158 FARTHEST NORTH 



another large one which required sewing. When we 

 came to pack the potato - sack, this too had a hole 

 in it, which we tied up, and so on. Then the dogs' 

 traces had to be disentangled ; the whole thing was in an 

 inextricable muddle, and the knots and twists in the icy, 

 frozen rope got worse and worse to deal with. Johansen 

 made haste and patched his trousers before breakfast. 

 The south wind had become what on board the Frani we 

 should have called a ' mill breeze ' (/>., 19 to 23 feet in the 

 second); and, with this at our back, we started off in 

 driving snow. Everything went splendidly at first, but 

 then came one pressure-ridge after another, and each one 

 was worse than the last. We had a long halt for dinner 

 at eio'ht or nine in the morninir, after havimr chosen our- 

 selves a sheltered place in the lee of a ridge. We 

 spread out the sleeping-bag, crept down into it with our 

 food, and so tired was 1 that I went to sleep with it 

 in my hand. I dreamed I was in Norway, and on a 

 visit to some people I had only seen once in my life 

 before. It was Christmas -clav, and I was shown into a 

 great empty room, where we were intended to dine. It 

 was very cold in it, and I shi\'ered, but there were 

 already some hot dishes steaming on the table, and a 

 beautiful fat goose. How unspeakably did I look for- 

 ward to that "'oose ! Then some other visitors beo-an to 



o o 



arrive ; I could see them through the window, and was 

 just going out to meet them when I stumbled into deep 

 snow. How it all happened, in the middle of the dining- 



