256 THE EASTERN SLEDGE JOURNEY 



the wind shows a slight tendency to moderate. It is, 

 surely, time it did; three days and nights should be 

 enough for it. The heavy snowfall continues. Big, 

 wet flakes come dancing down through the opening 

 in the drift in which the peak of the tent still manages 

 to show itself. In the course of three days we have had 

 more snowfall here than we had at Framheim in ten 

 whole months. It will be interesting to compare our 

 meteorological log with Lindstrom's; probably he has 

 had his share of the storm, and in that case it will have 

 given him some exercise in snow-shovelling. 



The moisture is beginning to be rather troublesome 

 now; most of our wardrobe is wet through, and the 

 sleeping-bags will soon meet with the same fate. The 

 snow-drift outside is now so high that it shuts out most 

 of the daylight; we are in twilight. To-morrow we 

 shall be obliged to dig out the tent, whatever the 

 weather is like, otherwise we shall be buried entirely, 

 and run the additional risk of having the tent spht by 

 the weight of snow. I am afraid it will be a day's work 

 to dig out the tent and the two sledges; we have only 

 one little shovel to do it with. 



A slight rise of both barometer and thermometer tells 

 us that at last we are on the eve of the change we have 

 been longing for. Stubberud is certain of fair weather 

 to-morrow, he says. I am by no means so sure, and 

 offer to bet pretty heavily that there will be no change. 

 Two inches of Norwegian plug tobacco is the stake, 



