Page:The frozen North; an account of Arctic exploration for use in schools (IA frozennorthaccou00hort).pdf/139

 At last everything was ready, and the day of departure arrived. The Fram was lying in Christiania harbor when Nansen boarded her (1893). While they were still sailing along the coast of Norway, a severe storm arose. The sea broke over the rails of the vessel, and for a while Nansen feared that the deck cargo would be carried overboard, and that the Fram would meet with disaster before she reached the ice. But the storm cleared, the sun shone again, and the men had a last glimpse of their native land.

Then a dense fog surrounded the vessel, and she headed for the dreaded Kara sea. The Kara sea was filled with ice, but the Fram behaved admirably. Nansen said that it was a pleasure to take her into difficult ice, because she was so strong, and that she turned and twisted as easily as a ball on a plate.

The Fram proceeded along the bleak Siberian coast. One