CHAPTER XVII. 



TOWARDS THE SOUTH ! TOWARDS THE SOUTH ! 



MEANWHILE it had turned four o'clock in the morning of May 18. 

 At this juncture, however, the clouds began suddenly to gather ; 

 we made breakfast with all speed, and a few minutes afterwards 

 were on the way south. 



But hardly had we begun to drive before a stiff head wind 

 sprang up, with the addition later of thick weather. This added 

 to our difficulties in all the rugged snow-bare ice. The wind 

 swept the sledges along sideways, and the dogs could find no 

 foothold. The odometer wheel was so knocked about that the 

 spokes gave way one by one, and, in the end, the wreck had to be 

 lashed to one of the loads. Then, too, there was so much pressure- 

 ice under land that, to get clear of it, we had to drive north for a 

 way, though, by doing so, we came into fairly level ice again. 



We camped in the evening at Depotodden. The tent we 

 pitched close under the high pressure-ridge, so as to be sheltered 

 from the wind, and then set off to fetch the dog-food and over- 

 runners, which we had left behind. Along the crack, and par- 

 ticularly round the pressure -ridge, were a number of bear-tracks ; 

 but the cache was untouched. 



Next day we were weather-bound, and so set to work to mend 

 the odometer. The broken spokes had to be replaced with line. 

 The repairs were highly successful, and the wheel did excellent 

 service for the rest of the journey. 



May 20 rose clear and still. The sun was so hot as we drove 

 southward that we stripped off garment after garment. But 

 though the weather was fine, the going was remarkably bad. The 

 German silver stuck as if it was riveted to the snow, although the 



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