we could make out from where we stood that it would be possible, without any great trouble, to work our way over the upper end of the Nansen Mountain itself, which here passed into the plateau by a not too difficult glacier.  Yes, now we were certain that it was indeed the great plateau and nothing else that we saw before us.  In the pass between the two mountains, and some little distance within the plateau, Helland Hansen showed up, a very curious peak to look at.  It seemed to stick its nose up through the plateau, and no more; its shape was long, and it reminded one of nothing so much as the ridge of a roof.  Although this peak was thus only just visible, it stood 11,000 feet above the sea.

After we had examined the conditions here, and found out that on the following day —­ if the weather permitted —­ we should reach the plateau, we turned back, well satisfied with the result of our trip.  We all agreed that we were tired, and longing to reach camp and get some food.  The place where we turned was, according to the aneroid, 8,000 feet above the sea; we were therefore 2,500 feet higher than our tent down on the hill-side.  Going down in our old tracks was easier work, though the return journey was somewhat monotonous.  In many places the slope was rapid, and not a few fine runs were made.  On approaching our camping-ground we had the sharpest descent, and here, reluctant as we might be, we found it wiser to put both our poles together and form a strong brake.  We came down smartly enough, all the same.  It was a grand and imposing sight we had when we came out on the ridge under which —­ far below —­ our tent stood.  Surrounded on all sides by huge crevasses and gaping chasms, it could not be said that the site of our camp looked very inviting.  The wildness of the landscape seen from this point is not to be described; chasm after chasm, crevasse after crevasse, with great blocks of ice scattered promiscuously about, gave one the impression that here Nature was too powerful for us.  Here no progress was to be thought of.

It was not without a certain satisfaction that we stood there and contemplated the scene.  The little dark speck down there —­ our tent —­ in the midst of this chaos, gave us a feeling of strength and power.  We knew in our hearts that the ground would have to be ugly indeed if we were not to manoeuvre our way across it and find a place for that little home of ours.  Crash upon crash, roar upon roar, met our ears.  Now it was a shot from Mount Nansen, now from one of the others; we could see the clouds of snow rise high into the air.  It was evident that these mountains were throwing off their winter mantles and putting on a more spring-like garb.