INSIDE THE TENT 99 



view to these accidents. But familiarity breeds con- 

 tempt, even with the most cautious, and some of the 

 drivers were often within an ace of going down into 

 " the cellar." 



If this part of the journey was trying for the dogs, it 

 was certainly no less so for the men. If the weather had 

 even been fine, so that we could have looked about us, 

 we should not have minded it so much, but in this vile 

 weather it was, indeed, no pleasure. Our time was 

 also a good deal taken up with thawing noses and 

 cheeks as they froze — not that we stopped; we had 

 no time for that. We simply took off a mit, and laid 

 the warm hand on the frozen spot as we went; when 

 we thought we had restored sensation, we put the hand 

 back into the mit. By this time it would want warm- 

 ing. One does not keep one's hands bare for long with 

 the thermometer several degrees below zero and a storm 

 blowing. In spite of the unfavourable conditions we 

 had been working in, the sledge-meters that evening 

 showed a distance of fifteen and a half miles. We 

 were well satisfied with the day's work when we 

 camped. 



Let us cast a glance into the tent this evening. 

 It looks cosy enough. The inner half of the tent 

 is occupied by three sleeping-bags, whose respective 

 owners have found it both comfortable and expedient to 

 turn in, and may now be seen engaged with their diaries. 

 The outer half — that nearest the door — has only two 



