CHRISTMAS AND NEW YEAR A BOLD FOX. 123 



The two extremities of the plate were first of all attached to 

 the runner, after the latter had been stretched as much as possible, 

 so that when the bend sprang back into place, the German silver 

 would be very highly strained. The runner with the plate on it 

 was then put into two clamps, which were curved at the bottom, 

 corresponding to the under side of the runner, and had screws 

 above and at the sides. Between the German silver and the 

 bottom of the clamps we placed a plate of steel exactly corresponding 

 to the under side of the runner, while above the runner a piece of 

 iron was placed which protected the wood when the screws at the 

 top were tightened. The side screws pressed on a steel bar, which, 

 in its turn, pressed the German silver into the sides of the runners. 

 When these screws had exerted sufficient pressure, the only thing 

 that remained to be done was to hammer the outer edges of the 

 plates down on to the upper side of the runner, and secure them 

 with nails. 



Olsen had odometer wheels and cooking vessels to make by 

 the time the journeys began. 



The trial of the sleeping-bags turned out indubitably in favour 

 of the new construction. We made altogether twelve single bags 

 after the new model, and seven two-man ones, whereof four were 

 of the new pattern. Some of the bags were made out of the 

 ' nmdds.' 



What a blessing hard work is we had occasion to feel in full 

 measure during the gloom of the polar night. The winter passed 

 incredibly quickly. Week after week went by almost without 

 our noticing it. 



In order to begin dredging as soon as the ice slackened, I had 

 decided to drive one of the whale-boats down the fjord and beach 

 it under the outermost headland there. We hoped to get this bit 

 of transport work done before the spring journeys began, but if 

 the weather continued to be as bad as it had been all the winter, 

 conveying the boat thither would, we feared, prove a cold business. 



About February 20 the mate, Bay, and I began to prepare for 

 this trip. We put gripes for the boat on two of the ' water-sledges,' 

 and we meant to take three teams with us, two for the boat, and 

 one to be driven first with the baggage. We used two sledges 



