CHAPTER V 



ON THE BARRIER 



WE had thus arrived on January 14 a day earlier than 

 we had reckoned at this vast, mysterious, natural 

 phenomenon the Barrier. One of the most difficult 

 problems of the expedition was solved that of convey- 

 ing our draught animals in sound condition to the field 

 of operations. We had taken 97 dogs on board at 

 Christiansand ; the number had now increased to 116, 

 and practically all of these would be fit to serve in the 

 final march to the South. 



The next great problem that confronted us was to 

 find a suitable place on the Barrier for our station. My 

 idea had been to get everything equipment and pro- 

 visions conveyed far enough into the Barrier to secure 

 us against the unpleasant possibility of drifting out into 

 the Pacific in case the Barrier should be inclined to 

 calve. I had therefore fixed upon ten miles as a 

 suitable distance from the edge of the Barrier. But 

 even our first impression of the conditions seemed to 

 show that we should be spared a great part of this long 

 and troublesome transport. Along its outer edge the 



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