Green-
landers can easily be sent ahead to communicate with the relief
party.
I advise my comrades not to take too long a rest ; when in
our exhausted condition one suddenly omits to keep the body in
motion, the weariness with all its pains will be felt doubly when
once more one has to continue the journey. The ammunition
is distributed so that Dr. Wulff 's party gets eighty cartridges
of small shot and forty rifle cartridges, which should be suffi-
cient for the period of waiting, whilst I myself take a Win-
chester and thirty cartridges. As soon as all the details are
arranged the three Eskimos set out hunting whilst we others
remain to arrange the baggage. . . .
Early in the morning of the 25th I go up into the moun-
tains to look out for the hunters, and meet Ajako some distance
inland with a first bag of five hares. The next few days again
seem lighter to us. May Ajako and I have strength to get
quickly into communication with people and get speedy relief
for our comrades !
The fog has been lying thickly across the land since we
arrived, but about six o'clock in the afternoon it clears up some-
what, and in order to make the most possible out of our oppor-
tunity to get a view of the land, which neither Ajako nor I
know, we set out on our walk. We bring merely the strictly
necessary things — our kamiks, my diaries, and nothing else.
239
GREENLAND BY THE POLAR SEA
We part from our comrades in the best of spirits after a feast
of newly shot hares. The camp on the steep cliff seems like a
fairy tale ; the glacier rolls towards it like a frozen ocean, and
we ourselves jump about on the stones like shipwrecked men
just flung on land. Dr. Wulff has made for himself a comfort-
able little sleeping-place on a moss-clad shelf; smilingly he
waves good-bye, calling to us : " Now don't forget to send some
pancakes with the relief sledges ! ' '
Harrigan and Bosun have not yet returned from their hunt,
and this long absence is not merely a good proof of their stub-
born endurance, it also gives us fresh hope that perhaps they
have succeeded in shooting a reindeer ; and reindeer tallow is
the article of which we are most in need.
240
CHAPTER XII
SEEKING HELP
FIRST DAY
AUGUST 25TH-26TH. — Ajako and I begin our walk cheer-
fully and in excellent spirits. It is beneficent, relieving,
"and reviving, to walk across this big land which seems to
teem with life — at least, it appears so to us after many months
of walking in the desert. Everywhere a wealth of flowers thrust
up from the soil, and we do not tire in our admiration, especially
now that the autumn has splashed its strong, fresh colours over
the whole landscape. I am chiefly impressed by the vigour
with which the Polar willow has developed. Its big bold leaves
lie everywhere beneath our feet, now flaming in red hues like
wild vine, now shining yellow like ochre between the crimson
saxifrage and green heath ; even the whortleberry plant, which
unfortunately does not bear any fruit, has gleaming red leaves.
The life of summer has passed its climax, and autumn
has dressed everything in festive garments ; the coolness has
announced itself before the cold, the colours before the snow —
a last blaze-up before the sleep of winter.
On thick, soft moss we walk along the small mountain-
rimmed lakes, which wink at us like black, deep eyes. For
every kilometre we pass new lakes, which unfortunately often
force us to make long, toilsome detours. However much we
are desirous of making haste, our road goes in large bends and
turns, continually up and down across beautiful and wild but
exceedingly difficult cloughs.
To the north-west we have all the little islands of Peabody
Bay in the corner towards Humboldt's Glacier ; a thick fog yet
hangs above that quarter, hovering like the steam from the
q 241
GREENLAND BY THE POLAR SEA
" Mosekone's "* brew over a Danish meadow. The many
rivers from the glacier and from the land have swept away the
ice along the coast, and for the first time we look across a stretch
of real, open water. It is dead calm, and only the drift of ice-
floes on the current gives some movement in this mighty land-
scape which the lifting fog gradually unveils for us. There is
an idyllic beauty over the many little lakes and islands, and the
low land down towards the bay ; and Ajako and I are agreed
that some time it would be good to winter here. Round the
head of Advance Bay ruins of old winter-houses are naturally
to be found.
The ocean is full of seals, the bear begins his exciting wan-
dering as soon as the ice lies, and everywhere in the lakes there is
sure to be salmon. The reindeer stalk across the land and hares
seem to abound ; they jump up before us, running away in con-
fused haste behind the nearest mountain, not knowing that for
the time being we mean to do them no harm. As there seems
to be plenty of game here, we have decided not to hunt until
the evening meal, when the march of the day is finished. We
are yet so exhausted that even the lightest of burdens weighs
heavily on us.
From a mountain-top we get a view across Humboldt's
Glacier; evenly and quite without crevasses it extends north-
ward. Only the many rivers we have had to pass break its sur-
face with deep furrows ; if one listens, one hears the enormous
boom from the watercourses. It is good to be on land now.
The glacier appears to be without movement, and only low,
little pieces of Sikussaq float in the bay, which is partly
frozen.
By midnight we pass a big oblong lake with an unusually
powerful affluent river. We follow the river for some distance,
looking for a crossing ; but as it is everywhere frothy and with a
strong current, we decide to wade across it. I slide on a
slippery stone, fall and get soaked through. Not very comfort-
able for one who has to sleep in the open in the same wet clothes
* Mosekone = " Bog-woman " — one of the many Danish fairies. —
Trans.
242
SEEKING HELP
and without a cover ! Never mind, a healthy body is a patient
tool !
In the morning we reached the plateau behind Cape Scott.
Just before this we had to wade through a river. Across the
river the landscape changes entirely in character. It becomes
more desolate, more stony, and suddenly it seems as if all the
hares have disappeared into the ground.
At seven o'clock in the morning, after a walk of thirteen
hours, we stop and cook a young hare which we have shot on
the way. Then we survey the land to make sure of the direc-
tion we must take before the fog comes. We are now up on a
uniform tableland which has none of the many doughs and
lakes we met with to-day ; we shall have quicker going
to-morrow.
At eleven o'clock in the morning we lie down, each by his
stone, to get a little sleep before we set to once more.
SECOND DAY
August 26th-27th. — At three o'clock we wake up, and as
the sky again looks threatening we agree that it is wiser to
hurry on towards better hunting-grounds.
During the first part of our journey the tableland is of a
kindly character, with plains of grass and little lakes. In many
places we find fresh tracks of reindeer, and we keep hoping we
shall have the good fortune to shoot an animal ; we might then
be able to rest a little and have time to dry our wet clothes.
But as evening approaches the treacherous fog comes up behind
us from the north-west, and the land becomes more barren ; at
length the grass plains stop entirely and we are now walking on
sharp, naked stones.
During the night we reach a large lake which borders right
on the inland-ice ; the old winter ice still lies on it, only one of
its banks being opened by a river which runs out of the lake,
foaming big and white between enormous stones. It does not
look tempting — the sight of it is like a grip round my throat.
Am I to fall again now? The weather is raw and foggy, and
I am faint with hunger.
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GREENLAND BY THE POLAR SEA
But when things look blackest we generally find the easiest
way out. Without unnecessary hesitation Ajako and I seized
each other's hands, and thus propping one another up we went
out into the water. We got thoroughly wet, but neither of us
slipped and fell. This good luck encouraged and strengthened
us as much as a good meal could have done.
On the other bank of the glacier lake we found an absolute
stone desert consisting entirely of big loose moraine stones ; a
multitude of larger and smaller lakes filled the landscape, which
was practically without vegetation, and often we found ourselves
forced to keep our direction by making considerable detours.
Yet one river we must wade across ; we are now in good prac-
tice, and our feet have been wet for these last two or three
months !
THIRD DAY
August 27th-28th. — We tried to sleep last night as well as
might be, each, as usual, by his stone. But it was almost too
cold in our wet clothes, on which the fog settled so that our
bodies became quite white with hoar-frost.
Every time I slept I dreamed about my home. Such
dreams, beautiful and pleasant during sleep, are extraordinarily
exhausting, for as soon as one wakes up and must turn to, reality
always seems doubly rough and hopeless. On the other hand,
it arouses such a lively feeling of what is owing to those who are
awaiting one's return, that immediately the teeth are clenched
and obstinacy is summoned to fight the adversities which are
breaking one's strength.
About seven o'clock the fog lifted somewhat, and at once
we got to our feet and turned towards the places where we might
find something to eat. A tough will to endure strengthened
us both ; although we had tasted no food for nearly two days we
did not feel any weakness.
Every time we pass a deep cleft we spy in vain for a small
white dot — a hare. Reindeer we dare no longer hope for.
Once, as we get a view over an unusually hopeless stone
desert, we settle between us that we can manage to continue
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SEEKING HELP
for another two days and nights without food ; we both feel that
we are able to do this, and by that time we must surely be on
better hunting-ground.
During this discussion I say to Ajako :
" Even if we shall hold each other by the arms for support
when we begin to totter with exhaustion, we will continue our
walk ; we will not give in as long as we can crawl."
Ajako nods as he answers :
"Shall we decide that neither of us will mention food
again?"
After that we get up and continue.
Due west-south-west we pass a big lake in the midst of the
mountains ; fortunately, we do not come across its outlet, but
set our course through a valley-like clough, where, as in other
and more fertile places, we find not a few bones and antlers of
reindeer.
By noon we spy a little white dot in front of us, and both
stop as if nailed to the ground. A hare ! Meat for the pot,
food for the stomach, marrow for the bones !
Half an hour later we are sitting cooking it by a big flaming
fire. All adversity forgotten, all weariness has left our limbs.
As soon as we have eaten we will continue ; but first the meal.
Fortune has favoured us. The hare is fat, like a young reindeer
with thick, white, fat round kidneys and pelvis ! And the
blood we have poured into the soup — oh, how good it will be !
But now when we have seen the meat it is as if hunger wakes
up and tears savagely at our vitals ; so immediately we eat the
entrails raw whilst we wait for the pot to boil.
Half an hour's walk from the place where we cooked our
meal we reach a lake which we presume must be the well-known
ice-mountain lake behind Cape Russell, the place where the
relief sledges are to meet our comrades. The lake goes right
up to the glacier, and a couple of largish ice-mountains float on
it. We have travelled upwards of 100 kilometres ! It is a
great spur to our pace, and unconsciously we speed up.
To pass the sea we have first got to cross three rather large
245
GREENLAND BY THE POLAR SEA
effluent rivers. The first of them is deep and the water reaches
above our knees. Another wetting, but what about it if only
we can get ahead. Straight forward, never give up !
On the southern side of the river we come to quite new
terrain which again rouses the hunter's instinct in both of us.
Here our course goes up and down again, through doughs and
valleys, across huge heaps of snow, wearying and heavy. But
the land is fertile ; we look across meadows along river-beds,
vigorous slopes of willow and heather, moss and grass and what-
ever else might tempt a reindeer. But in vain we stare our
eyes stiff. Nothing living anywhere !
We continue until ten o'clock in the evening, then we meet
with the river, which, contrary to all those we have passed so far,
runs towards the inland-ice. On its banks five young hares are
playing, and we shoot three. Once more a huge fire flares up
in the gloaming ; we will make blood soup from all the three
hares — that will give warmth for the night. Soon after mid-
night the fog as usual slinks up. It is one o'clock when we lie
down to rest after fifteen hours' walk without a stop. We feel
in our bodies that to-day we have had the food that we needed ;
for although the fog, as usual, grows thicker and thicker as dark-
ness comes and the snow once more begins to fall, we do not
feel the cold although we are lying on the bare ground.
FOURTH DAY
Another grey, depressing day, but our spirits are better
than ever as we set out at nine o'clock in the morning ; for the
first time since we left our comrades in Advance Bay we have
had a sound, long sleep.
But now our footgear, which we have not been able to dry
since we left St. George Fjord, is getting into a very bad condi-
tion. The seams are bursting in consequence of the continual
wetting, and we have difficulties in keeping the kamiks on our
feet. Further, our sinew-thread is nearly used up, and we have
only one needle left. With all our hearts we hope for a day of
sunshine and for a reindeer, not only for the sake of the tallow
and the meat, but also in order to get sinews.
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SEEKING HELP
There must be a good 100 kilometres to Etah, and we are
sure to manage this distance in three days.
We are slow in getting up speed to-day ; we are unaccus-
tomed to being satiated and heavy, besides which we have
reversed our old order of day and night, as we are walking dur-
ing the warm day and sleeping in the colder night. We must
therefore walk along slowly, and try to go for twenty-four
hours, not resting until the forenoon of to-morrow.
The going is better and better, more even than before ; but
we pass a stony clough where we must hop and jump from one
large block to another until our foot-soles burn. We traverse it
and come out on a plain stretching widely and openly ahead,
with little rivers and occasional vigorous grass-meadows shining
sun-gilt against the dark crimson stone-heaps. Here the fog
once more overtakes us. It is four o'clock in the afternoon,
and as we can get no view ahead we sit down with our backs
towards a cliff wall, hoping that the fog will soon lift.
We meet the " Eider duck."
I sit and doze, and am awakened by Ajako jumping up ; I
hardly believe my own ears when I hear the shout : " Inugssuaq !
Takiik, inugssuaq!"
A start went through me. A man! Where? Who?
From where? I got to my feet in a hurry.
A short distance away I plainly saw a man coming out of
the fog, a reindeer hunter with a little bundle on his back. A
skin and some meat — perhaps !
One can imagine what impression this made on us two wan-
derers, who, like shipwrecked men struggling along on this
stony moraine, suddenly see salvation and meet a man for the
first time after half a year's absence.
We both shouted. The man stopped, listened, and dis-
covered us when we repeated our shout.
A few minutes later we met and found that it was Miteq, the
" Eiderduck," who had come up here from Kukat, one of the
camps near Inglefield Gulf, to hunt reindeer. He was in the
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GREENLAND BY THE POLAR SEA
company of Qulutana, Ajako's brother-in-law and Ilaitoq, his
sister, and Assarpanguaq, Majaq's son. They had been
together until a few hours ago when they agreed to part com-
pany and hunt alone, each for himself. Their dogs, three
teams, were lying some ten hours' walk from the place of our
meeting, approximately midway between Marshall Bay and
Renslaer Harbour. These were good tidings indeed !
The " Eiderduck," of course, gave up his hunt immediately
in order to help us. But we also wished to get into communi-
cation with Ajako's brother-in-law and sister, so we lit a big
fire of cassiope and fired signal-shots in different directions.
We spent several hours in a vain search, for the fog prevented
the Eskimos from seeing the smoke from our fire, and the many
clefts prevented them from hearing the shots. The reindeer
hunters roam over long stretches, and Panguaq had informed
the " Eiderduck " that if his hunting was successful he might
stay away for about a week. If we had been able to get hold
of these three people there would have been the possibility that
we could return to our comrades at once with relief. But this
had to be given up ; so we continued our walk towards the
" Eiderduck's " camp, now at a considerably quicker pace than
in the morning.
Meanwhile we had at once pumped the ' ' Eiderduck ' ' for
everything worth hearing during the half-year of our absence,
and new impressions poured in over us.
The most important piece of news was that a fresh ship had
been sent up after the Crockerland Expedition, led by Peary's
famous Captain Bartlett. In the beginning of the summer
he had pushed his way through ice and all kind of weather. At
a point near Cape Parry Captain Bartlett had met with the
Danmark, which later on had returned without going up to
Etah. Everything was well in Thule and round about in the
different camps ; all our pack-sledges had returned in good
condition.
But the War? Did he know anything about that?
Oh yes, he did ! The crew of the ship had told him that it
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SEEKING HELP
nitred worse than ever. The white men were engaged in exter-
minating each other. Many big camps were already mere
stone-heaps inhabited by hungry widows and fatherless chil-
dren. A terrible blood-thirst had seized upon the white
men. Nobody went hunting or travelling now, they merely
slaughtered each other. And the white men now, more than
ever before, used all their cunning and great wisdom for the
purpose of destroying each other.
Nowhere in their land was shelter and safety to be found ;
they attacked each other from the surface of the soil, from the
sky, from the sea, and from the deeps of the great waters.
Usually they shot blindly at a long distance, killing people
whom they had never seen and with whom they had no quarrel.
More and more countries joined in ; Peary's land (America)
also was now at war. Peary himself was now lord of those who
fought in the air. On board Captain Bartlett's ship there was
a physician who told that he also had been up in the air ; it was
so cold that now he was very keen to buy fox-skins which he
wanted to use on his next air journey.
The land " attacked by many " (Germany) was not yet con-
quered, although there was hardly any camp in the countries
of the white men which did not fight against it.
In one of the warring countries a great man had arisen, a
strong man, who had made all his countrymen obey him
although he was only a ranker (Kerenski). He was now lord
of the country. Before this happened there had been some
talk about stopping the War, but now the killing raged more
savagely than ever, and it was doubtful whether ships would
come to " the land of men " (Greenland) again.
To receive all this recent news was like coming into a
typhoon. Yesterday two lonely wanderers fighting their
modest fight for their own and their comrades' life through a
barren land, and to-day once more in touch with ordered society,
perhaps the most ideal in the world at present, and simul-
taneously in the midst of the horrors of war. It was doubly
overwhelming to receive these tidings through this naive and
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human description, given by a man whom the cultured civilized
being looks upon as a primitive savage.
Our own fight to win for science new ground, our suffering
and toil, how slight it all seems compared with the sighs of the
millions which now resound through the bleeding world.
Will anyone have time to stop and pay attention to the work
we have done ?
During the march down to the camp of the " Eiderduck " —
sometimes jumping between the sharp blocks of the stone-
heaps, wading across little rivers, or hastening across soft
meadows with their welcome rest for the sore balls of our feet —
such were the thoughts that went through my brain.
It was nearly two o'clock in the morning when we reached
the moraine where the reindeer hunters had their camp. In
a strong feeling of joy and gratitude that our sufferings now
seemed at an end, I picked a still beautiful and flowering poppy
in memory of the day. It was almost as if I were now at
home.
But before we went to rest we broke into the " Eider-
duck's" meat store and boiled seal meat with blubber, which
we ate with an appetite known only by one who for a long
time has fought against starvation and an almost empty
stomach.
The first question to be decided after we had found men was
whether there would be any possibility of returning for our
comrades immediately. As already mentioned, it would be
hopeless to wait for the " Eiderduck 's " party; for Qulutana,
who was a keen hunter, had emphatically declared that his
hunting might last for some time if he did not quickly come
across game. We immediately took stock of the provisions
and found that they consisted merely of a small piece of
bearded seal, which would only constitute one meal for seven
men. This piece of meat belonged to the " Eiderduck " ; he
also had a piece of blubber for one feed for his dogs. Qulutana,
on the other hand, had no meat at all on this spot. From
previous years of hunting he still possessed some old depots in
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SEEKING HELP
the country on which he had reckoned, but where they were
situated the " Eiderduck " had not the slightest idea.
The dogs would be of no use to us on the ground towards
Cape Agassiz. The country was bare of snow and would be
impracticable for a sledge, and on the inland-ice there were
yet the many rivers which could not be crossed to advantage.
So if we were to bring relief to our comrades we must walk
to them, and that without any considerable increase of pro-
visions. Proper hunting during a quick march was, as we
had experienced, not to be reckoned on.
According to the map, and considering the terrain we had
had to cross, it would be at least 150 kilometres to our old tent-
camp. We had arrived here in four days by marches as forced
as our strength permitted ; it was doubtful whether it would be
possible for us once more to cover the distance in the same
time, and it was also absolutely essential to us that our foot-
gear should be dried. Thus it would take nine or ten days
before we could once more be back in our old camp, and it
would be highly improbable that Dr. Wulff' s party would
remain there until then. It would at any rate be against the
decisions we had come to in the council of the expedition before
we separated. If, in an attempt to bring relief which under
all circumstances would not be effective, as it brought merely
one fresh man with quite inadequate provisions in the company
of two already worn-out men, we now missed them in the wild
mountainous tracts, all we should have achieved would be to
hinder the really significant help which would come from Etah ;
and this would be unjustifiable. So I decided without delay
to continue the journey to Etah.
FIFTH DAY
29th, SOth, 31st August to September 1st. — Noon, 29th of
August. Yesterday over, the strained tension of the expedition
appears to be at an end, if our comrades do not meet with too
many adversities. I myself feel to-day that our task is con-
cluded, and for the first time for a long period I am in calm
water.
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GREENLAND BY THE POLAR SEA
The point now is to persist without sleep so that Etah may
be reached and the relief sledges fitted out and despatched
immediately. During our preparations to break up I decide
to kidnap the dogs of the absent reindeer hunters without fur-
ther ado. I know they will forgive me as soon as we meet,
and the dogs will be returned forthwith from Etah. Unfor-
tunately none of the hunters can read, so we must express our-
selves by picture-script. The difficulty is solved by Ajako
sketching a map of the coast, giving our final route across the
inland-ice to Peabody Bay, where four men are drawn. Then
three men and two sledges are drawn by the camp of the rein-
deer hunters, driving to Etah, and finally beneath it all are the
relief sledges hurrying towards the big lake by the inland-ice.
Then we capture the dogs. Most of them are loose and
rather fierce, and do not seem enthusiastic at the idea of being
stolen by strangers ; but we succeed in the course of an hour in
binding them all.
So we set out on our last journey, of which I will merely
give a short summary now that we are travelling like lords with
large, fresh teams.
Our days passed in the following manner :
August 29th : Wake up half -past ten in the morning.
Cook food. Capture the dogs. Start across the inland-ice
3 p.m.
August 30th : A sudden storm and thick snow overwhelm
us at midnight. Remain for a few hours in the shelter of the
sledges and continue when it clears up.
August 30th : At 2 p.m. the Etah district is reached in a
storm from the north. The sledges are left by the edge of the
glacier, and after a very strenuous walk across mountains, camp
is reached at 9 p.m.
In the course of the night and the day of the 31st of August
the relief sledges are fitted out, and at last on the 1st of Sep-
tember they leave.
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SEEKING HELP
THE ARRIVAL AT ETAH
The arrival at Etah will to me always remain unforgettable,
especially with the experiences of the last five months as a
background.
All the inhabitants of Etah had moved into the house of
the Crockerland Expedition, and, as there was no one outside,
we came right up to the house without being discovered. But
then they saw us through the window and out they poured —
men, women and children, like lava under a volcanic eruption,
overwhelming us with loud shouts of welcome and a perfect
hubbub of delight.
In the very moment when we stepped across the threshold
from death to life, from the great silent waste to the happy
little camp, we found ourselves suddenly in a crush of people.
The noise was deafening. From all points they laughed their
welcome, and hearty words sounded cheering in our ears.
Questions rained over us, and it was as if big waves beat
together above our heads and swallowed us.
The winter-house of the Crockerland Expedition is built so
that from the outside, through an ante-room which takes up
the whole breadth of the house, one comes into a roomy apart-
ment ; this, with an oven in the middle of the floor, represents
partly kitchen and dining-room, partly a common room with
seats along the walls. From this room doors lead to six smaller
rooms on the right and left wall and in the background.
In the small rooms six families were living in peace and
unity with a common kitchen in the big room. All these
respectable housewives now vied with each other in dishing out
food for us on a long table which stood in the middle of the
room. It was a luxurious table, with leavings from the rich
Crockerland Expedition. Some brought pemmican, some
brought biscuits. Dishes were set down with Richard potatoes,
tinned tomatoes, beans and bacon, porridge with treacle, brown
bread in tins, fried hares, boiled seal meat, gulls in rice soup
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GREENLAND BY THE POLAR SEA
with dried turnips and spinach, tea with the food, and coffee
after ; finally, real American cut-plug tobacco.
The whole thing was like an hallucination, one of those
which used to mock us during our periods of starvation. But
as reality gradually was brought home to us through the strong
odours which entered our nostrils, we felt in the presence of an
Eastern revelation from the tale of Aladdin ! We struggled
for breath in face of this abundance ; here was food for an appe-
tite sharpened by half a year of strict economy, and by the
strenuous final spurt of the last thirty-four hours ! Our only
difficulty was to decide from which end of the table it would
be best to start.
But it was clear to me that in the beginning we had to be
very careful about the food, as our stomachs through a long
period were accustomed to very sparse and quite unvaried food.
In spite of all protestations from our hosts and hostesses,
in spite of a wolfish hunger which was aggravated by the lovely
odour of the many delicacies which for so long we had missed,
I tried to restrain myself and made honest attempts at eating
as little as possible. For how annoying if the joy of our
arrival were to be interrupted by a wretched and prosaic colic !
It was a feast according to the best of European standards.
Even orchestral music was not lacking ; a recently arrived,
brand-new gramophone was placed in the midst of the lavish
abundance and entertained us with a large and varied reper-
toire, from Wagner to the latest imported tangoes from Argen-
tine and Paris !
It was obvious that the gates of life had again been opened
widely, and even if we were merely by the outmost Northern
posts of humanity we had found an echo from the great world
of good and evil in which we ourselves were at home ! Involun-
tarily I had to close my eyes and collect myself somewhat ; I
felt my temples hammering and my heart throbbing, and, as the
orchestra after a pause commenced beautifully and softly the
minuet of " Don Juan," Etah disappeared from my con-
sciousness. . . .
254
C'AI'TAIN GEORGE COMER
THE CROl'KERLAND EXPEDITION S HUT
SEEKING HELP
I am back at Lynge Vicarage and do not hear the gramo-
phone— it is my sister who is playing our old piano with its
spinet tones ; a window to the garden is open and a mild breeze
taps the panes with the vine ; the fragrance of summer and
flowers floats in to us, and I hear the well-known beloved
rustling through the leaves of the big lime-trees. Round about
me sit all those I love, listening absorbed to the graceful melody
of Mozart. . . .
Once more a pause, then the music plays up again : now it
is reminiscences of Chopin — a phantasy over a mazurka, a
waltz, and the famous polonaise. The scene changes : I am
back in my own rooms and my wife sits at the grand ; we are
alone with our children ; a deep peace has settled on our minds
— a mood of dusk which is only broken when a car rolls along
the street or a speedy motor coughs its way ahead.
I must close my eyes again to keep the picture. As a
distant buzzing I hear our Eskimo friends telling Ajako of the
walrus-hunt of the summer ; through a mist I see the women
of the house, who have now, after the execution of their house-
wifely duties, sat down on the benches to stop the mouths of
their fidgety youngest ones with the abundance of their breasts.
A door opens and the yell of sledge-dogs deafens for a
moment the music. I had almost forgotten that there are yet
two large oceans between my home-sick visions and the present.
I am once more in Etah, and now to work for our comrades
who are yet in Inglefield Land waiting for help. The sledges
must be fitted out and despatched forthwith.
A DISAPPOINTMENT
As soon as the first hubbub of our arrival has simmered
down, before I can do anything else, I must survey our present
position and decide wherefrom we could take the necessary
things for the outfit of the relief expedition. Only two letters
awaited me — one from Peter Freuchen in Thule, and one from
Captain Comer of the Crockerland Expedition. There was
no date to Freuchen 's letter ; it had probably been sent by the
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GREENLAND BY THE POLAR SEA
Danmark. Beside general news from Thule, he informed me
that he had sent a box of provisions and various delicacies,
amongst these a barrel of beer to be drunk at the feast on our
arrival. The letter was like Freuchen himself, beautiful and
hearty, the first message from a friend to a friend which I
received. But unfortunately the dear Americans had for-
gotten to unload the goods, which, especially in our present
position, would have been doubly welcome.
Captain Comer, who had also written a warm greeting of
welcome, informed me that it was the well-known Arctic
Ocean traveller Neptune, which had been here for the Crocker-
land Expedition. It had met the Danmark approximately by
Cape Parry, where it had taken on board the goods of the
expedition found on the Danmark. The latter was then ordered
to return to South Greenland. In addition to this letter the
considerate captain had left some newspapers, with the latest
news from the War which, of course, were no less welcome
than the letter itself.
Time after time during my many journeys up here I have
experienced that one always receives the most beautiful impres-
sion of the Eskimos when one comes to them as a poor man
without possessions. If one has large and rich stores upon
which to draw, even the best of one's friends often seem to
speculate as to the payment they will receive for services ren-
dered. But if one has nothing, they nevertheless do every-
thing with the same joy and generosity, and they do it all from
the bottom of their good hearts.
And once more this experience is mine, though they them-
selves require their stores, as the summer hunt of walrus failed
totally. But they are generous as ever, and vie with each other
in putting at my disposal whatever they possess. There is
unison in the chorus about me : everything here is yours — our
house, our provisions, our dogs ; we ourselves will go wherever
you wish to help your comrades. With joy we will go, all
of us !
I examine all their provisions and make the arrangements
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SEEKING HELP
for the relief sledges. All the night and the following day are
taken up in these preparations, for sledges and dogs have not
been used during the whole summer, and there is much to look
over and renew. At length, at noon on the 1st of September,
everything is ready, and six men and five dogs start. The
baggage is brought in two boats, the dogs being driven across
land to the head of Foulke Fjord. Already on the following
day they will be in the land of the reindeer. Their orders are
to go no further than the big lake with the ice-mountains which
Ajako and I reached after a march of two days. Here a beacon
is to be built where the main provisions and two men are to
be left, whilst the remainder, also carrying provisions, are to
search the district northward in different directions. As my
agreement with Dr. Wulff's party was that they, or at any
rate, Harrigan and Bosun, were to go southward to this lake
as quickly as their condition permitted, it cannot be many days
before the new helpers with their provisions meet with our
comrades.
September 1st. — Ajako and I are standing on a point of
the land following with our eyes the boats speeding away. How
good again to see fresh folk set to with a strength which need
not be saved ! All the impressions we receive are so new to
us, everything we see so different to that from which we come.
Before us lie the grass-covered slopes of Etah, which, fertilized
by millions of sea-kings, look like hanging gardens between the
cloughs. Towards the west the open living sea unclosed by
the dead quiet of the Polar- ice ; the smell of salt water and
pungent seaweed which we inhale through our nostrils — how
different to the flat fresh water of the east coast !
Ajako bends down, filling his hollow hands with fjord
water, which he raises to his face to feel and inhale its salt
freshness.
In these drops he smells the meat of walrus, narwhal, and
seals — flesh of all the blubbery marine animals which shall now
make our days good.
Beautiful ocean ! I recognize you, now I am home !
R 257
GREENLAND BY THE POLAR SEA
A seal pops his head up some distance out in the fjord, look-
ing curiously after the boats, which speed away without paying
any attention to it. For a long time we can hear the firm
strokes of the oars ; laughter mingles with shouts from those
who drive the dogs along the steep, sloping mountain-sides.
Then they disappear behind a headland and everything around
us is quiet.
The fjord wind, which has blown freshly from the glacier
through the day, calms down with the sinking of the sun ; dusk
throws its sharp shadows across the mountain, whilst the ocean
gleams with a silvery sheen towards the western horizon,
between ice-mountains and drifting floes.
A sweet and rare feeling of peace settled on our minds ; for
the first time for long we can go to rest with a roof over our
heads, without needing to trouble about the morrow.
258
CHAPTER XIII
A RACE WITH DEATH
DR. WULFF SUCCUMBS TO THE STRAIN OF THE
JOURNEY
SEPTEMBER 10th.— Wulff is dead. This evening the
relief sledges returned with Koch, Harrigan, and Bosun.
It was ordained, then, that after all he should not
have the strength to continue, but must give up just as he had
reached land and was not far from men. This last death takes
me absolutely by surprise. Well I know that he was ex-
hausted, but so were we all ; that death was approaching when
Ajako and I departed I did not suspect.
What a tragic death, just as he had toiled through all
dangers and seemed safe at last. I cannot understand it — I
cannot understand it !
Yet it is true ; the man with whom for a long time I have
shared good and evil I shall see no more ! Like his sledge
comrade Hendrik, he has entered the great peace.
As soon as it was reported to me that people were coming
from Foulke Fjord, I immediately made everything ready to
send the boats out, whilst we commenced our preparations for
the reception we had planned for them. As I was informed
that some of the people were quite near, I went out to meet
them to hear what news they brought. I was at once surprised
to see Koch amongst them, for we had agreed that he and
Wulff were to be fetched by the boats ; but as I came up with
them Koch sat down on a stone, pale and without a word, and
the tears which rolled down his cheeks told me everything I
needed to know.
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GREENLAND BY THE POLAR SEA
A catastrophe had overtaken the expedition ; Wulff was
dead, fallen in the last fight for life.
As soon as Koch and I could collect ourselves after this sad
meeting, he reported to me all that had happened since the
25th of August. In the following pages I give his written
report, which contains all the details :
KOCiTS REPORT
"On the 25th of August Wulff and I were for the last
time with Knud Rasmussen and Ajako.
" The departure was to Wulff and me a happy one, because
it seemed to us that once more our future lay bright before us.
We believed that our comrades had strength enough to reach
people and bring help, and our experiences from Ajako 's hunt-
ing proved that in the vicinity there would be sufficient of hares
both for a couple of days' of rest and for a slow journey to-
wards Etah.
" Of Ajako's five hares we cooked in the course of the day
of the 25th two panfuls ; some of the more meaty pieces, alto-
gether rather more than one hare, were put away as provisions
for our comrades' journey, and our meal thus represented nearly
a whole full-grown hare for each man. For the first time for a
long period I felt perfectly satiated, but Wulff had, as usual,
left his ration still unfinished at eight o'clock in the evening.
He gave me a piece, and, as I protested, he declared that it was
utterly impossible for him to eat any more.
' During this meal he gave me a detailed description of his
physical condition. For the first time he used the expression
' dying ' about himself — an expression which at the time seemed
to me extravagant, as, at the same time, he opined that with a
few days of rest and reindeer meat he would once more be ready
to continue the journey.
' He spoke about the journey across the inland-ice as an
evil dream from which he had now awakened, and he was
awaiting the return of Inukitsoq and Bosun with impatient
2G0
A RACE WITH DEATH
longing, as he took it absolutely for granted that they would
return with reindeer meat.
"As I mentioned that perhaps for a while yet we would
have to content ourselves with hare meat, he waived this pos-
sibility aside, declaring that for a long time he had felt abso-
lutely disgusted at the sight of meat. But reindeer tallow
would soon put him on his feet again.
" He talked a lot and was very lively, the subject generally
being the provisions which in future he would use on his jour-
neys. About midnight he asked me to boil some water, which
he wanted to drink hot before he went to sleep, as his fingers
felt cold ; he then covered himself up for the night and I went
to rest.
" But all these new impressions affected me so that I could
not sleep, and at two o'clock in the morning I walked up the
mountain. I walked slowly and aimlessly, mainly to try what
strength I had got left. Up the first steep slopes every step
required a great output of energy, and I had to admit to myself
that I was very weak. From the mountain I saw a hare and I
climbed down again to our camp to fetch a gun, but the hare
was very shy, and I quickly gave up the hunt and returned to
the camp tired and hungry. The hunters were still absent,
and as Wulff was awake we decided to cook the dog-flesh which
was left over from the previous day on the glacier.
"Wulff merely took a small bone, but he drank two big
mugs of the hot soup.
At nine o'clock in the morning of the 26th I went to sleep
and only awoke when Inukitsoq stood by my side. The result
of the two days' hunting had been merely one hare, which was
eaten long ago. The hunt had failed entirely because of the
heavy fog which had lain on the terrain which they traversed.
Bosun had not much strength left and Inukitsoq also felt weary.
" Inukitsoq and I now discussed various plans, but in reality
there were only two to choose between. We must either break
up at once and go slowly in the direction of Marshall Bay —
where we might expect to meet people soon after our comrades
had reached Etah — making short daily marches, eating on the
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GREENLAND BY THE POLAR SEA
way according to the results of the hunting ; or Inukitsoq and
Bosun must try yet another reindeer hunt. This last plan,
however, appeared to me too risky ; two more days without
hunting would mean great exhaustion, especially for the
hunters, who, as we did not accompany them, would have to
carry the meat back to us as quickly as possible. No, there was
only one thing to do : we must go with them, set off immedi-
ately, whilst we have still some strength and together try our
hunting fortune.
" I communicated the result of my discussion with Inukitsoq
to Wulff, but otherwise I did not speak much to him, as we
were busily engaged in making the preparations for our journey.
We left everything. Each man brought merely a pair of travel-
ling kamiks and a rug. Further, we brought a rifle with about
thirty rifle cartridges and a double-barrelled gun with about
seventy small-shot cartridges. Wulff left his scientific diaries
and collections ; I brought my cartographical and geological
notes and sketches.
"We set off at four o'clock in the afternoon, but already
twenty minutes later Wulff wanted to give up and return to the
old camp. We did everything possible to induce him to con-
tinue ; to remain here alone would be certain death for him if
we did not quickly find better hunting. So we succeeded in
making him come along. Half an hour later Inukitsoq shot
the first hare, which we decided to eat raw, as we were all very
hungry. I asked Inukitsoq, now and in future, to undertake
the distribution of our rations, and he divided the hare so that
Wulff was allotted all the meat whilst the rest of us shared the
entrails — a decision against which Wulff, however, protested
emphatically. Inukitsoq always gave Wulff more meat than
the others, as in his opinion he was the one who needed most.
Only when, time after time, we observed that Wulff did not
finish his ration, the portions became more equal. The raw,
fresh meat was eaten with great gusto, and Wulff expressed
the opinion that perhaps this was healthier for him than the
boiled meat, of which he was tired.
" In spite of our bit of luck on this hunt, his spirits were
262
A RACE WITH DEATH
very low. He seemed on the point of losing courage alto-
gether. The sudden change from the rest on the skins — with
prospects of reindeer meat and tallow — to a fresh fight for life
had affected him strongly mentally. We had left the depot in
bright sunshine ; now the cold of night approached and the
fog again lay over the land. The ground across which we
walked was very rugged and the depressing fog, in combination
with the constant scrambling up and down the clefts, preyed
on Wulff "s mind so much that I began to fear he was on the
point of losing the will to live.
" About midnight we made camp. Inukitsoq had then got
another two young hares, which we cooked immediately.
Despite all appeals, Wulff merely ate half his ration, giving
the other half to Bosun. ' If I eat another mouthful I shall
bring it all up,' he declared. But the soup he drank with
great relish. Inukitsoq then went out hunting again, and after
an absence of two hours he returned at midnight with yet
another hare. More cooking ; but Wulff saved all his meat for
the following day, when he gave half of it away.
' The day had been good for us beyond expectation ; we
had merely walked for a few kilometres, had had a young hare
each, and plenty of sleep ; nevertheless Wulff complained con-
tinually. I now began to believe that his expression ' dying '
had not been exaggerated at all. But how could we succeed
in rousing his wish to live when he could not eat? Only a
reindeer could now save him ; but how could we get him so far
ahead when he himself had lost courage?
" The next day, the 27th of August, we continued after a
rest which, for Wulff and me, had lasted thirteen hours. We
had all slept well, even Wulff, but despite this and to our
anxiety, he seemed to be weaker than on the previous day.
Although we walked very slowly we had to wait for him con-
tinually all through the day. He complained constantly about
his heart and increasing anaemia. Time after time he enquired
about health resorts in Denmark, spoke about oatmeal gruel,
eggs, malt extract, and other fattening dishes.
" It had taken us three hours to walk 4 kilometres, and
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GREENLAND BY THE POLAR SEA
Inukitsoq had shot the first young hare. Shortly after he and
Bosun shot each a hare, and at Wulff's suggestion we immedi-
ately began to cook them. Whilst we others collected fuel and
cooked the meal Wulff slept incessantly. This lasted two hours.
" When the hares were cooked he, as usual, ate hardly any-
thing ; but he drank some soup, which warmed and stimulated
him. After this meal we slept for another couple of hours,
and, satiated and heavy, we continued at seven o'clock in the
evening. After an hour's walk Inukitsoq shot another hare,
and encouraged by this good fortune, we made camp as early
as nine o'clock. Bosun went out hunting at once, returning
by midnight with a hare. For the second time that day we
boiled meat, but Wulff had as yet some left from the last meal.
Again he gave it away, for, as he himself expressed it, meat
sickened him. But how could he regain his strength when he
persistently refused to eat his rations in spite of all our en-
treaties? He only became thinner every day.
" Another good day of travelling — short distances, much
rest, much meat. Although Wulff complained about his heart
the whole time, and about his stomach and his terrible weak-
ness, he made constant botanical observations which indicated
that his memory and his sense of observation were as yet sur-
prisingly fresh, in sharp contrast to his exhausted body. When
his fingers were too stiff for him to write, he dictated to me
that which he wished to put down. On the whole it enlivened
him considerably to speak about the plants he found on the
way. His botanical interests were as alive as ever and his
keenness to add to his results unchanged. Now and then the
hope seemed to awake that, in spite of all, he would be able to
manage, and this always stimulated him greatly. And why
not hope for the best? In two days we had shot and eaten
nine hares, we four men ! We saved nothing, partly because
we were yet too exhausted to carry anything, partly because
there was no indication that game would decrease further ahead.
On the contrary, we were going towards the real reindeer
district !
" But the next day was to be quite different from the two
264
A KACE WITH DEATH
previous days. All night we had sleet, and during the day
constant showers. This prevented us from seeing the hares.
Furthermore, we came into quite a different type of country,
with deep, stony eloughs, poor in vegetation. After four hours
of strenuous marching we decided to leave the border-zone of
the inland-ice and go towards the sea — towards the land with a
more even terrain, more fertile ground, and richer in game.
" As usual we started by noonday. In the afternoon Bosun
shot a young hare which we ate raw ; otherwise we saw no
game that day.
" On the top of every mountain slope we passed we had to
wait for Wulff, often for a long time, although it was to the
interest of us all to get quickly ahead to better hunting-
grounds. Thus it was that in twelve hours we had covered a
distance of hardly 8 kilometres. Wulff had several times
during the day been quite unbalanced, very irritable, and occa-
sionally not quite clear. During the day he had often declared
that it was better to die — ■' this walk was worse than death.'
" Again we had snow-showers during the night. Several
times I awoke and noticed that Wulff 's sleep was very restless,
and that he was constantly chewing tobacco — a practice which,
in spite of our warnings, he indulged in excessively of late.
" After twelve hours of rest we went on again. None of
us spoke much, but I noticed at once that peace had settled on
Wulff's thoughts. I was therefore highly surprised when,
after three hours, he suddenly stopped and said :
"'Now I can go no further because of my heart. Will
you find a place for me where I can lie down? — preferably near
to a lake where I can get something to drink, and where you
will be able to find me if you get game in the immediate future.'
" I had the definite impression that this was the result of a
man's ripe and well-considered reflection. It would be of no
avail to attempt to dissuade him. We had just sat down by a
lake near a large dough which would be easy to recognize, but
to gain time and yet another chance to save his life, I pointed
to a lake some 2 kilometres further ahead. He agreed to
my choice and we went together towards it ; once more to
265
GREENLAND BY THE POLAR SEA
encourage him I mentioned how comparatively near we were to
people, and how slight were the difficulties yet before us com-
pared with those we had already overcome.
" ' Yes,' said Wulff, ' to think of giving up after having
gone through so much and surmounted so many difficulties as
we already have ! No, rather make yet another attempt !
But,' he added, 'for all that, this is walking to one's own
funeral.'
" I at once told the Eskimos that Wulff had altered his
decision, so we set our course away from the lake again.
" The snow had ceased to fall, there was some wind from
the north, and still some fog lay across the land. The Eskimos
parted company to hunt each in his direction ; two hours later
Bosun returned with fresh excrements of reindeer, which he
ate. We were standing by the edge of a big clough, and down
into this Bosun and Inukitsoq went, seeking reindeer. As
Wulff had again remained some way behind, I went up on a
mountain crag to look out for game. He had sat down, but as
soon as he sighted me he called up to me : ' All right, you go
down into the clough ; I am coming soon.'
"This we did. At the bottom of the clough the hunters
had lost the tracks of the reindeer, so we all sat down, chewing
willow-roots whilst we waited.
"As Wulff came down to us the first thing he said was :
' Well, dear comrades, here I will rest ; I think there will be
shelter by the great stone on the other side of the river.'
" He spoke quite calmly, and no emotion was noticeable.
As I made another attempt to coax him to continue, he replied
definitely and shortly : ' No, I cannot continue ; there is an
end to it now ! Just do me the service to write a few letters
for me, and let the Eskimos boil some water so that I can get
a little warmth in my body whilst I dictate the letters.' Then
he rose and walked up to the big stone which he had selected ;
and here he had laid down when I reached the spot.
" In vain I considered what I could do to help Wulff, and
in vain did I discuss the situation with the Eskimos, who were
gripped uncannily by his last decision. But we were absolutely
266
A RACE WITH DEATH
powerless when he himself gave up and refused to go on. To
remain in the big clough void of game would be certain death
for us all.
"My own position was not much different from Wulff's.
I also was weak and my life depended entirely upon the hunt
of the Eskimos ; I myself had no strength to hunt. If both
Wulff and I remained in the clough there would be two instead
of one to relieve, in case the luck of the hunt should turn ; and
if this did not soon happen the Eskimos' strength also would
probably run out, and help would fail. In that case it would
mean not merely catastrophe for us all, but the dearly-bought
results of our expedition would be lost, as nobody would be able
to find us in this clough. There was nothing for it ; we who had
as yet not given in must continue without Wulff ; that was the
only chance for the four of us. Further, Wulff was quite
clear as to the position and its hopeless seriousness. Inukitsoq
and Bosun had hunted incessantly since we had arrived on
land ; they had shirked no exertion — often they had gone out
again when we were camping, and faithfully had they brought
to us whatever booty they caught. And so far this had been
comparatively plenty. But what was the good of it all when
Wulff would no longer eat the only thing we could procure —
boiled hare? And now he himself had preferred to remain
lying here.
" As soon as the water was boiled and he had drunk himself
warm, he dictated a letter to Knud Rasmussen — a detailed
letter which set out his Last Will. After that he himself wrote
a letter to his parents and his daughter. Occasionally I noticed
some emotion, but he was absolutely calm.
"When he had finished the letter he lit his pipe and dic-
tated to me a botanical survey of the vegetation in Inglefield
Land. This was the last thing he did. We then lay speaking
for awhile, and whilst we were discussing a probable rescue he
said : ' I suppose if I remain perfectly quiet I can live for an-
other couple of days, and if during the next few days you can
shoot a reindeer I shall, of course, be glad of relief. But it is
no earthly good coming back with hare-bones. If several days
267
GREENLAND BY THE POLAR SEA
should elapse and you then meet with people, it is probable
that only oatmeal gruel and port wine can save me.'
4i He then enquired how long I myself thought I could last.
I replied that without hunting I supposed I had the strength to
walk for yet another day, whilst the Eskimos probably could
keep up for a couple of days.
" By now we had remained with Wulff for a good couple of
hours, and as the Eskimos were impatient to continue the in-
terrupted hunting I made ready to break up. Although the
situation in itself was a sad one, I did not at the moment feel
very touched at the departure : I myself was too weak, and I
had a feeling of walking to meet my own death.
' ' Wulff remained quiet as we went ; his last words to us
were : ' Well, I will finally wish for you personally that you
may reach your goal. When you meet difficulties, remember
that now it is you that must save our results. May good fortune
follow you. And now farewell ! '
" Again the fog had rolled up, and it all appeared to me so
enormously depressing, as we had great difficulty in finding our
way. Three hours later the weather cleared up somewhat, and
we obtained a view towards the coast. The land inshore was al-
most bare of snow, and we set our course towards it. About mid-
night we went to rest, wet and cold after wading across a river.
In my diary I wrote that on the following day I should prob-
ably be able to reach Cape Scott without food, but that would
be the finish of me ; but here at least my diary would have a
chance of being found.
' It was then too cold to sleep, and not until the morning
of the next day were we able to get a couple of hours. By then
there was clear sunshine and for the first time we had a view
across the land. We found that we were by the middle one of
the three little fjords which run inland between Cape Scott and
Cape Agassiz. Cape Scott, where my followers during the
spring had shot three hares and noticed tracks of reindeer, was
also plainly visible. So we decided at once to set our course
right for Cape Scott. I was now very weak ; all the various
sensations of hunger I had experienced on the inland-ice
268
A RACE WITH DEATH
returned in an aggravated form. In addition to great weariness
I felt eonsiderable dizziness, and a frequent blackness before
the eyes.
" About three o'clock we gathered a panful of fungi and
boiled them ; that gave us new strength to continue.
" Evening came and we had still seen no game. Suddenly
we spied a brood of long-tailed ducklings swimming on a lake.
The Eskimos shot six, which we cooked, and after that we
continued, reaching Cape Scott just before midnight.
" Here Inukitsoq and Bosun shot six hares, and for the first
time we had an opportunity to consider whether we could
rescue Wulft". The position was this : We could start from
Cape Scott two days after we had left him and would then be
able to reach him at the earliest twenty-four hours later. Wulff
woidd then have been without food for four days, and we could
offer him only hare meat, which he had definitely said would
be useless. Furthermore, in order to rescue him we would
have to have enough of food for the journey there and back.
If before the start we ourselves were to have a meal which
woidd be of any help in our exhausted condition, we should
only have three hares left for the rescue, and as this was hope-
less we had to give up the idea. Only a reindeer to-day or at
the latest to-morrow woidd be able to save him. But, unfor-
tunately, this stroke of luck only arrived when every hope of
finding Wolff alive had vanished.
"During the following three days we got so many hares
that we had sufficient daily provision, but we never had such a
surplus as to make rescue possible.
" On the evening of the 2nd of September Inukitsoq and
Bosun shot two reindeer, but at the same time a thick fog
settled on the land. We then definitely abandoned any
thought of returning to Wulff, for not until ten days after his
last meal could we be with him again, and it was not probable
that in his exhausted condition he would have been able to resist
the night frost and hunger for so long.
" There was now no other alternative but to go down to
Etah, and as quickly as possible report to the leader of the
2G9
GREENLAND BY THE POLAR SEA
expedition Wulff's death, and inform him of the collections
which still remained by the point of descent. But as we were
still very weary and I myself very weak, we rested for two days
by the shot reindeer.
" Early in the morning of the 4th of September we heard
shots in our immediate vicinity — they came from one of the
Eskimos Knud Rasmussen had sent to our relief ; he had shot
a reindeer close to us. We got into immediate communication
with him. The day after we met another man, and on the 6th
we set out and reached at length the sledges and the depot of
provisions sent from Etah, which proved to be not far from our
reindeer camp. We reached it on the 7th of September, and
in the evening of the 10th we were in Etah, where immediately
I reported in detail to the leader of the expedition."
270
CHAPTER XIV
A RUNIC MEMORIAL
THE life of Thorild Wulff was so motley and adventurous
that he himself was not always quite clear as to the
sequence of the incidents in which he had such an astonish-
ing knack of finding himself playing a part wherever he hap-
pened to be in the world. Often during our journey I asked
him to give me a complete survey of his life's work and experi-
ence, but he always shook his head and said smilingly that he
was only able to relate by sections the story of the forty years
of his life if he had to live them over again in memory. A
connected survey he would only be able to give me when he got
home and had time to look up his diaries and notes.
No man possessed to the same degree that great restlessness
which created action ; but, unfortunately for himself and for
us, he lacked the ability of finding that peace of mind which
expresses itself in steady work with books and reports. Few
men possessed such all-embracing knowledge and such excellent
training in readiness for the use of a supreme brain ; never have
I met a man who so literally and personally had taken possession
of the earth, and therefore we his friends, who knew the
amount of matter which perished with him, mourn the fact
that he has left no great production behind him. But he
himself probably found that he did not need it, and a glance at
the different data of his life fully substantiates the view that he
had no need to erect a verbal memorial for himself.
Thorild Wulff was born in Gothenburg on the 1st of April,
1877, matriculated in 1894, and studied botany in Lund. In
1899 he made his first great journey as a member of a Swedo-
Russian Expedition for the measurement of degrees, during
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GREENLAND BY THE POLAR SEA
which he collected material for the treatise which in 1909 pro-
cured for him his Doctor's degree : " Botanische Beobaehtun-
gen aus Spitzbergen." After this Thorild Wulff's life became
so full of events that I dare not entirely trust to my memory of
his own statements. Dr. Birger Selim, of Stockholm, has
kindly put his excellent necrology from ' ' Ymer ' ' at my dis-
posal, and from this the following matter is extracted :
For a number of years Wulff spent his life travelling in the
East and in the tropics. Before he left Europe, however, he
had, travelling in Germany, France, and England, keenly
studied every branch of life and knowledge.
In 1902-3 we find him on a botanical exploration in India.
On this journey he devoted himself not merely to botany, he
also got a thorough knowledge of Indian architecture, and a
small brochure he wrote on this subject has often been alluded
to as a striking proof of the quick receptiveness of his brain.
Later on he settled down in Stockholm, and from 1906 to
1909 he was attached to the Central Institution for Experi-
mental Agriculture. During this period, which represents an
intermezzo in Wulff's roaming life, he had a good opportunity
to study scientific problems, and, as the editor of the periodical
Tradg&rden, he showed considerable ability in making his scien-
tific knowledge generally accessible through well-written and
instructive popular articles.
In 1909 he left the Institute of Experimental Agriculture
to become lecturer in botany at Stockholm's Hogskola.
In 1911 he journeyed to Iceland. This was the second time
Wulff had visited the island of the Sagas, and between his two
visits he had repeatedly travelled in Lapland. On these shorter
journeys he rested and made his plans for the longer ones.
Whilst he loved to appear suddenly like a comet in the big
towns, for awhile " blowing a storm over the duck-pond," this
man of fete and work constantly required air under his wings ;
he was ever ready for migration as soon as the autumnal mood
fell on his mind.
In July, 1912, he was set a task which entirely engrossed
him. A very large capital was put privately at his disposal to
272
A RUNIC MEMORIAL
enable him to travel to China, in order to procure collections
for the Rohsska Kunstslojdniuseum in Gothenburg. But pre-
vious to this he set out on a journey of study throughout
Europe, in order to make himself conversant with the collec-
tions of Chinese art in the important museums. In the autumn
he travelled to Siberia, visited the battle-grounds of Mukden,
and in September settled down in Peking, wherefrom he made
excursions into Mongolia and China.
On the same journey he received from the Ethnographical
Section of the Riksmuseum in Stockholm a considerable sum of
money, with the proposal that he should also collect for this
museum anything of interest. In the yearly report of the
Ethnographical Museum for 1916 Wulff's collection is esti-
mated to number 956 articles. This collection gives a com-
plete picture of life in China, not merely before the revolution,
but also from the oldest time.
Wulff's sojourn in China was rich in adventures ; he himself
most frequently mentioned a relief expedition in which he took
part in June, 1913, to save a friend, the Scottish telegraphist
Mr. Grant, who had been kidnapped and carried away by
Mongolian robbers. The expedition reached the camp of the
robbers, but simultaneously as they were informed that their
friend had been murdered long ago, they themselves were
captured and were to be executed. After two days of waiting
the chief of the tribe was accidentally informed that a son of
Director Henningsen from Store Nordiske was amongst the
condemned. As soon as the chief heard this, the sentence of
death was annulled, as he had once received great hospitality at
one of the stations of Det Store Nordiske Telegrafselskab. The
white men were then led away under guard, whilst as a com-
pensation the Chinese followers were beheaded.
In 1914 Wulff went from China to Japan, where he did not
content himself merely with gaining a thorough knowledge of
the life and customs of the modern Japanese, but also went to
the island Yesso to study the Aino people, now becoming
extinct. He succeeded here in collecting rich material, in the
form of museum objects, pictures, and written notes ; unfor-
S 273
GREENLAND BY THE POLAR SEA
tunately the latter were never developed into a book. Wulff
is surely the last explorer to see and study the Aino people at a
time when results were yet to be obtained ; he himself used to
emphasize that the collector who followed him would have to
leave without achieving anything.
Subsequently he journeyed via Sumatra to Java, where he
was also making collections, especially on the two little islands
Bali and Lombock, where he found himself at the outbreak of
the World War, and from which he commenced his return
journey in the beginning of October on board the Swedish
steamer Nipon.
In the spring of 1916 he put his name down as a member of
the second Thule Expedition to North Greenland, and on this
expedition he made the greatest sacrifice to science which a
man can make.
The letter Wulff sent me through Koch was a detailed Last
Will — concerning partly his botanical results, partly his house
and property in Stockholm.
It begins thus :
" The constant hunger and toil of the summer and the
almost absolute lack of food of the last two days have caused
such a decrease in my physical strength that even by summon-
ing all my will-power I am unable to follow Koch and the
Eskimos further. As their salvation depends upon the pos-
sibility of reaching better hunting-ground as speedily as
possible, it will merely be a weight on the party if I drag on
further. With perfect peace of mind I therefore say Good-
bye, thanking you all for good comradeship on the expedition,
and hoping that you will be able to save yourselves and our
results."
Deeply moved, I read these resigned words of farewell,
which in their simplicity had over them the great final solem-
nity. Truly they expressed a man's open and calm glance at
death. To the last he had been engaged in getting the most
possible out of his work. A holy fire had kept fresh and
274
A RUNIC MEMORIAL
receptive to impressions the tottering and exhausted wanderer's
sense of observation. With fingers stiff with cold he had noted
down up to the very last day everything of botanical interest,
and when he himself could write no more he dictated before
Koch's departure a short resume of the vegetation in the district
which witnessed his last hopeless fight for life.
It is written as an addition to his diary notes and is as follows :
" All the plant localities here mentioned lie on N. Lat. 79°
between Cape Agassiz and 15 to 20 kilometres to the west of it.
Vegetation has been unusually rich and vigorous, quite a dif-
ferent and luxurious type to the one of the north coast of
Greenland. Several of the varieties have surely their northern
border here. I have not seen sign of them farther north. A
careful examination of the vegetation between Cape Agassiz
and Etah from July to the first part of August is sure to give
very good botanical results. In my exhausted condition I can
do nothing further."
'--
There is no call for commentary. In the manner in which
Wulff departed from life he himself wrote his simple and brief
epitaph, which, together with his excellent botanical work, will
preserve his name as long as an interest in the solution of
scientific problems exists. In deep sorrow we will lower the
flag for this Swedish explorer who found his death on the white
field of honour, working until he fell.
HAKRIGAN'S REPORT
The following report which Harrigan gave after his arrival
at Etah, and which I wrote down immediately from his dicta-
tion, is given as a supplement to Koch's report :
" On the day when Wulff gave up and sought a place where
he could lie down to die, we were all exhausted and weary. We
were very thin and suffered from anaemia. This was plainly
visible from our veins, which almost disappeared, and made
itself felt by sensations of giddiness ; further, we had difficulty
in keeping warm, especially our hands and feet.
275
GREENLAND BY THE POLAR SEA
"If we had been on the inland-ice or open ice, where
we should have had a sledge, we would have tried to pull Wulff
along, as we did occasionally during the last days on the inland-
ice. But on this snow-bare land of doughs it would be a matter
either of carrying him — and none of us had the strength for
this — or remaining with him ; but as we should have to go a
long distance before there was any game, this also proved im-
possible ; it would be to seek death for ourselves without being
able to help our dying comrade.
" And Wulff would eat nothing, at any rate no hare meat ;
of our last bag he tasted merely a mouthful of hare liver,
although he might have eaten meat to repletion. We could
do nothing for him.
"I believe he was ill, for during the last few nights he
moaned often during his sleep.
"We had no alternative but to leave him behind, as he
himself demanded. If we found reindeer in a place from which
we could return whilst he was yet alive, we might still be able
to save him. But this was the only possibility.
" We plucked grass and heather and made as soft and
sheltered a bed for him as we could, and here he lay down when
it was ready.
" As we arose to continue our journey he nodded a smiling
farewell. And this smile from the poor man who had lain
down to die was my last impression of Wulff. I believe that
he would very quickly sleep into death."
Inukitsoq, or Harrigan as we called him, had surely been
the one who, by his hunting, up to the very last did the most to
keep Wulff alive. It is of interest to see the characteristics of
this man which Wulff himself gives on a leaf of his diary, which
has no connection with the general notes from day to day :
" Harrigan, a quiet, silent man, conscious of his own
strength, endurance, and ability to carry on in all weathers,
but without boasting. A lithe, beautiful, muscular body which
works with all the light elegant harmony of the sportsman and
the savage. A decidedly humorous mind which helps him
276
A RUNIC MEMORIAL
through all difficult and annoying situations. A good father
for his team of dogs, and a perfect artist with regard to driving
and the finding of a way through the worst of pressure-ice, a
pathfinder in the wilderness with the spontaneous compass-like
sense of locality of the savage, and an exceedingly fine seal-
hunter on the ice with his stalking-sail. In a word : a fine and
well-trained example of his tribe, and this means a good deal
among the Polar Eskimos, who are all, without exception,
hardened, quick-witted hunters without a flaw."
When a catastrophe like Dr. Wulff's death occurs, it is
natural that the responsible man puts to himself the question
whether he could have planned otherwise. But even now, so
long after, I cannot see but that what we did was the only
right thing. Koch has in his reports explained his dispositions
during the walk towards the relief sledges, a report which grips
one by its sober brevity. It is therefore only natural that I
should add a few words to that which has already been said
about Ajako 's and my journey for relief. I have told in what
condition we reached land, and how necessary it was that we
should get in touch with people as soon as possible. I chose for
myself and Ajako the most risky and difficult task — with the
shortest possible rest to walk the longest distance. And whilst
the others merely advanced as slowly as their condition required,
constantly seeking the districts which provided the best hunt-
ing, it was our task to force our way ahead irrespective of the
question of the game.
I had pointed out to Wulff and Koch that a slow journey
with short marches would furnish them with the necessary
game. This came true with the exception of that one day when
Wulff gave up.
A single comparison will serve as an illustration of the
different travelling conditions offered to the two parties : Ajako
and I walked from Cape Agassiz to the great ice-mountain
lake, where the relief sledges were to be met, in a little more
than two nights and days, and on all this stretch we had only
one hare. The others took about twelve days to reach the
277
GREENLAND BY THE POLAR SEA
same point, and killed twenty-four hares, six ducklings, and
two reindeer.
On the whole of the expedition Dr. Wulff had shown him-
self to be a quick and enduring walker. On the inland-ice he
managed excellently in spite of the very short rations of pem-
mican and meat. Not until we had to live entirely on dog-flesh
did he collapse. Notwithstanding this, I am convinced that
he would have managed after all had not the exhaustion and
weakness consequent on the passage across the many glacier
rivers used up his last energy. When anaemia and pains in the
heart set in he collapsed. Not until then did he lie down to
meet the death which he had no longer the strength to evade.
It is my conviction that Wulff 's death was easy, for he was
in that state of physical exhaustion when the change from life
to death is not very great, and in which death comes as a sleep
which one feels that one needs more than anything else and
which almost unnoticeably carries one out of life. He had
his hardest days together with us during the period which he
describes in his diary, and which will here be reproduced.
Our physical energy was so low after the last few months
of under-nourishment, that we were not far from that state in
which, after all, everything appears quite indifferent to one.
The will also claims some material nourishment, even though
for a period one may force one's constitution to perform
miracles, simply because one will and must. As long as one
is capable of this, one is quite indifferent to what he eats so long
as he feels that he is capable of getting up again after the
short rests.
One must shut one's brain to arguments of any kind and
try to force one's thoughts to refrain from playing with intoler-
able food phantasies ; one must look ahead in such a way that
one does not even accept the hopelessness of the moment.
Wulff not only gave in to his food phantasies, he even discussed
in his diary his state of exhaustion, and regarded the last walks
towards people as worse than death. Thought of this kind can
merely lead to the breaking of the will and a weak surrender.
One then genuinely feels that there is onlv one desirable
278
A RUNIC MEMORIAL
thing, and that is to be permitted to give up the fight and die
in peace. Every time one gets up to go on, all the agonies are
intensified, and one feels that relief could only come if one
were allowed to lie down and without a thought for the sur-
roundings seek peace in a long, long sleep. Life amongst
other people appears so distant, so unobtainable, that for the
moment it seems a matter of indifference ; death has lost its
sting, and one accepts it as a welcome necessity. Hunger is
felt no longer ; it belongs to the time when one was well and
had strength to resist it ; one merely feels a weakness so over-
whelming that peace cannot come until at length one lies down
for the last long sleep.
Dr. Wulff was in this state when, after an incomplete rest,
he had to take up anew the fight for life with all the physical
suffering which paralyzed his will, and through his last diary
notes we obtain a gripping picture of the fight which he fought
until at last death proved the stronger.
EXTRACTS FROM DR. WULFFS LAST DIARY
"August 24th. — We start from Camp 18 at 9.15 a.m.
Land five kilometres distant near the goal. Big Cryokonite
holes. Descent rather steep. The last dog is being killed.
Several glacier torrents are crossed. Dead tired, half uncon-
scious. Reach the gneiss cliffs 7.30 p.m. after exactly three
weeks' march, four hundred kilometres across the inland-ice.
Tracks of hare and reindeer.
" Camp 19. — The Edge of the Inland-Ice. 8 p.m.
"Calm. Fog. Drizzle. We lie down to sleep on moun-
tain shelves. Cold, tent cannot be pitched. The three Eskimos
immediately go hunting, indefatigable. All through the night
veritable cannon-shot from the edge of the ice which runs
down into a small lake. L. leucopterus. Veget. on the
mountain terrace autumnal. 5° during the night, hoar-frost.
SaJLv arctica quite light yellow, and in fruct. Luz. confusa,
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GREENLAND BY THE POLAR SEA
Sax. oppositifol., Cernua nivalis, tricuspidata, the latter vigor-
ous, still in bloom, blood-red, Papaver, Draba.
"August 25th. — Ajako returns 6 a.m. with five hares.
Boiled hare and delicious liver, heart, meat and strong soup,
but I am incredibly sick of the meat diet and all the boiled meat
ever since a year ago. Thinking merely of peas, salt pork, pan-
cake, jam, bread, fruit, brandy, coffee, chocolate. Nevertheless
I eat as much as I can to regain the wish to live and conquer my
weakness. New ice formed last night on the lake. Feel con-
tinually reduced in strength. Cassiope, StelJ. Jongipes. Aspid.
fragrans.
" Harrigan got another two hares, all three young with
grey heads — one was eaten raw, two were boiled. Potentilla
nivea, rubricaulis, emarginata, Dryas, broad-leaved, smooth,
octopetala-like, typical integrifolia and var. canescens. Very
commonly Myrtillus uliginosa, scattered extensive mats, Salix
arctica, with broadly oval and narrow lance-shaped leaves, highly
variable, Pedicularis hirsuta.
" Knud and Ajako started out on foot this evening at
6 o'clock for Etah (approx. 200 km.), the straight road across
land to send us relief sledges and provisions.
"Myrtillus uliginosa, Pyrola uniflora, Wahlbergella (large,
not triflor.).
" Drink warm water for supper.
"August 26th. — Koch during the night went for a few
hours' walk inland. Stalked a hare in vain. I am sleepless,
tortured by a persistent carbuncle on the ham. Clear cold
night. Eat in the morning the last remnants of the last dog.
Harrigan and Bosun return 2 p.m. after nearly two days' un-
successful hunt. Got a hare which they ate row. No reindeer.
We must break up at once and go towards Marshall Bay.
"Thrown away theodolite, two cameras, bandages, clothes,
everything which we can yet do without. Remains now the
most serious flight for life. To think of collecting plants now
is impossible. If we can manage to get off with our lives it is
great. We four men have absolutely nothing edible and ob-
viously bad prospects of hunting. All weak but in good spirits.
280
A RUNIC MEMORIAL
This helplessness, when strength leaves one, is hideous. I am
only a skeleton now and shiver with eold. 5.80 i>.ni. we make
clear to continue westward. Everything is left behind. I have
only my reindeer-skin coat and a pair of extra kaniiks. Plants
and films and notebooks remain by the edge of the inland-ice,
under a stone above the terrace where we slept the last two
days. We do not even carry tent or Primus, merely guns, as
we are dead-tired. This will be a march towards death if a
miracle docs not happen. Gun and cartridges are brought.
" Harrigan shot a small hare 7 cm. long. Lesquerella,
Hesperis, Cerast. alp., Kobresia, C. nard., Erioph. polyst.
" Poa cenisia. Trisetum, Hierochloa, Luzula nivalis, Sax.
opposit. Floicer. Alsinc verna, Silene acaulis.
" Knud went 25/8 in the evening, can surely reach Etah in
6 or 7 days, and then the relief sledges could reach us by the
edge of the inland-ice about the 4th of Sept. and we be in Etah
7/8 Sept., saved from this struggle with death of starvation
which has lasted since the middle of May. Hideous memories
which for ever put a gloomy colour on life. When deadly
indifference to life appears and weakness gets the upper hand
even food phantasies disappear, and the thoughts occupy them-
selves with those at home and with the strange sum total of life.
" Rather good sleep in spite of boil. Start noon. Grey
cold fog. Along the edge of the inland-ice. Got before
3 p.m. 3 hares, cooked. Continue towards west 7 p.m. Block-
terrain, sluggardly landscape. Think mostly of a visit to some
health resort for my poor worn-out gaunt body and suffer-
ing soul.
" Drag along for 2 hours in eold fog, heavy, stony, cliff-
terrain until 9 p.m. Got in the evening another grey-headed
young hare. Minus 1'4°. Camp for the night on the moss
between stone-blacks near a small border-lake by the inland-
ice which we follow. Were I only at a Sanatorium. This is
worse than death.
" Day's march approx. 6 km., to-day 5 km.
" August 27th. — As we brought nothing but 2 guns, 3 rugs,
281
GREENLAND BY THE POLAR SEA
my coat, 5 boxes of matches and a pan, our rig-out for 2-3
weeks' autumn campaign is very simple and ' Eskimo.' To
sleep 11 p.m. on the mossy slope. Fog sets in, minus 0 5° and
a little snow. The Eskimos — those energetic savages — again
after hare — return.
" 4 p.m. — Entrails eaten as usual raw, the blood goes into
the soup, then a fresh cooking of hare. Glorious, four hares
in one day for four men — that means life for us. The soup is
drunk by turns from the pan as we have left our cups. My
strength which was almost exhausted returns and I hope to
conquer the dizzy feeling of head and heart, but last four days
I have been nearer death than life. Can again permit myself
a small plug of tobacco, which previously was poison for my
empty stomach. Hope the diarrhoea after the dog-diet will
stop. The hare tastes beautifully, like chicken. We make fire
of Cassiope or better still with old dry branches of Sdlix arctica,
finger- thick. Veget. finished for the year, everything yellow
and brown, ready for winter's rest. Fruit of Cassiope, Sax.
opposit., tricusp., Dnjas, PotentiUa, Drabee, Wahlbergella,
etc. — Wahlberg. affinis and triflorum.
"A loon, geese, terns, buntings in flocks. Midnight
gloom, gneiss knolls, tracks of reindeer.
" August 28th. — Bosun a hare during night. Cold. Fog.
Falling snow. Diarrhoea. Misery. Start 1 p.m. through
snow. Colpodium, Cystopteris (com.), Lycopod. Selago,
Rhododendron, red-polls in flocks, terns, falcons, plenty of
animal life and rich plankton in several little lakes. Sax. cernua,
foot high with top leaf. Myrtillus ulig. blood-red, very com-
mon, always without fruit. J. biglumis, EpiJob. latifol. ster.,
Hesperis com. in fruit, Oxyria, Draba nivalis, hirta, Cardam.
bellidifoJ. Bosun a young hare 4.30 a.m. Driving snow, fog.
Shared the entrails at once and ate them raw, warmth in body.
Yes, the whole hare was divided in 4 pieces which were eaten
raw. Strenuous march until 12.30 a.m. without finding
game.
"August 29th. — I am half-dead, but found Woodsia ilv.
282
A RUNIC MEMORIAL
iS Lay down at 7 p.m. for I will not hamper the movements
of my comrades on which hangs their salvation."
Thus died Wulff, sacrificing himself for the results from
which he had expected so much. Often during the latter part
of the journey he had maintained that the collections which we
had brought with us under all adversities had gradually become
so dearly-bought that now they must be considered even before
our own welfare. Therefore, at the critical moment, he made
his dispositions with stoic calm and took his departure from the
people nearest to his heart. His letter to his young daughter
was a last caress of a father, marked by death, to the one who
in life he had set above everything. Words at once proud and
tender, which ought not to be reproduced here. But his filial
greeting from the threshold of death to his old parents, who
would in vain await his return, we reproduce with their per-
mission as the most beautiful memorial that can be erected over
a dying man :
" With stiff frozen fingers, merely a final greeting before I,
exhausted with the adversities of the journey, lie down to rest.
I await death with a perfectly calm mind and in my heart is
peace. Up to the last I have honestly striven to honour our
name and hope that the result of my work may be saved.
Thank you for all the good you have bestowed upon me, as a
gift for the wanderings of mv life, ever since my earliest
childhood."
283
CHAPTER XV
HOME TO THULE
THE first three weeks we spent in Etah were entirely occu-
pied in regaining our strength as quickly as possible. It
was quite uncanny to see, as soon as we got our clothes
off, how hunger had ravaged our bodies ; we were so thin that
ribs and chest especially showed sharply through the skin. But
although we had been as bad as we could possibly be if our lives
were to be saved, it was surprising how soon we recovered. It
was as if our entire organism had been purified and renewed,
for after less than a month had elapsed we were in better form
than we had ever been before. We were then able to set to
again, and much we had to do and many dispositions we had
to make. We now knew that no ship would arrive to fetch us,
and that we must calmly look forward to another wintering.
This period of waiting, with its primitive conditions of life,
could scarcely offer us opportunities for important work. We
must go southward as soon as might be, for it was clear that a
prolonged stay in Etah would not be possible.
The Eskimos' autumn hunt had entirely failed, and it
would be unjustifiable of us to use more than was strictly neces-
sary of the American provisions our hosts possessed ; in the
course of the winter they themselves would need them. Already
by the end of September every day meant a fight for meat.
There were a fair number of hares in the neighbourhood, and
they were eagerly hunted, but although the bags were good
they did not last out well, for no less than twenty-eight people
were living in the house of the expedition. Twice a day we
gathered for a big common meal towards which every hunter
contributed ; but although the will to give was there, it was
284.
HOME TO THULE
obvious that it would be preferable for us to move on to new
feeding-grounds.
But the expedition had still two tasks unaccomplished. We
were very unwilling to leave the district without having done
our utmost to bury Wulff ; and the collections of the expedi-
tion were yet lying by the point of descent near Cape Agassiz,
and these would have to be fetched as soon as possible ; other-
wise we ran the risk of bears or foxes destroying the depots.
For an immediate start none of us had the clothes, and, apart
from a few supplementary articles, nothing was to be had at
Etah. Our outfit had to be procured from one of the larger
camps near Inglefield Bay, where we knew there was always
an abundance of those furs which we so badly missed here. So
we made the following arrangements :
Koch should remain, until further notice, in Etah, with some
families who did not wish to go southward yet. All the others
were to leave Etah and attempt autumn hunting on the new ice
to the south, whereby the question of provisions would be easier
for those who remained. They had yet considerable stores of
cereals, flour, peas, vegetables, and pork. It was fresh meat
we were short of as long as there were many of us.
Together with all the southward-bound sledges, I was to
cross the glacier to Neqe, wherefrom, as soon as the conditions
of the ice permitted, I was to force the journey to Thule. It was
high time that, from my station, I should prepare as well as
possible for another wintering. Immediately after my arrival
Peter Freuchen was to journey up to Koch, and with the latter
undertake the journey to Inglefield Land. Ajako and Bosun,
who were to accompany them on this journey, must for the
present go to Igdluluarssuit, where I would find clothes, dogs,
and other outfit for both of them. Only in this way did we
think it possible to carry through the task which yet
remained.
An attempt which had already been made to bury Dr. Wulff
and to fetch our things near the inland-ice had miscarried, and
that although the task was left in the hands of Ajako, he being
the one who was soonest restored to health after our arrival at
285
GREENLAND BY THE POLAR SEA
Etah. The point was to utilize the period before the Polar
darkness descended, wherefore I had borrowed a team of dogs
for Ajako, who, with two Etah sledges, started on the 19th of
September the same way across the inland-ice as that by which
we had come. Unfortunately, the ill-famed autumn storms
began immediately after his departure, and on the 27th of
September we all had the disappointment of seeing him return
without having been able to reach his goal. He said that up
on the glacier they had been weather-bound for a whole week,
during violent drifts of snow, and as the dog food was exhausted
and their own provision almost eaten up, they had been forced
to turn back. On this journey Ajako and his companions had
been provisioned chiefly with walrus, which he himself had shot
during the stay at Etah. It was not possible to procure more
dog food for a quick fresh start and a prolonged absence, and
this was the reason why we found ourselves forced to fetch
meat from neighbourhoods with ampler supplies on the other
side of the inland-ice.
Koch was given the task to go north and carry out the work
already mentioned, as soon as the necessary outfit was ready.
By Igdluluarssuit and Ulugssat I succeeded in the course of a
week, by borrowing and buying, in finding outfits for Ajako
and Bosun, both with regard to dogs and clothes ; they then left
immediately to fetch, via Etah, the collections by Humboldt's
Glacier, which could now be reached by the ocean-ice. But
Koch's clothes were not yet ready, and as it took a longer time
than originally estimated to get into communication with
Freuchen, I told Koch to let Ajako and the others drive up for
the collections whilst he himself was to await Freuchen's arrival.
In the company of the latter he was then, when his own outfit
was ready, to drive up to the clough to the north-east of Cape
Scott to bury Dr. Wulff.
In various ways, however, the sledges were delayed, and
when at last they reached Etah, with Freuchen still absent and
Koch's outfit unfinished, Koch was of the opinion that the day-
light was already now so weak that it was high time to start.
Resolute as always, he decided to accompany Ajako, and
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HOME TO THULE
because of his worn-out clothes he endured an unusually hard
voyage in the cold autumn. The district round Cape Scott
was reached one of the last days in October, but unfortunately
it soon proved impossible to find the place where two months
ago we had parted from Wulff. At that time the land had
been quite snow-bare, but now there was much snow ; doughs
and stones were drifted over, so that the place was unrecog-
nizable, it being difficult to get a proper survey of the land
because of the faint daylight. Further search had to be given
up, and the expedition limited their activities to the fetching
of the collections near Cape Agassiz. All these arrived in
Thule in good condition in the middle of November. My own
journey from Etah to Thule, which was hampered in many
ways because of the season, I will describe by the following
notes from my diary :
On the first of October I set out with the Etah sledges
across the fjord-ice to the glacier. We break up in a terrible
storm ; it always blows at Etah when there is a clear sky and
fine weather in other places. The storm and the drifting snow
pursue us right up to the inland-ice, where we pitch our tent
at three o'clock in the morning after fourteen hours' driving.
A very cold night.
As I have no sleeping-bag, I wake up with chattering teeth
after two hours' sleep, and propose to set off. We start at
seven o'clock in the morning after a few warming basins
of tea.
Fine, calm weather, heavy going, a good deal of snow on
the glacier, but we decide to stick it — and we do stick it in
spite of laggard dogs — and arrive at the camp of Neqe, without
having had any more sleep, at four o'clock in the morning of
the 3rd. Great reception by women only. The men had
gone out hunting reindeer in Inglefield Land on the day
previous to our arrival.
There was now new ice seaward as far as we could see, with
open water alongshore some way into the fjord.
We remained at Neqe for a day, and were heartily enter-
287
GREENLAND BY THE POLAR SEA
tained all day through in all the houses with feasts of delicious
Mattak.
On the morning of the 5th we must once more cross the
inland-ice by the mountain Naujartalik, and we arrived across
a local glacier at Igdluluarssuit in the evening. Here lived
Sipsu, who had accompanied us on the outward journey to
Hall's Grave, and our reception was no less hearty when we
met old travelling companions. Clothes were made for our-
selves, musk-ox skin was prepared for sleeping-bags, and at
length clothes for Koch were ordered.
A few days later I attempted to continue to the head of
Inglefield Gulf, intending from there to cross the inland-ice
towards Thule, but unfortunately I had to turn back because
the new ice would not carry me. By the camp itself there was
excellent autumn hunting on shiny ice, and our companions
from Etah quickly got their share of this, but it was important
for me to push forward so that Koch and Freuchen could go
north again before the days became too short, and by the 14th
I had started southward again with Harrigan.
Our route lay behind Qana via Iterdlagssuaq across three
big lakes and a small glacier which led down to Kangerdluarsuk.
Strangely enough, far inland we here passed a river which ran
from the inland-ice out towards the middle sea, the water of
which was quite salt and undrinkable.
Further in we passed between two glaciers, which meet
each other approximately by the point of descent to Kan-
gerdluarsuk. The cross-pressure of the glaciers has ploughed
up the stones of the ground so that from above it looks as if a
mighty stone-paved high road is running between the two
glaciers. Some way further down, where these have worked
closer towards each other, the pressed-up moraine, which con-
sists only of big stones, assumed the character of a ridge, broad
at the base but sharp towards the top, looking most phantastic.
Outside the mouth of the little Kangerdluarsuk, however,
we met again with the open water which had stopped us the
last time, so I made a new decision, as under no circumstances
would I again return. I would attempt to go up across the
288
OUR IIOSTKSS : ANK SOFIK FROM KANOEKDLl'GSSUAG
mission HOUSE AT KANGKRDLUGSSCAG
OUR DOGS
HOME TO THULE
glacier again, driving behind Quinisut, and by this way reach
right into the head of Inglefield Gulf, which should now be
covered with ice.
We spent a day in seeking a point of ascent to the glacier,
and at length we succeeded in finding a place where we decided
to make the attempt, although it did not look very inviting.
Steep glacier-edge in which we had to hew steps ; slippery blue
ice where we must keep our balance, in constant danger of
sliding down again. For 1 kilometre we had to carry our goods
on our backs across a steep mountain and through soft snow.
At length, after four hours of toil, we were so high up that we
reached the snow and soon we could begin to drive. In the
evening, as darkness fell, we drove down across a snow-bare
mountain-land littered with big, loose stones which often rolled
down, racing with ourselves when the sledge or the dogs hap-
pened to loosen them. Along a river we reached the coast,
and on the following day we intended to try the ice. At dawn,
after a good night's sleep in warm musk-ox skins, we attempted
the fjord-ice. Alas, neither would this earn7 us !
Wait we would not, so we had to get up across the ice, first
along the glacier up to the funny mountain crags of Qatarssuit,
so named because at a distance they look like two buckets
turned upside down. But now we found it impossible to
descend the glacier. After a few hours' search in a snowstorm,
which fell on us with such violent gusts that often we were
blown off our feet, we found at last a river-course which went
right into the glacier like a big artistically bored hole. From
this opening one looked into a black bottomless gap ; but we
reckoned out that the river, when at some time it bored through
the inland-ice, must have burst for itself an outlet by the
moraine. With a strap round our waists we therefore let our-
selves slide on to this toboggan run and rush into the darkness,
an adventurous race which ended in us suddenly finding our-
selves hovering in the air above the moraine as if spewed out
from the gap of the monster. We then increased the length
of the line and slowly let ourselves down to the fjord. In the
same way all the dogs and sledges were gradually transported,
T 289
GREENLAND BY THE POLAR SEA
until the last man, doubling the line through a hole knocked
in the glacier, finished the many aerial journeys of the day.
On two big lakes, across good land with fine snow, we came
down to the shore from which the descent on to the ice took
place. That was the most adventurous drive I have ever
experienced. The run was so steep that only with the greatest
danger could one descend after having first lowered the sledge
some way down. The mountain which we passed in this way
was some 600 metres high.
At length we were down on the ice, and when darkness set
in we were warmly embraced by Pastor Gustav Olsen at the
mission station of Kangerdlugssuaq.
On the 17th of October we arrived at the mission station
and rested for a few days to draw breath after the journeys of
the last strenuous days. From morning to night all the inhabi-
tants of the camp vied with each other in feasting us, and the
menus included not only the beloved Mattak, but also delicacies
like reindeer meat and salmon.
During our visit there was a memorial service for our
deceased comrades, when Pastor Olsen spoke with such pathos
that all the inhabitants of the camp who were present at the
service were moved to tears.
On the 21st of October we departed, and, accompanied by
two brothers from the mission station, we drove right across
the snow-bare stony land via the great salmon lake to Olrik
Bay, and thence once more across the inland-ice to Thule,
where we arrived on the 22nd of October.
THE ARRIVAL AT THULE
It was as if all houses suddenly sneezed at once ; from every
entrance a crush of people poured out, stormed towards us and
surrounded us. Only Harrigan's young wife did not come
out ; she was so overcome by joy at our sudden arrival that she
broke out weeping, unable to rise from her bench.
I hastened down to Freuchen, whose house lies about a
quarter of an hour's walk from the camp of the Greenlanders.
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HOME TO THULE
He was lying in bed reading a year-old copy of LoUand-Falster
Folketidende. He was taken entirely by surprise ; I entered
the room before he had time to collect himself, as if shot up
through the floor, fresh from my journey with the cold reeking
from my clothes.
The eyes with which my old friend looked at me I shall
remember as long as I live. I was back again in Thule !
291
APPENDICES
FLORA AND FAUNA ON THE NORTH COAST
OF GREENLAND
BASED ON DB. WULFF'S NOTES
By C. H. OSTENFELD
PAGE after page of Thorild Wulff's diaries testify to the fact that his
thoughts occupied themselves greatly with the problem : How is it
possible for plants and animals to live and reproduce themselves under
such harsh conditions of life as the high Arctic regions offer, and what peculiari-
ties are they which enable them to do so?
The problem is not a new one. On the contrary, it has forced itself
upon every Arctic explorer who keenly observes the natural characteristics of
the regions through which he travels. In the course of time numerous con-
tributions have appeared with regard to this problem, but many aspects are
still unsolved. Neither do Wulff's notes present a final and exhaustive reply,
but they contain several new observations and conclusions, thus forming new
stones to be added to the many-roomed building of our knowledge.
FLORA
In the Arctic countries, as everywhere else upon earth, the flora forms
the foundation for the fauna. Where no plant exists, no animal life is pos-
sible, for all creation of organic matter is due to plants. The animals, on the
other hand, are merely consumers. If they are herbivorous they consume
directly vegetable matter, and if they are carnivorous they consume the flesh
of herbivorous animals. In both cases we find as the last instance the plants
as the bearers of life.
When we consider the flora and fauna of the north coast of Greenland, it
would therefore seem natural that we should commence by an examination of
the flora, investigating the conditions of life with which they must contend.
The climatic conditions are anything but favourable, and only the hardiest
plants with the most modest requirements can exist in these regions ; therefore
the number of plant varieties is only small — about sixty flowering plants — and
they all bear a certain common stamp.
In order to thrive a plant requires : Nourishment from the soil, a certain
amount of heat and moisture, and light. The first condition is fulfilled almost
everywhere in the Arctic regions, so poor in plant life, by the presence of
nutritive salts. The soil produced by disintegration (frost, etc.) is as a rule
more than sufficient for this purpose, as the plants do not grow so closely that
they have to fight with each other for the nourishment in the ground. This
292
FLORA AND FAUNA ON THE NORTH COAST
claim of life we may thus put aside, but it is worth noticing that vegetation
is richer where the ground consists of certain kinds of rock — for instance,
limestone, than of others — for instance, ground rock. This, however, is no
peculiarity confined to the Arctic regions.
The second condition of life — heat — is in the Arctic regions present to such
a small degree that it becomes of definite significance to the luxuriance of
plant growth. We will therefore examine this point more closely, deciding
from the outset that plants cannot grow: at temperatures below freezing-point.
On the other hand, Arctic plants can put up with being frozen stiff without
detrimental effects. Their growth stops, but as soon as they thaw they
recommence their growth. Thus Wulff observed (on the 4th of May) a tuft-
saxifrage with fully developed flowers on inch-long stalks ; it was quite frozen,
the temperature of the air being minus 11° C, but all tissues seemed capable of
life, and when spring returned it would, without doubt, directly continue its
development.
On the north coast of Greenland the temperature is above freezing-point
only during a short period of the year. At noon on the 30th of May the first
positive temperature of the air was observed (plus 0'8 C), and by the end of
August the continual frost again sets in. There is thus only a period of at
most three months within which the plants have to grow, flower, and fruit,
and store nourishment for next year. And how many hours, or even days,
within this short time must be subtracted because snow and cold stop the
growth ! In the middle of June Wulff wrote in his diary (17th of June) :
" The vegetation is yet in its winter repose. The soil is frozen ; the plants
which I brought from our previous camp cannot yet be pressed, as the clumps
of moss and pieces of soil attached to them are frozen rigid." He is of the
opinion that, on the whole, vegetation revives only by the summer solstice, and
writes very aptly : " The ' explosive ' development of the Arctic vegetation
takes place in a kind of staccato — rapidly during the warm, light hours, and
ceases entirely during the many long, cold, windy days of sleet."
One would think it impossible for plants to manage with so little warmth,
but it is sufficient for the most frugal among them. It is a help to them that
the soil and the plants themselves are warmed more quickly and to a higher
degree than the surrounding air. It is a well-known phenomenon that a
dark surface subjected to the rays of the sun becomes warmer than the air ;
and in Arctic regions this fact is undoubtedly of great importance for the
growth of the plants.
Similarly to other Arctic explorers, Wulff has repeatedly measured the
temperature on various types of ground in order to obtain statistics to illus-
trate this point. A few of his results will be given here to demonstrate the
various differences :
May 19th, 2 p.m. — A hill sloping towards the sun. Calm, clear sunshine
(McMillan Valley).
Temperature of the air in the shade minus 11 '8° C.
The thermometer with its ball of mercury :
1. On a light-brown, sunny cliff of sandstone : minus 1° C.
2. On a sunny clump of saxifrage : plus 2'8° C.
3. In cespitous moss : plus 9'2° C.
June 20th, 4 p.m. — A slope to the west. Calm, clear sunshine (Chip Inlet).
Temperature of the air in the shade plus 5° C.
293
GREENLAND BY THE POLAR SEA
The thermometer with its ball of mercury :
1. On a sunny, flowering tuft of saxifrage : plus 21'1° C.
2. 2 cms. down in dry, sandy soil : plus 14' 2° C.
3. 6 cms. down in moist, sandy soil : plus 12'5° C.
4. 12 cms. down in moist, sandy soil : plus 7'3° C.
July 15th, 1 a.m. — A slope 100 metres above sea-level. Plentiful vegeta-
tion. Calm, clear sunshine (Summer Valley).
Temperature of the air in the shade plus 12° C.
The thermometer with its ball of mercury :
1. On a sunny cluster of poppies : plus 24' 4° C.
2. 3 cms. down in a vigorous green clump of silene : plus 24'3° C.
3. 10 cms. down in the same clump (near its bottom) : plus H'80 C.
4. 1 cm. down in moist soil : plus 18'5° C.
5. 13 cms. down in moist soil : plus 14' 8° C.
These examples show quite plainly that the plants, fortunately for them,
get considerably more heat than one might expect, judging from the tempera-
ture of the air alone. But one must not overestimate the significance of these
figures, as they hold good only when the air is calm. The wind naturally cools
considerably the surface of the soil and the vegetation, so that on a windy
day there will be no appreciable difference between the temperatures of the air
and the soil. Further, sun is necessary, so that again on dull days conditions
will be different. Thus the limitations must not be underestimated, though
it is of importance to note that a sunny slope, wTell sheltered, always exhibits
the most vigorous and the earliest development of vegetation.
In Arctic regions, where snow and ice abound, one would expect there to
be always sufficient moisture for the plants ; but this is not the case under all
circumstances. The ability of the plants to absorb water is relative to the
degree of warmth. Below zero the roots of the plants naturally are unable to
absorb water ; but also at low positive temperatures the absorption of water
takes place very slowly. Thus a disproportion between absorption and evapora-
tion from the parts above ground might easily arise when the latter are exposed
to strong sunshine. In this comparison one must remember that the soil in
the high Arctic countries is permanently frozen at a certain depth ; the summer
heat is able to thaw merely the upper layers. To satisfy their need of water
the plants are thus restricted to the absorption of moisture from this layer,
and from the water liberated by the melting of the snow. There may, of
course, be cases where this is insufficient, or where, at any rate, water can
merely be absorbed to so slight a degree that only certain varieties of plants
can manage. Because of the evaporation due to very dry air and strong sun-
shine, the soil, which first is laid bare when the snow evaporates, often becomes
very dry, as the frozen subsoil only to a slight degree permits the water to
rise to the surface. Wulff's diary contained many notes about this ; for
instance, on the 9th of June he wrote: "The snow is melting rapidly, but
the water evaporates quickly, so that it does not moisten the soil at all except
round the patches of snow "; and not until the 15th of June did he notice
that the melting took place to such a degree that the water could run along
the ground. He therefore thought it probable that, under conditions like
these, the plant roots must be able to absorb the water which presumably rises
from the frozen subsoil because of the capillary action between the particles
of the dry upper layers. Not until the 10th of July does he write in his
294
WHITE-BLOSSOMED SAXIFRAGE IN FRONT OF A STONE BLOCK
( Saxifraga QroenlandicQ )
Photographed at Disko by Dr. Th. Wulff.
TYPES OF OESPITOUS GRASSES (FESTUE-GRA3S AND MEADOW- GRASS) GROWING IN DRV PLACES
[Festuca ovina vivipara, F. ovina Bupina, Poa abbreviate)
Only a small part of the tufts has been prepared.
VARIOUS HERBACEOUS PLANTS FROM THE NORTH COAST OF GREENLAND
Note the position of the leaves, and the flowers on long stalks. At the top is shown Erigeron
compositus, to the left Draba a/j>imi, and beneath Minuartia vernat to the right MelandTvum apetalum,
and at the bottom Pedicu'.aris I Ursula. The members of the expedition used to chew the latter to
appease their hunger.
FLORA AND FAUNA ON THE NORTH COAST
diary : " Mild, quiet rain falls for several hours, the first proper rain this
year." Thus there is a period — the springtime of vegetation in these lati-
tudes— during which the plants may be exposed to thirst, a fact which one
might refuse to believe if one thought merely of the omnipresent enormous
masses of snow and ice. Later on there will be more than sufficient water ;
the snow melts so that the soil becomes slushy, and snow and rain fall in
abundance ; then the plants have some difficulty in not getting drowned.
If the Arctic plants are thus subjected to pronounced extremes with regard
to moisture, the peculiarities do not become less when we consider their relation
to the light. To thrive, every green plant requires light, as light is one of the
essential conditions for the formation of organic matter from the carbonic acid
of the air. In the Far North the winter is a dark period when the plants
sleep under their cover of snow, but, as a compensation, during summer there
is light botli day and night. As far as the light is concerned, the plants are
thus able to work and build through the whole of the twenty-four hours,
so that the short duration of summer is to some degree counterbalanced. This
has been demonstrated by experiments ; they really are capable of exploiting
this advantage which they have over their kindred of more southern regions,
where the darkness interrupts their work.
Summing up these considerations, one may say that high Arctic plants
have a much shorter time of vegetation — merely two or three of the twelve
months of the year — but that, on the other hand, during this period they have
to work incessantly under difficult and harsh conditions.
We shall now see what the plants that are to be found in these regions
look like, and how they are adapted to their conditions.
The most prominent feature of the high Arctic plants is the fact that they
are low and keep close to the ground. They are mostly herbaceous, though
some are low shrubs. Shrubs as we know them, not to mention trees, do not
exist so far north.
The largest plant is the Arctic willow. Old specimens of this may, even
on the north coast of Greenland, have a stem rather thicker than a finger and
more than a metre long; but it lies along the ground, forming by its profuse
branching a network through which the leaves and catkins of the year peep
out. Similarly to other varieties of willow, it sheds its leaves in the autumn.
Another dwarf bush characterizing the high Arctic regions is the Arctic
heather, whose tiny evergreen leaves, packed closely together, form four rows
along the branches, thereby giving them a square shape ; it has beautiful,
white, bell-shaped flowers, much resembling the lily of the valley. The whole
of the bush is rich in fragrant resinous matter, which makes it excellent fuel.
Two very common dwarf bushes are the red^ saxifrage and the white moun-
tain anemone; both have rather thick leaves which, as a rule, wither in the
course of the winter, but remain on the plant as a protection for the young
leaves and buds.
Many of the herbaceous plants form small, close clumps where the shoots
fight for room ; every shoot has a few fresh green leaves towards the top, whilst
the rest is hidden in a thick bed of withered leaves. The flowers shoot up
above the surface of the clump. This cespitous formation may be observed
in the tuft-saxifrage, in the tuft-silene (where the clumps may be so strongly
arched that they almost assume a half-ball shape), in the little white or yellow
draba, and in many others, as, for instance, several varieties of grasses.
Other herbaceous plants may have leaves clustering close to the ground,
29f>
GREENLAND BY THE POLAR SEA
and flowers freely raised on shorter or longer stalks, but the shoots are not so
close as in the cespitous plants proper. To these belong, for instance, the
beautiful yellow or white mountain poppy and several varieties of saxifrage
and potentilla.
In moist soil, in swamps and similar places, grow cotton grass, a few
varieties of other grasses, and some other plants; for instance, the yellow-
crowfoot. In these varieties the shoots are spread out and stand singly, as
do plants in swamps and fens in this country.
All these plants are perennial ; annual varieties do not exist so far north.
It is not possible for a flower to sprout, grow, flower, and fruit during the
short summer ; the work has to be distributed over several years, as one single
year would merely give time for a slight production of organic matter. Every
shoot forms merely a small piece of stalk and a few leaves, so that several
years will elapse before the plant is strong enough to develop flower and fruit.
From the plants of our own country we know that a considerable period
generally elapses between flowering and the ripening of the fruit, and as a rule
the flowering takes place some time after the leaves have commenced their
development in the spring. An Arctic plant has not all this time at its dis-
posal, having to flower and fruit during a period of vegetation of two to three
months. In most Arctic plants the flowering therefore takes place imme-
diately after the development has commenced in the " spring." The red
saxifrage is the first vernal flower of the high north. Wulff saw it flowering
already on the 12th of June, this being a time when vegetation in many other
places had not awakened from its winter rest. But after that things developed
rapidly. About two or three weeks after the vegetation as a whole had begun
to move, most of the varieties were already in full flower (July 7th to 14th),
and by the beginning of August (2nd) the red saxifrage, mountain anemone,
and others, were already in " an advanced stage of fruition." The summer was
nearly over, and when the expedition after the march across the inland-ice
once more came down on ice-free land on the 24th of August, it found the
vegetation in its full autumnal garb, with ripe seeds and yellow and russet
leaves.
Thus the plants have a busy time, and they are only enabled to carry out
their programme by considering carefully the hours, and by being prepared
to set to as soon as spring comes. If one were to examine an Arctic plant
immediately before it goes to its winter rest, one would be surprised to see
how big are the buds of next year. If the outer protecting husks of such a
bud are removed, one will find inside these both leaves and flowers already
far developed. They remain in this state throughout the winter, their living
tissues, as already mentioned, being able to resist very strong cold; and as
soon as spring beckons they burst out. By this the speedy flowering is made
possible, and this, again, gives sufficient time for the ripening of the fruit just
at the time when the temperature is at its highest.
The plants which flower earlier are those which become uncovered soonest
when the snow in the spring begins to evaporate, and those which have been
uncovered by snow through the winter. These are the most hardy varieties.
The more delicate — if one may use the word " delicate" in connection with
the hardy vegetation of the high North — are covered with snow during
winter, and only emerge from its protective cover when the melting of the
snow commences in earnest. For the snow pla.ys an important part in plant
life, as it prevents too sudden changes in temperature, and also protects them
296
A MANY YEARS OLD SPECIMEN OF THE ARCTIC WILLOW (SALIH ARi TIC A]
The stem and branches were lying along the ground. To the left a male catkin in full bloom.
Murray Island, July 3rd.
SECTION OK THE THICKEST STEM OF
WILLOW WHICH THE EXPEDITION
FOUND. TO THE RIGHT TRANSVERSE
SECTION OF SAME. NATURAL SIZE
AN EXCEPTIONALLY VIGOROUS SHOOT OF ARCTIC
WILLOW: LARGE. BROAD LEAVES AND LONG FEMALE
CATKINS
Summer Valley. July 18th.
A small reed [Juncus biglumis) with
flowers of the last three years. Note the
scanty growth of each year. Below : two
specimens of saxifrage [Saxifraga nivalis),
taken at a month's interval. To the right
the flower stalk has not reached above the
leaves, to the left it bears fruit.
YELLOW-BLOSSOMED SAXIFRAGE [SAXIFRAllA FLAGELLARIS) WITH LONG THREAD-LIKE RCXNERS
WHICH CARRY SMALL SHOOTS AT THE END
The specimen on the right was taken sixteen days before the one on the left, so that the rapid development
of runners and flower is apparent.
FLORA AND FAUNA ON THE NORTH COAST
against a too vigorous drying-up by the wind. Many varieties were only dis-
covered by VVulfF during the month of July, as they had been hidden by the
snow until then. In his diaries he repeatedly expresses his surprise at rinding
that first one and then another of the varieties are missing ; but later on
the error is corrected : " It is here after all, but it was covered by the snow."
As already mentioned, all the various species are perennial, this being in
accordance with the short period of vegetation. Yet another fact must be
mentioned in this connection : several Arctic plants do not get time for a
yearly ripening of their fruit. This may be due to an unusually early arrival
of autumn, with frost, or to a late spring, so that the plants become bare of
snow very late. Under these circumstances annual plants would soon have to
give up ; but the perennial plants, on the other hand, can wait for a favourable
summer. There are Arctic plants which only occasionally reach the state of
fruition, being limited during other years to a mere state of vegetation.
The Arctic flowers have often been praised for their size and their clear
colours, and considering their hard conditions of life one cannot help wonder-
ing that so much beauty can be developed ; but nevertheless they are very
modest in comparison with the flowers of our homely plants. It is the deso-
late surroundings which make the Arctic flowers so conspicuous.
The pollination of the flowers and the subsequent fertilization is, of course,
the prelude to fructification. Pollination takes place either by the aid of the
wind, the pollen being carried along through the air, when it is a matter of
chance whether or no it will alight on a flower, or by the aid of the insects ;
thus it is also in high Arctic countries. In the short summer, flies, humble-
bees and multi-coloured butterflies flit from flower to flower in search of
honey and pollen, and these simultaneously undertake the pollination. The
more open flowers, like the poppy and the anemone, attract the flies, whilst
the butterflies lower their long probosces into the nectary of the silene, the
red saxifrage, and the Arctic stock or night-smelling rocket, a rare plant found
in several places on the north coast of Greenland. This latter possesses a
strong odour, a very uncommon quality among Arctic plants. White or
yellow are the most frequent colours of flowers, but red in various shades is also
to be found ; blue, on the contrary, is very rare in the Arctic regions, and no
flower found on the north coast of Greenland is of this colour.
So far we have only considered the flowering plants ; but besides these a
considerable number of mosses and lichens exist. The lichens grow especially
on the naked rock, which in many places they adorn with their vivid white,
yellow, and reddish colours, whilst the mosses mostly grow on the soil among
the flowering plants.
Also a few fungi are to be found on the north coast. Wulff mentions small
yellowish-brown toadstools and white puff-balls. The latter are edible ; he
mentions a really good dish made from the product of the land : musk-ox soup
with brent-goose bones and a couple of handfuls of chopped puff-balls.
I shall not go deeply into the matter of the way in which the various
plants combine into a plant society. I will merely mention that vegetation is
not evenly distributed. For the most part the soil is almost bare, with single
or scattered plants ; but in the more fertile places — for instance, where the
excrements of the animals have fertilized the soil — the plants occasionally
form an entirely connected cover; but these spots are not extensive. In the
bogs one also occasionally meets with a rather dense growth of plants, mostly
mosses and grass.
297
GREENLAND BY THE POLAR SEA
A distribution of plants peculiar to high Arctic regions is the so-called
" chequer-ground." When the snow melts, the loose, flat ground will in
several places turn to a porridge of sodden sand and clay. When this por-
ridge freezes or is dried up, cracks will, according to physical laws, be formed
in it, so that it becomes, as it were, divided up into a lot of many-sided little
spaces framed in the network of the cracks. This structure may keep its form
for years, and in this case the cracks will become deeper. When the plants
invade this ground they generally settle in the cracks, the seeds being blown
there by the wind, the plants finding there the necessary shelter. In this
way the network of the cracks becomes covered with plants, whilst the
"chequers" themselves remain bare. This chequer-ground is, according to
Wulff's diaries, very common on the north coast of Greenland.
FAUNA
When we consider how scanty is the vegetation, it is really surprising that
animal life on the north coast of Greenland is so rich, and especially that so
many large animals are to be found. Much has been told of these animals in
Knud Rasmussen's narrative, as they were of vital importance to the expedition.
If we keep to the land animals and consider especially the larger of them —
i.e., mammals and birds — it would seem natural to divide them into her-
bivorous and carnivorous animals.
Among the herbivorous the musk-ox is the foremost. The expedition
depended chiefly upon this animal for its food, and it was mainly due to the
fact that musk-ox was found only occasionally on the north coast, and in a
considerable number only in one place (in one fjord), that men and dogs
suffered so much from hunger. Why the musk-ox preferred this one place
we do not know. The vegetation was no more vigorous in the musk-ox fjord
than in other places ; but in the whole district it was so sparse that probably
the limit of what a musk-ox can be content with had been reached. This is
indicated by the fact that the expedition did not meet with any calves.
Wulff examined several stomachs of musk-oxen, and always found them
filled with twigs of willow and, to a less degree, with leaves of anemone and
other plants.
Two herbivorous mammals which were very numerous were the Arctic
hare and the little Arctic lemming. The former of these played an important
part as food for the expedition ; the latter is so small — its size is between that
of a mouse and a rat — that it has no significance as food for men and dogs.
The fully grown Arctic hare is white all the year round, with merely a slight
dark shade on the head ; but the young which were observed in the beginning of
July were greyish-brown. The hare was common everywhere, and lived on
various plants ; according to the observations made by the Danmark Expedition
on the east coast of Greenland, it was especially fond of the roots of the Arctic
willow, which it dug up with its forepaws and snout.
The little greyish-brown lemming is a very timid and nervous animal, which
chiefly keeps to its subterranean den, where it hibernates during the winter.
In some places, especially where vegetation was vigorous, it existed in great
numbers, though it was not often seen, because of its timidity. It would
occasionally set out on a long journey ; thus, for instance, it was met with a
few times out on the fjord-ice. Wulff relates a very funny experience on the
23rd of June : " Several kilometres out on the fjord-ice I met a small lemming,
quickly trotting along across the immense white field of snow. As I did not
298 "
HERBACEOUS PLANTS WITH ROSULATE RADICLE LEAVES
The withered leaves served as a protection for the new leaves and flowers when they
were buds. Above — on the lclt : arctic stock {Heapius paUasii) ; on the right: dande-
lion [Taraxacum); beneath them a potentilla.
WHITE PUFF-BALLS [CALVATIA) AMONG GRASS AND WILLOW LEAVES
Photographed at Disko by Dr. Th. Wulff.
TYPES OF GRASSES GROWING IN MOIST PLACES
[Eriophontm Scheuckzeri, Deschampsiu c&spitosa arctica, Pleuropogon sabinei)
Two of them have long, horizontally-growing suckers.
FLORA AND FAUNA ON THE NORTH COAST
feel disposed to go far out of my way for the sake of the little mite, I whistled,
with the result that the lemming stopped at once. Every time it recommenced
its rolling along, like a fluffy little ball of wool, I whistled and made it stop.
When I came stamping up to it on my large snowshoes, the Lilliputian sat up
on its hind legs, spat at me, and showed its teeth. The little wanderer ended
its days by a slight knock across the snout."
Of the birds, the ptarmigan is most common. The expedition met with it
wherever it went. In the beginning it was white, but, as summer advanced,
first the ptarmigan hen and later on the cock became speckled with brown. It
subsisted on parts of plants ; Wulff found, for instance, many buds of the
red saxifrage in its crop. Evidently the ptarmigan here in the north live in
couples — not in polygamy, as they do further south — and from approximately
the middle of June nests with eggs were found. Young were seen in the
latter part of July.
The other herbivorous birds which the expedition saw on the north coast of
Greenland were migratory. First the snow-bunting appeared ; as early as the
24th of April it was heard twittering when the expedition was on its way to
the north coast (N. Lat. 81°). The others came later on. The swimmers
were : The brent-goose, the king-eider, and the long-tailed duck ; of these
only the brent-goose was common; it was seen for the first time on the 11th
of June — that is, during the first days of spring.
As a link between the swimming birds and the carnivorous animals we
may put down the waders, which live on small animals in the pools, and are
also truly grateful for the half-rotted and floating parts of plants amongst
which the little animals are found. Of these the most common were the
sandpipers and the turnstones. The sandpipers arrived first, being seen as
earlj- as the 30th of May, whilst the turnstone was not observed until the
10th of June. About the 1st of July the first eggs of these birds were found,
and on the 20th their young were seen.
Terns and gulls are carnivorous. They were not observed very frequently.
The tern was seen in the middle of June, the gulls (herring-gulls and ivory-
gulls) both before and after this date. Very common was the little Arctic
gull with its elegant bifurcate tail and its long wings ; it arrived on the 9th of
June, and its young appeared just after the middle of July. It is a proper
beast of prey whose food mainly consists, to judge from the contents of its
stomach, of the little lemming; this agrees with the observations of the Ban-
mark Expedition.
But the worst robber amongst the birds in these regions is the snowy owl,
which was seen occasionally, and the nest of which was also found. Neither
the raven nor the Icelandic falcon were observed on the north coast of Green-
land ; but no doubt both birds would occasionally pass these districts on their
long flights.
The carnivorous mammals are generally observed singly or a few together ;
there is not sufficient food for them to congregate in great numbers. The
members of the expedition often saw the white Polar wolf slinking about at a
safe distance like an uncomfortable reminder. Also the Polar fox and the
ermine are occasionally observed. The Polar bear seems to be very rare on
the north coast; only at rare intervals were its tracks found, and a newly
killed young seal by Dragon Point was assumed to have fallen a victim to it.
As the sea off the coast and in the fjords is permanently frozen, one cannot
expect to find many marine animals. There were, however, several seals fre-
299
GREENLAND BY THE POLAR SEA
quenting the lanes along the coast. As Knud Rasmussen has told us, they
were eagerly hunted by the expedition, as a rule, unfortunately, without
success, as the shot animals sank down into the fresh water ; the freshness of
the water is due partly to the afflux of water from land, partly to the
melting ice.
Their food consisted of sea-scorpions, halibuts, Polar cod, and various
animals from the bottom of the sea.
On the north coast of Greenland, contrary to other Arctic regions, bird-
cliffs seemed to be entirely lacking. Consequently none of the various auks
were observed, and the fulmar, which also breeds on the bird-cliffs, was seen
only once ; the three-toed gull was not seen at all.
Of lower animals the insects are specially noticeable. Wulff has many
notes about them. Flies and gnats were most numerous, but as we have
already mentioned under the fertilization of flowers, humblebees and butter-
flies were also found. Unfortunately, one knows very little about the winter-
ing of these insects ; some of them evidently winter as fully grown insects,
others as pupae and larvae, and others probably as eggs. It is remarkable that
a fully grown insect or a larva is able to resist the long and terribly cold winter.
On the 30th of May — the first day of a positive temperature by noon —
Wulff for the first time saw gnats ; evidently they had hibernated through the
winter, and then been revived by the warm rays of the spring sun.
Half a score of days later (9th of June) he observed big flies playing and
mating on the canvas of the tent. They had probably wintered as pupae.
Their eggs were subsequently found (25th of June) in great numbers on the
musk-ox skins.
A large, woolly, yellowish-brown larva of a butterfly was observed by Wulff
walking in the snow between the twigs of the Arctic willow as early as the
3rd of June, and again on the 9th of June. He then wrote in his diary :
" Does it winter as a larva? I am sure it does, for there is nothing for it to
eat; also, it is already full-grown."
A month later (13th of July) fully developed butterflies are seen on the
flowers — reddish-brown mother-of-pearl butterflies. Somewhat earlier (22nd of
June) the humblebees appeared.
Spiders and earth-mites also support life in these high latitudes ; and we
must not forget that even here the larger animals are not free of parasites : lice
and intestinal worms worry the mammals, and the birds have their louse-flies.
Thus quite a series of animals exist even under the harsh and poor condi-
tions of the Polar countries. Their organization and mode of life are each
in their own way adapted to their surroundings. Birds and mammals have
their animal heat and their thick cover of feathers or hairs wherewith to resist
the cold ; most of the birds, however, migrate to the south during the coldest
period.
Most of the mammals and those of the birds which, like the ptarmigan
and the snowy owl, remain in the Arctic regions, are white in winter or all
the year round, evidently a protective likeness to the surrounding snow-fields.
The lower animals would appear to be adapted to the Arctic conditions to a
far smaller degree ; they are unable to withdraw during the unfavourable
period as do the migratory birds, and they remain hibernating through the
winter. Their power of resistance must be due to internal causes. Im-
movable and frozen rigid, they await their waking up to a brief aerial life in
the light Arctic summer.
300
GEOLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS
By LAUGE KOCH
I
THE districts through which the expedition travelled were, from a
geological point of view, practically unknown ; but as numerous fossils
had been found in Ellesmere Land, which was not far distant, there was
reason to expect interesting work for the geologist in North-West Greenland.
Almost everywhere in Greenland one finds that the coast — similarly to the
Norwegian and Swedish " Skjargaard "* — consists of gneiss. This was also
the case in the southern part of the districts we surveyed right up to Cape
York. The regions to the south of Cape York in Melville Bay clearly illus-
trate what, for instance, Norway must have looked like in the Ice Period ; only
the outmost skerries and islets are free, whilst the entire coast is covered by
enormous glaciers, the crevassed surface of which is only occasionally broken
by steep mountain-tops which push through the ice as nunataks. To the
north of Cape York the land is less glaciated. The edge of the inland-ice lies
some distance into the country, and only through the larger valleys do glaciers
push down to the coast. Thereby the whole landscape changes in character,
and this change is further emphasized by the fact that the coast consists of
quite other kinds of rock. The gneiss which was found south of Cape York is
observed also in several places right up to Humboldt's Glacier, but as a rule it
is in this neighbourhood covered by sand and limestone, which form plateaux
with steep cliffs out towards the coast.
Even at a distance these coastal mountains give to the landscape a peculiar
beauty. One sees at once that they must have been deposited in the ocean,
for they are very regularly stratified. The single strata vary in colours, some
are almost white, others are yellowish-grey, pink or brown, and through all
these strata one sees in many places black veins of diabase. The diabase once
burst through the layers as glowing lava, or forced its way between them,
and now lies as a protective cover above the lower layers. This fact is plainly
visible at Thule, where the upper stratum of the so-called " Camp Mountain "
consists of a diabasic cover, which has protected the underlying sand and
limestone.
If one examines these layers more closely, one finds at once that they
must have been deposited in shallow water. In several places the lowest layers
of sandstone are seen right above the gneiss. They then form a conglomerate
with greater and smaller fragments of the underlying gneiss. These blocks
are, as a rule, beautifully rolled and polished, like pebbles. Thus the lower
layers are pure beach formations ; but also the superincumbent sandstone is
deposited in shallow water, for many of the strata are beautifully furrowed
by the beat of the waves, as we see it nowadays on a good bathing beach.
* " Skjaergaard " : the belt of rocks and islands girding the coast. — Trans.
301
GREENLAND BY THE POLAR SEA
Being deposited on it, these layers of sandstone are, of course, younger
than the gneiss. No fossils have been found in them, and it is therefore
difficult to decide their age ; one may, however, state with certainty that they
are older than almost the whole — probably dating from the very earliest part
of the Silurian Period.
If one travels northward past the mighty Humboldt's Glacier to Washington
Land, the landscape again changes entirely in character. Here also the cliffs
are steep and stratified, but they stand like a vertical wall along the entire
coast, and only at a good distance from the coast can one see the inland-ice
in the background above the mountains.
These districts which, looked upon as a landscape, are so monotonous, prove
on closer examination to be among the most interesting in all North Greenland.
Wherever one lands under the steep mountains one finds stones full of
fossils. These fossiliferous strata are found not only on Washington Land, but
they also form a broad belt of plateaux right up to Peary Land. It there-
fore seems natural in considering these formations to take them as a whole.
This chain of plateaux mountains, which have a height of upwards of 1,500
metres, forms the border of the inland-ice to the north. Only occasional
narrow valleys cut in between the plateaux, and through these long, almost
horizontal, glaciers stretch down until they reach the sea.
Examining the fossils more closely, one will soon discover that the rocks
may be divided in several strata, every stratum having its characteristic fossils.
One will further find that these strata alternate in a definite succession every-
where in the north-west of Greenland.
The oldest layers are found in the southern part of Washington Land and
in a narrow belt on Warming Land right in against the inland-ice. The barren
plain which we called the Midgard-Snake consists of these types of rock.
In this place the layers are superincumbent on sandstone with diabase. They
are of dark brown limestone with sparse remains of large octopus ; the so-called
orthoceratites, consisting of long tubes divided into compartments, sometimes
straight and sometimes spiral-formed. One sees the same animal forms in
flagstones and stair-stones.
On the dark brown limestone lies a mighty series of grey and reddish lime.
It is mainly these layers which form the great barrier against the northern
push of the inland-ice. At a distance the mountains look extraordinarily
monumental ; as a rule they have almost vertical walls which, especially when
the sun is shining on them, take on a beautiful rust-red colour. Their tops
are flat, and in many places they are covered by a level ice-cap. Very peculiar
are the deep cloughs and canyons winding their way between the plateaux.
Whether these cloughs are formed by glaciers during the Ice Period is rather
doubtful ; it would seem more probable that they were present, at any rate
partly, before the Ice Period. One of these canyons, the Devil's Cleft, we
passed on our way towards the inland-ice, where we found excellent oppor-
tunity to examine closely the red limestone through which the clough has
cut its way down.
One may walk for a long time without discovering fossils, and we may
say that these strata are, on the whole, poor in animal remains ; but suddenly
one comes across a layer so rich in fossils that they literally make up the entire
layer. They consist almost solely of large thick-shelled brachiopods. We
found such a layer in the Devil's Cleft ; at one time this must have been a
place situated at the bottom of the ocean where animal life has been as rich
302
FOSSILIZED ORTOCERATITE FROM WASHINGTON LAND
TRILOBITE AND BRACHIOPOD FROM WARMING LAND
CORAL FROM WASHINGTON LAND
TRILOBITE AND BRACHIOPOD FROM WARMING LAND
V
\ ■
*S
CORAL FROM WASHINGTON LAND
GEOLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS
as on an oyster-bed. Now the limestone is absolutely barren, no plant can
find nourishment in its cracks, no sign of animal life was to be discovered, and
one finds oneself wondering why the inland-ice, which from both sides sends
its glaciers right to the edge, does not fling down its masses of ice, filling up
the clough.
When these layers were formed there must have been variable conditions at
the bottom of the sea. The orthoceratites did not live here whilst the red
limestone was deposited, and only in occasional places did favourable conditions
for animal life exist ; but this animal life was then very rich, though it soon
died out again and was covered by a stratum void of fossils.
The upper layers of this limestone, however, point to somewhat different
conditions. Between the brachiopods occasional corals are found, becoming
increasingly numerous upwards at the same time as the large, thick-shelled
brachiopods become rarer ; ultimately one sees no more of them, the rock
becomes bluish-grey, and the corals dominate.
The succeeding layers are remarkable for their great wealth of animal life.
They are especially easy to find in Washington Land. Now one stands on
almost a coral reef, now the many-armed crinoidea put their stamp on the stones,
and in between the branches of the corals lie remains of innumerable other
organisms. The Crustacea are represented by trilobites, by octopus, by ortho-
ceratites ; further, there are brachiopods, mussels, snails, bryozoa, and fungi.
The corals are present in many varieties ; some are cup-formed, others are
sausage-shaped or ball-shaped, others, again, are flat or look like a plate.
But the period of the corals also comes to an end. The bluish-grey layers
with the beautiful branches of coral suddenly stop, and are succeeded by black
strata of schist, in which at the first glance no animal remains can be seen ;
these layers look very much like slate-stone. But if one examines them
closely one will find some peculiar shapes which look as if they had been
traced on the slate with varnish. Now they are small, saw-toothed sticks,
now they are rolled up and have long radiate beams on the outer side ; they
are the so-called graptolites, an animal group long ago extinct, which does not
appear to have any near kindred amongst now existing animal forms.
The black schists are very thin ; towards the top they become richer in
lime and at the same time the trilobites again appear ; but they are chiefly of
forms different to those in the coral limestone, and the same holds good for
the brachiopods and the orthoceratites. They are mainly small, but of many
varieties, and it is as if animal life for the last time flares up before it dis-
appears. If one follows the succession of layers upwards, the slaty lime-
stone rather abruptly becomes mixed with sand, and then merges into pure
coarse sandstone without fossils.
This sandstone crumbles easily, wherefore landscapes consisting of this
stone appear in the shape of low plains with rounded forms. A whole series of
low districts are therefore to be found to the north of the large fossiliferous
plateaux right from Hall Basin and almost to Peary Land.
With this the North Greenlandic series is finished. All the fossiliferous
strata belong to the Silurian Period. The coarse sandstone shows that the
sea again becomes shallow, and one gets the explanation of this if one turns
towards the north, where the plains are bordered by an enormous mountain
chain.
All the layers deposited in the sea, right from the red sandstone, the dark
brown and the reddish-grey limestone, to the coral lime, the black schist, the
303
GREENLAND BY THE POLAR SEA
slaty limestone, and finally the sandstone, appeared as almost horizontal strata,
which sloped only faintly towards the north-west. No violent catastrophes
of nature have, in the course of time, altered their original stratification ; they
lie to this day as they were formed on the bottom of the ocean in olden times.
Therefore the landscapes in these regions are very monotonous. The colour
and the height of the rocks may vary, but the steep coastal mountains, which
at their tops form flat plateaux, are a feature repeated again and again in these
regions.
If one turns one's eyes to the north, towards the mountain chain, one
sees even at a distance that the landscape is quite a different one. The
plateaux are succeeded by a wild Alpine country. The flat glaciers, which in
appearance resemble the inland-ice, have disappeared, and the country is almost
free of ice ; only occasionally is a quite small glacier hidden away in some
narrow valley.
A glance at the map shows that all the north coast of Greenland is formed
by this mountain chain. It runs, however, not at all as a continuous ridge
along the coast. In reality there are many ridges between which valleys and
fjords cut in ; further, the mountains are penetrated again and again by fjords
and sounds, so that now only the remains are left of a once much more enor-
mous mountain chain. Especially in the fjords, which cut across the line of
mountains, there is a good opportunity to examine what the inside of a moun-
tain chain like this looks like. The inland-ice, which during the Ice Period
sent its glaciers out through these fjords, has polished the coastal mountains,
which now stand without vegetation as long profiles in which one can see
exceedingly clearly how the strata lie.
One sees at once that the mountain chain has arisen by the layers, which
were once horizontal, being pushed up into enormous folds by pressure from
the sides. In the southern part of the mountain chain one can see how the
coarse sandstone, which on the plains lies horizontally, gradually assumes a
more wavelike surface, finally merging into the great folds of the central sec-
tion of the mountain chain. Upon closer examination one will probably also
find the fossiliferous layers pressed up, as these must be assumed to stretch out
beneath the sandstone under the surface of the sea. These pressed and folded
strata have been subjected to such an enormous pressure that they are to a
greater or smaller degree transformed and difficult to recognize, especially as
nearly all the fossils presumably have been crushed during the folding.
In some places the layers bend and wind so strongly that they resemble
the entrails of an animal ; in other places a mountain may consist of one
single or a couple of huge folds. The peculiar fact is then observed that that
which was once a valley is now a mountain-top, and a place where long ago a
mountain towered up has now turned into a valley. The explanation is very
simple. When a stratum is pushed upward, in this case when it forms a
mountain-top, the upper layers of the top will, as it were, be torn apart, and
thereby lose a great deal of their power of resistance. The opposite takes place
when a layer, originally horizontal, is pushed down, forming a valley. In the
hollow the layers will be pressed together, thereby adding to their power of
resistance, so that the bottom of the valley will become hard. When a newly
formed mountain chain like this begins to disintegrate, the tops will quickly
crumble, first becoming level, then turning into valleys, whilst the original
valleys, with their bottoms consisting of hard rock, will remain as mountain-
tops. When from a high mountain one stands looking across nearly 2,000
304
GEOLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS
metres high cliffs, which were originally the bottoms of large valleys, and in
imagination attempts to reconstruct the original mountain-tops which have
now disappeared, one understands what enormous periods of time must have
elapsed before this transformation was finished. However, it is only very old
mountain chains which look like these.
When one considers these conditions it is easier to understand why the
mountain chain is penetrated both lengthwise and crosswise by fjords and
sounds. In reality all the islands along Greenland's north coast are frag-
ments of a folded chain which was once far mightier.
It would be in vain to attempt to fix in years the age of this mountain
chain ; there is no means whereby one could measure the time which has
elapsed since then. But it is not difficult to decide the relative age of the
folding. The statements we have already made will have made it clear that
the mountain chain must be younger than the coarse sandstone, which to the
south had a horizontal position, and consequently must have been deposited
before the folding commenced. The sandstone, which was superincumbent on
the slaty limestone and the black schist with the graptolites, must therefore be
younger than these strata, and this gives us a point on which to fix. From
other regions of the earth we know that the graptolites found in the slaty lime-
stone lived in the very earliest part of the Silurian Period. Consequently the
coarse sandstone must belong to the Devonian Period, and the folding must
therefore be younger than the beginning of this. From a previous expedition
it is known that, to the north of the folding, horizontal strata from the
Devonian Period are to be found, and above them strata from the Carboniferous
Period. The mountain chain must thus have arisen during the first half of
the Devonian Period.
During an Arctic sledge journey, when each day brings a crowd of new
impressions, there is seldom an opportunity to sit down and look at matters
as a whole. One examines the landscape at a distance through field-glasses
and makes a guess at what kind of rock went to the building of the districts
through which one passes, and when one stops it is the fossils and the rocks
which are examined closely through a magnifying-glass. One therefore
returns from such a journey with a mass of details which are only gradually
brought together so that the larger contours appear.
However large and beautiful the view from one of the highest tops of the
folded chain may be, one is merely looking at a slight section of the whole
chain, and one must therefore in imagination attempt to make a connected
picture of the entire folding in order to find out whether other regions have
also been subjected to this enormous catastrophe of nature.
If one follows the westward direction of the mountain chain, one finds that
its continuation is a large mountain chain in Grinnell Land known from earlier
times, the so-called "Albert and Victoria " mountains. Down towards Elles-
mere Land the foldings gradually disappear. If this section of the folding is
included, the Greenlandic mountain chain has a length of approximately 1,000
kilometres — in other words, it is as long as the Caucasus.
If the direction of the mountain chain is followed eastward we find as its
continuation a submarine ridge across to Spitsbergen, and in continuation of
this ridge there is on Spitzbergen a large folded chain, of the very same age
as the one in Greenland. The mountain chain on Spitzbergen, however, is
merely a part of a large system of folds which via Bear Island runs down to
the north of Norway, and thence forms the whole of the Scandinavian mountain
U 30.)
GREENLAND BY THE POLAR SEA
chain which continues through Scotland. This mountain chain, which is called
the Caledonian Folding, has up to the present been known only east of the
Atlantic Ocean, from Scotland to Spitzbergen. The most important geological
discovery of the Expedition is that it succeeded in pointing out the Greenlandic
section of the Caledonian Folding to the west of the Atlantic Ocean.
As already mentioned, the North Greenlandic series of strata ended in
coarse sandstone, which during the Devonian Period was then folded up into
the mountain chain. What subsequently happened is not known with certainty.
Great stretches of North Greenland, and first and foremost the mountain
chain, have during part of the Mesozoic Period been raised above the sea-level,
and during this period the mountain chain became constantly lower ; but no
fossiliferous strata have been preserved, so one must fall back on hypotheses
regarding the conditions. During the Tertiary Period there must certainly
have been land with semitropical forests here, for remains of such are to be
found on Grant Land, which lies right opposite.
Then the Ice Period came. It spread its ice masses across practically the
whole of North Greenland. At any rate it brought blocks containing Silurian
fossils up to some of the highest summits of the mountain chain. The inland-
ice has now, especially to the west, receded about 100 kilometres, and although
this stretch of time since the Ice Period is so short, in comparison to the
periods already mentioned, many changes have nevertheless taken place in the
North Greenlandic landscape since the Ice Period. During a certain period
North Greenland was lying at least 210 metres lower than now, and large
sections of the plains which now consist of the coarse sandstone were then
lying under the surface of the ocean. At that time there were many more
fjords and sounds on the north coast. We may state with certainty that
subsequently the climate was not colder than it is now, as the glaciers have
not shot out across the old sea margins which one comes across more than
200 metres inland. Right up to a height of 135 metres one finds shells of
mussels from that time, all of them forms which at present exist in the same
neighbourhood.
II
This description of the development of the North Greenlandic landscape
would be incomplete if one did not finally mention the youngest and one of
the most powerful of the series of strata — i.e., the inland-ice.
It is well known that almost the whole of North and Middle Europe during
the Ice Period was covered by a connected mass of ice, which, like a shield,
arched its back from Scandinavia out across the surrounding countries. This
was also the case with the whole of Canada and the northern part of the
United States. In Greenland the ice has remained, one is yet in the midst of
the Ice Period, and a journey from the south of Greenland towards the north
is like experiencing anew the coming of the Ice Period.
If the journey is commenced at Godthaab or Holstenborg there is still
100 kilometres from the coast to the inland-ice, and even from the highest
coastal mountains one cannot as a rule see it. Wild, riven mountains form
the landscape, and occasionally the sun is reflected in the shiny surface of a
glacier, or shines on the snowdrift, which is so big that it does not melt in
the short summer.
Such a snowdrift may be the beginning of an Ice Period. If a succession
of years come with much precipitation or cold summers the snowdrift will grow
306
GEOLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS
bigger. The snow will be pressed into ice, the whole thing begins slowly to
slip and float down a mountain-side, and there one has a glacier.
If one travels northward one comes to neighbourhoods which are nearer to
the state of the Ice Period than are the districts in South Greenland. First
one will see Disko Island, which, with its large lava plateaux carrying on their
heights a flat glacier cap, reminds one very much of the inner regions of
Iceland. To the north lies the peninsula Niigssuaq, where in many places one
might well believe oneself removed to the Alps, as innumerable long, narrow
valley-glaciers shoot down from a height of nearly 2,000 metres towards some
large plains in the interior of the peninsula. Finally there is the Bay of
Umanaq, which is a slice of Spitzbergen magnified and beautified.
The journey from Godthaab to this point has already been a long one — as
far as from Copenhagen to Switzerland — and a large edition of all Europe's
glacier-world has passed in review before the traveller; and still they were all
merely local glaciers independent of the inland-ice, which we have not yet
seen. First in the most northerly of the Danish districts, Upernivik, one gets
from the outer coast the right impression of it.
Once it was all merely a snowdrift which did not melt during a cold
summer ; then it was a small glacier which lay hidden in a valley — a glacier
which grew, spread out, and filled the valley, merged into other glaciers,
reached the ocean, and put great icebergs into the water. And the glacier
increased constantly ; the low land was quite hidden, as were also the low
mountains. The ice grew up round the highest summits of the mountains,
the lee Period had set in, all land had disappeared, and the perfectly even
surface of the ice did not show a trace of the mountains and the valleys which
it covered.
Thus the Ice Period arose, and the journey from Upernivik to Melville Bay
represents the last chapters of this history. The land in front of the ice
becomes increasingly narrow ; every valley is filled with ice. Large glaciers
shoot out between and across islands and skerries ; near the Devil's Thumb the
coast consists as much of ice as of land, and north of this point only occasional
small islands or nunataks push up. For miles the coast is one continuous wall
of ice.
If one travels by sledge one may find that the ocean-ice by Cape York is
broken ; one must then travel for about 100 kilometres across the inland-ice
before one reaches Thule.
Only the man who has travelled for weeks day after day along the inland-
ice without seeing land can rightly appreciate the nature of the Ice Period.
The first thing which impresses one is the enormous dimensions with which one
must reckon. The landscapes, which with their big fjords and huge moun-
tains seemed so large from the sea, now lie far beneath the spectator as narrow
rims of land, quickly disappearing to give room for a perfectly even snow-
plain. A journey across this from north to south would be as long as from
Copenhagen to the Sahara, and during this journey the landscape would not
alter for a single instant. Nowhere would one see land ; infinite as the sea lies
this snow-field, and life is represented neither by animal nor plant. Even the
Sahara has its oases between which men and animals move about ; but here
is nothing but snow — this is the region on earth most inimical to life.
In the central parts of Greenland it never rains, as the temperature there
is permanently below minus 20° C, but it is not yet quite clear in which
seasons the snow falls here. All information points to the probability that
307
GREENLAND BY THE POLAR SEA
a tract exists there where wind is rare ; the snow is very loose. But such an
enormous surface of snow will, of course, lower the temperature of the air. It
thus becomes heavier ; it sinks and presses from the centre across the ice in
all directions. Consequently, at the edge of the inland-ice, there is nearly
always a wind from Central Greenland.
The edge of the inland-ice varies very much. If the ice covers an uneven
Alpine landscape one will find in the border zone hills and valleys, with
streams and lakes on the surface of the ice. Occasionally a mountain-ridge
or a valley may be followed for many kilometres into the inland-ice. In such
places, where the underlying ground is uneven, or where the ice is in strong
motion, the ill-famed crevasses arise ; these, then, are only met with near the
edge of the inland-ice.
If the land in front of and beneath the ice is flat, the surface will, as a rule,
be even and free of crevasses. This is the case in the most northerly parts of
Greenland.
It has already been mentioned that the inland-ice consists of glaciers which
have merged into each other ; nearly all of them shoot out towards the sea,
where they form icebergs when greater or bigger blocks are thrown off and
float away. The lower layers of such a glacier are often mixed with soil and
stones, which it has ploughed up into itself on its way across the underlying
ground. It is well known that all the soil of Denmark has been carried down
from Scandinavia by the inland-ice — a pretty example of the quantities which
the inland-ice is able to carry with it.
When a glacier reaches the sea, greater or larger icebergs will, as already
mentioned, be set free and float away. In several places of Southern Green-
land this may take place unhampered, as the sea in front of the glacier is never
covered by ice. But in Northern Greenland the fjords and parts of the ocean
are covered every winter, and this prevents the icebergs from floating away
from the glacier. Certain particularly strong and large glaciers, as, for
instance, the ice stream of Jakobshavn, are, however, all through the winter
capable of bursting the ice cover ; but these are exceptions, and as a rule there
are towards the spring in North Greenland a closely packed mass of ice blocks
collected in front of the glacier ; these float away when the ocean-ice in front
of them melts. The further north one goes the longer the ocean-ice remains
lying, and the broader is, consequently, the belt of icebergs in front of the
glacier.
In the fjord north of Thule the ocean-ice lies from October to July, and
the great Moltke Glacier by the head of Wolstenholme Fjord has, in the spring,
a belt of closely packed ice in front of it, which may be a couple of kilometres
broad. When the ocean-ice drifts away in the beginning of July, the glacier-
ice is so firmly packed together that it remains lying, and not until the early
part of August does the ice split with a mighty roar, and the whole fjord is
covered with pieces of ice.
On the north coast of Greenland the ocean-ice does not drift out from the
fjords ; thus the icebergs are also unable to float away, wherefore, as a rule,
one meets with them here. The belt of icebergs in front of the glacier
remains lying over the summer ; it becomes constantly more firmly pressed
together ; at the top it melts to the same degree as does the glacier mass
behind it, and finally it is no longer a collection of loose pieces of ice, but one
huge block, which increasingly broadens and is connected with the glacier
behind ; in other words, it has become the foremost floating part of the glacier,
308
TAIL SHELL OF A TRILOBITE FROM WASHINGTON' LAND
1000,-
Metres above the sea-level
50C
100
Warm air
"/
/
.' Cold air above the ocean-ice
-f 0' »1"
GEOLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS
and in this way arises the so-called floating inland-ice, which, in the Northern
Hemisphere, is only known in the northern extremity of Greenland.
The surface of the ocean-ice in front of the glacier is in the course of the
summer subjected to exactly the same degree of melting as the floating inland-
ice, which, because of this very melting, has become jnireaeingli.- thinner
towards the point. The result is that the outermost paflGȣ_ilie. glacier-ice and
the ocean-ice assume an extraordinary similarity ; they merge into each other,
and in certain fjords — for instance, Victoria Fjord — there is on the whole no
definite line of demarcation between the ocean-ice and the glacier-ice as they
merge evenly into each other.
To understand this question one must examine the conditions of summer
here in the most northerly regions of the world, bounded to the south by the
entire inland-ice and to the north by the permanent ice cover of the Polar
Sea. In the following we will attempt to describe the climate of North Green-
land and its relation to the inland-ice.
The whole of South Greenland receives sunlight by noontime of the
shortest day of the year. The rays of the sun do not, however, reach to
Holstenborg on that day ; only on the following day does it show above the
horizon, and for every succeeding day it sends its rays further northward,
putting an end to the dark period. In the course of January the sun reaches
the whole of Danish Greenland, with the exception of Upernivik; in the
course of February it reaches the Cape York district, and not until March
does it shine on the mountains of Peary Land, after a dark period of
nearly four months. During the latter half of the dark period, in January
and February, and also in March, the temperature has been down to about
minus 40° C. the whole time. In the beginning of April the midnight sun
commences, but the orbit of the sun is so flat in these latitudes during this
month that its power is only slight. The air is warmed up to about minus
23° C, but by the 1st of May the land still lies in its winter state. Tn the
middle of May the first sign of spring is apparent, as snow-flakes lying on
stones which turn towards the sun evaporate, and occasionally even a drop of
water may be observed. A puff of wind, and it is forthwith once more
turned into ice ; but a moment after it reappears, and the patch of snow on
the stone has become slightly smaller. In the beginning this melting and
evaporation take place to a very small extent, but by the middle of May the
development becomes more rapid. By noon the sun shines brilliantly on the
mountains, which are still entirely covered with snow ; during the afternoon
a fog is formed round the highest summits, spreading more and more; in the
evening it has become thick, and a fine layer of snow crystals falls on ice and
land. This is part of the snow which evaporated at noon. The next day the
sun again gains in strength ; on the mountain-side, where its rays fall almost
vertically, it makes light work of the loose snow crystals which have fallen
during the night ; they evaporate rapidly, and the evaporation of the firmer
snow masses then continues.
The sun, however, has hardly any power on the horizontal ocean-ice ; its
position is so low that the rays fall obliquely, wherefore the snow crystals
which fell during the night remain lying and do not evaporate. So in the
month of May one may see snow-bare patches on land becoming increasingly
larger, at the same time as sledge tracks on the ocean-ice slowly but surely
are snowed under. In this way quite considerable quantities of snow are
transferred from the land to the ocean-ice. Naturally, during this period fogs
309
GREENLAND BY THE POLAR SEA
are very frequent ; during our journey we had onl}- five quite clear days out
of the four weeks about the 1st of June.
The whole of this development has taken place under a temperature of
between minus 10° C. and zero. Simultaneously as the temperature becomes
positive, about the middle of June, the fog ceases, as the snow is no longer
transformed into steam, but begins to flow down the mountain-sides as water.
The first running water was observed on the 15th of June, and with that the
spring thaw on land had set in in earnest.
But the ocean-ice still remains in its winter state, covered by a thick layer
of loose snow. During the first days of thaw this snow falls together, becom-
ing firm and hard, and by Midsummer Day one may still find firm winter going
for the sledges on the sea.
The air becomes increasingly warmer and about the 1st of July the
thawing of the ocean-ice commences. It takes place with surprising rapidity.
In the morning the snow is still rather firm, in the evening it is soft, and on
the next day there is slush in all hollows ; a few days later all the snow has
melted, forming pools and lakes on top of the ice. The thaw on the ocean-
ice is over in about a week, so that there is only a slight degree of melting in
the course of a summer. The water in the lakes on the ice is, of course,
0° C, and the low sun is only able to melt the snow where it shines directly
on it. As we all know, a certain amount of heat is used up by the melting
process, so that the air immediately above the ice becomes cooler ; this cooling
is occasionally so great that a thin layer of ice is formed on the lakes. It is
obvious that it cannot be any melting on a large scale which takes place during
July and the first half of August on the ocean-ice. In the latter half of
August the melting stops, the lakes are again covered with ice, and already
by the middle of September they are frozen to the bottom.
Such is the summer on the ocean-ice and along the coast ; but if one goes
up into the mountains on land one soon discovers that the development is quite
different there. The first thing one observes is the drought which prevails ;
large stretches lie absolutely dried up, and one notices at once that nearly all
the snow has evaporated while the temperature was yet below zero. This will
be understood more easily if one takes into consideration that the downfall is
only one-sixth of the downfall in Denmark. Water running along the ground,
which is so common further towards the south, is almost absent here. It is
only under the glaciers and the snowdrifts that one finds water, and in these
places is vegetation.
It is also quickly noticed that in July it becomes warmer as one ascends
from the coast. In order to examine this peculiar condition, it was decided
that Knud Rasmussen and Wulff should take the temperature on the coast
every hour for twenty-four consecutive hours, whilst I was to ascend a
thousand metres high mountain, examining the warm layer of air which must
evidently exist. We chose a steep coastal mountain by Dragon Point which
was 990 metres. I commenced the ascent on the 18th of July — that is, at the
height of summer — at six o'clock in the morning, reaching the top at
eight o'clock in the evening of the same day ; the descent was commenced an
hour later, and I was once more down by the tent at two o'clock in the morn-
ing of the 19th of July. The diagram will show the results of the readings.
One notices at once that immediately above the ocean-ice there is a layer
of cold air which, in the course of the night, is further cooled down to below
zero, whilst by noon it is somewhat above plus 3° C. Above this layer of
310
GEOLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS
air, which is 250 metres thick, lies another layer which at a height of about
1,000 metres is succeeded by a cold layer of air. The middle layer has
through both day and night a temperature of nearly plus 9° C. At a height
of 600 metres, then, there is during the night a temperature of 10° C, and
during the day it is 6° C. warmer than on the coast. During our hunting
expeditions we had rich opportunities to prove that this warmer layer of air
was an everyday phenomenon in the most northerly part of Greenland during
July and the beginning of August. It would take us too far here to examine
the reasons for the existence of this warm layer, but it is obviously of great
importance to both plants and animals, and it is surely a contributory cause
of the existence of such large ice-free reaches along the north coast of
Greenland.
The lower cold layer of air immediately above the ocean-ice will, of course,
protect this from too great a degree of melting, and as one must assume that
the under side of the ocean-ice melts, it seems reasonable to deduce that this
ice every year becomes thicker upward, as the downfall of the year is partly
deposited as a layer of ice on top of one already existing. In exactly the same
way the floating inland-ice grows, and, as we have already mentioned, there
is in Victoria Fjord no line of demarcation between ocean-ice and glacier-ice.
In several other fjords there is a ridge of pressed-up ice between the two types
of ice, as the glacier-ice presses forward against the immovable ocean-ice ; but
the surface of the ice on both sides of the ridge is perfectly even. The thick-
ness of the ocean-ice may be put at approximately 5 metres, whilst the floating
inland-ice may be 30 metres or more, especially some distance behind the edge
of the glacier.
Loose pieces, consisting partly of several years of ocean-ice, partly of float-
ing inland-ice, will occasionally drift out from the fjords through channels and
lanes or, on rare occasions, when the fjord is ice-free. They may be found
in the Polar basin north of Greenland, and are especially common in Robeson
Channel. Nares Expedition called this formation " palseocrystic " ice, but
not until now has it been known how it arose. The Eskimos call it
" Sikussaq " — i.e., ice which resembles the ocean-ice.
Only in the most northerly regions is the ocean itself covered by inland-
ice, but wherever one travels in Greenland one feels this inland-ice as the
great background of existence in these latitudes. Against this background life
must be viewed, and that which in other and more favoured neighbourhoods
may seem mean here, immediately before the Ice Period, becomes rich and
remarkable.
311
THE ROUTES OF ESKIMO WANDERINGS
INTO GREENLAND
I
THE beginning of the history of the Eskimos, more than that of any other
people in the world, is hidden in darkness ; so far no explorer has been
able to tell with certainty whence they came, and the tribes themselves veil
their origin in obscure myths which give only sparse information. The only
thing we do know is that, when these 40,000 people stepped into the light of
history, they were spread over half of the world's Arctic periphery towards
the harsh, ice-filled oceans whose coasts no one else could inhabit. On this
mighty stretch of coast of more than 10,000 kilometres, where they bridged
points as far apart as the East of Greenland and Alaska, the Aleutic Isles and
Siberia, they have understood, as no other hunting people, the art of self-
preservation, and in the midst of a merciless fight for existence they have
created a culture which compels the greatest admiration of all white men.
Now, where had this people its first home?
William Thalbitzer has, by a study of the oldest myths, come to the con-
clusion that various circumstances point to districts towards the Far West.
Thalbitzer writes in his book, " Greenlandic Myths of the Past of the Eskimo,"
p. 80:
" So far away from their goal, a thousand years ago or more, the wander-
ing commenced which led to the coasts of Greenland. At that time the chief
camp of the nation was by Behring Strait. There we find the original forms
of the language and the culture which, later on, the wanderers towards the
east continued and adapted on the coasts of David Strait. They probably
arrived here in the tenth century of our reckoning, perhaps somewhat sooner,
perhaps somewhat later, spreading themselves during successive centuries on
one side down towards Newfoundland, to the southern border of Labrador, and
on the other side across Smith Sound along the west coast of Greenland to
Cape Farewell, and north of Greenland a goodly distance down along the
eastern coast. The Stone Age people which the Icelandic Vikings met in the
Middle Ages, and to whom they had to yield in the end, the same people
which the English discoverers of the sixteenth century found again in larger
numbers both on Baffin Land and in Greenland, was not a very old population
on these coasts ; their forebears had lived not many generations ago in the
lands of the evening sun, far towards the west, by the mouths of the great
rivers on both sides of the Rocky Mountains."
Another authority, Professor Steensby, is of the opinion that once they
were a North American inland people with the culture of the fisherman and
the hunter, whose origin must be looked for by the great lakes and rivers
which have the Rocky Mountains to the west and Hudson Bay to the east.
Pursued by inimical Indian tribes, they have slowlv withdrawn towards the
312
ESKIMO WANDERINGS INTO GREENLAND
Arctic coasts, and here they accommodated themselves to an existence which,
at the outset, permitted an adaptation of their experiences from lakes and
rivers to the sea-hunting which subsequently through the centuries developed
them into a people whose purely technical culture and ability to support them-
selves within their own territories is unique among men.
Since they arrived at the sea the Eskimos, according to Steensby's theories,
have spread both towards the west and the east, so that, as we have already
mentioned, we find their western border on the Aleutic Isles and East Cape
in Siberia, whilst to the east we meet them on the east coast of Greenland. In
the survey which we will here give to illustrate the ethnographical results of
the expedition, we will, however, consider merely their wanderings towards
the east.
Now, what was the reason for all these wanderings?
Why have the Eskimos never been able to gather in larger colonies, similarly
to other people, and seek aid in the fight for existence in the security
attendant on great numbers herding together? Where a whole people is con-
cerned it is not a sufficient explanation to point to the native restlessness of the
hunter, which forces him to exajnine the coasts of the lands and work his
way towards unknown hunting-grounds. When the Eskimos spread out so
widely across the world it was simply because their means of existence, and
the number of animals to be caught, demanded that they must fly away from
each other. It took a large stretch of ground to provide the single individual
with the necessaries of life ; the fewer the hunters the better were the
chances, so they migrated eastward and westward along the coasts in little
flocks, as long as they were not stopped by purely geographical conditions.
It is generally stated and insisted upon that the Eskimos on their wander-
ings towards Greenland have followed the tracks of the musk-ox and reindeer.
I wish to emphasize that it may be taken for granted that, after the Eskimos
discovered the ocean and its great sources of riches, they were only interested
in the coasts where the movements of the aquatic animals gave rise to conditions
preferable to those offered by the fish of the lakes and the game of the land.
For this reason they have for many generations concentrated on inventions
which facilitated the catching of food from the sea. The land game often
gave an opportunity for great hunting expeditions which resulted in consider-
able amounts of supplementary provisions, but they were always looked upon
as a subsidiary means of existence. If on their way the Eskimos happened to
come across large herds of musk-ox and reindeer, these might occasionally be
the deciding factor for the wintering camps, but otherwise the sea route, and
the advantages or the difficulties which it offered, must have been the sole
determinant for their journeys. In the following we will show more clearly
what is the cause of the seals being so closely bound up with the Eskimos' life.
The high Arctic coasts demand to a greater degree than any other regions
a highly developed winter culture. Cold and darkness must be overcome
through long and pinched months when there is often no possibility of hunt-
ing, and for this period food must be put aside during the more favourable
times ; with the food — seal meat — follows blubber, which makes the huts as
warm as summer for women and children. Cold houses are regarded as being
more dreadful than anything else.
To begin with the food, it is necessary to point out at once the way in
313
GREENLAND BY THE POLAR SEA
which the Eskimo differentiates between the flesh of land animals and the
flesh of seal or whale. The flesh of musk-ox and reindeer is considered not
durable, especially when it must be shared with the dogs. Further, as the
only article of food it is not always sufficiently rich in fat for this cold climate,
where the consumption of much fat means bodily heat. For this reason it has
always been looked upon as a supplementary food, which should preferably be
eaten together with stronger and fatter meats.
The second factor in Eskimo life, and one which is no less important, is the
artificial heat required in order that one may live and thrive ; for it must
not be forgotten that the Eskimos spend half their life indoors with everything
indispensable collected round the train-oil lamp. This lamp is the sun of the
family, and the only light during the period of Polar darkness. With its
mild warmth it makes even the smallest hut cosy, and over its flickering flame
are cooked all the meals, round which the Eskimos gather as for a feast.
Clothes and kamiks, which protect them against the cold, are dried by it,
and on the whole it makes it definitely possible for women and children to
hibernate comfortably through the harshest part of winter.
It is, of course, possible to obtain fat from reindeer and musk-ox both for
light and warmth in a hut. But it is far from being the same heat, and it
also causes much more trouble. In addition to this, the lamps of a house
demand such a large supply of fat, as they, according to custom, must burn
both night and day, that an extremely great number of animals would have
to be killed before one would be in a position to meet the winter calmly.. And
it is only during the autumn and the early part of winter that the animals are
fat. Even after the most fortunate hunting excursions it is difficult to obtain
sufficient fat to supply both men and lamps.
All these purely practical view-points, which play such an important part
in their daily life, have been given to me by old Eskimos who have themselves
taken part in folk wanderings, and they seem to demonstrate that an Eskimo,
when once he is used to the flesh of aquatic animals and blubber, reluctantly
substitutes anything else for it. This alone satiates his appetite and enables
him to convert a stone hut into a patch of summer amidst the Polar frost.
And one must remember that the Eskimos are people who appreciate a good
time, and that the cause of their journeys is chiefly a desire to come to a place
where conditions are better than those which they enjoy at the moment.
When we assume the correctness of Professor Steensby's theory, that the
Eskimo culture as we know it has arisen round Coronation Bay, we can follow
a line of wandering towards the east which runs southward from Baffin Land,
and then via Labrador's coast goes almost right down to Newfoundland.
Everywhere on these stretches the catch of marine animals has been decisive
for all travelling dispositions. Another direction of migration goes north to
Lancaster Sound and North Devon, where, by Jones Sound, it divides into
two routes, some of the Eskimos going eastward and some of them westward
round Ellesmere Land. By constant and successful hunting of seal and bear,
the former have comparatively quickly reached Pirn Island, and the subsequent
crossing to Greenland is obvious — for to the north lie trackless districts with
pressure-ice, whilst at this point, where Smith's Sound is at its narrowest, one
may cross on easy ice to a large and promising land.
This route was used by Baffinlanders who immigrated into Etah in 1862
under the great Qidtlaq. The same route southward was taken when the
314
ESKIMO BUNTINQ IMPLEMENTS
Prom left t'> eight: Harpoon with bone-point. Winged bar] a.
Bow with arrows and quiver. Salinon-spear with Bxed barba
Salmon-ape <r with detachable point attached to ^ Beal-strap.
Lances. Harpoon with throwing-atick.
ou »
ESKIMO IMPLEMENTS
From the top: Skin-scrapers, stone edge with handle of bone. Point of Hint for harpoon.
Harpoon-points of bone with edge of Hint. Axe, wooden handle, point of Hint. Scraper
of flint and arrowhead. Kayak-knife for ice. made of bone. Arrow-head with edge of
Hint. Arrow-head of bone.
ESKIMO WANDERINGS INTO GREENLAND
tribe, after six years' sojourn in Greenland, attempted to return. Somewhat
later, the Polar Eskimos undertook a wandering along this route, and wintered
for a couple of years on Coburg Island by the mouth of Jones Sound.
The first immigrants to Greenland reached the land by Cape Inglefield, and
thence they spread out both north and south. The parties which chose the
routes to the south soon found excellent hunting-ground in Melville Bay, and
further ahead in other parts of Greenland ; whilst those who went to the north
from Cape Inglefield gradually settled down in large colonies along Inglefield
Land and Peabody Bay. Excellent conditions were found everywhere here,
whilst the excursions which the hunters undertook to the north comparatively
soon proved that there was no possibility of expansion northward through the
narrow channels, where the ice was a chaos of pressure-ridges, and where
the seals consequently were found only in small numbers. The land itself was
covered by glaciers and had no ground for game, and at the same time the
geological formations, limestone and sandstone, provided uncommonly poor
material for the building of houses.
Thus for many generations the Eskimos presumably flocked together in
this neighbourhood, comparatively small, but fit for habitation, and this
explains why we found such an unusually large number of winter-houses on
the stretch between Cape Inglefield to Humboldt's Glacier. As gradually
the.v began to suffer from the consequences of over-population, they decided
to follow those which constantly passed southward towards the much more
promising coasts where seals and whales abounded.
The Polar Eskimos have a distant recollection of a time when all countries
were inhabited. People increased until they did not appreciate each other and
found that neighbours were a nuisance. Although one must be very careful in
making history from the old myths, it is nevertheless probable that the account
of the great blood bath round Marshall Bay alludes to a period when the district
here was subjected to a blood-letting which overtook the people because they
were too numerous.
We now return to the tribes which went along the west coast of Ellesmere
Land, and which are of especial interest to us when we discuss a route of
migration north of Greenland. For a while they must have felt comfortable
in the peculiar and ice-free tracts in Ellesmere Land, Grinnell Land, Grant
Land, and Heiberg Land, where existed and still exists great profusion of
game. But the sealing possible in the narrow sounds, where the ice often
did not break at all, was far from satisfactory, and the longing for the sea
therefore led to a speedy departure. Some of the Eskimos went into the land
through Bay Fjord, and found a convenient crossing over Ellesmere Land down
to Flagler Fjord, from which the passage to Greenland takes merely a couple
of days. Others penetrated to Lake Hazen through Greely Fjord, and the
abundance of salmon in the lake and the large flocks of musk-ox and hares
have for a while made them give up the thought of pushing further ahead.
At that time not a few winter-houses were built ; these were found in this
neighbourhood by Greely's Expedition. The way from Lake Hazen down to
the sea by Lady Franklin Bay and Hall Basin is very easy to find, as great
cloughs and rivers run down from the lake. In bays and creeks in the near
vicinity of the coast there is rather good hunting of bearded seal, famous for
its thick layer of blubber and its strong skin. The Tiunters by Lake Hazen
have probably, as did the Eskimos who lived here during Peary's expeditions,
315
X
GREENLAND BY THE POLAR SEA
gone down to the sea to hunt every spring ; thus we find them as neighbours
to Greenland. Before we had a thorough knowledge of Greenland's north
coast, it seemed convenient to let these people continue from the tent-rings by
Thank God Harbour further north along the coast, and thus arose the idea of
the invasion of the east coast via the north of the country. In the following
we will refute this opinion, and show that such could not have been the case.
For the Grantlanders, stopped by natural conditions, have either gone south-
ward on the ocean to Inglefield Land, which could easily be reached in the
course of a couple of months in the spring, even if we allow for a family
removal ; or they have gone behind the lands down to the route which their
kindred found across Ellesmere Land.
II
When we went to the great fjords on the north coast on the second Thule
Expedition it was natural that we should harbour great ethnographical expecta-
tions with regard to these tracts, as the possibility of a previous habitation and
a folk-wandering connected with it could only be decided by an examination
of these regions. The majority of explorers presupposed an earlier habitation.
Nearly all theories inclined to the view that the migration into Greenland has
taken place not merely from Ellesmere Land via Cape Inglefield, both south-
ward and northward, but also that a wandering has taken place north of
Greenland to the east coast, and that this invasion has received its main
contingent from those who came down to the coasts by the route Greely Fjord
to Lake Hazen.
Without special knowledge of Greenland's north coast, it seemed natural
*to draw these conclusions, because Eskimo tent-rings had been found as high
up on the east coast as the north side of Independence Fjord, both by the
Danmark Expedition and by the first Thule Expedition. Winter-houses on
the east side were found as far up as Sophus Miiller Point, and now the
problem was to find the connection with these by winter-houses or at least by
traces of a wandering along the north coast.
It will be remembered from the travelling description that, although we
followed the coast, everywhere hugging the land, and even occasionally went
right up on the ice-foot, we did not succeed in finding the faintest trace of a
previous habitation, this despite the fact that we and our four Greenlanders
incessantly had our attention directed to this problem. Even in Sherard
Osborne Fjord and Victoria Fjord nothing was found, however often we
traversed on our hunting excursions, both on the upward and the downward
journey, all the land which was accessible. Even a place like the Whirlpool
in I. P. Koch Fjord, a natural sealing centre, had never been visited until we
discovered it.
As a result of my experiences from this expedition I must insist that no
Eskimo wandering can have taken place north of Greenland, and I will attempt
to advance my arguments on this point.
During a folk-wandering where women and children are included the wan-
derers would never voluntarily go into quite trackless districts. The pressure-
ice from Polaris Promontory to Sherard Osborne Fjord would constitute quite a
considerable obstacle for the transport of a family and household goods ; and
we must of necessity take into account the primitive travelling gear which was
used. The sledges were made entirely from whale rib or from pieces of wood
316
GREBNLANDERS FROM THK MIDDLE OF THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY
After a contemporary picture in the National Museum, Copenhagen.
.*«*
H
* £*
ESKIMO STONE HUTS IN SPRING
ESKIMO WANDERINGS INTO GREENLAND
patched together; they were small and always very fragile, for the Eskimos
lacked the tools for proper workmanship. On these sledges were trans-
ported, during the great camp-breakings, stone pans, lamps, and skin tents,
all of which were heavy and unwieldy articles; further, a kayak, if a man
possessed one, the spare clothes of the family, and whatever else they
illicit own of tools and things which could not be replaced in a hurry. Even
if all these articles represented merely the most modest idea of what a
household would reckon as its property and worldly possessions, they were
nevertheless difficult to transport and demanded proper roads. Those of the
children who were too small to walk were strapped like phantastic bundles of
skins on top of the loads, and as, during long removals, out of consideration
for the food, often only a few dogs were kept, the adults had, as a rule, to
assist in the pulling and pushing of the sledges. It is easy to understand that
for such a transport a reasonably good condition of the ground would be
necessary .
As a rule the removals took place during the months of April and May ;
there was then warm sunshine, and the children, who must always be con-
sidered, suffered less from bad weather. During this season, when the seals
begin to crawl up on the ice, there were also better prospects for hunting on the
way if the game did not yield sufficient daily food. One must remember that
no provisions could be brought, apart from a few meals, so that all food for
men and dogs must be acquired on the way. During summer and autumn no
travelling was undertaken in high Arctic regions like those we are now con-
sidering. In the summer no road was to be found, and in the autumn it
would be unjustifiable to set out towards unknown districts with winter and
darkness before one and no depots to fall back on. These depots, or meat-pits,
on which life and welfare depended, must generally be collected during May,
June, and July, these being the only months when one can reckon on a sur-
plus. If one were in a locality where the summer and autumn catch were
favourable, one might also reckon on August and September. With regard to
conditions for travelling and hunting along the ntorth coast during the months
mentioned, it will be sufficient to refer to the preceding travelling description.
The peculiar conditions of ice and snow forbid sealing to the extent which is
necessary either for travellers with families, or for a stationary life in camp ;
and the ice-free inland tracts are not sufficiently extensive to yield game for
wandering, not to mention for wintering, tribes. It must be taken for granted
that the musk-ox has gone north of Greenland only in small and casual herds.
As we found no winter-houses, tent-rings, fireplaces, or other traces of Eskimos,
this negative result is entirely in accordance with the conditions for existence
which nature offers.
This, then, disposes of the theory of a folk-wandering north of Greenland,
for it would be unthinkable apart from winter stations by one of the fjords on
the north coast. From the tent-rings by Hall's Grave, the most northerly
known on Greenland's west coast, to the tent-rings by Independence Fjord,
the most northerly known on Greenland's east coast, there is a distance of no
less than 1,000 kilometres along the route which an Eskimo family would
follow. From the houses in Benton Bay, the most northerly known on Green-
land's west coast, to the winter-houses by Sophus Miiller Point on the east
coast, there is a distance of about 1,500 kilometres along the sledge track
north of Peary Land, or a distance approximately as great as from I'pernivik to
Frederikshaab. An Eskimo family would never traverse such a distance in
317
GREENLAND BY THE POLAR SEA
one journey, but must have several intermediary stations with good hunting
on the way. Further, the hunters must, in order to carry on from day to
day, travel under the impression that the hunting along the route they follow
will be increasingly better the further they go. Our expedition, which con-
sisted only of selected men equipped with the very best of gear and weapons
of our time, barely escaped from this coast, so poor in game, this despite the
fact that we visited it in the most favourable season when hunting should be
at its best.
Certain writers support their defence of a folk-wandering north of Green-
land by pointing out that the climatic conditions in these regions were once
different, and that at that time a heat wave passed over the north of Greenland
with a milder climate, which gave quite different conditions of existence than
the present. If we assume that this period coincides with the post-glacial heat
wave known in Scandinavia — and there are many indications of this proba-
bility— the period of the milder climate would then be some 6,000 years ago;
but the Eskimo wanderings probably took place 1,000 or 1,200 years ago, so
that this heat wave cannot have influenced the migrations here mentioned ;
when they took place conditions must have resembled those of the present
time.
In addition to the obstacles on the road and the conditions of the ice, which
hinder the movements of the aquatic animals, there are also other natural
phenomena peculiar to the north coast which must be taken into consideration.
The great fjords, St. George Fjord, Sherard Osborne Fjord, Victoria Fjord,
Nordenskjold Fjord, I. P. Koch Fjord, and the other greater and smaller
incisions right up to de Long Fjord, are all filled with floating inland-ice ; and
through this no seal is able to work a breathing-hole.
Another circumstance which, though of less importance compared with
those already mentioned, nevertheless made an impression on our Eskimo
members, is the uncommonly poor material for houses which is to be
found ; the coast consisted mostly of loose, slaty, and easily crumbling sand-
stone, unsuitable for the building of stone nouses. An Eskimo would scarcely
settle down here voluntarily. The opinion which has occasionally been voiced
to the effect that the Eskimos, during their visit to the north coast, contented
themselves with only snow-huts during the winter, is improbable, and betrays
a complete ignorance of natural conditions in Greenland, and of Eskimo
habits. Apparently one forgets that not in all seasons of the year, not even in
all places, is it possible to build snow-houses. During autumn and the first
part of winter, in September, October, November, eventually also in
December, one only occasionally finds snow drifted together to such a con-
sistency that it would be possible to cut out of it blocks for building material.
And during these months no hunter would let his wife and his children lie
freezing in a skin tent. The season of the snow-houses only comes when the first
hunting excursion begins, with the return of the light period.
The lines of the Eskimo migration from the north to the east coast were
previously drawn through Peary Channel, through which one could penetrate
from Nordenskjold Fjord into Independence Fjord without leaving the coast,
conveniently hunting game on both shores. As we have now succeeded in
proving that instead of sea one meets here with a belt of ice of considerable
breadth, this short cut also is eliminated. Remains then only the inland-ice,
. in as far as it can be traversed behind Peary Land's north coast from Nor-
denskjold to Independence Fjord. But the conditions for an ascent are very
318
ESKIMO WANDERINGS INTO GREENLAND
difficult here, because of the floating inland-ice and its crevasses; and even
if these were passable, a sensible man with wife and children would hardly set
out on a 200 kilometres long wandering through the waste if he did not know
anything beforehand about the natural conditions with which he would meet
when at last the risky journey had come to an end. If a wandering from the
north-west to the north-east of Greenland has taken place, there is only the
way north of Peary Land; but no conditions for existence are offered here.
To sum up, all observations made during the expedition point to the
probability that in Melville Bay we must look for the great main route which
lias led the Eskimos from the North American Archipelago to Greenland.
The entire migration has gone southward, and even to the east coast they
have come south of Cape Farewell. It has been maintained that the collections
brought home from the north of East Greenland point towards north, but
even such an argument appears to me futile to discuss. For it would seem
much more natural to relate the North-East Greenlanders to tribes which have
been offshoots from the colony at Angmagssalik, which has no doubt always
been thickly populated. Right down to the time of the colonization there were
people here who went north, and many hunting traditions point to a north-
going movement. Along this coast there are no passages which can compare
with the stretch between Hall Basin and Independence Fjord. As these people
from the sub-Arctic climate gradually settled down under quite different con-
ditions and quickly became acclimatized and adapted their tool-making tech-
nique to a definite or exclusive winter culture, so everything found after them
will bear the high Arctic stamp, although it must not necessarily have come
southward from the north, wherefrom no way is to be found. And could
anybody imagine a folk-wandering — and that numerically a rather large one —
traversing more than 1,000 kilometres along the coast without leaving the
slightest trace? The tent-rings in Independence Fjord must therefore be due
to reconnoitrings from Sophus Miiller Point.
In full accordance with the views here maintained, we lose the traces of a
folk-wandering, both on the west and the east coast of Greenland, in and
with the localities where the sealing during the hunts of spring and summer
cannot form the base of an existence such as the Eskimo desires.
319
INDEX
Adam Biering Land, 154
Advance Bay, 55, 57, 59-60, 242, 246
Agassiz, Cape, 57, 59, 184, 188, 225, 231,
251, 268, 277; vegetation, 275; the
collections brought from, 285, 287
Agpalinguaq, 11
Ainu people, Wulff and the, 273-74
Ajako, 41, 52, 77, 78, 85, 115, 162, 168,
193; musk-ox-hunting, 99-103, 106,
109, 120-21, 172-73; wolf-hunting,
110; snow-blindness, 111; journey to
Nyeboes Glacier, 119; his dogs, 122;
hares, 126-35, 137 ; illness, 133-35;
volunteers again, 139-40 ; seal-hunt-
ing, 144, 187-89, 206 ; at Thule Moun-
tain, 152 ; and the Great Flesh-pot,
158-59; reliability 174-78; at Cape
May, 183 ; hopefulness of, 204-6 ; re-
connoitring expeditions, 237 ; the
walk to Etah, 238-48, 277- men-
tioned in Dr. Wulff 's diary, 280 ; the
attempt to bury Dr. Wulff, 285-87
Akia, country of, 61. See Washington
Land
Akunarmiut, "between the winds," 20,
23-24
Albert and Victoria Mountains, the, 305
Alert, journey, 1875-76, 78; at Floeberg
Beach, 82 ; Beaumont sets out from
the, 94-96
Aleutic Isles, 313
Alexander, Cape, 42
Amulets, 31
Angmagssalik, 319
Angutdligamaq, storv of, 44-47
Animals, Arctic, 299-300
Anoritoq, camp at, 11, 15, 24, 25, 57, 67 ;
our arrival, 44-47 ; Eiderduck of, 49
Arnajaq, tales of, 44-47
Arnaruluk, 28
Assarpanguaq, 248
Astrup, 112, 219
Auk-mountains, 13
Aunartoq camp, houses of, 47, 50-53
Avangnardlit, inhabitants, 20, 24-25
Avortungiaq's Island, 57
Baffin, first discoverer of the Eskimo, 1
Baffin's Bay, 22 ; reindeer customs from,
51 ; open water of, 74
Ballot Island, 79
Barnacle-geese, 135, 144, 157, 175
Bartlett, Captain, 248-49
Bawl, sailor, 96
Bay Fjord, 315
Bear Island, 305
Bear-dogs, 16
Bear-hunting, 15, 16, 25
Bear-skins, uses, 22-23 ; barter in, 24
Beaumont Isles, 92, 183-84
Beaumont, Lieut. 75, 91, 146; at Gap
Valley, 86 ; the deposit at Beau-
mont's beacon, 97, 115 ; tenacity of,
99 ; report of, 94-97, 107, 115
Behring Strait, 312
Bennett, Cape, 139, 158
Benton Bay, 63, 317
Bessel Fjord, 70
Bierderbick, 150
Bird-hunting, 13
Birds, Arctic, 299
Black Horn Cliffs, 87, 88, 95, 148, 187
Blue Point, 159
Bluebottles, 182
Boatswain Sound, 157
Boggild, Prof. Bernhard, 155
Bosun, 100, 106, 108, 162; hares, 78;
musk-ox -hunting, 85, 167-68, 173 ;
endurance of, 102, 139-40; at Nor-
denskjold Fjord, 119 ; geese, 144 ;
seal-hunting, 187-89, 192-93; story
of Hendrik 194; on land, 238, 240';
return to Etah, 259-70 ; mentioned
by Dr. Wulff, 280, 282 ; a new outfit,
285-86
Brainard, 145-48, 150
Brevoort, Cape, 85-87, 114
Bridgeman, Cape, 140, 155 ; Koch's
beacon, 119
Britannia, Cape, 92, 146
Bronlund, Jbrgen, feat of, 165
Brown's Coast, 69
Bryan, Cape, 64, 69, 70, 91, 95, 114,
187
Bryant, Cape, 146
Burials, 49
Buttress, Cape, 111-12, 184
Caledonian Folding, the, 306
Callhourn, Cape, 65
" Camp Mountain," the, 301
Camp-fires, effect, 163
Camps, permanent, 20-25; Eskimo, near
Lake Hazen, 147
321
GREENLAND BY THE POLAR SEA
Canada of the Ice Period, 306
Cape Ramsay Island, 152
Cape York, the, 226
Cass Bay, 61
Cassiope, 125
Castle Island, 109, 111
Central Institution for Experimental
Agriculture, 272
Centrum Island, 162, 166
"Chequer Ground," 298
China, Wulff in, 273
Chip Inlet, 122-27, 132, 135
Christianshaab, colony of, 195
Cinema, film-producing, 51-52
Clav, Cape, 61-63
Clothing, Eskimo, 17-19
Coburg Island, 315 .
Colouring, Arctic, of birds and animals,
299-300
Comer, Captain, 43 ; letter from, 255-56
Conger, Fort, 10, 41, 76, 77, 87, 145-49,
180
Constitution, Cape, 41, 64, 66, 67, 77
Cook, Dr., 44
Coppinger, Dr., 95, 97
Coppinger, Mount, 116
Coral reefs, 65
Coronation Bay, 314
Crevasses, 229
Crockerland Expedition, 4, 248; the ,
house in Etah, 43-44, 253-54 ; letter '
from Captain Comer, 255-56
Crozier Island, 66
Cryokonite holes, 235
Dallas Bay, 57, 58
Dalrymple Rock, 23
Daniel Bruun Glacier, 189, 197, 199,
202 ; crossing the, 210-34
Danmark Expedition, the, 33, 209, 248,
256, 298. 316
David Strait, 312
Denmark, visit of Ajako, 52 ; last letters
home to, 67-68
Denmark Fjord, 165
Depot Island, 107
" Devil's Cleft (The)," 213-15, 220, 302-3
Devil's Thumb, 307
Discovery, H.M.S., 71, 82; Beaumont's
expedition, 75, 97 ; voyages, 1875-76,
78
Discovery Harbour, 145
Disko Island, 82, 307
Dobing, Seaman, 96
Dog-driving, art of, 66
Dogs, feeding of, 36, 41 ; pack of
Inukitsoq, 68-69 ; teams for the ex-
pedition, 97-98 ; removal of the rap-
torious tooth, 107-8; killing of the,
114-15, 122, 128, 201, 205, 221-22,
224, 225, 229, 231-34, 237; effect of
the snow on, 128-29 ; in hunger, 131 ;
health of the, 134, 200; and the
musk-ox, 170-71 ; treatment of, 176
Dragon Mountain, 185-86, 200, 202
322
Dragon Point, 92, 93, 139, 184, 186, 310 ;
Beaumont's record, 95-96; the depot,
106-9 ; journey to Depot Island from,
113-17 ; seals of, 123, 127, 156, 161,
180, 187
Drum-songs, 37-38
East, Cape, 313
Eiderduck, 13, 56; story of the, 49-50
" Eiderduck." See Miteq
Elison Island, 160, 162
Ellesmere's Land, 10, 15, 17, 315
Emory, Cape, 135, 137
England, farthest north record beaten,
147
Eskimos, Polar, meeting with Ross, 2-3 ;
contempt for death, 5-11 ; a nomadic
people, 25-27 ; primitive view of life,
27-32 ; employed in the Greely Ex-
pedition, 146 ; immigration north of
Greenland not possible, 156, 316-19 ;
legends, 158; happy impressions,
256-57 ; history of the, 312-19
Etah, 11, 13, 24, 25, 43-44, 69, 87, 188,
226, 238, 280, 284-87; the return
journey to, 241-55 ; relief sent from,
257 ; Koch's return, 269-70
Fairies, Danish, 242 and note
Falcon, at Cape Constitution, 67
Farewell, Cape, 209, 312, 319
Farragut, Mount, 116
"Farthest North" records, 147
Fauna in North Coast of Greenland,
298-300
Film-producing, 51-52
Fishing-hooks from reindeer, 56
Fjord-seal, 14
Flagler Fjord, 315
" Flats," Danish term for, 205 and note
"Flesh-pot (The)," 159, 161, 187
Flies, Arctic, pollination by, 297
Floeberg Beach, 82
Flora in North Coast of Greenland, 292-
98
F^fn-w'ind, effect, 21-22, 221, 226,
230
Forbes, Cape, 59, 229
Fossils of the coast mountains, 65;
specimens sent south, 68 ; on the
homeward journey, 216
Foulke Fjord, 257, 259
Foxes, blue, 13-14; sale-foxes, 22; use
of the tower-trap, 54; hunting of,
106, 118
Franklin Bay, 90
Frederick, Eskimo, 150
Frederick Hyde Fjord, 152
Frederikshaab, 317
Freuchen, Peter, work of, 165, 285, 286,
288 ; letter from, 255 ; home at Thule,
290-91
Fulford, Cape, 95
INDEX
Gap Valley, 86, 96
Geological collections sent home, 77
Geological observations bv Laugo Koch,
301-4
Germany and the war, 249
Glacier, Cape, beacon at, 119
Glacier tojrents, 232-33
Gneiss, 57
Godhavn, 146
Godthaab, 306, 307
Gothenburg, 271 ; the Rohsska Knuts-
lojd museum, 273
Gramophones, 43, 44, 254
Grant Land, 68, 73, 77, 79, 141, 315;
coast, 82, 87; views of, 88; Greely's
exploration, 147-48; geology, 306
Grant, Mr., kidnapping of, 273
Graves near Hall's Grave, 75-76 ;
Odell's, 78
Gray (Beaumont's party), 96
Gray, Cape, 111, 112
Great Blood-Bath Fjord, legend of, 55-
56
"Great Flesh-pot," the, 158-59
Greely Expedition, winter quarters at
Fort Conger, 77-79; America's ar-
rangements, 145-46 ; exploration of
Grant Land, 147-48, 315 ; the disas-
ter, 148-51
Greely Fjord, 148, 315
Greenland, South of, hunting imple-
ments imported from, 16 ; northern
extremity reached by Peary, 87
Grinnell Land, 53, 145, 224 ; mountains
of, 69, 305-6; Greely's journey, 148-
49, 315
Gull (Maage), 1
Gulls, Arctic, 133, 220
Hagen, 165
Hall, 4, 85 ; experience with seals, 143
Hall Basin, 73, 77, 78, 97, 114, 315, 319 ;
geology, 303
Hall Land, Washington Land to, 61-79
Hall's Grave, 67, 73-76, 80, 288 ; Beau-
mont's journey, 96-97 ; tent-rings,
317
Hands Bay, 89
Hannah Island, 70
Hanne Island, 152
Hansen, Captain, 33
Hares, 16-17, 51, 98, 106-8, 118, 126, 169,
239-40, 244-46, 298
Harpoon, use by the Polar Eskimo, 12
Harrigan (Inukitsoq), 62, 63, 90, 99,
101, 103, 106, 168, 193; dogs of, 68-
69 ; a find, 70-71 ; return of, 77-78 ;
experiences, 87-88 ; sledge journey in
Nordenskjold Fjord, 119-20 ; journey
to Cape Salor, 139; seal-hunts, 161,
163, 198-201, 204; ice-water baths,
174 ; reconnoitring tours, 183, 185,
202-3; his offer on Hondrik's re-
quest, 190; on the Daniel Bruun
Glacier, 210-13 ; illness, 225 ; on land,
238-40; the return to Etah, 259-61;
Koch's report, 262-70 ; report of,
L'75-79 ; mentioned by Dr. Wultf, 280-
81 ; the road to Thule, 288 ; reception
in Thule, 290-91
Hartz Sound, 196-97
Hawaii, 117
Hayes, 4
Hazen, Lake, 68, 147, 315
Heiberg's Land, 17, 315
Hendrik, Hans, 62, 78, 81, 84, 100, 101,
106, 108, 259 ; meets Beaumont, 97 ; at
Nordenskjold Fjord, 119 ; journey to
Cape Salor, 139 ; on Dragon Moun-
tain, 186,. 189; story of, 190 et seq.;
a beacon in his memory, 207-9
Hendrik's Island, 201
Henningsen, Director, 273
Henson, Matthew, 87
Holm, Cape, 15
Holstenborg, 306, 309
Honolulu, 117
Hooker, Cape, 92
Hooker, Mount, Beaumont's attempt,
95-96 • (Fusjijama), 116
Houses, Eskimo, 19-20 ; Samisulik type,
57 ; winter-houses near Benton's
Bay, 63 ; near Lake Hazen, 315
Humboldt's Glacier, 11, 15, 17, 20, 41,
188, 217, 227, 241-42, 286; view of,
58 ; description, 58-60 ; the journey
towards, 62 ; ice-blocks, 72 ; rein-
deer, 180; geology, 301-2
Hunting, summer sport, 12-14 ; in
winter, 14-16
I. P. Koch Fjord, 132, 134, 161, 316
Ice, the Polar, 72: Sikussaq, 72, 311;
low floating inland, 111-12, 308-9;
differentiation between inland and
coastland, 123 ; movements, 156-57 ;
the inland-ice, 306-11 ; power of the
sun's rays on the ocean-ice, 309-10
Ice Period, observations on the, 306-11
Ice-foot, formation of, 53 ; in Hall Basin,
78
Ice-gulls, 56
Ice-hunting, 57
Iceland, visits of Wulff, 272
Ice-mountains, 66-67, 71-72 ; floating,
126 ; of Nordenskjold Fjord, 122
Tee-water baths, 166-69, 174
Igdluluarssuit, 24, 41, 285, 286, 288
Ilaitoq, 248
Ilanguaq, 37-38
Independence, Cape, 66
Independence Fjord, 119-20, 122-23, 138,
154, 162, 165, 187, 316; tent-rings,
317, 319
India, Wulff's work in, 272
Ingersoll, Cape, 47
Inglefield Bay, camps, 285-86
Inglefield, Cape, 10, 47, 315
Inglefield Gulf, 24, 247 ; icebergs, 72 ;
head of, 288-89
323
GREENLAND BY THE POLAR SEA
Inglefield Land, 60, 255, 287, 315;
winter-houses, 62 ; coast ice-foot, 65 ;
Wulff's report, 267-68
Insects, Arctic, 300
International Meteorological Explora-
tion of 1881, 145
Inugarfigssuaq, 55
Inuqitsoq. See Harrigan
Iterdlagssuaq, 288
Iterfiluk, house of, 35
Jacobshavn, 308
Japan, Wulff in, 273-74
Jarl, Hakon, story of, 179
Java, 274
Jefferson, Cape, 65
Jens, Greenlander, 146, 150
Jewell Inlet, 126, 144
Joe (Hendrik), 143
John Murray Island, 92
Jones (Beaumont's party), 96
Jones Sound, 15, 314, 315
Kane Basin, 73 ; ice-floes, 47, 59-60 ; the
ice-foot of, 53-54
Kane, Dr., 4; on Humboldt's Glacier,
quoted, 58-60
Kangerdluarsuk, 288
Kangerdlugssuag, 290
Kayaks, 12
Kennedy Channel, 10, 69, 73
Kent, Cape, 58
Kerenski, 249
Kiajuk, 35
Kiatak, 24
Knud Rasmussen, observations, 260,
310 ; the Last Will of Dr. Wulff, 267,
270 ; mentioned in the Diary, 281 ;
narrative of, 298-300
Koch, Lauge, 100, 103, 106, 109-10 ; the
start, 33; a sledge party, 54' at
Cape Clay, 61-63 ; fossils, 65 ; a find,
70-71; illnesses, 111-12, 114-15, 117-
18, 133-34, 225, 238; journey to
Nyeboes Glacier, 119 ; dogs of, 120,
122; reconnoitring expeditions, 129-
32; volunteers again, 139; account
of Thule Mountain, 152-53, 155: at
Cape Salor, 160; his 25th birthday,
167 ; the musk-oxen, 171 ; on Dragon
Mountain, 186, 189, 193-94; on the
Daniel Bruun Glacier, 198, 210, 216 ;
reaches Etah, 259-60 ; report of, 260-
77 ; mentioned in Wulff's letters, 274-
75, 281 ; journey to Inglefield Land,
285-87; clothes" for, 288; geological
observations by, 301-4
Koch's beacon, 119
Kristiansen, Frederik, 145, 146, 148
Kukat, 247
Labrador, 312
Lady Franklin Bay, 78-79, 82, 97, 145,
315
Lady Franklin's Expedition, 151
324
Lafayette Bay, 66
Lakes formed during ice-melting, 72,
224
Lambert Land depot, 165
Lamp, the Eskimo, 314
Lancaster Sound, 314
Land-hunting, 57
Landscapes, karst, 216
Lapland, visits of Wulff, 272
Lemming, habits of the. 111, 121-23,
298-99
Letters home, 67-68
Lichens, 215
Lincoln Sea, 73, 80
Lindhardt, J., on scurvy, quoted, 83
note
"Little Throat," story of, 38-39
Littleton Island, 148
Lockwood, 87 ; report from, 144, 154 ;
voyage of, 145-51
Lockwood Island, 147
Lockwood's beacon, 145, 156, 158
de Long Fjord, 64, 120, 123, 126, 137,
140, 144, 147, 150; exploration of,
152 ; two sketches, 153
Low Point, 138, 142, 144, 157
Lucie Marie, Cape, 73
Lund, 271
Lupton, Cape, 80
Lynge, dreams of, 227-28, 255
Majaq, meat-pits of, 44, 48-50 ; hut of,
51-52 ; bears slain by, 62 ; return, 68
Majaq, son of, 248
Manigssoq, 141
Markham, voyage of, 81-84 ; his
"farthest north," 147
Marshall Bay, 54, 56, 225, 248, 261, 280;
seals, 187 ; the Blood-bath, 315
Masaitsiaq, 5
Mascart Inlet, 126, 142, 144, 152
Mattak feasts, 288, 290
Mauna Loa, 117
Mav, Cape, 92, 99, 101, 113, 116, 118,
146, 175, 183
McMillan, 43, 135 ; misses Lockwood's
beacon, 145 ; his gramophone, 226
McMillan Valley, 118 ; the musk-ox
hunt, 166-78
Melville Bay, 20, 21, 22, 68, 72, 307,
315; bear-hunts, 48, 143-44; glaciers,
59 ; meat-pits, 63 ; the route through,
319
Melville, Cape, 13
Meteorological observations, 128
Midgard Snake, the, 215-18, 220;
geology of, 302
Miteq, the " Eiderduck," meeting with,
247-48 ; his news, 248-50
Mohn, Cape, 141, 145, 152, 157
Moltke Glacier, 308
Mongolia, Wulff in, 273
Morris Bay, 65
Morris-Jesup, Cape, 140, 154 ; beacon
at, 119-20
INDEX
Morton, voyage of, 62
Morton, Cape, 70, 82
'• Mosekone," 242
Mountain chain of North Greenland
coast, 65, 304-6
Mukden, Wulff in, 273
Musk-ox, meat of the, 17, 47, 99-101
103, 106, 298; found by Hall, 76
hares and, 98; wolves and, 105-6
in McMillan Vallev, 168-78 ; rations
of tallow, 202-3
Mylius-Erichsen, 33, 165, 180; beacon
at Cape Glacier, 119
Myths, Eskimo, 27-32
Nares Expedition, 4, 70, 73, 75, 82;
Markham's journey, 81-84 ; winter
harbour, 1875-76, 88 ; Beaumont's
journey, 94 ; methods employed, 146 ;
observations, 311
Nares Fjord, 106
Nares Land, 106
Narwhal, 24, 25
Nauj&rtalik Mountain, 288
Necromancers, Eskimo, 30
yeptune, 256
Neqe, sea-kings, 24 ; camp, 41, 285, 287
Netsilivik, 35
Neumeyer, Cape, 137, 139, 141, 157-58,
174
Newfoundland, 312
Newman Bay, 74, 76, 78, 81, 85, 86, 96,
100
Newspapers, 256
Nigerdht, 20-23
Nipon, Steamer, 274
Nordenskjbld Fjord, hunting conditions,
102-3, 119: land around, 106: chart-
ing of. 119, 120, 122, 127; Peary's
idea of, 154, 162 ; view of, 165
North Devon, 314
Northumberland Island, 36
Norway, mountain chains, 305-6
Nugssuaq, 307
Nunatak, 122, 162, 211, 216, 223
Nyeboe Land, 219
Nyeboes Glacier, 119
Odaq, 8, 11
Odell, A. A., grave of, 78
Offley Island, 72-73
Olrik Bay, 290
Olsen, Pastor Gustav, 290
Orqordlit, 20, 24
Osarqaq, 5, 27
Owl's nest, the, 125
Pack-ice, Polar, 73-74, 86
Pack-sledges, return of the, 68-69, 77-
79
Panguaq, 248
Parker Snow Bav, 13
Parr, Lieut., 84 '
Parry, Cape, 34, 248, 256
Pauluna, 68
Pavy, Dr., 148
Payer, Cape, 142
Payer Harbour, 150
Peabody Bay, 58, 59, 61, 230, 315;
islands of, 241
Peary, and the Eskimos, 4, 6-11 ; at
Fort Conger, 76 ; expeditions, 79 ;
record near Repulse Harbour, 87,
95; quarters at Cape Sheridan, 88;
reports, 112; depots, 135-36; at
Cape Neumeyer, 141 ; misses Lock-
wood's beacon, 145; work from de
Long Fjord to Cape Bridgeman, 154-
56: on the Daniel Bruun Glacier,
219 ; and the war, 249
Peary Arctic Club, 87
Pearv Channel, 154, 165
Peary Land, 119-20, 153-54; hunting
prospects, 124, 125 ; fjords, 127 ;
geology, 303; sunlight, 309
Peary's beacon, 119
Peking, Wulff in, 273
Pemmican, Polar, 41, 136
Peter Freuchen Land, 165
Petermann Fjord, 70-72, 77, 79, 219,
221, 223
Petowik Glacier, 21
Photographing the musk-oxen, 171, 177
Pirn Island, 15, 149, 314
Piulerssuaq, 8
Polaris Peninsula, 80
Polaris Promontory, 41, 74
Polaris, U.S. ship, 75, 78, 143
Poppies, 125
Poppy Valley, 120, 154
Poroq of Stone, 31
Portsmouth, 82
Pressure-ice, 66, 112 ; a difficult ridge,
69
Proteus, steamer, 145
Ptarmigan, 90, 98, 125, 299
Punch, Mount, 88, 90
" Putsineq " state of the ground, 162
Qana, 288
Qaqaitsut, Bight of, 55
Qatarssuit, 289
Qidlaq, immigration under, 314-15
Quarajalik, style of house, 63
Quinisut, 289
Qulisivit, 63
Qulutana, 248, 250
Ramsay, Cape, 157
Rawson, Lieut., 95, 97
Reef Island, 96, 184
Reindeer, 16 ; customs regarding, 51 ;
uses, 246
Reindeer-hunting, Eskimo love of, 54-55
Religious traditions of the Polar
Eskimos, 27-32
Renslaer Harbour, 44, 47-48, 248; evil
repute, 50 ; hunting conditions, 51 ;
seals, 187
325
GREENLAND BY THE POLAR SEA
Repulse Harbour, 86, 87 ; Beaumont's
beacon at, 95, 96
Rest Point, 90, 91
Rheumatism, prevalence, 18
Rittenbenk, 209
Rivers, glacier, 233-35
Robeson Channel, 73, 78-80, 114, 311
Roosevelt, the, 7
Ross, and the Polar Eskimos, 1-4
Ruins, camp, 57, 58 ; records of Eskimo,
64 ; near Hall's Grave, 76 ; winter-
houses, 242
Russell, Cape, 56, 57, 239, 245
Ryder Glacier, 202
Sabine, Cape, 149
Sachseus, and the Polar Eskimos, 2-3
Saint Andrew's Bay, 109
Saint George's Fjord, 92, 93, 98, 109,
161, 180, 184, 186, 191, 212, 216, 219,
221, 246
Salmon, 56
Salor, Cape, 138-39 ; the depot, 135 ; the
meeting at, 160
Samisulik type of house, 57
Saunders' Island, 13, 14, 23
Saxifrage, 125, 295-96 ; living, found by
Wulff, 88
Schley, Captain, 150
Scotland, mountain chains of, 305-6
Scott, Cape, 243, 268-69, 287
Scurvy, in Markham's party, 83 ; Prof.
Lindhardt on, 83 note; in Beau-
mont's party, 95
Sea, real open Polar, out of the ques-
tion, 73-74
Sea-hunting by kayak, 12
Sea-king mountains, 13, 25
Sea-kings, hunting of, 13 ; storing of,
22 25
Sealand, 117, 131
Seal-hunting, 14, 16, 198-206; Utut
method, 51-52 ; in Washington Land,
64 ; hunting a sunken seal, 191-93
Seals, 126-27, 158-59 : serving of bearded
seal, 52 ; eaten bv a bear, 70 ; at
Dragon Point, 101 ", 108, 109 ; by the
whirlpool, 133; habits, 142-44, 187
Seddon, Cape, 20, 67-68
Selim, Dr. Birger, 272
Sherard Osborne Fjord, 78, 92, 103, 173 ;
journey to Nordenskjold Fjord from,
94-123; ice of, 98; charting of, 104,
106, 108, 111, 316; snow of, 114;
crossed for the last time, 182-86;
glaciers, 202, 216
Sheridan, Cape, 66, 88
Shooting-sail, use, 16
Sikussaq ice, 63, 69, 86, 89, 191, 242
Simigaq, house of, 37 ; personality, 38-
40
Sipsu, hunter, 41, 76, 77, 288
"Ski Cove," 112
Ski-ing, 52
Skis, preference over snow-shoes, 221
326
Sledge-dogs, 16
Sledge-lashing, 167-69
Smith Sound, 15, 50, 73, 146, 312
Snorre, 203, " Hejmskringla " cited, 179
Snow, Polar, Beaumont's difficulties,
96, 99
Snow-houses, 20; seasons for, 318
Snow-shoes, Canadian, 221
Snow-storms, 128-29
Songs, Eskimo, 39-41, 46
Sophus Miiller Point, 316, 317, 319
Spitzbergen, mountains of, 305-6
Spring-time camp (Aunartoq), 50-53
Stanton, Cape, 89
"Star," the, 62
"Starvation Camp," 149-50
Steensby, Professor, theories, 312-14
Stephenson Island, 102
Stockholm, 272, 274; the Riksmuseum,
273
Stone-bearing strata, 62
Stores cached, stocktaking, 188
Storms, autumn, 286
Strap-seal, 14
Sumatra, 274
Sumner, Cape, to Dragon Point, 80-93
Summer Valley, 175-83
Sun, the midnight, 309
Sunlight, periods of, 309-10
Swedo-Russian Expedition, 271
Taney, Cape, 54, 57
Temperatures measured on various
types of ground, 293-94
Tent-rings, 63, 316-17, 319
Tents, Eskimo, 19-20
Th. Thomson Fjord, 155
Thalbitzer, William, 312
Thank God Harbour, 41, 73
Thetis, ship, 150
Thule, 21, 23, 248; the departure from,
33-35 ; Hendrik in, 208-9 ; journey
back to, 285-91
Thule beacon, 156
Thule Expeditions, 64, 68, 165, 223, 274,
316
Thule Mountain, 152, 154
Tornarssuit, 30
Tornge, hunter, house of, 36-37, 57-58;
story of, 54-56, 66, 68
Tower-traps, 54
Trddgdrden, the, 272
Traditions, burial, 49
Traps, American steel, 14 ; tower-traps,
54
Tyson, Cape, 79
Ulugssat, camp, 36, 37, 286
Umanaq, Bay of, 307
Umanaq, Mount, 34
United States of the Ice Period, 306
Upernivik, 68, 146, 307, 317; sunlight,
309
Utut method of seal-catching, 16, 51
Uvdloriaq, 64, 65, 68
INDEX
Valley Pass, 96
Valorous, the, 82
Victoria Fjord, 166, 309,
charting of, 101-6, 122
Victoria, Queen, 82
311, 316;
Walrus-hunting, 14-15, 23-25, 51
War, news of the, 248-49
Warming Land, 189, 195-97 ; point of
_ ascent, 200; geology, 302
Washington, Cape, 64, 147
Washington Land, 54, 58, 224, 230; to
Hall Land, 61-79 ; coast ice-foot, 65 ;
geologv, 302-3
Webster, Cape, 64, 65, 229
Westenholme's Island, 14
Whales, 24 ; use, 50, 63
Whirlpool, the, 126-27, 133, 316
Whitsun, a white, 116-17
Wild Fjord, 152
Willow, the Polar, 125, 241, 295
Winds, places of habitation classified
by, 20-21
Winter-houses, 62, 63
Wohlgemuth, Cape, 117, 119
Wolstenholme Fjord, 308
Wolstenholme Sound, 72
Wolves, Polar, tracks, 89, 98; and the
musk-ox, 105-6 ; snow-white, 109-10,
113; an experience, 198
Woman, the Eskimo, 17-19
Wood, Cape, 57-58
Wotherspoon and Co., 71
Wolff, Dr., the start, 33; film-produc-
ing, 52 ; a sledge party, 54 ; a living
saxifrage found, 88; letters, 118-19,
135-36; at Nordenskjold Fjord, 119;
to Cape Morris-Jesup, 120 ; meet-
ing between the two parties, 137 ;
journey to Cape Salor, 139 ; arrival
of party at Centrum Island, 162-63 ;
quotes St. Augustine, 169 ; and the
musk-oxen, 171, 193-94- the Daniel
Bruun Glacier, 210, 229 ; investiga-
tions, 215; illness, 225, 233, 235-40;
the camp, 251 ; Koch's report of his
death, 259-70; a Runic Memorial,
271-75; his last letter, 274-75; Har-
rigan's report, 275-76; manner of
his death, 277-79 ; extracts from his
last diary, 279-83; attempts at
burial, 285-87 ; the Flora and Fauna
on the North Coast of Greenland,
292-300; observations, 310; men-
tioned, 100, 101, 103, 106-7, 198
Wvatt. Mount, 200
Wykander, Cape, 138, 144, 157
Yesso, Island of, 273
York, Cape, 1, 10, 17, 22-23, 48-49, 82;
geology, 301 ; ice of, 307 ; sunlight,
309
PRINTKD IN GREAT BRITAIN BY B1I.LINO AND SONS, LTD., CU1LDFOHD AND KSHER.
^ i
07
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