On the 17th it felt bitterly cold, with -41.8deg.  F., and a sharp snowstorm from the south-east.  Lassesen, one of my dogs, who had been following the sledges loose, was left behind this morning at the camping-place; we did not miss him till late in the day.  Rasmus, one of the “Three Musketeers,” fell to-day.  Like Lurven, he pulled till he died.  Jens was very ill, could not touch food, and was taken on Wisting’s sledge.  We reached our depot in 80deg.  S. that evening, and were able to give the dogs a double ration.  The distance covered was twenty-one and three-quarter miles.  The surface about here had changed in our absence; great, high snow-waves were now to be seen in all directions.  On one of the cases in the depot Bjaaland had written a short message, besides which we found the signal arranged with Hassel —­ a block of snow on the top of the depot to show that they had gone by, and that all was well.  The cold continued persistently.  The following day we had -41.8deg.  F. Ola and Jens, the two survivors of the “Three Musketeers,” had to be put an end to that day; it was a shame to keep them alive any longer.  And with them the “Three Musketeers” disappear from this history.  They were inseparable friends, these three; all of them almost entirely black.  At Flekkero, near Christiansand, where we kept our dogs for several weeks before taking them on board, Rasmus had got loose, and was impossible to catch.  He always came and slept with his two friends, unless he was being hunted.  We did not succeed in catching him until a few days before we took them on board, and then he was practically wild.  They were all three tied up on the bridge on board, where I was to have my team, and from that day my closer acquaintance with the trio is dated.  They were not very civilly disposed for the first month.  I had to make my advances with a long stick —­ scratch them on the back.  In this way I insinuated myself into their confidence, and we became very good friends.  But they were a terrible power on board; wherever these three villains showed themselves, there was always a row.  They loved fighting.  They were our fastest dogs.  In our races with empty sledges, when we were driving around Framheim, none of the others could beat these three.  I was always sure of leaving the rest behind when I had them in my team.

I had quite given up Lassesen, who had been left behind that morning, and I was very sorry for it, as he was my strongest and most willing beast.  I was glad, therefore, when he suddenly appeared again, apparently fit and well.  We presumed that he had dug up Thor again, and finished him.  It must have been food that had revived him.  From 80deg.  S. home he did remarkably good work in Wisting’s team.

That day we had a curious experience, which was useful for the future.  The compass on Hanssen’s sledge, which had always been reliability itself, suddenly began to go wrong; at any rate, it did not agree with the observations of the sun, which we fortunately had that day.  We altered our course in accordance with our bearings.  In the evening, when we took our things into the tent, the housewife, with scissors, pins, needles, etc., had lain close against the compass.  No wonder it turned rebellious.