SEVERE COLD 383 



in extricating them from one another was lost. They 

 were perfectly wild that day. When Lassesen, for 

 instance, caught sight of his enemy Hans, who was in 

 another team, he immediately encouraged his friend 

 Fix to help him. These two then put on all the speed 

 they could, with the result that the others in the same 

 team were excited by the sudden acceleration, and 

 joined in the spurt. It made no difference how the 

 driver tried to stop them; they went on just as furiously, 

 until they reached the team that included the object of 

 Lassesen's and Fix's endeavours. Then the two teams 

 dashed into each other, and we had ninety-six dogs' 

 legs to sort out. The only thing that could be done 

 was to let those who could not hold in their teams 

 unharness some of the dogs and tie them on the sledge. 

 In this way we got things to work satisfactorily at last. 

 We covered eighteen and a half miles that day. 



On Monday, the llth, we woke up to a temperature 

 of - 67'9 F. The weather was splendid, calm, and 

 clear. We could see by the dogs that they were not 

 feeling happy, as they had kept comparatively quiet 

 that night. The cold affected the going at once; it 

 was slow and unyielding. We came across some 

 crevasses, and Hanssen's sledge was nearly in one; 

 but it was held up, and he came out of it without 

 serious consequences. The cold caused no discomfort 

 on the march; on the contrary, at times it was too 

 warm. One's breath was like a cloud, and so thick was 



