34 THE START FOR THE POLE 



see disturbances of the surface in the distance. Now 

 we are going to have some fun in getting to land, I 

 thought, for it seemed very natural that the Barrier^ 

 hemmed in as it was here, would be much broken up. 

 The disturbances we had seen consisted of some big, old 

 crevasses, which were partly filled up ; we avoided them 

 easily. Now there was another deep depression before 

 us, with a correspondingly high rise on the other side. 

 We went over it capitally; the surface was absolutely 

 smooth, without a sign of fissure or hole anywhere. 

 Then we shall get them when we are on the top, I 

 thought. It was rather stiff work uphill, unaccustomed 

 as we were to slopes. I stretched my neck more and 

 more to get a view. At last we were up; and what a 

 sight it was that met us! Not an irregularity, not a 

 sign of disturbance; quietly and evenly the ascent 

 continued. I believe that we were then already above 

 land; the large crevasses that we had avoided down 

 below probably formed the boundary. The hypsometer 

 gave 930 feet above the sea. 



We were now immediately below the ascent, and 

 made the final decision of trying it here. This being 

 settled, we pitched our camp. It was still early in the 

 day, but we had a great deal to arrange before the 

 morrow. Here we should have to overhaul our 

 whole supply of provisions, take with us what was 

 absolutely necessary for the remainder of the trip, and 

 leave the rest behind in depot. First, then, we camped. 



