THE DOGS OVER-TAXED 237 



thinking of everything and nothing, the idea suddenly 

 occurred to us that if the tents were sewed together as 

 they now stood after the fronts had been cut away- 

 we should get one tent that would give us far more 

 room for five than the two separate tents as they were. 

 The idea was followed up, and the fruit of it was the 

 tent we used on the journey to the Pole an ideal tent 

 in every way. Yes, circumstances work wonders; for 

 I suppose one need not make Providence responsible for 

 these trifles? 



On March 8 we reached 82 S., and it was the utmost 

 my five dogs could manage. Indeed, as will shortly be 

 seen, it was already too much. They were completely 

 worn out, poor beasts. This is the only dark memory 

 of my stay in the South the over-taxing of these fine 

 animals I had asked more of them than they were 

 capable of doing. My consolation is that I did not 

 spare myself either. To set this sledge, weighing nearly 

 half a ton, in motion with tired-out dogs was no child's 

 play. And setting it in motion was not always the 

 whole of it : sometimes one had to push it forward until 

 one forced the dogs to move. The whip had long ago lost 

 its terrors. When I tried to use it, they only crowded 

 together, and got their heads as much out of the way as 

 they could; the body did not matter so much. Many 

 a time, too, I failed altogether to get them to go, and 

 had to have help. Then two of us shoved the sledge 

 forward, while the third used the whip, shouting at the 



