IN STORM BAY 201 



of gentle. Wind, weather, fate, and life in general 

 were inveighed against, but this availed little. The 

 peninsula that separated us from Storm Bay still lay- 

 there firm and immovable, and the gale went on as if 

 it was in no hurry to let us get round. The whole day 

 went by, and the greater part of the night, without any 

 change taking place. Not till the morning of the 6th 

 did our prospects begin to improve. The wind became 

 lighter and went more to the south ; that was, of course, 

 the way we had to go, but by hugging the shore, where 

 we had perfectly smooth water, we succeeded in working 

 our way down to Tasman Island before darkness fell. 

 The night brought a calm, and that gave us our chance. 

 The engine worked furiously, and a shght favourable 

 current contributed to set us on our way. By dawn 

 on the 7th we were far up Storm Bay and could at last 

 consider ourselves masters of the situation. 



It was a sunny day, and our faces shone in rivalry 

 with the sun ; all trace of the last two days' annoyances 

 had vanished. And soon the Fram, too, began to shine. 

 The white paint on deck had a thorough overhauling 

 with soap and water in strong solution. The Ripolin 

 was again as fresh as when new. When this had been 

 seen to, the outward appearance of the men also began 

 to undergo a striking change. The Iceland jackets and 

 *' blanket costumes " from Horten gave way to " shore 

 clothes " of the most varied cut, hauled out after a two 



years' rest; razors and scissors had made a rich harvest, 

 VOL. II. 39 



