126 NEAREST THE POLE 



Without that we should have been beyond Abruzzi's 

 highest now. As it was I was two degrees ahead of 

 four years ago, when I left Cape Hecla. 



The wind and snow continued all night of the 6th 

 and the forenoon of the 7th, then the sun broke through 

 and showed that it was no longer snowing, though the 

 wind continued unabated accompanied by a furious 

 and blinding drift. 



On this date Nansen reached his highest, and but 

 for the accursed lead, I should now have been ahead 

 of him. As it was I was behind him and stalled again. 

 Came on thick again during the night and continued 

 blowing and drifting without abatement. It seemed as 

 if it must clear off some time, but as yet there were no 

 signs of it. 



The wind continued its infernal howling past the 

 igloo and among the pinnacles of the rafter close by 

 all night. I was so comfortable physically, however 

 (barring my stumps which were always cold when I 

 was not walking, and sometimes even then) that there 

 was nothing to distract me from its hell-bom music, 

 or keep me from thinking of the unbearable delay. 

 It seemed as if I had been here a month. The wind 

 which had been a little south of true w^est swung 

 more to the south, the drift was less dense, as if the 

 bulk of the snow were packed, and I fancied there 

 was less weight in the wind in the evening. I hoped to 

 God it would clear soon. I was curious also to see 

 if the continued blow had materially changed our 

 position to the east. There had been no detectable 

 disturbance in the ice since the morning of the 6th. 

 This could be accounted for in two ways ; one that the 



