A salute of nine guns, from a small battery of three diminutive specimens of ordnance, welcomed our arrival, the smoke from which had scarcely blown away before Mr. Krarup Smith, the Inspector, came on board, anxious to offer assistance, and desirous of extending the hospitalities of his house to the members of the expedition.
Nothing could be more kind than the reception accorded us by the inhabitants of this little settlement. Their sole desire was to please and aid us in every way, and we were soon firm and fast friends with the innocent and simple-minded residents.
[1] See Dr. Rink’s “Greenland,” p. 79.
CHAPTER III.
THE GREENLAND SETTLEMENTS.
| “Behold I see the haven nigh at hand, To which I meane my wearie course to bend; Vere the maine shete and beare up with the land, The which afore is fayrly to be kend, And seemeth safe from stormes that may offend.” Spenser. |
It was with a very pleasing sensation of relief that we found the ship once more at rest, after thirty-four days of such knocking about as is seldom experienced at sea for so long a time without a break. The rolling and pitching to which a small ship is subjected in a heavy sea are never altogether agreeable, and the quiet and repose of a snug well-protected harbour are welcomed even by the “veriest old sea-dog.” But, although free from the turmoil of the “angry waste of waters,” our short stay at Godhavn can scarcely be called a period of rest. Much had to be done, coals had to be taken on board, and a nondescript quantity of stores and provisions received from the “Valorous” and stowed away.