64 THROUGH THE MOUNTAINS 



days before reaching the Butcher's Shop, we all thought 

 and talked of nothing but dog cutlets, dog steaks, and 

 the like. But on this first evening we put a restraint 

 on ourselves; we thought we could not fall upon our 

 four-footed friends and devour them before they had 

 had time to grow cold. 



We quickly found out that the Butcher's Shop was 

 not a hospitable locality. During the night the tem- 

 perature sank, and violent gusts of wind swept over the 

 plain; they shook and tore at the tent, but it would 

 take more than that to get a hold of it. The dogs 

 spent the night in eating; we could hear the crunching 

 and grinding of their teeth whenever we were awake for 

 a moment. The effect of the great and sudden change 

 of altitude made itself felt at once; when I wanted to 

 turn round in my bag, I had to do it a bit at a time, so 

 as not to get out of breath. That my comrades were 

 affected in the same way, I knew without asking them ; 

 my ears told me enough. 



It was calm when we turned out, but the weather did 

 not look altogether promising; it was overcast and 

 threatening. We occupied the forenoon in flaying a 

 number of dogs. As I have said, all the survivors were 

 not yet in a mood for dog's flesh, and it therefore had 

 to be served in the most enticing form. When flayed 

 and cut up, it went down readily all along the line; 

 even the most fastidious then overcame their scruples. 

 But with the skin on we should not have been able to 



