Chapter I: 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 Bay_ _facing 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