NORTH MAGNETIC POLE AND NORTHWE&T PASSAGE. 251 



within a year Ave should not be able to bear the sight of one another. 

 This prophecy, however, we thoroughly gave the lie to, and I almost 

 think we could have managed three years more. He was the navi- 

 gator of the expedition, the astronomer, geologist, surgeon, photog- 

 rapher, electrician, and an expert in dealing Avith our explosives. He 

 also played star parts as meteorologist and magnetician. Sergt. 

 Peder Ristvedt was born in Sandsvar in 1873. Besides being first 

 engineer, he was also our meteorologist, smith, clockmaker, copper 

 and tin smith, gunsmith, etc. I knew Ristvedt before I engaged him, 

 as he had taken part as assistant in my first expedition in the G'jda^ 

 in 1901. I was thus aware of what I was doing when I secured the 

 services of this capable man and pleasant companion. Anton Lund 

 was the first mate of the expedition. He was born at Tromsf) in 18G4, 

 and was thus the oldest meml^er of the expedition. He had sailed 

 from his earliest youth on our Norwegian sloops to the Arctic Ocean, 

 and was consequently an miusually experienced man in all matters 

 connected with the condition of the ice and navigation through it. 

 Helmer Hansen was born in the Vesteraal Islands in 1870. He had 

 previously been a peasant, fisherman, and arctic navigator. His posi- 

 tion was that of second mate, and he was careful and conscientious 

 in all that he did. Last of all, then, comes the cook, Adolf Henrik 

 Lindstrom, born at Hammerfest in 1865. He took part in Sverdrup's 

 expedition in the Fram, and had thus extensive experience as an arctic 

 cook. I will confine myself to informing you that, besides providing 

 us for three years with excellently prepared food, served to the min- 

 ute, he voluntariW filled the vacant posts of botanist and zoologist. 

 His kitchen work ended, he was pretty sure to be seen abroad on arctic 

 sunnner evenings Avith his botanical collecting box, his shotgun, and 

 his butterfly net, and woe to the flower, bird or insect which came his 

 way ! After this description of \\\y comrades, I feel sure that none of 

 my hearers will be surprised that we succeeded in accomplishing what 

 we did. 



At 12 o'clock on the night between June 16 and 17, 1903, we cast 

 off, and the Gjoa was towed down the Christiania Fir>rd. It poured 

 with rain and was as dark as in a sack. Some of my friends tried to 

 console me by saying that the Aveather Avas much the same when 

 Nansen started in 1893, and that it Avas a good omen. Howe\"er, I 

 had never been a believer in omens, and I therefore felt myself, in 

 spite of these auspicious torrents, A^ery uncomfortable in my soaking 

 clothes. At 6 in the morning we entered the harbor at Horten, where 

 Ave took our explosives aboard. At 11 in the forenoon the last tie 

 Avhich bound us to home Avas broken, for the tow rope snapped and 

 left the Gjoa to her oAvn fate. ^Ve Avere then just outside Farder 

 light-house. After the tug had shown us the proper farewell civilities, 

 it stood up the fiord again and the Gjdci^ by her oAvn exertions, 



