508 Chapter VIII. 



passage for the ice, and at the worst we can follow that 

 passage. 



" 3. There is always a possibility that the dogs may fail 

 us, but, as may be seen, I have not laid out any scheme 

 of excessive work for them. And, even if one or two of 

 them should prove failures, that could not be the case 

 with all. With the food they have hitherto had they 

 have o-ot through the winter and the cold without 



o o 



mishap, and the food they will get on the journey will 

 be better. In my calculations, moreover, I have taken 

 no account of what we shall draw ourselves. And, even 

 supposing all the dogs to fail us, we could manage to get 

 along by ourselves pretty well. 



" 4. The worst event would undeniably be that we our- 

 selves should be attacked by scurvy ; and, notwith- 

 standing our excellent health, such a contingency is 

 quite conceivable, when it is borne in mind how in the 

 English North Pole Expedition all the men, with the 

 exception of the officers, suffered from scurvy when the 

 spring and the sledge journeys began, although as long 

 as they were on board ship they had not the remotest 

 suspicion that anything of the kind was lying in wait for 

 them. As far, however, as we are concerned, I consider 

 this contingency very remote. In the first place, the 

 English Expedition was remarkably unfortunate, and 

 hardly any others can show a similar experience, although 

 they may have undertaken sledge journeys of equal 

 length for example, M'Clintock's. During the retreat 



