Thus we began again to hack and to level and by breakfast time the track was finished. Exactly as though we ourselves had dispersed it the fog lifted, and we could soon start. This reminds me of an amusing occurrence, amusing for others, but not exactly for me. On account of the small accommodation in the machines it was necessary for us always to move about in tabloid form, bent, drawn together and compact. The result of this was cramp, sometimes in the legs, in the thighs, in the stomach, in the back. These attacks came on at the most inopportune moments and the martyr was a never-failing object of general amusement. Everything was ready that morning for departure and I suddenly remembered my glasses which I had forgotten in the mess and which I now rushed to fetch. But it was a mistaken move on my part. My first hasty jerk gave me cramp in both thighs with the result that I could not move from the spot. I heard titters and giggles and notwithstanding the infernal pain I could not do otherwise than join in the general amusement. The second start was not more fortunate than the first. The ice broke all the way and N 25 became famous as an icebreaker. One good result came from it, however, namely, that we got near to the other machine. That presented a sad appearance as it lay there lonely and forlorn with one wing high in the air, and the other down on the ice. They had been lucky enough to get its nose up on to a grade of the old ice floe, but the tail lay right out in the ice.