If^l^ 



CHAPTER XIII 



THE RETURN TO FRAMHEIM 



The going was splendid and all were in good spirits, so 

 we went along at a great pace. One would almost have 

 thought the dogs knew they were homeward bound. 

 A mild, summer-like wind, with a temperature of 

 -22° F., was our last greeting from the Pole. 



When we came to our last camp, where the sledge 

 was left, we stopped and took a few things with us. 

 From this point we came into the line of beacons. 

 Our tracks had already become very indistinct, but, 

 thanks to his excellent sight, Bjaaland kept in them quite 

 well. The beacons, however, served their purpose so 

 satisfactorily that the tracks were almost superfluous. 

 Although these beacons were not more than about 

 3 feet high, they were extremely conspicuous on the 

 level surface. When the sun was on them, they shone 

 like electric lighthouses; and when the sun was on the 

 other side, they looked so dark in the shadow that one 

 would have taken them for black rocks. We intended 

 in future to travel at night ; the advantages of this were 

 many and great. In the first place, we should have the 



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