116 ON THE WAY TO THE SOUTH 



other vessel, to be a wholesale establishment for dirt 

 and filth, however many dogs there may be on board. 

 On the contrary, I should say that on voyages of this 

 kind it is more than ever vitally necessary to keep one's 

 surroundings as clean and sweet as possible. The im- 

 portant thing is to get rid of anything that may have a 

 demoralizing and depressing effect. The influence of 

 uncleanliness in this way is so well known that it is 

 needless to preach about it here. 



My views were shared by everyone on board the 

 Fram, and everything was done to act in accordance 

 with them, in spite of what may be considered great 

 difficulties. Twice a day the whole deck was thoroughly 

 washed down, besides all the extra turns at odd times 

 with bucket and scrubber. At least once a week the 

 whole of the loose deck was taken up, and each separate 

 part of it thoroughly washed, until it was as clean as 

 when it was laid down at Christiansand. This was a 

 labour that required great patience and perseverance on 

 the part of those who had to perform it, but I never 

 saw any shortcomings. ' Let's just see and get it 

 clean," they said. 



At night, when it was not always easy to see what 

 one was doing, it might often happen that one heard 

 some more or less heated exclamations from those who 

 had to handle coils of rope in working the ship. I need 

 not hint more explicitly at the cause of them, if it is 

 remembered that there were dogs lying about every- 



