MARCH 15 TO JUNE 22, iSgs 609 



was no more wood fit for making snow-shoes to be found on 

 board. It is true that we had a large piece of oak timber left 

 available, but we were in need of a suitable instrument to split 

 it with, as it could not be cut up with the small saws we had on 

 board. In our dilemma we had recourse to the ice-saw. Amund- 

 sen converted it (by filing it in a different way) into a rip-saw ; 

 Bentzen made handles for it; and as soon as it was ready, Mog- 

 stad and Henriksen commenced to saw the beam of oak to 

 pieces. At first the work went slowly, most of the time being 

 taken up with filing and setting the saw; but gradually it went 

 better, and on April 6th the timber was cut up into six pairs of 

 good boards for making snow-shoes, which we temporarily de- 

 posited in the saloon for drying. As I consider Canadian snow- 

 shoes superior to Norwegian snow-shoes, when it is a question of 

 hauling heavily loaded sledges over such a rough and uneven 

 surface as is presented by polar ice, I directed Mogstad to make 

 ten Canadian pairs of maple-wood, of which we had a quantity 

 on board. Instead of the netting of reindeer-skin we stretched 

 sail-cloth over the frames. This did the same service as net- 

 work, while it had the advantage of being easier to repair. With 

 the snow-shoes which we had we undertook frequent excursions, 

 more particularly Scott-Hansen and myself. While out on one 

 of these trips, on which Amundsen, Nordahl, and Pettersen also 

 accompanied us, 3 miles west of the vessel we came across a 

 large hummock, which we named " Lovunden," on account of 

 its resemblance to the island " Lovunden," off the coast of 

 Helgoland. This hummock presented very good snow-shoeing 

 slopes, and we practised there to our heart's content. 



On May ist we had finished the snow-shoes intended for 

 daily use, and I gave orders that, henceforth, daily snow-shoe 

 trips should be made by all hands from 1 1 A.M. till i P.M., if the 

 weather was good. These snow-shoe runs were to everybody's 

 taste, and were necessary, not only in order to afford brisk exer- 

 cise in the open air, but also in order to impart to those who were 

 less accustomed to snow-shoes a sufificient degree of skill in the 

 event of our having to abandon the Frani. 



While the removal of the ridge was proceeding there con- 

 11.-39 



