A FROST-BITTEN PAW 201 



chance of getting loose when unobserved. He used his 

 freedom, like most of these dogs, for fighting. They 

 love fighting, and cannot resist it. He had picked a 

 quarrel with Odin and Thor, and started a battle with 

 them. In the course of the fight the chains that 

 fastened these two had got wound round Lassesen's leg, 

 and twisted so that the circulation was stopped. How 

 long he had been standing so I do not know. But when 

 I came, I saw at once that the dog was in the wrong 

 place. On a closer examination I discovered the frost- 

 bite. I then spent half an hour in restoring the circula- 

 tion. I succeeded in doing this by holding the paw 

 continuously in my warm hand. At first, while there 

 was no feeling in the limb, it went well; but when the 

 blood began to flow back, of course it was painful, and 

 Lassesen became impatient. He whined, and motioned 

 with his head towards the affected place, as though he 

 wanted to tell me that he found the operation un- 

 pleasant. He made no attempt to snap. The paw 

 swelled a good deal after this treatment, but next day 

 Lassesen was as well as ever, though a little lame in 

 that leg. 



The entries in my diary at this time are all in tele- 

 graphic style, no doubt owing to the amount of work. 

 Thus an entry in February ends with the following 

 words: "An Emperor penguin just come on a visit 

 soup-kettle." He did not get a very long epitaph. 



During this week we relieved the sea party of the 



