Two days after our departure we nearly met with a serious accident.  Bjaaland’s sled fell into one of the numerous crevasses.  At the critical moment we were fortunately able to come to Bjaaland’s aid; had we been a moment later the sled with its thirteen dogs would have disappeared in the seemingly bottomless pit.

On the fourth day we reached our depot at 80 deg.  S. We remained there two days and gave our dogs as much seal meat as they would eat.

Between the eightieth and the eighty-first parallel the Barrier ice along our route was even, with the exception of a few low undulations; dangerous hidden places were not to be found.  The region between the eighty-first and the eighty-second parallel was of a totally different character.  During the first nineteen miles we were in a veritable labyrinth of crevasses, very dangerous to cross.  At many places yawning abysses were visible because large pieces of the surface had broken off; the surface, therefore, presented a very unsafe appearance.  We crossed this region four times in all.  On the first three times such a dense fog prevailed that we could only recognize objects a few feet away.  Only on the fourth occasion did we have clear weather.  Then we were able to see the great difficulties to which we had been exposed.

On November 5th we reached the depot at the eighty-second parallel and found everything in order.  For the last time our dogs were able to have a good rest and eat their fill; and they did so thoroughly during their two days’ rest.

Beginning at the eightieth parallel we constructed snow cairns which should serve as sign-posts on our return.  In all we erected 150 such sign-posts, each of which required sixty snow blocks.  About 9,000 snow blocks had therefore to be cut out for this purpose.  These cairns did not disappoint us, for they enabled us to return by exactly the same route we had previously followed.

South of the eighty-second parallel the Barrier was, if possible, still more even than farther north; we therefore advanced quite rapidly.  At every unit parallel which we crossed on our advance toward the south we established a depot.  We thereby doubtlessly exposed ourselves to a certain risk, for there was no time to set up sign-posts around the depots.  We therefore had to rely on snow cairns.  On the other hand, our sleds became lighter, so that it was never hard for the dogs to pull them.

When we reached the eighty-third parallel we saw land in a southwesterly direction.  This could only be South Victoria Land, probably a continuation of the mountain range which runs in a southeasterly direction and which is shown on Shackleton’s map.  From now on the landscape changed more and more from day to day:  one mountain after another loomed up, one always higher than the other.  Their average elevation was 10,000 to 16,000 feet.  Their crest-line was always sharp; the peaks were like needles.  I have never seen a more beautiful, wild, and imposing