The Crystal Palace at present reminds one strongly of a grocer’s and chandler’s store —­ pemmican, biscuits, chocolate, and milk-sausage, lie about everywhere.  In the other wall, opposite the ski, there is an opening.  I see my companion making for it, but this time I intend to keep an eye on him.  He goes up two steps, pushes a trap-door, and there he stands on the Barrier —­ but I am there, too.  The trap-door is replaced, and I see that we are close to another door in the Barrier, but this is a modern sliding-door.  It leads into the clothing store.  I turn to my host and give him my best thanks for the interesting circular trip through the Barrier, expressing my admiration of all the fine engineering works I have seen, and so on.  He cuts me short with the remark that we are not nearly done yet.  He has only brought me up this way to save my having to crawl back again.  “We are going in now,” he adds, “to continue our journey under the surface.”  I see that there is no getting out of it, although I am beginning to have enough of these underground passages.  My host seems to guess my thoughts, as he adds:  “We must see them now when the men are working.  Afterwards they will not have the same interest.”  I see that he is right, pull myself together, and follow him.

But Fate wills it otherwise.  As we come out on the Barrier, Hanssen is standing there with his sledge and six fresh dogs harnessed.  My companion has just time to whisper to me, " Jump on; I’ll wait here,” when the sledge starts off at a terrific pace with me as a passenger, unsuspected by Hanssen.

We went along so that the snow dashed over us.  He had his dogs well in hand, this fellow, I could see that; but they were a wild lot of rascals he had to deal with.  I heard the names of Hok and Togo in particular; they seemed inclined for mischief.  All of a sudden they darted back on their companions under the traces, and got the whole team in a tangle; but they were not able to do very much, as the whip, which was wielded with great dexterity, constantly sang about their ears.  The two sausages I had noticed on the slope —­ Ring and Mylius —­ were leaders; they, too, were full of pranks, but kept their places.  Hai and Rap were also in the team.  Rap, whose ear was split, would have liked very much to get his friend Hai to join in a little fight with Hok and Togo, but for the whip.  It swished to and fro, in and out, among them without mercy, and made them behave like good boys.  After us, some yards behind, came Zanko.  He seemed to be put out because he had not been harnessed.  Meanwhile we went at a gallop up the hill to the depot, and the last flag was passed.  There was a marked difference in the daylight here now.  It was eleven o’clock, and the flush of dawn had risen a good way in the sky and was approaching the north.  The numbers and marks on the cases were easily visible.