xiv THE FIRST ACCOUNT 



going farther, but fortunately it was not so bad as it 

 looked. 



Our dogs, which during the last few days had covered 

 a distance of nearly 440 miles, put in a very good piece 

 of work that day, as they did twenty-two miles on 

 ground rising to 5,770 feet. It was an almost in- 

 credible record. It only took us four days from the 

 barrier to reach the immense inland plateau. We 

 camped at a height of 7,600 feet. Here we had to kill 

 twenty-four of our brave dogs, keeping eighteen six 

 for each of our three sledges. We halted here for four 

 days on account of bad weather. On November 25 we 

 were tired of waiting, and started again. On the 26th 

 we were overtaken by a raging blizzard. In the thick, 

 driving snow we could see absolutely nothing; but we 

 felt that, contrary to what we had expected namely, a 

 further ascent we were going rapidly downhill. The 

 hypsometer that day showed a descent of 600 feet. 

 We continued our march next day in a strong wind 

 and thick, driving snow. Our faces were badly frozen. 

 There was no danger, but we simply could see nothing. 

 Next day, according to our reckoning, we reached 

 lat. 86. The hypsometer showed a fall of 800 feet. 

 The following day passed in the same way. The 

 weather cleared up about noon, and there appeared to 

 our astonished eyes a mighty mountain-range to the 

 east of us, and not far away. But the vision only lasted 

 a moment, and then disappeared again in the driving 



