COOKING APPARATUS 85 



remember seeing these boots in civilized Christiania. 

 They were exhibited in the bootmaker's windows I 

 used to go a long way round to avoid coming face to 

 face with these monsters in public. We are all a trifle 

 vain, and dislike having our own shortcomings shown 

 up in electric light. If I had ever cherished any illu- 

 sions on the subject of " a dainty little foot," I am sure 

 the last trace of such vanity died out on the day I 

 passed the shoemaker's window and beheld my own 

 boots. I never went that way again until I was certain 

 that the exhibition was closed. One thing is certain, 

 that the boots were a fine piece of workmanship. We 

 shall hear later on of the alterations they had to undergo 

 before we at last made them as large as we wanted, 

 for the giant boots turned out much too small! 



Among other equipment I must mention our excel- 

 lent Primus cooking apparatus. This all came com- 

 plete from a firm in Stockholm. For cooking on sledge 

 journeys the Primus stove ranks above all others; it 

 gives a great deal of heat, uses little oil, and requires no 

 attention advantages which are important enough any- 

 where, but especially when sledging. There is never 

 any trouble with this apparatus; it has come as near 

 perfection as possible. We took five Nansen cookers 

 with us. This cooker utilizes the heat more completely 

 than any other; but I have one objection to make to it 

 -it takes up space. We used it on our depot journeys, 

 but were unfortunately obliged to give it up on the 



