On November 6, at 8 a.m., we left 82deg.  S. Now the unknown lay before us; now our work began in earnest.  The appearance of the Barrier was the same everywhere —­ flat, with a splendid surface.  At the first beacon we put up we had to shoot Lucy.  We were sorry to put an end to this beautiful creature, but there was nothing else to be done.  Her friends —­ Karenius, Sauen, and Schwartz —­ scowled up at the beacon where she lay as they passed, but duty called, and the whip sang dangerously near them, though they did not seem to hear it.  We had now extended our daily march to twenty-three miles; in this way we should do a degree in three days.

On the 7th we decided to stop for a day’s rest.  The dogs had been picking up wonderfully every day, and were now at the top of their condition, as far as health and training went.  With the greatest ease they covered the day’s march at a pace of seven and a half kilometres (four miles and two-thirds) an hour.  As for ourselves, we never had to move a foot; all we had to do was to let ourselves be towed.  The same evening we had to put an end to the last of our ladies —­ Else.  She was Hassel’s pride and the ornament of his team; but there was no help for it.  She was also placed at the top of a beacon.

When we halted that evening in 82deg. 20’ S., we saw on the south-western horizon several heavy masses of drab-coloured cloud, such as are usually to be seen over land.  We could make out no land that evening, however; but when we came out next morning and directed our glasses to that quarter, the land lay there, lofty and clear in the morning sun.  We were now able to distinguish several summits, and to determine that this was the land extending south-eastward from Beardmore Glacier in South Victoria Land.  Our course had been true south all the time; at this spot we were about 250 miles to the east of Beardmore Glacier.  Our course would continue to be true south.

The same evening —­ November 8 —­ we reached 83deg.  S. by dead reckoning.  The noon altitude next day gave 83deg. 1’ S. The depot we built here contained provisions for five men and twelve dogs for four days; it was made square —­ 6 feet each way —­ of hard, solid blocks of snow.  A large flag was placed on the top.  That evening a strange thing happened —­ three dogs deserted, going northward on our old tracks.  They were Lucy’s favourites, and had probably taken it into their heads that they ought to go back and look after their friend.  It was a great loss to us all, but especially to Bjaaland; they were all three first-rate animals, and among the best we had.  He had to borrow a dog from Hanssen’s team, and if he did not go quite so smoothly as before, he was still able to keep up.