LOADING THE ' FRAM ' 91 



on the contrary, it was a very serious affair. It was not 



v * / 



enough to know that all the cases were duly on board; 

 the problem was to know exactly where each particular 

 case was placed, and, at the same time, to stow them 

 all in such a way that they could easily be got at in 

 future. This was a difficult piece of work, and it was 

 not rendered any more easy by the attention that had to 

 be paid to the numerous hatches leading down into the 

 lower hold, where the big petroleum tanks stood. All 

 these hatches had to be left accessible, otherwise we 

 should haye been cut off from pumping the oil into the 

 engine-room. 



Howeyer, Xilsen and his assistants accomplished their 

 task with brilliant success. Among the hundreds of 

 cases there was not one that was misplaced; not one 

 that was stowed so that it could not instantly be brought 

 into the light of day. 



While the proyisioning was going on, the rest of the 

 equipment was also being taken on board. Each 

 member of the expedition was busily engaged in looking 

 after the needs of his own department in the best way 

 possible. Nor was this a question of trifles: one may 

 cudgel one's brains endlessly in advance, but some new 

 requirement will constantly be cropping up until one 

 puts a full stop to it by casting off and sailing. This 

 event was becoming imminent with the arrival of June. 



The day before leaving Christiania we had the honour 

 and pleasure of receiving a visit from the King and 



