The weather did not continue fine for long.  Next day (December 5) there was a gale from the north, and once more the whole plain was a mass of drifting snow.  In addition to this there was thick falling snow, which blinded us and made things worse, but a feeling of security had come over us and helped us to advance rapidly and without hesitation, although we could see nothing.  That day we encountered new surface conditions —­ big, hard snow-waves (sastrugi).  These were anything but pleasant to work among, especially when one could not see them.  It was of no use for us “forerunners” to think of going in advance under these circumstances, as it was impossible to keep on one’s feet.  Three or four paces was often the most we managed to do before falling down.  The sastrugi were very high, and often abrupt; if one came on them unexpectedly, one required to be more than an acrobat to keep on one’s feet.  The plan we found to work best in these conditions was to let Hanssen’s dogs go first; this was an unpleasant job for Hanssen, and for his dogs too, but it succeeded, and succeeded well.  An upset here and there was, of course, unavoidable, but with a little patience the sledge was always righted again.  The drivers had as much as they could do to support their sledges among these sastrugi, but while supporting the sledges, they had at the same time a support for themselves.  It was worse for us who had no sledges, but by keeping in the wake of them we could see where the irregularities lay, and thus get over them.  Hanssen deserves a special word of praise for his driving on this surface in such weather.  It is a difficult matter to drive Eskimo dogs forward when they cannot see; but Hanssen managed it well, both getting the dogs on and steering his course by compass.  One would not think it possible to keep an approximately right course when the uneven ground gives such violent shocks that the needle flies several times round the compass, and is no sooner still again than it recommences the same dance; but when at last we got an observation, it turned out that Hanssen had steered to a hair, for the observations and dead reckoning agreed to a mile.  In spite of all hindrances, and of being able to see nothing, the sledge-meters showed nearly twenty-five miles.  The hypsometer showed 11,070 feet above the sea; we had therefore reached a greater altitude than the Butcher’s.

December 6 brought the same weather:  thick snow, sky and plain all one, nothing to be seen.  Nevertheless we made splendid progress.  The sastrugi gradually became levelled out, until the surface was perfectly smooth; it was a relief to have even ground to go upon once more.  These irregularities that one was constantly falling over were a nuisance; if we had met with them in our usual surroundings it would not have mattered so much; but up here on the high ground, where we had to stand and gasp for breath every time we rolled over, it was certainly not pleasant.