340 THE VOYAGE OF THE " FRAM " 



I hardly think it was much of a musical treat ; but the 

 public was neither critical nor ceremonious, and the 

 2)revalent costume w^as jerseys. The dinner consisted of 

 soup, roast pork, with fresh potatoes and whortleberries, 

 ten-years-old aquavit and Norwegian bock beer, followed 

 by wine-jelly and " kransekake," with — champagne. 

 The toasts of their Majesties the King and Queen, Don 

 Pedro Christophersen, Captain Amundsen, and the 

 Fram were drunk. 



I had decorated the saloon in a small way with 

 artificial flowers, embroideries, and flags, to give a little 

 colour. Dinner was followed by cigars and the distribu- 

 tion of Christmas presents. L. Hansen played the 

 accordion, and Lieutenant Gjertsen and Ronne danced 

 *' folk dances "; the latter was, as usual, so amusing that 

 he kept us in fits of laughter. 



At ten o'clock it was all over, the engine was started 

 again, one watch w^ent to bed and the other on deck; 

 Olsen cleaned out the pigsty, as usual at this time of 

 night. That finished Christmas for this year. 



As has been said before. Sir James Ross was down 

 here in the 1840's. Two years in succession he sailed 

 from the Pacific into Ross Sea with two ships that had 

 no auxiliary steam-power. I assumed, therefore, that if 

 he could get through so easily, there must be some 

 place between South Victoria Land and the Barrier (or 

 land ) on the other side, where there was little or no ice. 

 Following this assumption, I intended to go down 



