FAREWELL TO THE ' FRAM ' 207 



for. I knew it was hard for all of them almost with- 

 out exception to have to leave us now, at the most 

 interesting time, and go out to sea to battle for months 

 with cold and darkness, ice and storms, and then have 

 the same voyage over again the next year when they 

 came to fetch us. It was certainly a hard task, but 

 none of them complained. They had all promised to 

 do their best to promote our common object, and there- 

 fore all went about their duty without grumbling. I 

 left written orders with the commander of the Fram, 

 Captain Nilsen. The substance of these orders may be 

 given in a few words: Carry out our plan in the way 

 you may think best. I knew the man I was giving 

 orders to. A more capable and honourable second in 

 command I could never have had. I knew that the 

 Fram was safe in his hands. 



Lieutenant Prestrud and I made a trip to the south 

 to find a suitable place for ascending the Barrier on 

 the other side of the bay. The sea-ice was fairly even 

 for this distance; only a few cracks here and there. 

 Farther up the bay there were, curiously enough, long 

 rows of old hummocks. What could this mean? This 

 part was really quite protected from the sea, so that 

 these formations could not be attributed to its action. 

 We hoped to have an opportunity of investigating the 

 conditions more closely later on; there was no time for 

 it now. The shortest and most direct way to the south 

 was the one we were on now. The bay was not wide 



