78 PLAN AND PREPARATIONS 



The cases for sledging provisions were made of fairly 

 thin, tough ash, which came from the estate of Pals- 

 gaard in Jutland, and the material did all it promised. 

 These cases were 1 foot square and 15? inches high. 

 They had only a little round opening on the top, closed 

 with an aluminium lid, which fitted exactly like the lid 

 of a milk-can. Large lids weaken the cases, and I had 

 therefore chosen this form. We did not have to throw 

 off the lashing of the case to get the lid off, and this is 

 a very great advantage; we could always get at it. A 

 case with a large lid, covered by the lashing, gives con- 

 stant trouble; the whole lashing has to be undone for 

 every little thing one wants out of the case. This is 

 not always convenient ; if one is tired and slack, it may 

 sometimes happen that one will put off till to-morrow 

 what ought to be done to-day, especially when it is 

 bitterly cold. The handier one's sledging outfit, the 

 sooner one gets into the tent and to rest, and that is no 

 small consideration on a long journey. 



Our outfit of clothing was abundant and more 

 complete, I suppose, than that of any former Polar 

 expedition. We may divide it into two classes, the 

 outfit for specially low temperatures and that for more 

 moderate temperatures. It must be remembered that 

 no one had yet wintered on the Barrier, so we had to 

 be prepared for anything. In order to be able to 

 grapple with any degree of cold, we were supplied witli 

 the richest assortment of reindeer-skin clothing; we 



