When Nansen awoke in the morning, he was surprised to find the open sea far off, and the ice drifting calmly toward the land. All the party rejoiced that they had remained on the ice, which at one time seemed so dangerous. Their safety was due to the fearlessness and calm judgment of Sverdrup.
The work of launching the boats and dragging them over the ice continued for a week longer. One morning Nansen was resting quietly in his tent, when Ravna, who was on watch without, pulled aside the canvas and peered in. He appeared so excited that Nansen asked him if he could see land. “Yes, yes,” replied Ravna, “land too near!”—meaning, “land very near.” Nansen sprang from his sleeping bag and looked out. Land was very near, and there was open water in front of them. The boats were quickly launched. After some hours of hard pulling the party found a harbor and landed.
The voyagers rejoiced to be on land once more. They walked over the stones and rocks, and picked moss and a stalk or two of grass. They had a good dinner to celebrate the landing: biscuit, cheese, and jam to eat, and hot chocolate to drink. When dinner was over, they started north again in boats along the coast, for Nansen wished to begin his journey across Greenland farther to the north than the place where he had landed.
The travelers picked their way on along the coast until a great glacier came in sight, which Nansen knew to be the famous Puisortok. Puisortok means the place where something shoots up, and the Eskimos regard the spot with fear. When they pass this dreadful place they will not speak, laugh, eat, nor smoke. They will not look toward the glacier, or even mention the name Puisortok. They believe that if they do any of these things the glacier will become angry and cause their death.
Balto was one day gazing through the telescope near this place, when he saw two small black spots in the distance which seemed to be moving rapidly toward him. As they grew more distinct, he shouted to Nansen that two men were coming. When they came nearer, the strangers proved to be two young East Greenland Eskimos traveling through the ice floes in their kayaks.
These Eskimos were short in stature and very good-looking. Their faces were broad and round, and their features regular. Their skin was chestnut-brown, and their hair long, black, and shiny. One wore a jacket and breeches of sealskin, with strings of beads in his hair, while the other wore sealskin trousers and a jacket of blue cotton. On their heads they wore large flat-brimmed hats, made of blue cotton stretched across a wooden ring. On the crown was a large red cross.
A Group of Greenland Eskimos.
After photograph by Nansen.