PREFACE

The story of the exploration of the interior of Spitsbergen, begun in 1896, as described in my former book entitled “The First Crossing of Spitsbergen,” is continued in the present volume, which is to be regarded as an appendix to that. In 1897 Mr. E. J. Garwood was once more my companion. The illustrations to this book are from photographs taken by him. I here desire to return him my thanks, not only for them, but for many another kindness, for the unbroken good-fellowship of his company, and the stimulus of his society in travel. One of our two Norwegian companions, Nielsen by name, was most serviceable to us. The other was a hindrance. I have called him Svensen in this book, but that was not his name. To render the narrative more complete, I have inserted translations of such published accounts of the expeditions made by Baron Nordenskiöld, his son Gustav Nordenskiöld, and Baron De Geer, as relate to what is vaguely called the “inland ice” of Spitsbergen. I take this opportunity of once more calling attention to the fact that the common spelling “Spitzbergen” is an ignorant blunder; the correct spelling of the name is that employed throughout this book and now adopted in the official publications of the Royal Geographical Society.

CONTENTS

CHAP.PAGE
I.[KLAAS BILLEN BAY][1]
II.[UP THE NORDENSKIÖLD GLACIER][15]
III.[BACK TO KLAAS BILLEN BAY][37]
IV.[BY WATER TO KINGS BAY][62]
V.[THE KING’S HIGHWAY][76]
VI.[OSBORNE GLACIER AND PRETENDER PASS][95]
VII.[THE SPITSBERGEN DOLOMITES][113]
VIII.[RETURN TO KINGS BAY][132]
IX.[KINGS BAY TO HORN SOUND][154]
X.[ASCENT OF MOUNT HEDGEHOG][170]
XI.[ON THE USE OF THE SKI][194]
XII.[GEOGRAPHICAL RESULTS][206]
[APPENDIX][225]

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

Kings Bay Glacier[Frontispiece]
The “Expres” in Advent Bayfacing page[2]
Rough Ice”[16]
The Colorado Plateau”[57]
The Head of Kings Bay”[71]
An Easy Place”[80]
The Three Crowns from Kings Bay”[116]
Torrent in a Glacier Ice-foot”[161]
Horn Sunds Tinder”[172]
A Ski-fastening”[198]
A Lapp Shoe”[199]
New Friesland from Hinlooper Strait”[207]
Bluffs of the Sassendal”[213]
Farewell”[224]