470 Chapter VIII. 



believe that Indian snow-shoes would be better on this 

 ground, where there are so many knobs and smooth 

 hillocks to draw the sledges over. When Amundsen first 

 began to pull the sledge, he thought it was nothing at 

 all ; but when he had gone on for a time, he fell into a 

 fit of deep and evidently sad thought, and went silently 

 home. When he got on board, he confided to the others 

 that if a man had to draw a load like that, he might just 

 as well lie down at once it would come to the same 

 thing in the end. That is how practice is apt to go. In 

 the afternoon I yoked three dogs to the same little 

 sledge with the 250 Ibs. load, and they drew it along 

 as if it were nothing at all." 



"Tuesday, October 2nd. Beautiful weather, but 

 coldish ; 49 F. of frost ( 27 C.) during the night, which 

 is a good deal for October, surely. It will be a cold 

 winter if it goes on at the same rate. But what do we 

 care whether there are 90 of frost or 1 20 ? A good 

 snow-shoeing excursion to-day. They are all becoming- 

 most expert now ; but darkness will be on us presently, 

 and then there will be no more of it. It is a pity ; this 

 exercise is so good for us we must think of something 

 to take its place. 



" I have a feeling now as if this were to be my last 

 winter on board. Will it really come to my going off 

 north in spring ? The experiment in drawing a loaded 

 hand-sledge over this ice was certainly anything but 

 promising ; and if the dogs should not hold out, or 



