80 THROUGH THE MOUNTAINS 



five days. A number of small articles were also left 

 behind. 



While we were thus occupied, the fog had been 

 coming and going ; some of the intervals had been quite 

 clear, and had given me a good view of the nearest part 

 of the range. It appeared to be quite isolated, and 

 to consist of four mountains; one of these — Mount 

 Helmer Hanssen — lay separated from the rest. The 

 other three — INIounts Oscar Wisting, Sverre Hassel, and 

 Olav Bjaaland — lay closer together. Behind this group 

 the air had been heavy and black the whole time, show- 

 ing that more land must be concealed there. Suddenly, 

 in one of the brightest intervals, there came a rift in this 

 curtain, and the summits of a colossal mountain mass 

 appeared. Our first impression was that this mountain 

 — Mount Thorvald Nilsen — must be something over 

 20,000 feet high ; it positively took our breath away, so 

 formidable did it appear. But it was only a glimpse 

 that we had, and then the fog enclosed it once more. 

 We had succeeded in taking a few meagre bearings of 

 the different summits of the nearest group; they were 

 not very grand, but better ones were not to be obtained. 

 For that matter, the site of the depot was so well 

 marked by its position under the foot of the glacier that 

 we agreed it would be impossible to miss it. 



Having finished the edifice, which rose at least 6 feet 

 into the air, we put one of our black provision cases on 

 the top of it, so as to be able to see it still more easily 



