324 THE VOYAGE OF THE " FRAJSI " 



everything was either shining bright or freshly painted, 

 everything hung in its place and such order and cleanli- 

 ness reigned that it was a pleasure to go down there. 

 The result of all this renovating and smartening up was 

 that, when we fetched up by the quay at Buenos Aires, 

 the Fram looked brighter than I suppose she has ever 

 done since she was new. 



During the trip the holds were also cleaned up, and all 

 the provisions re-stowed and an inventory made of them. 



A whole suit of sails was completely worn out on this 

 voyage; but what can one expect when the ship is being 

 worked every single day, with clewing up, making fast 

 and setting of sails both in calms and winds? This 

 work every day reminded me of the corvette ElUda, 

 when the order was "all hands aloft." As a rule 

 though, it was only clewing up the sails that had to be 

 done, as we always had to take soundings on the 

 weather side, so that the sounding-line should not foul 

 the bottom of the vessel and smash the apparatus. And 

 we did not lose more than one thermometer in about 

 nine hundred soundings. 



On account of all this wear and tear of sails Ronne 

 was occupied the whole time, both at sea and in Buenos 

 Aires, in making and patching sails, as there was not 

 much more than the leeches left of those that had been 

 used, and on the approacliing trip (to tlie Ice Barrier) 

 we should have to have absolutely first-class things in 

 the " Roaring Forties." 



