The time for the autumn sledge-journeys had now arrived, and it was Sverdrup’s intention to make a dépôt at as great a distance to the west as possible. Various preparations had to be made, but these were completed in time to let Sverdrup with five men set out on 13th October. During this trip a double tent was made use of for the first time, and proved very successful. The inner tent was made of thin cotton lining material. There was a space of about a foot in height between the two tents, and a space of 3 or 4 inches between the vertical walls.
Two days were spent in the house at Baadsfiord, from which they again set out on 18th October. On the 19th they were stopped by open water beyond Stormkap, and here formed a dépôt in which was also placed the most of the meat from two bears which had been shot on the way. In returning they explored a large fiord between Baadsfiord and Stormkap, where they shot twenty-six polar oxen. The fiord received the appropriate name of “Moskusfiord.” It was a large task to carry all the meat to the ship, but after several trips it was completed by the 18th of November.
In Sverdrup’s opinion, Eskimo dogs should be fed once every day. He believes that if well fed and protected from cold in suitable kennels there is no reason why so many should die during the winter. He found his dogs in full vigour even at the darkest period of the year.
The winter passed in making preparations for the spring journeys. On the 23rd February 1900 four men set out for the westernmost dépôt, where they were to leave their loads. When they reached it they found it destroyed by bears, and nearly the whole of the food eaten. Sverdrup now decided that a man should remain at the dépôt as long as any sledge-parties were travelling west of it. Bay at once applied for the post, and was appointed “Commandant of Bjorneborg.” Here he lived alone for three months.
On the 20th March the great spring expedition started off. On the 17th a party of four had left for the dépôt. The larger party consisted of six men, who were ultimately to form three parties of two men each. The dogs numbered fifty-five. The provisions consisted of bread, butter, sugar, coffee, chocolate, pea-soup, vegetables, figs, French plums, raisins, nectarines, egg-powder, groats, potatoes, meat-fat, pemmican, golden syrup, and fish-flour. The dietary allowed each man per day weighed 2-1/5 lb. The loads amounted to over 670 lb. each.
At Bjorneborg the provisions for the different parties were weighed and arranged, and then a start was made westward. The first fiord west of Bjorneborg was named Gaasefiord, from the number of geese found in it. When crossing the second fiord, three walruses were shot, and after feeding the dogs well, the remainder was left as a dépôt of dog-food. This fiord was named “Hvalrosfiord,” or “Walrus Fiord.” Next day they reached a sound where huge masses of ice were grinding round in a tearing current. Sverdrup had never seen waters so absolutely impossible to navigate as he saw here. The difficulties which had to be overcome before it could be passed were so great that it received the name of “Helvedesporten,” or “Hell Gate.” On one occasion three men, eighteen dogs, and three sledges with their loads fell into a hole in the snow 12 feet deep, but by great good fortune no serious damage was done. On another occasion one of the sledges slipped over a wall of ice into the sea. The dogs would have been carried with it, but the traces broke. One of the men, with a rope round his waist, had to be lowered down, and the load and sledge were ultimately hauled up.
The land at last began to trend to the north-east, and the point was named “Land’s End.” The whole of the west coast of Ellesmere Land was subsequently called “King Oscar Land.” Next day a high mountain crag appeared above the horizon away to the north. It was named “Store Bjornekap,” or “Great Bear Cape.” Still farther to the north another cape appeared, and was named “Little Bjornekap,” or “Little Bear Cape.” Near here a bear was shot, and served as a good feed for the dogs.
On the 31st March the returning party retraced their steps. Sverdrup with three others proceeded westward. At the parting a bottle of brandy was produced, but somewhat to their astonishment they found it solid, and it had to be poked from the bottle with a stick. The temperature was 44° below zero.
The party now met loose snow, and during the first day made only 9 miles; during the second day only 8 miles were covered. In the evening of the second day they fortunately killed a bear, and decided to camp for a day or two while the meat lasted, in the hope of the travelling and weather improving. On this and many other occasions the liver of the bear was offered to the dogs, but they will touch it only when excessively hungry. It has been a common belief that the bear’s liver is poisonous to both men and dogs, but Sverdrup has eaten it many times without feeling any disagreeable consequences. He never found it in the least unpalatable when care had been taken to remove the gall-bag as quickly as possible. The last of the bear-meat was consumed on the 7th April, and next day a fresh start was made. A high mountain in the west had been visible for some time, and Sverdrup formed the opinion that it was not part of Ellesmere Land. He thought that a sound probably passed north between Ellesmere Land and this new land, and later exploration proved that this opinion was correct. The high headland received the name of “Cape Sydvest,” or “Cape South-West.”
Beyond the headland bare ice was met, and travelling became much faster. On 16th April, while Sverdrup was standing on a pressure-ridge scanning the country, he suddenly became aware that he was looking at land far away in the west. A new plan was at once formed: Isachsen with Hassel were to visit the new land in the west, while Sverdrup and Fosheim were to continue to the north along what was afterwards named “Axel Heiberg Land.”