152 THE RETURN TO FRAJVIHEIM 



thin and weak, although we had food enough. The 

 pemmican I am referring to on that occasion was made 

 for human use, so that their distaste cannot have been 

 due to the quality. 



It was 1.15 a.m. when we set out. We had not had 

 a long sleep, but it was very important to avail ourselves 

 of this fine, clear weather while it lasted; we knew by 

 experience that up here in the neighbourhood of the 

 Butcher's the weather was not to be depended upon. 

 From the outward journey we knew that the distance 

 from the beacon where our camp was to the depot at the 

 Butcher's was thirteen and a half miles. We had not 

 put up more than two beacons on this stretch, but the 

 ground was of such a nature that we thought we could 

 not go wrong. That it was not so easy to find the way, 

 in spite of the beacons, we were soon to discover. In 

 the fine, clear weather, and with Hanssen's sharp eyes, 

 we picked up both our beacons. JNIeanwhile we were 

 astonished at the appearance of the mountains. As 

 I have already mentioned, we thought the weather was 

 perfectly clear when we reached the Butcher's for the 

 first time, on November 20. I then took a bearing 

 from the tent of the way we had come up on to the 

 plateau between the mountains, and carefully recorded 

 it. After passing our last beacon, when we were 

 beginning to approach the Butcher's — as we reckoned — 

 we were greatly surprised at the aspect of our surround- 

 ings. Last time — on November 20 — we had seen 



