THE RETURN JOURNEY. 413 



the day, in the shape of a song, composed in honour of the Seven- 

 teenth of May in latitude 79 N., at Cape Levvel. 



The song was sung by Fosheim solo, with the howling of the 

 dogs by way of chorus, for no sooner had he reached the third verse, 

 where ' Gulen' and his brave choir are called upon as auxiliaries, 

 before the dogs, who probably thought it a curious proceeding, 

 began to howl and whine in the most doleful manner. Or was it 

 that, being for the most part born and bred on Danish soil, they 

 wished to show their sympathy with the sentiments which obtain 

 on this anniversary among the people north of the Skager-rack ? 

 It is not easy to explain the reason, but the fact remains that they 

 went on howling to the bitter end. 



It was so cosy in the tent that evening that it was a real 

 pleasure to be there. Our thoughts naturally travelled many times 

 across the sea, to all the festivities going on at home; but we 

 consoled ourselves by thinking that in due time we too should 

 keep the day at home, and so talked and chatted in good spirits , 

 there were many perhaps who, after all, were not as comfortable 

 as we were. 



Then we went to rest on our half sleeping-bags, back to back, 

 as we had been doing lately, and slept the sleep of the just until 

 next morning. 



On May 18, we drove on in the same hopelessly bad weather 

 as before; but, nevertheless, found ourselves very fit, and more 

 inclined for work, perhaps, than many at home in Norway on the 

 day after the Seventeenth of May. There is not much opportunity 

 for revelling on ' Axel Heiberg Land,' and inasmuch as this is the 

 case it is a good enough country. 



The weather continued the same until we had passed Cape 

 South-West ; that is to say, violently bad every day, while the ice 

 was not far behind the weather in unfavourableness. It often 

 happened that the more violent squalls from the mountains all but 

 overturned the sledges, and the air was frequently so thick that I 

 could hardly see the dogs before my own sledge ; but on we drove, 

 in spite of all we were obliged to do so. 



It had been our intention to measure, on the way back, the 

 high pressure-ridges we had been so struck with on our journey 



