172 THE RETURN TO FRAINIHEIM 



metres (three and a quarter miles). How far they 

 extended from east to west it is difficult to say, but at 

 any rate as far as the ej^e could reach. Immense pieces 

 of the surface had fallen away and opened up the most 

 horrible yawning gulfs, big enough to swallow many 

 caravans of the size of ours. From these open holes, 

 ugly wide cracks ran out in all directions ; besides which, 

 mounds and haycocks were everjnvhere to be seen. 

 Perhaps the most remarkable thing of all was that we 

 had passed over here unharmed. We went across as 

 light-footedly as possible, and at top speed. Hanssen 

 went halfway into a crevasse, but luckily got out of it 

 again without difficulty. 



The depot in 81° S. was in perfect order; no dog- 

 tracks to be seen there. Our hopes that the depot in 

 80° S. would be intact rose considerably. In 80° 45' S. 

 lay the first dog we had killed — Bone. He was 

 particularly'- fat, and was immensely appreciated. The 

 dogs no longer cared very much for pemmican. On 

 January 21 we passed our last beacon, which stood in 

 80° 23' S. Glad as we were to leave it behind, I cannot 

 deny that it was with a certain feeling of melancholy 

 that we saw it vanish. We had grown so fond of our 

 beacons, and whenever we met them we greeted them as 

 old friends. JNIany and great were the services these 

 silent watchers did us on our long and lonely way. 



On the same day we reached our big depot in 80° S., 

 and now we considered that we were back. We could 



