48 THROUGH THE MOUNTAINS 



white line that we had been able to follow among the 

 numerous crevasses right up to the first terrace. Here 

 tributary glaciers came do^\Ti on all sides from the 

 mountains and joined the main one; it was one of 

 these many small arms that we reached that evening, 

 directly under Don Pedro Christophersen. 



The mountain below which we had our camp was 

 covered with a chaos of immense blocks of ice. The 

 glacier on which we were was much broken up, but, as 

 with all the others, the fissures were of old date, and, 

 to a large extent, drifted up. The snow was so loose 

 that we had to trample a place for the tent, and we 

 could push the tent-pole right down without meeting 

 resistance; probably it would be better higher up. In 

 the evening Hanssen and Bjaaland went out to recon- 

 noitre, and found the conditions as we had seen them 

 from a distance. The way up to the first terrace was 

 easily accessible; what the conditions would be like 

 between this and the second terrace we had still to 

 discover. 



It was stiff work next day getting up to the first 

 terrace. The arm of the glacier that led up was not 

 very long, but extremely steep and full of big crevasses ; 

 it had to be taken in relays, two sledges at a time. 

 The state of the going was, fortunately, better than on 

 the previous day, and the surface of the glacier was 

 fine and hard, so that the dogs got a splendid hold. 

 Bjaaland went in advance up through this steep glacier. 



