On the 10th we got a bearing of the mountain chain right down in south by west true.  Each day we drew considerably nearer the land, and could see more and more of its details:  mighty peaks, each loftier and wilder than the last, rose to heights of 15,000 feet.  What struck us all were the bare sides that many of these mountains showed; we had expected to see them far more covered with snow.  Mount Fridtjof Nansen, for example, had quite a blue-black look.  Only quite at the summit was it crowned by a mighty hood of ice that raised its shining top to some 15,000 feet.  Farther to the south rose Mount Don Pedro Christophersen; it was more covered with snow, but the long, gabled summit was to a great extent bare.  Still farther south Mounts Alice Wedel Jarlsberg, Alice Gade, and Ruth Gade, came in sight; all snow-clad from peak to base.  I do not think I have ever seen a more beautiful or wilder landscape.  Even from where we were, we seemed to be able to see a way up from several places.  There lay Liv’s Glacier,[7] for instance, which would undoubtedly afford a good and even ascent, but it lay too far to the north.  It is of enormous extent, and would prove interesting to explore.  Crown Prince Olav’s Mountains looked less promising, but they also lay too far to the north.  A little to the west of south lay an apparently good way up.  The mountains nearest to the Barrier did not seem to offer any great obstruction.  What one might find later, between Mounts Pedro Christophersen and Fridtjof Nansen, was not easy to say.

On the 12th we reached 84deg.  S. On that day we made the interesting discovery of a chain of mountains running to the east; this, as it appeared from the spot where we were, formed a semicircle, where it joined the mountains of South Victoria Land.  This semicircle lay true south, and our course was directed straight towards it.

In the depot in 84deg.  S. we left, besides the usual quantity of provisions for five men and twelve dogs for four days, a can of paraffin, holding 17 litres (about 34 gallons).  We had abundance of matches, and could therefore distribute them over all the depots.  The Barrier continued as flat as before, and the going was as good as it could possibly be.  We had thought that a day’s rest would be needed by the dogs for every degree of latitude, but this proved superfluous; it looked as if they could no longer be tired.  One or two had shown signs of bad feet, but were now perfectly well; instead of losing strength, the dogs seemed to become stronger and more active every day.  Now they, too, had sighted the land, and the black mass of Mount Fridtjof Nansen seemed specially to appeal to them; Hanssen often had hard work to keep them in the right course.  Without any longer stay, then, we left 84deg.  S. the next day, and steered for the bay ahead.