362 THE END OF THE WINTER 



The whips afterwards turned out remarkably well- 

 not that they lasted out the trip, but they held together 

 for a long while. Whip-handles are a very perishable 

 commodity; if one used nothing but the lash, they 

 would be everlasting, but, as a rule, one is not long 

 satisfied with that. It is when one gives a " confirma- 

 tion," as we call it, that the handle breaks. A con- 

 firmation is generally held when some sinner or other 

 has gone wrong and refuses to obey. It consists in 

 taking the first opportunity, when the sledge stops, of 

 going in among the dogs, taking out the defiant one, and 

 laying into him with the handle. These confirmations, 

 if they occur frequently, may use up a lot of handles. 



It was also arranged that Hanssen should prepare 

 goggles in the Eskimo fashion, and he began this work ; 

 but it soon appeared that everyone had some patent of 

 his own which was much better. Therefore it was 

 given up, and every man made his own goggles. 



Stubberud's chief work was making the sledge cases 

 lighter, and he succeeded in doing this, but not without 

 hard work. It took far longer than one would have 

 thought. The wood had a good many knots, and he 

 often had to work against the grain; the planing was 

 therefore rather difficult and slow. He planed a good 

 deal off them, but could " guarantee them," as he said. 

 Their sides were not many millimetres thick; to 

 strengthen them in the joints, corners of aluminium 

 were put on. 



