MORE UNDERGROUND ROOMS 277 



the coal-store without going out. First we followed 

 the passage round the house you remember where all 

 the tinned provisions stood in such perfect order then, 

 on reaching the south-east angle of the house, this new 

 passage opened out and led across to the coal-tent. In 

 the middle of the passage, on the right-hand side, a door 

 led into the pendulum observatory. Continuing along 

 the passage, one came first to some steps leading down, 

 and then the passage ended in a steep flight of steps 

 which led up through a hole in the snow surface. On 

 going up this one suddenly found oneself in the middle 

 of the coal-tent. It was a fine piece of work, and did 

 all honour to its designers. It paid, too Hassel could 

 now fetch coal at any time under cover, and escaped 

 having to go out of doors. 



But this was not the end of our great underground 

 works. We wanted a room where Wisting could store 

 all the things in his charge; he was specially anxious 

 about the reindeer-skin clothing, and wished to have it 

 under a roof. We therefore decided upon a room suffi- 

 ciently large to house all these articles, and at the same 

 time to provide working-space for Wisting andHanssen, 

 who would have to lash all the sledges as fast as they 

 came from Bjaaland. Wisting elected to build this 

 room in a big snow-drift that had formed around the 

 tent in which he had kept all his stuff; the spot lay to 

 the north-east of the house. The Clothing Store, as 

 this building was called, was fairly large, and provided 



