430 NEW LAND. 



only put the depot in order, but had also taken everything out of 

 the hut, swept it, and put all the things in again, after they had 

 been well dried in the beautiful sunshine, which wonder of 

 wonders still continued. The depot I arranged with much taste 

 and care, in such a way that my own provisions, which, in my 

 eyes, were the most important, were in the middle. On the top 

 of the two cases of blubber I put some boxes of patent dog-food, 

 and round the whole arranged some empty bread-tins, wooden 

 boxes, and the like, so that, in case they were knocked over by 

 beasts of prey, they would make a noise. By nine o'clock I had 

 had my supper and put out the lamp, well satisfied with myself 

 and my day's work. I thought I heard a slight sound at this time 

 from a little private depot Schei had made about fifty yards below 

 the castle ; but I came to the conclusion that I must have knocked 

 the wall of the hut with my arm, and that this had caused the 

 noise. A little while afterwards I was sleeping the sleep of the 

 just, for my worst enemy cannot accuse me of being nervous. 



' Later in the night, half asleep as I was, I heard a faint sound 

 from the depot. I must here confess that when I wake in the 

 morning I am perhaps rather longer in taking things in than at 

 other times ; neither am I in possession of that amiable frame of 

 mind with which, later in the day, I usually regard the world in 

 general. To this phenomenon (which in others I call " morning 

 crossness") I attribute it that I only turned round in the bag, 

 and inwardly cursed Hassel's dogs, which were loose again and 

 ransacking the depot. I was on the point of falling asleep once 

 more, when it began to dawn on me that my reasoning had been 

 wrong, for there were no dogs within many miles, and therewith I 

 heard a crash, which seemed to make the earth tremble. A moment 

 later I was out of the bag, had dragged my gun from its cover, and 

 cocked it, for it suddenly occurred to me that my guest was a serious 

 one. The first thing I did was to light the lamp, after which 

 I began to move away some tins I had put in front of the door, 

 for the first time that night, to keep it in place. The sounds still 

 continued at the depot ; but, in moving the last tin, I happened to 

 make a slight noise, and then everything became as still as death. 

 I raised the door and crept out. It was one o'clock (I had looked 



