ENCIRCLING THE POLE 125 



things. As we had got no noon altitude, we should 

 have to try and take one at midnight. The weather 

 had brightened again, and it looked as if midnight 

 would be a good time for the observation. We there- 

 fore crept into our bags to get a little nap in the inter- 

 vening hours. In good time — soon after 11 p.m. — we 

 were out again, and ready to catch the sun ; the weather 

 was of the best, and the opportunity excellent. We four 

 navigators all had a share in it, as usual, and stood 

 watching the course of the sun. This was a labour 

 of patience, as the difference of altitude was now very 

 slight. The result at which we finally arrived was of 

 great interest, as it clearly shows how unreliable and 

 valueless a single observation like this is in these 

 regions. At 12.30 a.m. we put our instruments away, 

 well satisfied with our work, and quite convinced that 

 it was the midnight altitude that we had observed. 

 The calculations which were carried out immediately 

 afterwards gave us 89° 56' S. We were all well pleased 

 with this result. 



The arrangement now was that we should encircle 

 this camp with a radius of about twelve and a half 

 miles. By encircling I do not, of course, mean that we 

 should go round in a circle with this radius; that would 

 have taken us days, and was not to be thought of. The 

 encircling was accomplished in this way: Three men 

 went out in three different directions, two at right 

 angles to the course we had been steering, and one in 



