to make our way home
across the ice. Six double kayaks had been built, the hand-sledges
were in good order, and careful calculation had been made of the
amount of food, clothing, fuel, etc., that it would be necessary
to carry. But I had also quietly begun to make preparations for my
own meditated expedition north. In August, as already mentioned, I
had begun to work at a single kayak, the framework made of bamboo. I
had said nothing about my plan yet, except a few words to Sverdrup;
it was impossible to tell how far north the drift would take us,
and so many things might happen before spring.

In the meantime life on board went on as usual. There were the
regular observations and all sorts of occupations, and I myself
was not so absorbed in my plans that I did not find time for other
things too. Thus I see from my diary that in the end of August and in
September I must have been very proud of a new invention that I made
for the galley. All last year we had cooked on a particular kind of
copper range, heated by petroleum lamps. It was quite satisfactory,
except that it burned several quarts of petroleum a day. I could not
help fearing sometimes that our lighting supply might run short, if
the expedition lasted longer than was expected, and always wondered
if it would not be possible to construct an apparatus that would
burn coal-oil--"black-oil," as we call it on board--of which we
had 20 tons, originally intended for the engine. And I succeeded
in making such an apparatus. On August 30th I write: "Have tried my
newly invented coal-oil apparatus for heating the range, and it is
beyond expectation successful. It is splendid that we shall be able
to burn coal-oil in the galley. Now there is no fear of our having
to cry ourselves blind for lack of light by-and-by. This adds more
than 4000 gallons to our stock of oil; and we can keep all our fine
petroleum now for lighting purposes, and have lamps for many a year,
even if we are a little extravagant. The 20 tons of coal-oil ought
to keep the range going for 4 years, I think.

"The contrivance is as simple as possible. From a reservoir of oil
a pipe leads down and into the fireplace; the oil drips down from
the end of this pipe into an iron bowl, and is here sucked up by
a sheet of asbestos, or by coal ashes. The flow of oil from the
pipe is regulated by a fine valve cock. To insure a good draught,
I bring a ventilating pipe from outside right by the range door. Air
is pr