Dietrichson--After 247 Omdal--Before 262 Omdal--After 262 Feucht--Before 262 Feucht--After 262 The Explorers at Oslo 263 The Two Meteorologists 344 N 25 on the Way to Oslo 344 Route of the Amundsen-Ellsworth Flight 345 The Course of the Ships on Watch 356 Territory Explored by the Flight Expedition 357 PART I THE EXPEDITION BY ROALD AMUNDSEN [Illustration: LINCOLN ELLSWORTH] [Illustration: THE DIRECTORS OF THE KING’S BAY COAL COMPANY, MESSRS. BRANDAL AND KNUTSEN] [Illustration: SAILMAKER RÖNNE] THROUGH THE AIR TO 88° NORTH The day the brothers Wright rose and flew the curtain went up on a new era in the history of mankind. Many were certain that they could see great possibilities opening up for mankind in general, and particularly for them in their own branch of work, but few, I think, saw such possibilities of making a full and complete change in his work as the Polar explorer. What he has tried for years to accomplish would now be possible for him to achieve in a very short space of time. Century after century had he worked with his primitive means, the dog--the sledge. Day after day he had exerted himself with all his craft, all his intelligence, and all his will, yet had only covered a few miles over the vast ice desert. What courage, what tenacity, had been shown in the fight against cold, hunger and hardships. What a brilliant example of sacrifice and self-denial. Year after year shut up in a tiny little ship, surrounded by the same people, equipped with only the most necessary things, he had worked up to this time through the greatest of difficulties, through the hardest tests--cold and darkness. And now, all at once, in one moment, the whole of this was to be changed. Cold and darkness should be dispersed becoming warmth and light instead; for the complete and troublesome journey should be changed now to a speedy flight. In truth the possibilities were great. No rationing, no hunger or thirst--only a short flight. As in a dream, seen as a far-away possibility, there was ignited that day a small spark which should quickly blaze up to a mighty fire and in the course of a few years become one of our most important means of communication. Emerging from its swaddling-clothes, flying freed itself and went into its cradle when Bleriot flew across the Channel. It was then speedily led by the world’s war through its childhood where it (developing with the years--slowly or quickly who can say?) was led into youth--into