CHAPTER LXI 
AMUNDSEN'S JOURNEY TO THE SOUTH POLE 
Shackleton's attempt to reach the South Pole was 
soon followed by another and more successful one. The 
Norwegian, Amundsen, whose conquest of the North-west 
Passage had fascinated him with Arctic work, had formed 
a project of drifting across the North Pole after the 
manner of Nansen. Funds for such an expensive expedi- 
tion, however, were difficult to obtain, and it was while 
awaiting events that the idea occurred to him of making 
a bid for fame and the South Pole together, the latter 
goal requiring less time and hence less expense. But the 
affair was kept secret, and when on August 9th, 1910, the 
Fram left Norway under Roald Amundsen with no dogs 
and 18 men, she left for an unknown destination. Reach- 
ing Madeira on the 5th September this was announced to 
be the South Pole. 
There were several points of difference between the 
Norwegian expedition and those led by Scott and 
Shackleton. The first, and perhaps the most important, 
was that dogs were to form the motive power, instead of 
men as in Scott's, or men plus ponies as in Shackleton's 
journey. All the Norwegians had been practised ski- 
runners from childhood, but the English were very 
indifferent performers in this respect. The English 
always used woollen clothing, the Norwegians only wore 
it in moderate temperatures, invariably using fur for the 
extreme cold. It was not a teetotal expedition, though 
alcohol was apparently only served out about twice a 
week. The aim was to make seal meat as much as possible 
the basis of their rations, and whether owing to this or 
not the fact remains that there was not a single case of 
scurvy throughout. 
On January 2nd, 1911, the Antarctic Circle was 
crossed, and a few hours later the pack was sighted. 
Fortune favoured them and they got through it with 
