120 ON THE WAY TO THE SOUTH 



mess was to be expected, and as soon as they heard the 

 rattling of the tin dishes in which the separate portions 

 were carried round, they set up such a noise that it was 

 impossible to hear oneself speak. Both the prepara- 

 tion and the serving out of this extra ration were at 

 times rather troublesome, but it was well worth it. 

 It is quite certain that our complement of dogs would 

 have made a poor show on arrival at the Bay of Whales 

 if we had shrunk from the trouble. 



The dried fish was not nearly so popular as the dcenge, 

 but to make up for that there was plenty of it. Not 

 that the dogs themselves ever thought they could have 

 enough; indeed, they were always stealing from their 

 neighbours, perhaps more for the sake of the sport than 

 for anything else. In any case, as a sport it was ex- 

 tremely popular, and it took many a good hiding to get 

 the rascals to understand that it could not be allowed. 

 I am afraid, though, that they kept up their thieving 

 even after they knew very well that it was wrong; the 

 habit was too old to be corrected. Another habit, and 

 a very bad one, that these Eskimo dogs have fallen into 

 in the course of ages, and of which we tried to break 

 them, at all events during the sea voyage, is their ten- 

 dency to hold howling concerts. What the real mean- 

 ing of these performances may be, whether they are 

 a pastime, or an expression of gratification or the reverse, 

 we could never decide to our satisfaction. They began 

 suddenly and without warning. The whole pack might 



