The Start. 85 



Full speed ahead, and in the calm, bright summer 

 weather, while the setting sun shed his beams over the 

 land, the Fram stood out towards the blue sea, to get 

 its first roll in the long heaving swell. They stood up 

 in the boat and watched us for long. 



We bore along the coast in good weather, past 

 Christiansand. The next evening, June 27th, we were 

 off the Naze. I sat up and chatted with Scott- Hansen 

 till late in the night. He acted as captain on the trip 

 from Christiania to Trondhjem, where Sverdrup was 

 to join, after having accompanied his family to 

 Steenkiser. As we sat there in the chart-house and 

 let the hours slip by while we pushed on in the ever 

 increasing swell, all at once a sea burst open the door 

 and poured in. We rushed out on deck. The ship 

 rolled like a log, the seas broke in over the rails on 

 both sides, and one by one up came all the crew. 

 I feared most lest the slender davits which supported 

 the long-boats should give way, and the boats them- 

 selves should go overboard, perhaps carrying away with 

 them a lot of the rigging. Then twenty-five empty 

 paraffin casks which were lashed on deck broke loose, 

 washed backwards and forwards, and gradually filled 

 with water ; so that the outlook was not altogether 

 agreeable. But it was worst of all when the piles of 

 reserve timber, spars, and planks, began the same dance, 

 and threatened to break the props under the boats. 

 It was an anxious .hour Sea-sick I stood on the 



