thing my eyes look for when I set
foot on deck in the morning is the weathercock on the mizzen-top,
to see how the wind lies; thither they are forever straying during
the whole day, and there again they rest the last thing before I turn
in. But it ever points in the same direction, west and southwest,
and we drift now quicker, now more slowly westward, and only a little
to the north. I have no doubt now about the success of the expedition,
and my miscalculation was not so great, after all; but I scarcely think
we shall drift higher than 85 deg., even if we do that. It will depend on
how far Franz Josef Land extends to the north. In that case it will
be hard to give up reaching the Pole; it is in reality a mere matter
of vanity, merely child's play, in comparison with what we are doing
and hoping to do; and yet I must confess that I am foolish enough to
want to take in the Pole while I am about it, and shall probably have
a try at it if we get into its neighborhood within any reasonable time.

"This is a mild May; the temperature has been about zero several times
of late, and one can walk up and down and almost imagine one's self
at home. There is seldom more than a few degrees of cold; but the
summer fogs are beginning, with occasional hoar-frost. As a rule,
however, the sky, with its light, fleeting clouds, is almost like a
spring sky in the south.

"We notice, too, that it has become milder on board; we no longer need
to light a fire in the stove to make ourselves warm and cozy; though,
indeed, we have never indulged in much luxury in this respect. In the
store-room the rime frost and ice that had settled on the ceiling
and walls are beginning to melt; and in the compartments astern of
the saloon, and in the hold, we have been obliged to set about a
grand cleaning-up, scraping off and sweeping away the ice and rime,
to save our provisions from taking harm, through the damp penetrating
the wrappings and rusting holes in the tin cases. We have, moreover,
for a long time kept the hatchways in the hold open, so that there
has been a thorough draught through it, and a good deal of the rime
has evaporated. It is remarkable how little damp we have on board. No
doubt this is due to the Fram's solid construction, and to the deck
over the hold being panelled on the under side. I am getting fonder
and fonder of this ship.

"Saturday, June 9th. Our politician, Amundsen, is celebrating the
day with a white shirt and collar. [55