ON THE BARRIER SURFACE 217 



cinematograph, and then went on to join Stubberud, 

 who was only a few yards ahead. Johansen had disap- 

 peared hke a meteor. The last I saw of him was the 

 soles of his boots, as he quite unexpectedly made an 

 elegant backward somersault off the sledge when it was 

 passing over a little unevenness by the provision store. 

 The dogs, of course, made off at full speed, and Johansen 

 after them like the wind. We all met again safe and 

 sound at the ascent to the Barrier. Here a proper 

 order of march was formed, and we proceeded 

 southward. 



The Barrier greeted us with a fresh south wind, that 

 now and then made an attempt to freeze the tip of 

 one's nose; it did not succeed in this, but it delayed 

 us a little. It does not take a great deal of wind on 

 this level plain to diminish the rate of one's progress. 

 But the sun shone too gaily that day to allow a trifle of 

 wind to interfere very much with our enjoyment of life. 

 The surface was so firm that there was hardly a sign of 

 drift-snow. As it was perfectly clear, the mark-flags 

 could be followed the whole time, thus assuring us that, 

 at any rate, the first day's march would be accomplished 

 without any deviation from the right track. 



At five o'clock we camped, and when we had fed the 

 dogs and come into the tent we could feel how much 

 easier and pleasanter everything was at this season than 

 on the former journeys in autumn and spring. We 

 could move freely in a convenient costume; if we 



VOL. II. 40 



