The Spring and Summer of 1894. 417 



trap, and after that to different pressure-mounds. They 

 were very cautious at first, staring timidly all around, 

 and venturing out very slowly, a step at a time from 

 the ship's side ; but soon they began to run riot in 

 their newly-discovered world. 



" ' Kvik ' w r as very proud to conduct her litter out into 

 the world, and roamed about in the highest of spirits, 

 though she had only just returned from a long driving 

 expedition, in which, as usual, she had done good work 

 in harness. In the afternoon, one of the black and white 

 puppies had an attack of madness. It ran round the 

 ship, barking furiously ; the others set on it, and it bit at 

 everything that came in its way. At last we got it shut 

 in on the deck forward, where it was furious for a while, 

 then quieted down, and now seems to be all right again. 

 This makes the fourth that has had a similar attack. 

 What can it possibly be ? It cannot be hydrophobia, or 

 it would have appeared among the grown-up dogs. Can 

 it be toothache, or hereditary epilepsy or some other 

 infernal thing ?" Unfortunately, several of them died 

 from these strange attacks. The puppies were such fine, 

 nice animals, that we were all very sorry when a thing 

 like this occurred. 



On June 3rd I write : "Another of the puppies died 

 in the forenoon from one of those mysterious attacks, 

 and I cannot conceal from myself that I take it greatly 

 to heart, and feel low-spirited about it. I have been so 

 used to these small polar creatures living their sorrowless 



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