 Section 14 of the South Pole This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org. Recording by Lizzie Driver The South Pole by Rold Amundsen. Translation by A. G. Carter Section 14, Volume 1, Chapter 6 Depot Journeys, Part 2 February 24th began badly. A strong wind from the southeast with thick driving snow. We could see nothing, and had to steer our course by compass. It was bitter going against the wind, although the temperature was no worse than minus 0.4 degrees Fahrenheit. We weren't all day without seeing any mark. The snow stopped falling about noon, and at 3 o'clock it cleared. As we were looking about for a place to pitch the tents, we caught sight of one of our flags. When we reached it, we found it was flag number 5. All our bamboos were numbered, so we knew the exact position of the flag number 5 was 44 and a half miles from Fremheim. This agreed with the distance recorded, 44 miles. The next day was calm and clear, and the temperature began to descend, minus 13 degrees Fahrenheit. But in spite of this lower temperature, the air felt considerably milder, as it was quite still. We followed marks and fish the whole way, and at the end of our day's journey we had covered 18 miles, a good distance for heavy going. We then had a couple of days of bitter cold with fog, so that we did not see much of our surroundings. We followed the fish and the marks most of the way. We had already begun to find the fish useful as extra food. The dogs took it greedily. The forerunner had to take up each fish and throw it on one side. Then one of the drivers went out, took it up and put it on his sledge. If the dogs had come upon the fish standing in the snow, we should have soon had fierce fights. Even now, before we reached the depot in 80 degrees south, the dogs began to show signs of exhaustion, probably as a result of the cold weather, minus 16.6 degrees Fahrenheit, and the hard work. They were stiff in the legs in the morning, and difficult to set going. On February 27th at 10.30 am, we reached the depot in 80 degrees south. The depot was standing as we had left it, and no snowdrifts had formed about it, from which we concluded that the weather conditions had been quiet. The snow, which we had found very loose when we were there before, was now hardened by the cold. We were lucky with the sun, and got the position of the depot accurately determined. On our way across these endless plains, where no landmarks of any kind are to be found, we had repeatedly thought of a means of making our depots, so that we might be perfectly sure of finding them again. Our fight for the pole was entirely dependent on this autumn work, in laying down large supplies of provisions as far to the south as possible, in such a way that we could be certain of finding them again. If we missed them, the battle would probably be lost. As I have said, we had discussed the question thoroughly, and came to the conclusion that we should have to try to mark our depots at right angles to the route, in an east and west direction, instead of a line with the route north and south. These marks along the line of the route may easily be missed in fog, if they are not close enough together, and if one thus gets out of the line, there is a danger of not picking it up again. According to this new arrangement, we therefore marked this depot in 80 degrees south, with high bamboo poles carrying black flags. We used 20 of these, 10 on each side of the depot. Between each two flags was a distance of 984 yards, 900 metres, so that the distance marked on each side of the depot was 5.5 miles, 9 kilometres. Each bamboo was marked with a number, so that we should always be able to tell from this number on which side the depot lay and how far off. This method was entirely new and untried, but proved afterwards to work with absolute certainty. Our compasses and sledgemeters had, of course, been carefully adjusted at the station, and we knew that we could rely on them. Having put this in order, we continued our journey on the following day. The temperature fell steadily as we went inland. If it continued in this way, it would be cold before one got to the pole. The surface remained as before, flat and even. We ourselves had a feeling that we were ascending, but, as the future will show, this was only imagination. We had had no troubles with fishers, and it almost looked as if we should avoid them altogether. Since, of course, it might be supposed that the part of the barrier nearest the edge would be the most fishered, and we had already left that behind us. South of eighty degrees, we found the going easier, but the dogs were now beginning to be stiff and sore-footed, and it was hard work to get them started in the morning. The sore feet I'm speaking of here are not nearly so bad as those the dogs are liable to on the sea ice of the Arctic regions. What caused sore feet on this journey was the stretches of snow crust we had to cross. It was not strong enough to bear the dogs, and they broke through and cut their paws. Sore feet were also caused by the snow caking and sticking between the toes. But the dog that has to travel on sea ice in spring and summer is exposed to worse things. The sharp ice cuts the paws, and the salt gets in. To prevent this kind of sore feet, one is almost obliged to put socks on the dogs. With the kind of foot trouble our dogs experienced, it is not necessary to take any such precautions. As a result of the long sea voyage, their feet had become unusually tender and could not stand much. On our spring journey we noticed no sore-footedness, in spite of the conditions being worse rather than better. Probably their feet had gotten to condition in the course of the winter. On March 3rd we reached 81 degrees south. The temperature was then minus 45.4 degrees Fahrenheit, and it did not feel pleasant. The change had come too rapidly. This could be seen in both men and dogs. We pitched our camp at 3 in the afternoon and went straight into the tents. The following day was employed in building and marking the depot. That night was the coldest we observed on the trip, as the temperature was minus 49 degrees Fahrenheit when we turned out in the morning. If one compares the conditions of temperature in the arctic and Antarctic regions, it will be seen that this temperature is an exceptionally low one. The beginning of March corresponds, of course, to the beginning of September in the northern hemisphere, a time of year when summer still prevails. We were astonished to find this low temperature, while summer ought still to have lasted. Especially when I remembered the moderate temperatures Shagleton had observed on his southern sledge journey. The idea at once occurred to me of the existence of a local pole of maximum cold, extending over the central portion of the Ross barrier. A comparison with the observations recorded at Captain Scott's station in McMurdo Sound might to some extent explain this. In order to establish it completely, one would require to have information about the conditions in King Edwardland as well. The observations Dr. Morrison is now engaged upon in the Dell Land and on the barrier farther west will contribute much to the elucidation of this question. In 81 degrees south we lay down a depot, consisting of 14 cases of dogs pemicin, £1,234. For marking this depot we had no bamboo poles, so there was nothing to be done, but to break up some cases and use the pieces as marks. This was, at any rate, better than nothing. Personally I considered these pieces of wood, two feet high, good enough considering the amount of precipitation I had remarked since our arrival in these regions. The precipitation we had observed was very slight, considering the time of year, spring and summer. If then the snowfall was so inconsiderable at this time of the year and along the edge of the barrier, what might it not be an autumn and winter in the interior? As I have said, something was better than nothing, and Jarland, Hassel and Stubbard, who were to return to Lindstrom's fleshpots on the following day, were given up the task of setting up these marks. As with the former depot, this one was marked for nine kilometres on each side from east to west, so that we might know where the depot was, in case we should come upon one of these marks in a fog. All those on the east were marked with a little cut of an axe. I must confess they looked insignificant, these little bits of wood that were soon lost to sight on the boundless plain, and the idea that they held the key of the castle, where the fair one slept, made me smile. They looked altogether too inconsiderable for such an honour. Meanwhile, we others, who were to go on to the south, took it easy. The rest was good for the dogs especially, that the cold prevented their enjoying it as they should have done. At eight o'clock next morning we parted company with the three who went north. I had to send home one of my dogs, Odin, who had got an ugly raw paw. I was using Greenland harness on him, and I went on with five dogs. These were very thin and apparently worn out, but in any case we had to reach eighty-two degrees south before we gave up. I had had some hope that we might have got eighty-three degrees, but it began to look as if we had a poor chance of that. After eighty-one degrees south, the barrier began to take on a slightly different appearance. Instead of the absolutely flat surface, we saw on the first day a good many small formations of the shape of hay cocks. At that time we did not pay much attention to these apparently insignificant irregularities, but later on we learned to keep our eyes open, on our feet active when passing in their vicinity. On this first day southward from eighty-one degrees south, we noticed nothing. The going was excellent, the temperature not so bad that it had been, minus twenty-seven point four degrees Fahrenheit, and the distance covered very creditable. The next day we got our first idea of the meaning of these little mounds, as the surface was cut up by crevasse after crevasse. These fishes were not particularly wide, but were bottomless as far as we could see. About noon Hanson's three leading dogs, Helg, Mylius and Ring, fell into one of them, and remained hanging by the harnesses. And it was lucky the traces held, as the loss of these three would have been severely felt. When the rest of the team saw these three disappear, they stopped short. Fortunately they had a pronounced fear of these fishes, and always stopped when anything happened. We understood now that the hay cock formations were the result of pressure, and that crevasse were always found in their neighbourhood. That day was, for the most part, thick and hazy, with a northerly wind, and snow showers from time to time. Between the showers we caught sight of lofty, very lofty pressure ridges, three or four of them to the eastward. We estimated their distance at about six miles. Next day, March seventh, we had the same experience that Shackleton mentions on several occasions. The morning began clear and fine, with a temperature of minus 40 degrees Fahrenheit. In the course of the forenoon, a breeze sprang up from the southeast, and increased to a gale during the afternoon. The temperature rose rapidly, and when we pitched our camp at three in the afternoon, it was only minus 0.4 degrees Fahrenheit. At our camping-place that morning, we left a case of dogs' pemecan for use on the homo journey, and marked the way to the south with splinters of board at every kilometre. Our distance that day was only 12.5 miles. Our dogs, especially mine, looked miserable, terribly emaciated. It was clear that they could only reach 82 degrees south at the farthest, even then the homo journey would be a near thing. We decided that evening to be satisfied with reaching 82 degrees, and then return. During this latter part of the trip, we put up our two tents, front to front, so that the openings joined. In this way we were able to send the food direct from one tent to the other, without going outside, and this was a great advantage. This circumstance led to a radical alteration in our camping system, and gave us the idea of the best five-men tent that has probably yet been seen in the polar regions. As we laid dozing that evening in our sleeping bags, thinking of everything and nothing, the idea suddenly occurred to us, that if the tents were sewed together as they now stood, after the fronts had been cut away, we should get one tent that would give us far more room for five than the two separate tents as they were. The idea was followed up, and the fruit of it was the tent we used on the journey to the pole, an ideal tent in every way. Yes, circumstances work wonders, for I suppose one need not make providence responsible for these trifles. On March 8th we reached 82 degrees south, and it was the utmost my five dog could manage. Indeed, as will shortly be seen, it was already too much. They were completely worn out, poor beasts. This is the only dark memory of my stay in the south, the overtaxing of these fine animals. I had asked more of them than they were capable of doing. My consolation is that I did not spare myself either. To set this sledge, weighing nearly half a tonne, in motion with tired-out dogs was no child's play, and setting it in motion was not always the whole of it. Sometimes one had to push it forward, until one forced the dogs to move. The whip had long ago lost its terrors. When I tried to use it, they only crowded together, and got the heads as much out of the way as they could. The body did not matter so much. Many a time, too, I failed altogether to get them to go, and had to have help. Then two of us shoved the sledge forward, while a third used the whip, shouting at the same time for all he was worth. How hard an unfeeling one gets under such conditions, how one's whole nature may be changed. I am naturally fond of all animals, and try to avoid hurting them. There is none of the sportsman's instinct in me. It would never occur to me to kill an animal, rats and flies accepted, unless it was to support life. I think I can say that in normal circumstances I loved my dogs, and the feeling was undoubtedly mutual. But the circumstances we are now in were not normal. Or was it perhaps myself who was not normal? I have often thought since that such was really the case. The daily hard work, and the object I would not give up had made me brutal. For brutal I was when I forced these five skeletons to haul that excessive load. I feel it yet when I think of Thor, a big fine smooth-head dog, uttering his plaintive howls on the march. A thing one never hears a dog do while working. I did not understand what it meant, would not understand perhaps, on he had to go, on till he dropped. When we cut him open we found that his whole chest was one large abscess. The altitude at noon gave us 81 degrees, 54 minutes and 30 seconds. And we therefore went another six miles to the south, and pitched our camp at 3.30 p.m., in 82 degrees south. We had latterly had a constant impression that the barrier was rising, and in the opinion of us all we ought now to have been at a height of about 1,500 feet, and a good way up the slope leading to the pole. Personally I thought the ground continued to rise to the south. It was all imagination as our later measurement showed. We had now reached our highest latitude that autumn, and had reason to be well satisfied. We laid down 1,370 pounds here, chiefly dogs pemican. We did nothing that afternoon, only rested a little. The weather was brisk, clear and calm, minus 13 degrees Fahrenheit. The distance this last day was 13.5 miles. Next day we stayed where we were, built our depot and marked it. The marking was done in the same way as in 81 degrees south, with this difference. That here the pieces of packing craces held small dark blue stripes of cloth fastened to the top, which made them easier to see. We made this depot very secure, so that we could be certain it would stand bad weather in the course of the winter. I also left my sledge behind, as I saw the impossibility of getting it home with my team, besides which an extra sledge at this point might possibly be useful later. This depot, 12 feet high, was marked with a bamboo and a flag on the top, so that it could be seen a great way off. On March 10th we took the road from home. I divided my dogs between Wisting and Hansen, but they got no assistance from these bags of bones, only trouble. The other three teams had held out well. There was hardly anything wrong to be seen with Hansen's. Wisting's team was looked upon as the strongest, but his dogs had got very thin. However, they did their work well. Wisting's sled had also been overloaded. It was even heavier than mine. Hansen's animals had originally been regarded as the weakest, but they proved themselves very tough in the long run. They were no racers, but always managed to scramble along somehow. Their motto was, If we don't get there today, we'll get there tomorrow. They all came home. Our original idea was that the homeward journey should be a sort of pleasure trip, that we should sit on the sledges and take it easy. But in the circumstances this was not to be thought of. The dogs had quite enough to do with the empty sledges. The same day we reached the place where we'd left a case of dogs pemican and camped there, having done 29 and 3 quarter miles. The weather was cold and raw, temperature minus 25.6 degrees Fahrenheit. This weather took the last remnant of strength out of my dogs. Instead of resting at night, they lay huddled together and freezing. It was pitiful to see them. In the morning they had to be lifted up and put on their feet. They had not strength enough to raise themselves. When they had staggered on a little way and got some warmth into their bodies, they seemed to be rather better. At any rate, they could keep up with us. The following day we did 24 and 3 quarter miles, temperature minus 32.8 degrees Fahrenheit. On the 12th we passed the depot in 81 degrees south. The big pressure ridges to the east were easily visible and we got a good bearing, which would possibly come in useful later for fixing the position of the depot. That day we did 24 and 3 quarter miles, temperature minus 39 degrees Fahrenheit. March 13th began calm and fine, but by half past 10 in the morning a strong wind had sprung up from the east to southeast with thick driving snow. So as not to lose the tracks we had followed so far, we pitched our camp to wait till the storm was over. The wind held and took hold of the tents, but could not move them. The next day it blew just as hard from the same quarter and we decided to wait. The temperature was as usual, with the wind in this quarter, minus 11.2 degrees Fahrenheit. The wind did not moderate till 10.30 am on the 15th. When we were able to make a start, what a sight there was outside. How are we going to begin to bring order out of this chaos? The sledges were completely snowed up. Whips, ski bindings and harnesses largely eaten up. It was a nice predicament. Fortunately we were well supplied with alpine rope, and that did for the harnesses. Spare straps came in for ski bindings, but the whips were not easy to make good. Hansen, who drove first, was bound to have a fairly serviceable whip. The others did not matter so much, though it was rather awkward for them. In some way or other he provided himself with a whip that answered his purpose. I saw one of the others armed with a tent pole, and he used it till we reached from home. At first the dogs were much afraid of this monster of a whip, but they soon found out that it was no easy matter to reach them with the pole, and then they did not care a scrap for it. At last everything seemed to be in order, and then we only had to get the dogs up and in their places. Several of them were so indifferent that they had allowed themselves to be completely snowed under. But one by one we got them out and put them on their feet. Thor, however, refused absolutely. It was impossible to get him to stand up. He simply lay and whined. There was nothing to be done but to put an end to him, and as we had no firearms it had to be done with an axe. It was quite successful. Less would have killed him. Westing took the carcass on his sledge to take it to the next camp, and there cut it up. The day was bitterly cold, fog and snow with a southerly breeze, temperature minus 14.8 degrees Fahrenheit. We were lucky enough to pick up our old tracks of the southern journey, and could follow them. Lervin, Westing's best dog, fell down on the march and died on the spot. He was one of those dogs who had had to work their hardest the whole time. He never thought of shirking for a moment. He pulled and pulled until he died. All sentimental feeling had vanished long ago. Nobody thought of giving Lervin the burial he deserved. What was left of him, skin and bones, was cut up and divided among his companions. On March 16th we advanced 17 miles. Temperature minus 29.2 degrees Fahrenheit. Jens, one of my gallant three musketeers, had been given a ride all day on Westing's sledge. He was too weak to walk any longer. Thor was to have been divided among his companions that evening, but on account of the abscess in his chest we changed our minds. He was put into an empty case and buried. During the night we were awakened by a fearful noise. The dogs were engaged in a fierce fight, and it was easy to guess from their house that it was all about food. Westing, who always showed himself quickest in getting out of the bag, was instantly on the spot, and then it was seen that they had dug up Thor and were now feasting on him. It could not be said that they were hard to please in the way of food. Associations of ideas are curious things. Source-holen days suddenly occurred to my mind. Westing buried the carcass again, and we had peace for the rest of the night. On the 17th it felt bitterly cold, with minus 41.8 degrees Fahrenheit, and a sharp snowstorm from the southeast. Lassisen, one of my dogs, who had been following the sledge as loose, was left behind this morning at the camping-place. We did not miss him till late in the day. Rasmus, one of the three musketeers, fell today, like Lervin he pulled till he died. Gens was very ill, could not touch food, and was taken on Westing's sledge. We reached our depot in 80 degrees south that evening, and were able to give the dogs a double ration. The distance covered was 21 and three-quarter miles. The surface about here had changed in our absence. Great, high snowways were now to be seen in all directions. On one of the cases in the depot, Charland had written a short message, besides which we found the signal arranged with Hassel, a block of snow on the top of the depot, to show that they had gone by and that all was well. The cold continued persistently. The following day we had minus 41.8 degrees Fahrenheit. Ola and Gens, the two survivors of the three musketeers, had to be put an end to that day. It was a shame to keep them alive any longer, and with them the three musketeers disappeared from this history. They were inseparable friends, these three. All of them almost entirely black. At Flecorro, near Christian Sand, where we kept our dogs for several weeks before taking them on board, Erasmus had got loose and was impossible to catch. He always came and slept with his two friends, unless he was being hunted. We did not succeed in catching him until a few days before we took them on board, and then he was practically wild. They were all three tied up on the bridge on board, where I was to have my team, and from that day my close acquaintance with the trio was dated. We were not very severely disposed for the first month. I had to make my advances with a long stick, scratched them on the back. In this way I insinuated myself into their confidence, and we became very good friends. But they were a terrible power on board. Wherever these three villains showed themselves, they was always a row. They loved fighting. They were our fasted dogs. When we were driving around Fremheim, none of the others could beat these three. I was always sure of leaving the rest behind when I had them in my team. I had quite given up on Lassison, who had been left behind that morning, and I was very sorry for it, as he was my strongest and most willing beast. I was glad, therefore, when he suddenly appeared again, apparently fit and well. We presumed that he had dug up Thor again and finished him. It must have been food that had revived him. For eighty degrees south, home, he did remarkably good work in Westing's team. That day we had a curious experience, which was useful for the future. The compass on Hanson's Sledge, which had always been reliability itself, suddenly began to go wrong. At any rate, it did not agree with the observations of the sun, which we fortunately had that day. We altered our course in accordance with our bearings. In the evening we took our things into the tent. The housewife, with scissors, pins and needles, etc., had lain close against the compass. No wonder it turned rebellious. On March 19th we had a breeze from the southeast, and a minus 45.4 degrees Fahrenheit. Rather fresh, I find noted in my diary. Not long after we had started that morning, Hanson caught sight of our old tracks. He had splendid eyesight, saw everything long before anyone else. Jarland also had good sight, but he did not come up to Hanson. The way home was now straightforward, and we could see the end of our journey. Meanwhile a gale sprung up from the southeast, which stopped us for a day. Temperature minus 29.2 degrees Fahrenheit. Next day the temperature had risen, as usual, with the southeast wind. We woke up to find it plus 15.8 degrees Fahrenheit on the morning of the 21st. That was the difference that can be felt, and not an unpleasant one. We had had more than enough of minus 40 degrees. It was curious whether that night, violent gusts of wind from the east and southeast, with intervals of dead calm, just as if they came off Highland. On our way northward that day, we passed off Lad No. 6, and then knew that we were 53 miles from Fremheim. Pitch took him that evening at 37 miles from the station. We had intended to take this stretch of the way in two days, seeing how tired the dogs were. But it turned out otherwise, for we lost our old tracks during the forenoon, and in going on we came too far to the east and tie up on the ridge mentioned before. Suddenly Hanson sang out that he saw something funny in front. What it was, he did not know. When that was the case, we had to apply to the one who saw even better than Hanson, and that was my glass. Up with the glass then, the good old glass that had served me for so many years. Yes, there was certainly something curious. It must be the Bay of Whales, that we were looking down into. But what were those black things moving up and down? They are our fellow's hunting seals, someone suggested. And we all agreed. Yes, of course. It was so clear that there was no mistaking it. I can see a sledge, and there's another, and there's a third. We nearly had tears in our eyes to see how industrious they were. Now they're gone. No, there they are again. Strange, are they bob up and down those fellows. It proved to be a mirage. What we saw was Framheim with all of its tents. Our lads, we were sure, were just taking a comfortable midday nap. And the tears we were nearly shredding were withdrawn. Now we could survey the situation calmly. There lay Framheim. There was Cape Man's head, and there West Cape, so that we had come too fast to the east. Her offer Framheim half past seven this evening shouted one. Yes, that's all we can do, quite another, and away we went. We set our course straight to the middle of the bay. We must have got pretty high up, as we went down a terrific pace. This was more than the forerunner could manage. He flung himself on a sled as it went by. I had a glimpse of Hanson, who was busy making a whip handle as I passed. His feet were then very prominent. I myself was lying on Hanson's sled, shaking with laughter. The situation was too comical. Hanson picked himself up again just as the last sled was passing and jumped on. We all collected in a mass below the ridge. Sledges and dogs mixed up together. The last part of the way was rather hard work. We now found the tracks that we had lost early in the day. One dried fish after another stuck up out of the snow and led us straight on. We reached from home at seven in the evening, half an hour earlier than we had thought. It was a day's march of thirty-seven miles, not so bad for exhausted dogs. Lassison was the only one I brought home out of my team. Odin, whom I had sent home from eighty-one degrees south, died after arriving there. We lost altogether eight dogs on this trip. Two of Stubberheads died immediately after coming home from eighty-one degrees south. Probably the cold was chiefly responsible. I feel sure that with a reasonable temperature they would have come through. Three men who had come home from eighty-one degrees south were safe and sound. It is true that they had run short of food and matches the last day. But if the worst came to the worst, they had the dogs. Since they returned they had shot, brought in, cut up and stowed away fifty seals, a very good piece of work. Lindstrom had been untiring during her absence. He had put everything in splendid order. In the covered passage round the hut he had cut out shells in the snow, filling them with slices of seal meat. Here alone there were stakes enough for the whole time we should spend here. On the outer walls of the hut, which formed the other side of the passage, he had put up shells, and there all kinds of tinned foods were stored. All was in such perfect order that one could put one's hand on what one wanted in the dark. There stood salt, meat and bacon by themselves, and there were fish cakes. There you read the label on the tin of caramel pudding, and you could be sure that the rest of the caramel puddings were in the vicinity. Quite right. It looked like a company of soldiers. Oh, Lindstrom, how long will this order last? Well, that was, of course, a question I put to myself in the strictest secrecy. Let me turn over my diary. On Thursday, July 27th, I find the following entry. The provision passage turns our days into chaotic confusion. How my mind goes back to the time when one could find what one wanted without a light of any kind. You put out your hand to get a plum pudding and shut it again. You could be sure it was the plum pudding you had hold of. And so it was throughout Lindstrom's department. But now, good heavens, I am ashamed to put down what happened to me yesterday. I went out there in the most blissful ignorance of the state of things now prevailing. And, of course, it had no light with me, for everything had its place. I put out my hand and grasped. According to my expectation, I ought to have been in possession of a packet of candles. But this experiment had failed. That which I held in my hand could not possibly be a packet of candles. It was evident from the feel that it was something of a woollen nature. I laid the object down and had recourse to the familiar expedient of striking a match. Do you know what it was? A dirty old pair of pants. And do you want to know where I found it? Well, it was between the butter and the sweet meats. That was mixing things up with the vengeance. But Lindstrom must not have all the blame. In this passage everyone was running backwards and forwards, early and late, and as a roll in the dark. And if they knocked something down on the way, I am not quite sure that they always stopped to pick it up again. Then he had painted the ceiling of the room white. How cosy it looked when we put our heads in that evening. He had seen us a long way off on the barrier, the rascal, and now the table was laid with all manner of dainties. But seal-stakes and the smell of coffee were what attracted us, and it was no small quantity that disappeared that evening. Home, the word had a good sound, wherever it may be, at sea, on land, or on the barrier. How comfortable we made ourselves at night. The first thing we did now was to dry all our reindeer skin clothes. They were wet through. This was not to be done in a hurry. We had to stretch the garments that would be dried and lines under the ceiling of the room, so that we could not drive very much at a time. We got everything ready and made some improvements in our outfit for our last depot journey before the winter set in. This time the destination was 80 degrees south, with about a tonne and a quarter of fresh seal-meat. How immensely important it would be on the main journey if we could give our dogs as much seal-meat as they could eat at 80 degrees south. We all saw the importance of this and were eager to carry it out. We set to work once more at the outfit. The last trip had taught us much that was new. Thus, Presitude and Johansson had come to the conclusion that a double sleeping bag was preferable to two single ones. I will not enter upon the discussion that naturally arose on this point. The double bag has many advantages, and so has a single bag. Let it therefore remain a matter of taste. These two were, however, the only ones who made this alteration. Hansson and Whisting were busy carrying out the new idea for the tents, and it was not long before they had finished. These tents are as much like a snow hut in form as they can be. Instead of being entirely round, they have a more oblong form. But there is no flat side, and the wind has no point of attack. Our personal outfit also underwent some improvements. The Bay of Wales, the inner part of it, from Man's Head to West Cape, was now entirely frozen over. But outside, the sea lay immense and dark. Our house was now completely covered with snow. Most of this was Lindstrom's work. The blizzard had not helped him much. This covering with snow has a great deal to do with keeping the hut snug and warm. Our dogs, a hundred and seven in number, mostly look like pigs getting ready for Christmas. Even the famished ones that made the last trip are beginning to recover. It is an extraordinary thing how quickly such an animal can put on flesh. It was interesting to watch the homecoming of the dogs from the last trip. They showed no sign of surprise when we came into camp. They might have been there all the time. It is true they were rather more hungry than the rest. The meeting between Lassison and Fix was comic. These two were inseparable friends. The first name was Boss, and the other abated blindly. On the last trip I had left Fix at home, as he did not give me the impression of being quite up to the work. He had therefore put on a lot of flesh, big eater as he was. I stood and watched their meeting with intense curiosity. Would not Fix take advantage of the occasion to assume the position of Boss? In such a mass of dogs it took some little time before they came across each other. Then it was quite touching. Fix ran straight up to the other, began to lick him, and showed every sign of the greatest affection and joy at seeing him again. Lassison, on his part, took it all with a very superior air, as befits a Boss. Without further ceremony he rolled his fat friend in the snow and stood over him for a while. No doubt to let him know that he was still absolute master, beyond dispute. Poor Fix! He looked quite crestfallen. But this did not last long. He soon avenged himself on the other, knowing that he could tackle him with safety. In order to give a picture of our life as it was at this time, I will quote a day from my diary. March 25th, Saturday. Beautiful mild weather, plus 6.8 degrees Fahrenheit all day. Very light breeze from the southeast. Our seal hunters, the parter that came home from 81 degrees south, were out this morning and brought back three seals. This makes 62 seals altogether, since their return on March 11th. We have now quite enough fresh meat both for ourselves and for all our dogs. We get to like seal steak more and more every day. We should all be glad to eat it at every meal, but we think it's safer to make a little variety. For breakfast, 8 o'clock. We now have regularly hot cakes with jam, and Lindstrom knows how to prepare them in a way that could not be surpassed in the best American houses. In addition, we have bread, butter, cheese and coffee. For dinner we mostly have seal meat. We introduced rather more tinned meat into the menu in the course of the winter and sweets in the form of tinned Californian fruit, tarts and tinned puddings. For supper, seal steak with wholeberry jam, cheese, bread, butter and coffee. Every Saturday evening a glass of toddy and a cigar. I must frankly confess that I've never lived so well, and the consequence is that we are all in the best of health, and I feel certain that the whole enterprise will be crowned with success. It is strange indeed here to go outside in the evening and see the cosy warm lamp light through the window of our little snow-covered hut and to feel that this is our snug, comfortable home on the formidable and dreaded barrier. All our little puppies, as round as Christmas pigs, are wandering about outside, and at night they lie in crowds about the door. They never take shelter under a roof at night. They must be hardy beasts. Some of them are so fat that they waddle just like geese. The Aurora Australis was seen for the first time on the evening of March 28th. It was composed of shafts and bends, and extended from the south-west to the northeast through the zenith. The light was pale green and red. We see many fine sunsets here, unique in the splendour of their colour. No doubt the surroundings in this fairy-land of blue and white do much to increase their beauty. The departure of the last depot journey was fixed for Friday, March 31st. A few days before, the seal-hunting party went out on the ice and shot six seals for the depot. They were cleaned and also perfidious parts removed so that they should not be too heavy. The weight of these six seals was then estimated at about 2,400 pounds. On March 31st at 10am, the last depot party started. It consisted of seven men, six sledges, and thirty-six dogs. I did not go myself this time. They had the most brilliant weather to begin their journey. Dead, calm and brilliantly clear. At seven o'clock that morning, when I came out of the hut, I saw a sight so beautiful that I shall never forget it. The whole surroundings of the station lay in deep dark shadow, in lee of the ridge to the east. But the sun's rays reached over the barrier farther to the north, and there the barrier lay golden red, bathed in the morning sun. It glittered and shone, red and gold, against the jagged row of mighty masses of ice that bounds our barrier to the north. A spirit of peace breathed over all. But from Frömmheim the smirk ascended quietly into the air, and proclaimed that the spell of thousands of years was broken. The sledges were heavily loaded when they went southward. I saw them slowly disappear over the ridge by the starting place. It was a quiet time that followed after all the work and tiring of preparation. Not that we too who stayed at home sat still doing nothing. We made good use of the time. The first thing to be done was to put our meteorological station in order. On April 1st all the instruments were in use. In the kitchen were hung over two mercury barometers, four aneroids, barograph, thermograph and one thermometer. They were placed in a well-protected corner, farthest from the stove. We had no houses yet for our outside instruments, but the sub-director went to work to prepare one as quickly as possible. And so nimble were his hands, though when the depot party returned, there was the finest instrument screen standing ready on the hill, painted white so that it shone a long way off. The wind vane was a work of art, constructed by our able engineer, Sundbeck. No factory could have sounded a more handsome oar taste for one. In the instrument screen we had a thermograph, hygrometer and thermometers. Observations were made at 8am, 2pm and 8pm. When I was at home I took them, and when I was away it was Lindstrom's work. On the night before April 11th something or other fell down in the kitchen. According to Lindstrom a sure sign that the travellers might be expected home that day. And sure enough, at noon we caught sight of them up at the starting place. They came across at such a pace that the snow was scattered all around them, and in an hour's time we had them back. They had much to tell us. In the first place that everything had been duly taken to the depot in 80 degrees south, then they surprised me with an account of a fearfully crevast piece of surface that they had come upon, 46 and a half miles from the station, where they had lost two dogs. This was very strange. We had now traversed this stretch of surface four times without being particularly troubled with anything of this sort, and then, all of a sudden, when they thought the whole surface was as solid as a rock, they found themselves in danger of coming to grief altogether. In thick weather they had gone too far to the west. Then, instead of arriving at the ridge as they had done before, they came down onto the valley, and they found a surface so dangerous that they nearly had a catastrophe. It was a precisely similar piece of surface to that already mentioned to the south of 81 degrees south, but full of small hummocks everywhere. The ground was apparently solid enough, and this was just the most dangerous thing about it. But, as they were crossing it, large pieces of the surface fell away just in rear of them, disclosing bottomless crevices big enough to swallow up everything, man, dogs, and sledges. With some difficulty they got out of this ugly place by steering to the east. Now we knew of it, and we should certainly be very careful not to come that way again. In spite of this, however, we afterwards had an even more serious encounter with this nasty trap. One dog had also been left behind on the way. It had a wound on one of its feet and could not be harnessed in the sledge. It had been let loose a few miles to the north of the depot, doubtless of the idea that it would follow the sledges. But the dogs seemed to have taken another view of the matter and was never seen again. There was some who thought that the dog had probably returned to the depot, and was now passing its days in ease and luxury among the laboriously transported seals' carcasses. I must confess that this idea was not very attractive to me. There was indeed a possibility that such a thing had happened, and that the greater part of our seal-meat might be missing when we wanted it. But our fears proved groundless. Cook, that was the name of the dog. We had a peri as well, of course, was gone forever. The improved outfit was in every way successful. Praises of the new tent were heard on every hand. And Press-student Johansson were in the seventh heaven over their double sleeping bag. I fancy the others were very well satisfied with their single ones. And with this the most important part of the autumn's work came to an end. The foundation was solidly laid. Now we had only to raise the edifice. Let us briefly sum up the work accomplished between January 14th and April 11th. The complete erection of the station, with accommodation for nine men for several years, provision of fresh meat for nine men, and 115 dogs for half a year. The weight of the seals killed amounted to about 60 tonnes. And finally the distribution of three tonnes of supplies in depots in latitudes 80 degrees, 81 degrees, and 82 degrees south. The depot in 80 degrees south, contelled seals meat, dogs pemican, biscuits, butter, milk powder, chocolate, matches, and paraffin, besides a quantity of outfit. The total weight of this depot was 4,200 pounds. In 81 degrees south, half a ton of dogs pemican, in 82 degrees south, pemican, both for men and dogs, biscuits, milk powder, chocolate, and paraffin, besides a quantity of outfit. The weight of this depot amounted to 1,366 pounds. Please visit LibriVox.org I believe most people look upon winter as a time of storms, cold, and discomfort. They look forward to it with sadness, and bow before the inevitable. Providence ordains it so. The prospect of a ball or two cheers them up a little, and makes the horizon somewhat brighter, but all the same. Darkness and cold, ugh, no. Let us have summer, they say. What my comrades thought about the winter that was approaching, I cannot say. For my part, I looked forward to it with pleasure. When I stood out there on the snow hill, and saw the light shining out of the kitchen window, there came over me an indescribable feeling of comfort and well-being. And the blacker and more stormy the winter night might be, the greater would be this feeling of well-being inside our snug little house. I see the reader's questioning look, and know what he will say, but weren't you awfully afraid the barrier would break off and float you out to sea? I will answer this question as frankly as possible. With one exception, we were all at this time of the opinion that the part of the barrier on which the hut stood rested on land, so that any fear of a sea voyage was quite superfluous. As to the one who thought we were afloat, I think I can say very definitely that he was not afraid. I believe as a matter of fact that he gradually came round to the same view as the rest of us. If a general is to win a battle, he must be always prepared. If his opponent makes a move, he must see that he is able to make a counter-move. Everything must be planned in advance, and nothing unforeseen. We were in the same position. We had to consider beforehand what the future might bring, and make our arrangements accordingly while there was time. When the sun had left us and the dark period had set in, it would be too late. What, first of all, claimed our attention and set our collective brain machinery to work, was the female sex. There was no peace for us even on the barrier. What happened was that the entire feminine population, eleven in number, had thought fit to appear in a condition usually considered interesting, but which under the circumstances we by no means regarded in that light. Our hands were indeed full enough without this. What was to be done? Great deliberation. Eleven maternity hospitals seemed rather a large order, but we knew by experience that they all required first aid. If we left several of them in the same place there would be a terrible scene, and it would end in their eating up each other's pups. For what had happened only a few days before, Kaiser, a big black-and-white bitch, had taken a three-month-old pup when no one was looking and made a meal of it. When we arrived we saw the tip of its tail disappearing, so there was not much to be done. Now it fortunately happened that one of the dog tents became vacant, as Prestrud's team was divided among the other tents, as forerunner he had no use for dogs. Here with a little contrivance we could get two of them disposed of, a dividing wall could be put up. When first laying out the station we had taken this side of life into consideration, and a hospital in the shape of a sixteen-man tent had been erected, but this was not nearly enough. We then had recourse to the material of which there is such superabundance in these parts of the earth—snow. We erected a splendid big snow hut, besides this, Lindstrom in his leisure-hours had erected a little building which was ready when we returned from the second depot journey. We had none of us asked what it was for, but now we knew Lindstrom's kind heart. With these arrangements at our disposal we were able to face the winter. Camilla, the sly old fox, had taken things in time. She knew what it meant to bring up children in the dark, and in truth it was no pleasure. She had therefore made haste, and was ready as soon as the original hospital was prepared. She could now look forward to the future with calmness in the last rays of the disappearing sun. When darkness set in, her young ones would be able to look after themselves. Camilla, by the way, had her own views of bringing up her children. What there was about the hospital that she did not like, I do not know, but it is certain that she preferred any other place. It was no rare thing to come across Camilla in a tearing gale and a temperature twenty below zero with one of her offspring in her mouth. She was going out to look for a new place. Meanwhile the three others who had to wait were shrieking and howling. The places she chose were not as a rule such as we should connect with the idea of comfort. A case, for instance, standing on its side and fully exposed to the wind, or behind a stack of planks with a draft coming through that would have done credit to a factory chimney. But if she liked it there was nothing to be said. If the family were left alone in such a place she would spend some days there before moving on again. She never returned to the hospital voluntarily, but it was not a rare thing to see Johansson, who was guardian to the family, hauling off the lady and as many of her little ones as he could get hold of in a hurry. They then disappeared into the hospital with words of encouragement. At the same time we introduced a new order of things with our dogs. Hitherto we had been obliged to keep them tied up on account of seal hunting, otherwise they went off by themselves and ravaged. There were certain individuals who specially distinguished themselves in this way, like Vistings Major. He was a born hunter afraid of nothing. Then there was Hassel's Spartan, but a good point about him was that he went off alone, while the Major always had a whole staff with him. They usually came back with their faces all covered with blood. To put a stop to this sport we had been obliged to keep them fast, but now that the seals had left us we could let them loose. Naturally the first use to which they put their liberty was fighting. In the course of time, for reasons impossible to discover, bitter feelings and hatred had arisen between certain of the dogs, and now they were offered an opportunity of deciding which was the stronger, and they seized upon it with avidity. But after a time their manners improved and a regular fight became a rarity. There were of course a few who could never see each other without flying at one another's throats, like lassison and hans, for instance, but we knew their ways and could keep an eye on them. The dogs soon knew their respective tents and their places in them. They were let loose as soon as we came out in the morning, and were chained up again in the evening when they were to be fed. They got so used to this that we never had much trouble. They all reported themselves cheerfully when we came in the evening to fasten them up, and every animal knew his own master and tent and knew at once what was expected of him. With howls of delight the various dogs collected about their masters and made for the tents in great jubilation. We kept up this arrangement the whole time. Their food consisted of seals flesh and blubber one day and dried fish the next. As a rule both disappeared without any objection, though they certainly preferred the seal. Throughout the greater part of the winter we had carcasses of seals lying on the slope and these were usually a centre of great interest. The spot might be regarded as the marketplace of Framheim and it was not always a peaceful one. The customers were many and the demand great so that sometimes lively scenes took place. Our own store of seals flesh was in the meat tent. About a hundred seals had been cut up and stacked there. As already mentioned we built a wall of snow two yards high around this tent as a protection against the dogs. Although they had as much to eat as they wanted and although they knew they were not allowed to try to get in or possibly this prohibition was just the incentive they were always casting longing eyes in that direction and the number of claw marks in the wall spoke eloquently of what went on when we were not looking. Snupperson in particular could not keep herself away from that wall and she was extremely light and agile so that she had the best chance. She never engaged in this sport by herself but always enticed out her attendant Cavaliers, Thicks and Lasser. These however were less active and had to be content with looking on. While she jumped inside the wall which she only succeeded in doing once or twice they ran round yelling. As soon as we heard their howls we knew exactly what was happening and one of us went out armed with a stick. It required some cunning to catch her in the act for as soon as one approached her Cavaliers stopped howling and she understood that something was wrong. Her red fox's head could then be seen over the top looking round. It needs scarcely be said that she did not jump into the arms of the man with the stick but as a rule he did not give up until he had caught and punished her. Thicks and Lasser also had their turns. It was true they had done nothing wrong but they might. They knew this and watched Snupperson's chastisement at a distance. The tent where we kept the dried fish stood always open. None of them attempted to take fish. The sun continued its daily course lower and lower. We did not see much of it after the return from the last depot journey on April the eleventh it came and vanished again at once. Easter came round on the barrier as in other parts of the globe and had to be kept. Holidays with us were marked by eating a little more than usual. There was no other sign. We did not dress differently nor did we introduce any other change. In the evening of a holiday we generally had a little gramophone as we are, but we were careful with the gramophone. We knew we should soon get tired of it if we used it too often. Therefore we only brought it out on rare occasions but we enjoyed its music all the more when we heard it. When Easter was over a sigh of relief escaped us all. These holidays are always tiring. They are tedious enough in places which have more amusements to offer than the barrier but here they were insufferably long. Our manner of life was now completely in order and everything worked easily and well. The chief work of the winter would be the perfecting of our outfit for the coming sledge journey to the south. Our object was to reach the pole. Everything else was secondary. The meteorological observations were in full swing and arranged for the winter. Observations were made at 8am, 2pm and 8pm. We were so short handed that we could not spare anyone for night duty. Besides which, living as we did in a small space it would have a disturbing effect if there were always someone moving about. There would never be any peace. My special aim was that everyone should be happy and comfortable so that when the spring came we might all be fresh and well and eager to take up the final task. It was not my intention that we should spend the winter in idleness far from it. But as we were well, a man must always be occupied. I therefore expected everyone to be busy during the hours that were set apart for work. At the end of the day each man was free to do what he pleased. We had also to keep some sort of order and tidiness as well as circumstances permitted. It was therefore decided that each of us should take a week's duty as orderly. This duty consisted in sweeping the floor every morning, emptying ash trays, etc. To secure plenty of ventilation, especially in our sleeping places, a rule was made that no one might have anything under his bunk except the boots he had in wear. Each man had two pegs to hang his clothes on, and this was sufficient for what he was wearing every day. All superfluous clothing was stuffed into our kit bags and put out. In this way we succeeded in maintaining some sort of tidiness. In any case, the worst of the dirt whether a fastidious housekeeper would have found everything in order is doubtful. Everyone had his regular work. Prestrud, with the assistant of Johansson, looked after the astronomical observations and pendulum observations. Hassel was set in authority over Cole, Wood and Paraffin. He was responsible for the supply lasting out. As manager of the Framheim-Cole and Wood business, the boss received the title of director, and this dignity might possibly have gone to his head if the occupation of Errand Boy had not been combined with it. But it was. Besides receiving the orders, he had to deliver the goods and he discharged his duties with distinction. He succeeded in hood-winking his largest customer, Lindstrom, to such an extent that in the course of the winter he saved a good deal of Cole. We had to get the depot in order and bring in everything we required. Visting had charge of the whole outfit and was responsible that nothing was touched without permission. Bjarland and Stubirud were to look after the penthouse and the passage round the hut. Lindstrom was occupied in the kitchen, the hardest and most thankless work on an expedition like this. No one says anything so long as the food is good, but let the cook be unlucky and burn the soup one day for something. Lindstrom had the excellent disposition of a man who is never put out whatever people might say, it was all the same to him. On April the nineteenth we saw the sun for the last time since it then went below our horizon, the ridge to the north. It was intensely red and surrounded by a sea of flame which did not disappear altogether until the twenty-first. Now everything was well. As far as the hut was concerned it could not be better but the penthouse which it was originally intended to use as a workroom soon proved too small, dark and cold besides which all the traffic went through that room so that work would be constantly interrupted or stopped altogether at times. Except this dark hole we had no workroom and we had a lot of work to do. Of course we might use our living room but then we should be in each other's way all day long nor would it be a good plan to give up the only room where we could sometimes find peace and comfort to be a workshop. I know it is the usual custom to do so but I have always found it a bad arrangement. Now indeed we were at our wits end but circumstances once more came to our aid for we may just as well confess it we had forgotten to bring out a tool of commonplace necessity on a polar expedition namely a snow shovel a well equipped expedition as ours was to a certain extent ought to have at least 12 strong thick iron spades we had none we had two remnants but they did not help us very far fortunately however we had a very good solid iron plate with us and now Bjarlin stepped into the breach and made a whole dozen of the very best spades Stubberwood managed the handles and they might all have been turned out by a big factory this circumstance had very important results for our future well-being as will be seen if we had had the shovels with us from the start we should have cleared the snow away from our door every morning like tidy people but as we had none the snow had increased daily before our door and before Bjarlin was ready with the spades had formed a drift extending from the entrance along the western side of the house this snow drift which was as big as the house itself naturally caused some frowns when one morning all hands turned out armed with the new shovels to make a clearance as we stood there afraid to begin one of us it must have been Lindstrom well it doesn't matter one of us had the bright idea of taking nature in hand and working with her instead of against her the proposal was that we should dig out a carpenter's shop in the big snow drift and put it in direct communication with the hut this was no sooner suggested than adopted unanimously and now began a work of tunneling which lasted a good while for one excavation led to another where we had a whole underground village probably one of the most interesting works ever executed round a polar station let us begin with the morning when we thrust the first spade into the drift it was Thursday, April the 20th while three men went to work to dig right into the drift from the hut door westward three more were busy connecting it with the hut this was done by stretching boards the same that we had used on the frown as a false deck for the dogs from the drift up to the roof of the penthouse the open part between the drift and the penthouse on the northern side was filled up entirely into a solid wall which went up to join the roof that had just been put on the space between the penthouse and the drift on the south wall was left open as an exit but now we had the building fever on us and one ambitious project succeeded another thus we agreed to dig a passage to the whole length of the drift and terminate it by a large snow hut in which we were to have a vapor bath that was something like a plan a vapor bath in 79 degrees south Hanson snow hut builder by profession went to work at it he built it quite small and solid and extended it downward so that when at last it was finished it measured 12 feet from floor to roof here we should have plenty of room to fit up a vapor bath meanwhile the tunnelers were advancing we could hear the sound of their pickaxes and spades coming nearer and nearer this was too much for Hanson as he had now finished the hut he set to work to dig his way to the others and when he begins a thing it does not take him very long we could hear the two parties continually nearing each other the excitement increases will they meet or are they digging side by side on different lines the samplons, monceny and other engineering works flashed through my brain if they were going to hit it off we must be hello I was interrupted in my studies by a glistening face which was thrust through the wall just as I was going to dig my spade into it it was vesting, pioneer of the Framheim tunnel he had good reason to be glad he escaped with his nose safe and sound in another instant I should have had it on my spade it was a fine sight this long white passage ending in the high shining dome as we dug forward we dug down at the same time so as not to weaken the roof there was plenty to take down below the barrier was deep enough when this was finished we began to work on the carpenter's shop this had to be dug considerably deeper as the drift was rounded off a little to the side we therefore dug first into the drift and then right down as far as I remember we went six feet down into the barrier here the shop was made roomy with space enough for both carpenter's and length enough for our sledges the planing bench was cut out in the wall and covered with boards the workshop terminated at its western end in a little room where the carpenter's kept their smaller tools a broad stairway cut in the snow and covered with boards led from the shop into the passage as soon as the workshop was finished the workmen moved in and established themselves under the name of the carpenter's union here the whole sledging outfit for the polar journey was remodeled opposite the carpenter's came the smithy dug to the same depth as the other this was less used on the other side of the smithy but a deep hole was dug to receive all the waste water from the kitchen between the carpenter's union and the entrance to the penthouse opposite the ascent to the barrier we built a little room which properly speaking deserves a very detailed explanation but for want of space this must be deferred till later the ascent to the barrier which had been left open while all these works were in progress was now closed by a contrivance mentioning there are a great many people who apparently have never learnt to shut a door after them where two or three are gathered together you generally find at least one who suffers from this defect how many would there be among us who numbered nine it is no use asking a victim of this complaint to shut the door after him he is simply incapable of doing it I was not yet well enough acquainted with my companions as regards the door shutting question and in order to be on the safe side we might just as well put up a self-closing door this was done by stuberid by fixing the door frame into the wall in an oblique position just like a cellar door at home now the door could not stay open it had to fall too I was glad when I saw it finished we were secured against an invasion of dogs four snow steps covered with boards led from the door into the passage in addition to all these new rooms we had thus gained an extra protection for our house while this work was in progress our instrument maker had his hands full the clockwork mechanism of the thermograph had gone wrong the spindle was broken I believe this was particularly annoying because this thermograph had been working so well in low temperatures the other thermograph had evidently been constructed with a view to the tropics at any rate it would not go in the cold our instrument maker has one method of dealing with all instruments almost without exception he puts them in the oven and stokes up the fire this time it worked remarkably well since it enabled him to ascertain beyond a doubt that the thing was useless the thermograph would not work in the cold meanwhile he got it cleared of all the old oil that stuck to it everywhere in wheels and pins like fish glue then it was hung up to the kitchen ceiling the temperature there may possibly revive it and make it think it is in the tropics in this way we shall have the temperature of the galley registered and later on we shall probably be able to reckon up what we have had for dinner in the course of the week whether Professor Mone will be overjoyed with this result is another question which the instrument maker and director did not care to go into besides these instruments we have a hygrograph we are well supplied but this takes one of us out of doors once in the 24 hours Lindstrom has cleaned it and oiled it and set it going in spite of this at three in the morning it comes to a stop but I have never seen Lindstrom beaten yet after many consultations he was given the task of trying to construct a thermograph out of the hygrograph and the disabled thermograph this was just the job for him the production he showed me a few hours later made my hair stand on end what would Steen say do you know what it was well it was an old meet-in circulating inside the thermograph case heavens what an insult to the self-registering meteorological instruments I was thunderstruck thinking of course that the man was making a fool of me I had carefully studied his face all the time to find the key to this riddle I did not know whether to laugh or weep Lindstrom's face was certainly serious enough if it afforded a measure of the situation I believed tears would have been appropriate but when my eye fell upon the thermograph and read Stevango Preserving Company's Finest Ristles I could contain myself no longer the comical side of it was too much for me to burst into a fit of laughter when my laughter was subdued I heard the explanation the cylinder did not fit so he had tried the tin and it went splendidly the Rissole Thermograph worked very well as far as minus 40 degrees C but then it gave up our forces were now divided into two working parties one of them was to dig out some 40 seals we had lying about three feet under the snow this took two days the heavy seals' carcasses hard as flint were difficult to deal with the dogs were greatly interested in these proceedings each carcass on being raised to the surface was carefully inspected they were piled up in two heaps and would provide food enough for the dogs for the whole winter meanwhile the other party were at work under Hassel's direction on a petroleum cellar the barrels which had been laid up in February were now deep below the snow they now dug down at both ends of the store and made a passage below the surface along the barrels at the same time they dug far enough into the barrier to give the requisite height for the barrels when the snow had been thrown out one hole was walled up again while a large entrance was constructed over the other Stuberwood's knowledge of vaulting came in useful here it was a privileged entrance to the oil store it was a pleasure to go down into it probably no one has had so fine a storehouse for petroleum before but Hassel did not stop here he had the building fever on him in earnest his great project of connecting the coal and wood store with the house below the surface nearly took my breath away it seemed to me an almost superhuman labour but they did it the distance from the coal tent to the house was about ten yards here Hassel and Stuberwood laid out their line so that it would strike the passage round the house at the south east angle when they had done this they dug a gigantic hole down into the barrier halfway between the tent and the house and then dug in both directions from here and soon finished the work but now Prestud had an idea while the hole remained open he wished to avail himself of the opportunity of arranging an observatory for his pendulum apparatus and he made a very good one he did it by digging at right angles to the passage and had his little observatory between the coal tent and the house when all the snow was cleared out the big hole was covered over again and now we could go from the kitchen direct to the coal store without going out first we followed the passage round the house you remember where all the tinned provisions stood in such perfect order then on reaching the south east angle of the house this new passage opened out and led across to the coal tent in the middle of the passage on the right hand side a door led into the pendulum observatory continuing along the passage one came first to some steps leading down and then the passage ended in a steep flight of steps which led up through a hole in snow surface on going up this one suddenly found oneself in the middle of the coal tent it was a fine piece of work and did all honour to its designers it paid too Hassel could now fetch coal at any time under cover and escaped having to go out of doors but this was not the end of our great underground works we wanted a room where visiting could store all the things in his charge he was specially anxious about the reindeer skin clothing and wished to have it under a roof we therefore decided upon a room sufficiently large to house all these articles and at the same time to provide working space for visiting and Hansen who would have to lash all the sledges as fast as they came from Bjarland visiting elected to build this room in a big snowdrift that had formed around the tent in which he had kept all his stuff the spot lay to the north east of the house the clothing store, as this building was called was fairly large and provided space not only for all our equipment but also for a workshop from it a door led into a very small room where visiting set up his sewing machine and worked on it all through the winter continuing in a north easterly direction we came to another big room called the crystal palace in which all the ski and sledging cases were stored here all the provisions for the sledge journey were packed for the time being this room remained separate from the others and we had to go out of doors to reach it later when Lindström had dug out an enormous hole in the barrier at the spot where he took all the snow and ice for cooking we connected this with the two rooms last mentioned and with us finally able to go everywhere under the snow the astronomical observatory had also arisen it lay right alongside the crystal palace but it had an air of suffering from debility and before very long it passed peacefully away Prestured afterwards invented many patents he used an empty barrel for a time as a pedestal then an old block of wood his experience of instrument stands is manifold all these undertakings were finished at the beginning of May one last piece of work remained and then at last we should be ready this was the rebuilding of the depot the small heaps in which the cases were piled proved unsatisfactory as the passages between the different piles offered a fine site for snow drifts all the cases were now taken out and laid in two long rows with sufficient intervals between them to prevent their offering resistance to the drifting snow this work was carried out in two days the days were now fairly short and we were ready to take up our indoor work the winter duties were assigned as follows Prestured scientific observations Johansson packing of sledging provisions Hassel had to keep lindstroms applied with coal, wood and paraffin and to make whiplashes an occupation he was very familiar with from the Fram's second expedition Stuberwood was to reduce the weight of the sledge cases to a minimum besides doing a lot of other things there was nothing he could not turn his hand to so the programme of his winter work was left rather vague I knew he would manage a great deal more than the sledge cases though it must be said that it was a tiresome job he had Bjarland was allotted the task which we all regarded with intense interest the alteration of the sledges we knew that an enormous amount of weight could be saved but how much? Hansson and Visting had to lash together the different parts as they were finished this was to be done in the clothing store these two had also a number of other things on their programme for the winter there are many who think that a polar expedition is synonymous with idleness I wish I had had a few adherents of this belief at Framheim that winter they would have gone away with a different opinion not that the hours of work were excessively long the circumstances forbade that but during those hours the work was brisk on several previous sledge journeys I have made the experience that thermometers are very fragile things it often happens that at the beginning of a journey one breaks all one's thermometers and is left without any means of determining the temperature if in such circumstances one had accustomed oneself to guess the temperature it would have given the mean temperature for the month with a fair degree of accuracy the guesses for single days might vary somewhat from reality on one side or the other but as I say one would arrive at a fair estimate of the mean temperature with this in mind I started a guessing competition as each man came in in the morning he gave his opinion of the temperature of the day and this was entered in a book at the end of the month the figures were gone through and the one who had guessed correctly the greatest number of times won the prize a few cigars besides giving practice in guessing the temperature it was a very good diversion to begin the day with when one day is almost exactly like another as it was with us the first hour of the morning is often apt to be a little sour especially before one has had one's cup of coffee I may say at once that this morning grumpyness very seldom showed itself with us but one never knows one cannot always be sure the most amiable man may often give one a surprise before the coffee has had its effect in this respect the guessing was an excellent thing it took up everyone's attention and diverted the critical moments each man's entrance was awaited with excitement and one man was not allowed to make his guess in the hearing of the next that would undoubtedly have exercised an influence therefore they had to speak as they came in one by one now Stubberwood what's the temperature today? Stubberwood had his own way of calculating which I never succeeded in getting at one day for instance he looked about him and studied the various faces it isn't warm today he said at last with a great deal of conviction I could immediately console him with the assurance that he had guessed right it was minus 69 degrees Fahrenheit the monthly results were very interesting so far as I remember the best performance the competition could show in any month was eight approximately correct guesses a man might keep remarkably close to the actual temperature for a long time and then suddenly one day make an error of 25 degrees it proved that the winner's mean temperature agreed within a few tenths of a degree with the actual mean temperature of the month and if one took the mean of all the competitors mean temperatures it gave a result which practically speaking agreed with the reality it was especially with this object in view that this guessing was instituted if later on we should be so unlucky as to lose all our thermometers we should not be entirely at a loss it may be convenient to mention here that on the southern sledge journey we had four thermometers with us observations were taken three times daily and all four were brought home in undamaged condition this thing had charge of this scientific branch and I think the feat he achieved in not breaking any thermometers is unparalleled End of Section 15 Volume 1 Chapter 7 Preparing for Winter Section 16 of the South Pole This is a LibriVox recording All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain For more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org Recording by Philippa Jevons The South Pole by Rold Amundsen Translation by A. G. Carter Section 16 Volume 1 Chapter 8 A Day at Framheim Part 1 In order to understand our daily life better we will now make a tour of Framheim it is June the 23rd early in the morning perfect stillness lies over the barrier such stillness as no one who has not been in these regions has any idea of we come up the old sledge road from the place where the Fram used to lie you will stop several times on the way and ask whether this can be real anything so inconceivably beautiful has never yet been seen there lies the northern edge of the Fram barrier with Mounts Nelson and Romick and Nearest behind them ridge after ridge peak after peak the venerable pressure masses rise one higher than another the light is so wonderful what causes this strange glow it is as clear as daylight and yet the shortest day of the year is at hand there are no shadows so it cannot be the moon no it is one of the few really intense appearances of the Aurora Australis that receives us now it looks as though nature wished to honour our guests and to show herself in her best attire and it is a gorgeous dress she has chosen perfectly calm clear with a starry sparkle and not a sound in any direction but wait what is that like a stream of fire the light shoots across the sky and a whistling sound follows the movement hush can't you hear it shoots forward again takes the form of a band and glows in rays of red and green it stands still for a moment thinking of what direction it shall take and then away again followed by an intermittent whistling sound so nature has offered us on this wonderful morning one of her most mysterious most incomprehensible phenomena the audible southern light now you will be able to go home and tell your friends that you have personally seen and heard the southern lights for I suppose you have no doubt that you have really done so doubt how can one be in doubt about what one has heard with one's own ears and seen with one's own eyes and yet you have been deceived like so many others the whistling northern and southern lights have never existed they're only a creation of your own yearning for the mystical accompanied by your own breath which freezes in the cold air goodbye beautiful dream it vanishes from the glorious landscape perhaps it was stupid of me to call attention to that my guests have now lost much of the beautiful mystery and the landscape no longer has the same attraction meanwhile we have come up past Nelson and Ronnican and are just climbing the first ridge not far away a big tent rises before us and in front of it we see two long dark lines it is our main depot that we are coming to and you can see that we keep our things in good order case upon case as if they had been placed in position by an expert builder and they all point the same way all the numbers face the north what made you choose that particular direction is the natural question had you any special object oh yes we had if you look towards the east you will notice that on the horizon the sky has a rather lighter brighter colour there than in any other part that is the day as we see it now at present we cannot see to do anything by its light it would have been impossible to see that these cases were lying with their numbers to the north if it had not been for the brilliant Aurora Australis but that light colour will rise and grow stronger at nine o'clock it will be in the northeast and we shall be able to trace it ten degrees above the horizon you would not then think it gave so much light as it really does but you would be able without an effort to read the numbers what is more you would be able to read the maker's names which marked on several of the cases and when the flush of daylight has moved to the north you will be able to see them even more clearly no doubt these figures and letters are big about two inches high and fourteen inches broad but it shows nevertheless that we have daylight here at the darkest time of the year so there is not the absolute darkness that people think the tent that stands behind there contains dried fish we have a great deal of that commodity and our dogs can never suffer hunger but now we must hurry on if we are to see how the day begins at Framheim what we're passing now is the mark flag we have five of them standing between the camp and the depot they're useful on dark days when the east wind is blowing and the snow falling and there on the slope of the hill you see Framheim at present it looks like a dark shadow on the snow although it's not far away the sharp peaks you see pointing to the sky are all our dog tents the hut itself you cannot see it is completely snowed under and hidden in the barrier but I see you are getting warm with walking we will go a little more slowly so that you won't perspire too much it is not more than minus 51 degrees so you have every reason to be warm walking with that temperature and calm weather like today one soon feels warm if one moves about a little the flat place we have now come down into is a sort of basin if you bend down and look around the horizon you will be able with an effort to follow the ridges and hummocks the whole way round our house lies on the slope we are now approaching we chose that particular spot as we thought it was off of the best protection and it turned out that we were right the wind we have had has nearly always come from the east when there was any strength in it and against such winds the slope provides an excellent shelter if we had placed our house over there where the depot stands we should have felt the weather much more severely but now you must be careful when we come near to the house so that the dogs don't hear us we have now about 120 of them and if they won't start making a noise then goodbye to the peaceful polar morning now we are there and in such daylight as there is you can see the immediate surroundings you can't see the house you say no I can quite believe that that chimney sticking out of the snow is all there is left above the barrier this trap door we are coming to you might take for a loose piece of boarding thrown out on the snow but that is not the case we are coming to our home you must stoop a bit when you go down into the barrier everything is on a reduced scale here in the polar regions we can't afford to be extravagant now you have four steps down take care they are rather high luckily we have come in time to see the day started I see the passage lamp is not yet lighted so Lindström has not turned out take hold of the tail of my anorak and follow me this is a passage in the snow that we are in leading to the penthouse I am so sorry you must forgive me did you hurt yourself I quite forgot to tell you to look out for the threshold of the penthouse door it is not the first time someone has fallen over it that is a trap we have all fallen into but now we know it and it doesn't catch us anymore if you will wait a second I will strike a match and then we shall see our way here we are in the kitchen now make yourself invisible and follow me all day and you will see what our life is like as you know it is St John's Eve so we shall only work during the forenoon and you will be able to see how we spend a holiday evening when you send your account home you must promise me not to paint it in too strong colours goodbye for the present brrrrr there's the alarm clock I wait and wait and wait at home I am always accustomed to hear that noise followed by the passage of a pair of bare feet across the floor and a yawn or so hear not a sound when Amundsen left me he forgot to say where I could best put myself I tried to follow him into the room but the atmosphere there, no thanks I could easily guess that nine men were sleeping in a room 19 feet by 13 feet it did not require anyone to tell me that it's still not a sound I suppose they only keep that alarm clock to make themselves imagine they're turning out wait a minute though Lintrom, Lintrom he went by the name of Lintrom not Linstrom now by Jove you've got to get up the clocks made round enough that's this thing I know his voice I know him at home he was always an early bird a frightful crash that's Linstrom slipping out of his bunk but if he was late in turning out it did not take him long to get into his clothes one, two, three and there he stood in the doorway with a little lamp in his hand it was now six o'clock he looked well round and fat as when I saw him last his in dark blue clothes was a knitted helmet over his head I should like to know why it's certainly not cold in here for that matter I've often felt it colder in kitchens at home in the winter so that cannot be the reason oh I have it he is bald and doesn't like to show it that is often the way with bald men they hate anyone seeing it the first thing he does is to lay the fire the range is under the window it takes up half the six feet by 13 feet of the kitchen his method of laying a fire is the first thing that attracts my attention at home we generally begin by splitting sticks and laying the wood in very carefully but Linstrom just shoves the wood in anyhow all over the place well if he can make that burn he's clever I'm still wondering how he'll manage it when he suddenly stoops down and picks up a can without the slightest hesitation as though it were the most natural thing in the world he pours paraffin over the wood not one or two drops oh no he throws on enough to make sure a match and then I understood how Linstrom got it to light it was smartly done I must say but Hassel ought to have seen it Amundsen had told me something of their arrangements on the way up and I knew Hassel was responsible for coal, wood and oil the water pot had been filled the evening before and he had only to push it to one side to make room for the kettle this did not take long to boil with the heat he had set going the fire burned up so that it roared in the chimney this fellow is not sure to fuel strange what a hurry he is in to get that coffee ready I thought breakfast was a date and it's not now more than a quarter past six he grinds the coffee till his cheeks shake to and fro incessantly if the quality is in proportion to the quantity it must be good enough devil take it Linstrom's morning greeting this coffee miller's not worth throwing to the pigs might just as well chew the beans it wouldn't take so long and he is right after a quarter of an hour's hard work he's only ground just enough now it is half past six on with the coffee oh what a perfume I would give something to know where Amundsen got it from meanwhile the cook has taken out his pipe and is smoking away gaily on an empty stomach it does not seem to do a mini harm hello there's the coffee boiling over while the coffee was boiling and Linstrom smoked I was still wondering why he was in such a hurry to get the coffee ready you ass I thought can't you see of course he's going to give himself a drink of fresh hot coffee before the others are up that's clear enough when the coffee was ready I sat down on a camp-stool that stood in a corner and watched him but I must say he surprised me again he pushed the coffee kettle away from the fire and took down a cup from the wall then went to a jug that stood on the bench and poured out would you believe it a cup of cold tea if he goes on in this way we shall have surprises enough before evening I thought to myself then he began to be deeply interested in an enameled iron pot which stood on a shelf above the range the heat which was now intense I looked at the thermograph which hung from the ceiling it registered 84 degrees Fahrenheit did not seem to be sufficient for its mysterious contents it was also wrapped up in towels and cloths and gave me the impression of having caught a severe cold the glances he threw into it from time to time were anxious he looked at the clock and seemed to have something on his mind then suddenly I saw his face brighten he gave a long, not very melodious whistle bent down, seized a dustpan and hurried out into the penthouse now I was really excited what was coming next he came back at once with a happy smile all over his face and the dustpan full of coal if I'd been curious before I was now anxious I withdrew as far as possible from the range sat down on the floor itself and fixed my eyes on the thermograph as I thought the pen began to move upward with rapid steps this was too bad I made up my mind to pay a visit to the meteorological institute as soon as I got home and tell them what I'd seen with my own eyes but now the heat seemed intolerable down on the floor where I was sitting what must it be like the heavens above the man was sitting on the stove he must have gone out of his mind I was just going to give a cry of terror when the door opened and in came Amundsen from the room I gave a deep sigh now it would be all right the time was ten minutes past seven morning fatty morning what's it like outside easterly breeze and thick when I was out but that's a good while ago this fairly took my breath away he stood there with the coolest air in the world and talked about the weather and I could take my oath he had not been outside the door that morning how's it getting on today is it coming Amundsen looks with interest at the mysterious bull Lindstrom takes another peep under the cloth yes it's coming at last but I've had to give it a lot today yes it feels like it answers the other and goes out my interest is now divided between it in the bull and Amundsen's return with the meteorological discussion that will ensue it is not long before he reappears evidently the temperature outside is not inviting let's hear again my friend he seats himself on the campstool beside which I am sitting on the floor what kind of weather did you say it was I prick up my ears there is going to be fun it was an easterly breeze even thick as a wall when I was out at six o'clock hmm then it has cleared remarkably quickly it's a dead calm now and quite clear ah that's just what I should have thought I could see it was falling light and it was getting brighter in the east he got out of that well meanwhile it was again the turn of the bull it was taken down from the shelf over the range and put on the bench the various cloths were removed one by one until it was left quickly bare I could not resist any longer I had to get up and look and indeed it was worth looking at the bull was filled to the brim with golden yellow dough full of air bubbles and showing every sign that he had got it to rise now I began to respect Lindstrom he was a devil of a fellow no confectioner in our native latitudes could have shown a finer dough it was now seven twenty five and everything seems to go by the clock here Lindstrom threw a last tender glance at his bull picked up a little bottle of spirit and went into the next room I saw my chance of following him in there was not going to be any fun out there with Amundsen who was sitting on the campstool half asleep in the other room it was pitch dark and an atmosphere no ten atmospheres at least I stood in the doorway and breathed heavily Lindstrom stumbled forward in the darkness felt for and found the matches he struck one and lighted a spirit holder that hung beneath a hanging lamp there was not much to be seen by the light of the spirit flame one could still only guess here too perhaps they were sound sleepers those boys one grunted here and another there they were snoring in every corner the spirit might have been burning for a couple of minutes he was set to work in a hurry he was off just as the flame went out leaving the room in black darkness I heard the spirit bottle and the nearest stool upset and what followed I don't know as I was unfamiliar with the surroundings but there was a good deal of it I heard a click I had no idea what it was and then the same movement back again to the lamp of course he now fell over the stool he had upset before meanwhile there was a hissing sound a stifling smell of paraffin I was thinking of making my escape through the door when suddenly just as I suppose it happened on the first day of creation in an instant there was light but it was a light that defies description it dazzled and hurt the eyes it was so bright it was perfectly white and extremely agreeable when one was not looking at it evidently it was one of the luck's lamps my admiration for Lindstrom had now risen to enthusiasm what would I not have given to be able to make myself visible embrace him and tell him what I thought of him but that could not be I should not then be able to see life at Framheim as it really was so I stood still Lindstrom first tried to put straight what he had upset in his struggle with the lamp the spirit had of course run out of the bottle and was now flowing all over the table this did not seem to make the slightest impression on him a little scoop with his hand and it all landed on Johannson's clothes which were lying close by this fellow seemed to be as well off the spirit as for paraffin then he vanished into the kitchen but reappeared immediately with plates, cups, knives and forks Lindstrom's laying of the breakfast table was the finest clattering performance I've ever heard of a cup he did not do it in the ordinary way no, he put down the cup lifted the spoon high in the air and then dropped it into the cup the noise he made in this way was infernal now I began to see why Amundsen got up so early he wanted to escape this process of laying the table I expect but this gave me at once an insight into the good humour of the gentleman in bed if this had happened anywhere else Lindstrom would have had a boot at his head they must have been the most peaceable men in the world meanwhile I had time to look around me close to the door where I was standing a pipe came down to the floor it struck me at once that this was a ventilating pipe I bent down and put my hand over the opening there was not so much as a hint of air to be felt so this was the cause of the bad atmosphere the next things that caught my eye were the bunks nine of them, three on the right hand side and six on the left most of the sleepers if they could be regarded as such while the table was being laid, slept in bags sleeping bags they must have been warm enough the rest of the space was taken up by a long table with small stools on two sides of it order appeared to rain most of the clothes were hung up of course a few lay on the floor but then Lindstrom had been running about in the dark and perhaps he had pulled them down on the table by the windows stood a gramophone and some tobacco boxes and ashtrays the furniture was not plentiful nor was it in the style of Louis Kahn's or Louis says, but it was sufficient on the wall with the window hung a few paintings and on the other portraits of the king queen and crown prince Olaf apparently cut out of an illustrated paper and pasted on blue cardboard in the corner nearest the door on the right where there was no bunk the space seemed to be occupied by clothes some hanging on the wall some online stretched across so that was the drying place modest in its simplicity under the table were some varnished boxes heaven knows what they were for now there seemed to be life in one of the bunks it was Visting who was getting tired of the noise that still continued Lindstrom took his time rattling the spoons, smiling maliciously to himself and looking up at the bunks he did not make all this racket for nothing Visting then was the first to respond and apparently the only one at any rate there was not a sign of movement in any of the others good morning fatty thought you were going to stop there till dinner this is Lindstrom's greeting look after yourself Olden if I hadn't got you out you'd have been asleep still that was paying him in his own coin Visting was evidently not to be trifled with however they smiled and nodded to each other in a way that showed there was no harm meant at last Lindstrom had got rid of the last cup and brought down the curtain on that act with the dropping of the final spoon I thought now that he would go back to his work in the kitchen but it looked as if he had something else to do first he straightened himself thrust his chin in the air and put his head back reminding me very forcibly of the young cockerel preparing to crow and roared with the full force of his lungs turn out boys and look sharp now he had finished his morning duty there the sleeping bags seemed suddenly to awake to life and such remark says that's a devil of a fellow or shut up you old chatterbox showed that the inhabitants of Framheim were now awake beaming with joy the cause of the trouble disappeared into the kitchen and now one after the other stick their heads out followed by the rest of them that must be Helmer Hansen who was on the cure he looks as if he could handle a rope and there we have Olaf Olafson Bjarland I could have cried a loud for joy my old friend from Holman Colin the great long distance runner you remember and he managed to jump too 50 meters I think standing if Amundsen has a few like him he will get to the pole all right and there comes Stuberud the man the afton post said was so clever at double entry bookkeeping as I see him now he does not give me the impression of being a bookkeeper but one can't tell and here come Hassel, Johansson and Prestrid now they're all up and will soon begin the day's work Stuberud it is Lindstrom putting his head in the door if you want any hot cakes you must get some air down Stuberud merely smiles he looks as if he felt sure of getting them all the same what was it he talked about? hot cakes they must be connected with a beautiful dough and the delicate seductive smell of cooking that is now penetrating through the crack of the door Stuberud is going and I must go with him yes as I thought there stands Lindstrom in all his glory before the range brandishing the weapon with which he turns the cakes and in a pan lie three brownish yellow buckwheat cakes quivering with the heat of the fire heaven's how hungry it made me I take up my old position so as not to be in any one's way and watch Lindstrom he's the man he produces hot cakes with astonishing dexterity it almost reminds one of a juggler throwing up balls so rapid and regular as the process the way he manipulates the cake slice shows a fabulous proficiency with the skimmer in one hand he dumps fresh dough into the pan and with the cake slice in the other he removes those that are done all at the same time seems almost more than human there comes vesting salutes and holds out a little tin mug flattered by the honour the cook fills his mug with boiling water and he disappears into the penthouse but this interruption puts Lindstrom off his jugglery with the hot cakes one of them rolls down onto the floor this fellow is extraordinarily phlegmatic I can't make out whether he missed that cake or not I believe the sigh that escaped him at the same instant meant something like well we must leave some for the dogs and now they all come in single file with their little mugs and get each a drop of boiling water I get up interested in this proceeding and slip out with one of them into the penthouse and so on to the barrier you will hardly believe me when I tell you what I saw all the polar explorers standing in a row brushing their teeth what do you say to that so there are not such absolute pigs after all there was a scent of stomatol everywhere here comes Amundsen he has evidently been taking the meteorological observations as he holds the anemometer in one hand I follow him through the passage and when no one is looking take the opportunity of slapping him on the shoulder and saying a grand lot of boys he only smiled but a smile may often say more than many words I understood what it meant he had known that a long while and a good deal more end of section 16