SNOW AND FOG 229 



perature was no worse than -0 - 4 F. We went all day 

 without seeing any mark. The snow stopped falling 

 about noon, and at three o'clock it cleared. As we 

 were looking about for a place to pitch the tents, we 

 caught sight of one of our flags. When we reached it, 

 we found it was flag No. 5 all our bamboos were 

 numbered, so we knew the exact position of the flag. 

 No. 5 was forty-four and a half miles from Framheim. 

 This agreed well with the distance recorded forty-four 

 miles. 



The next day was calm and clear, and the temperature 

 began to descend, - 13 F. But in spite of this lower 

 temperature the air felt considerably milder, as it was 

 quite still. We followed marks and fish the whole way, 

 and at the end of our day's journey we had covered 

 eighteen miles a good distance for heavy going. 



We then had a couple of days of bitter cold with fog, 

 so that we did not see much of our surroundings. We 

 followed the fish and the marks most of the way. We 

 had already begun to find the fish useful as extra food ; 

 the dogs took it greedily. The forerunner had to take 

 up each fish and throw it on one side; then one of the 

 drivers went out, took it up, and put it on his sledge. 

 If the dogs had come upon the fish standing in the 

 snow we should soon have had fierce fights. Even now, 

 before we reached the depot in 80 S., the dogs began 

 to show signs of exhaustion, probably as a result of the 

 cold weather (- 16'6 F.) and the hard work. They 



