The long cape was thy finger;
The white sail wings they got from thee;
Thou canst not bid them linger!

"'Yes, they are thine, O mother old!
And proud thou dost embrace them;
Thou hear'st of dangers manifold,
But know'st thy sons can face them.
And tears of joy thine eyes will rain,
The day the Fram comes steering
Up fjord again to music strain,
And the roar of thousands cheering.

"'E. N.'

"Then I read aloud our last greeting, a telegram we received at Tromsoe
from Moltke Moe:

"'Luck on the way,
Sun on the sea,
Sun on your minds,
Help from the winds;
May the packed floes
Part and unclose
Where the ship goes.
Forward her progress be,
E'en though the silent sea,
Then
After her freeze up again.

"'Strength enough, meat enough,
Hope enough, heat enough;
The Fram will go sure enough then
To the Pole and so back to the dwellings of men.
Luck on the way
To thee and thy band,
And welcome back to the fatherland!'

"After this we read some of Vinje's poems, and then sang songs from
the Framsjaa and others.

"It seems strange that we should have seen the New Year in already,
and that it will not begin at home for eight hours yet. It is almost 4
A.M. now. I had thought of sitting up till it was New Year in Norway
too; but no; I will rather go to bed and sleep, and dream that I am
at home.

"Monday, January 1st, 1894. The year began well. I was awakened by
Juell's cheerful voice wishing me a Happy New Year. He had come
to give me a cup of coffee in bed--delicious Turkish coffee, his
Christmas present from Miss Fougner. It is beautiful clear weather,
with the thermometer at 36 deg. below zero (-38 deg. C.). It almost seems to
me as if the twilight in the south were beginning to grow; the upper
edge of it to-day was 14 deg. above the horizon.

"An extra good dinner at 6 P.M.

1. Tomato soup.
2. Cod roe with melted butter and potatoes.
3. Roast reindeer, with green pease, potatoes, and cranberry jam.
4. Cloudberries with milk.

Ringnes beer.