The mouth of the fiord at the north side was found to be about forty miles off, but the snow was deep and soft, and they could not attempt it without rations, all of which was extremely provoking. The sun became dimly visible through a snow-storm, looking like a grease-spot in the sky; but, notwithstanding, observations were attempted for latitude and longitude, and many compass-bearings were taken. At times everything was shut out of sight excepting the nearest cliff. Brainard feared they would have a very hard time in getting back, and Frederick evidently thought he was a long distance from Fort Conger, seeming rather “down in the mouth.” Soon after breakfast on the 15th, Lockwood and Brainard started to ascend the cliffs near by, the weather having partially cleared. They did so by means of a ravine opposite the camp, and had hardly reached the top before the snow began to fall again, and the wind to blow from the east; but, notwithstanding, they saw a large glacier to the south twenty or thirty miles away, and another to the northwest at about the same distance. The first was apparently an offshoot of the great “Chinese Wall” already mentioned. They saw also a lofty range of mountains far to the north, running generally parallel with the fiord. The cliffs to the west shut out the mouth of the fiord, and, before they could get far enough in that direction to see over them, the coming storm obscured almost everything. These cliffs were 2,140 feet high by the barometer, and almost vertical. The driving snow now became very uncomfortable, and, after going three miles westward, they concluded to return. _En route_, they found a number of fossils of what seemed to be trees, snakes, or fishes, Brainard being the first to notice them. They also saw a ptarmigan, an owl, and some snow-buntings, these being the only living objects observed. Reached the tent after six hours’ absence, and found Frederick tramping around in the snow, not knowing what to do with himself. After supper, all three of the party with the sledge and dogs went an hour’s journey toward the opposite shore of the fiord, ten miles away. The sky was partially clear, and they got a very good view down the fiord, the telescope bringing into view another cape (Cape Lockwood). Between that and the cape on the north side (Cape Brainard), they failed to see any land, though they examined long and carefully with the telescope. The fiord between those two capes was very wide. Several branch fiords, or what appeared to be such, were noticed. Cape Lockwood seemed to be on the farther side of one of these, or on an island. The country on both sides of the fiord was very elevated, that on the north side much broken, and that on the south, away from the fiord, apparently an ice-clad surface rising into immense, dome-like undulations against the horizon.