388 THE END OF THE WINTER 



doubtful heels, and forty-six miles from Framheim! 

 When we started next morning it was fortunately 

 milder "almost summer": -40 F. It felt quite 

 pleasant. The difference between -40 and -60 is, 

 in my opinion, very perceptible. It may perhaps be 

 thought that when one gets so far down, a few degrees 

 one way or the other do not make any difference, but 

 they do. 



While driving that day we were obliged to let loose 

 several of the dogs, who could not keep up ; we supposed 

 that they would follow our tracks. Adam and 

 Lazarus were never seen again. Sara fell dead on 

 the way without any previous symptom. Camilla was 

 also among those let loose. 



On the way home we kept the same order as on the 

 previous days. Hanssen and Wisting, as a rule, were a 

 long way ahead, unless they stopped and waited. We 

 went at a tearing pace. We had thought of halting at 

 the sixteen-mile flag, as we called it the mark at thirty 

 kilometres from Framheim and waiting for the others 

 to come up, but as the weather was of the best, calm and 

 clear, and with our tracks on the way south perfectly 

 plain, I decided to go on. The sooner we got the bad 

 heels into the house, the better. The two first sledges 

 arrived at 4 p.m.; the next at 6, and the two following 

 ones at 6.30. The last did not come in till 12.30 a.m. 

 Heaven knows what they had been doing on the way! 



With the low temperatures we experienced on this 



