THE FIRST CAMP. 279 



construct a snow-hut to shelter my unlucky driver 

 from the cold wind which was beginning to blow. 

 Besides, our buffalo-skins were as wet as they could 

 be, and we should have precious little comfort on our 

 iournev if we did not return and exchange them for 

 dry ones. The dogs, too, ran great risk of injury by 

 being allowed to rest in their wet coats in so low a 

 temperature. The whip was not spared, and the ves- 

 sel was reached without serious consequences either 

 to Jensen or the team. An hour or so sufficed for us 

 to refit, when we started again ; and being this time 

 more cautious, we got around the point without fur- 

 ther trouble. 



The ice was found to be smooth and the traveling 

 good as we moved up the coast ; and, not being very 

 heavily laden, we got on at a good pace. The snow 

 had been packed very hard by the winds, and wher- 

 ever there had been hummocks it had collected be- 

 tween them, so that, although the surface was some- 

 what rolling and uneven, yet it was as firm as a 

 country road. Darkness coming on, (we had not yet 

 reached the constant sunlight of summer,) we hauled 

 in under Cape Hatherton and made our first camp. 



It was a real Arctic camp ; — picketing the dogs 

 and burrowing in a snow-bank are very simple opera- 

 tions, and require but little time. Jensen made the 

 burrow, and Kalutunah looked after the animals ; and 

 when all was ready we crawled in and tried our best 

 to be comfortable and to sleep ; but the recollection 

 of the ship's bunk was too recent to render either 

 practicable, except to Kalutunah, who did not seem 

 to mind any thing, and snored all through the night 

 in a most awful manner. The outside temperature 

 was 4(F below zero. 



