On the 23rd we were able to cross the new frozen ice into the pool. We were early at work that day and kept on hacking at the slide. During a little interval I took the glasses, climbed to the top of the machine in order to look round after N 24. Who can describe my pleasure as I, almost with the first glance, observed it? South-west, on the other side of the great dam, there it lay looking quite cheeky. A little to the left stood the tent. And still a little further away, on the top of a high iceberg, a flag. This was pleasant news for my comrades and in haste we hoisted our flag. Anxiously I followed progress through my glasses to see if they were observing us. Yes, right enough, in a few moments I saw signs of life. They sprang to the flag, caught hold of it and in a few moments we had a means of communication, as fortunately our two pilots were practiced signalers. The distance between us was too great for semaphoring, so we had to use the Morse system. Apart from the fact that it took a little longer, everything went splendidly. Dietrichson announced that his machine on leaving King’s Bay had started an ugly leak, but that he had hoped all the same to be able to manage. We could tell them that our machine was absolutely undamaged. No further announcements were made. We went on with our work on the slide all day. [Illustration: WHEN THE TWO PLANES WERE NEAR EACH OTHER] The 24th was given up to the same work. Most of the ice was as hard as flint and it took us a long time to work through it. In the afternoon I discovered suddenly through my glasses that there was an unusual stir on the other side. I could see them jumping backwards and forwards, preparing to do something or other. An hour later they put skis on; slung two heavy packages on their backs and set off towards us. It was just what I had wished to happen, though I had not expressed my wish so long as they were working at their machine. If they were able, by some means, to get their boat clear for a start, I naturally had no desire to hinder them. We could well have done with their assistance in our work of saving our machine, but, so long as they had their own work to do, we could not ask for help. I watched them anxiously through the glasses, noting their mode of approach through the icebergs (let me make it clear that they had very heavy packages on their backs), and I did not like the direction they took. They set their course directly towards the new frozen ice in the dam and I doubted its solidity. Certainly the ice in the little fissure was strong enough, but the ice on the great dam was a different matter. I held my breath as they descended from the old ice towards the new. Things could go wrong and prove fatal. Fortunately they were sufficiently foresighted to stay on the old ice; to my relief they kept to it, coming straight across and throwing off their packages. I thought they were going to rest a few moments, but was pleasantly surprised when they produced two flags