At two o’clock in the afternoon the Terra Nova cast off again, and left the Bay of Whales.  We made a strange discovery after this visit.  Nearly all of us had caught cold.  It did not last long —­ only a few hours —­ and then it was over.  The form it took was sneezing and cold in the head.

The next day —­ Sunday, February 5 —­ the “sea rovers,” as we called the Fram party, were our guests.  We had to have them in two detachments, as they could not all leave the ship at the same time.  Four came to dinner and six to supper.  We had not much to offer, but we invited them, not so much for the sake of the entertainment as to show them our new home and wish them a successful voyage.

CHAPTER VI

Depot Journeys

There was now too little work for eight of us in bringing up stores from the Fram, and it became evident that some of us might be more usefully employed elsewhere.  It was therefore decided that four men should bring ashore the little that remained, while the other four went southward to lat. 80deg.  S., partly to explore the immediate neighbourhood, and partly to begin the transport of provisions to the south.  This arrangement gave us all enough to do.  The four who were to continue the work at the station —­ Wisting, Hassel, Stubberud, and Bjaaland —­ now had as much as their sledges could carry.  The rest of us were busy getting ready.  For that matter, everything was prepared in advance, but as yet we had had no experience of a long journey.  That was what we were going to get now.

Our departure was fixed for Friday, February 10.  On the 9th I went on board to say good-bye, as presumably the Fram would have sailed when we came back.  I had so much to thank all these plucky fellows for.  I knew it was hard for all of them —­ almost without exception —­ to have to leave us now, at the most interesting time, and go out to sea to battle for months with cold and darkness, ice and storms, and then have the same voyage over again the next year when they came to fetch us.  It was certainly a hard task, but none of them complained.  They had all promised to do their best to promote our common object, and therefore all went about their duty without grumbling.  I left written orders with the commander of the Fram, Captain Nilsen.  The substance of these orders may be given in a few words:  Carry out our plan in the way you may think best.  I knew the man I was giving orders to.  A more capable and honourable second in command I could never have had.  I knew that the Fram was safe in his hands.