76 SPITSBERGEN chap v 



they just cover, every search for an object involves gymnastic 

 gyrations. I concluded to add a " lazy tongs " to Gregory's 

 list of camp indispensables. 



Venturing forth with bare feet to inspect the weather, I 

 stumbled into a filthy bog-hole for the first of many times. 

 Our wet clothes of yesterday were as wet as ever. Clouds 

 came yet lower and fain never ceased. The clay was pass- 

 ing and nothing was accomplished. We filled ourselves 

 with ration cartridges, and pitched the plates out to be 

 washed by the heavens. Instead of that Spits licked them 

 clean, and then pushed her head in at the tent door and 

 made a face at us, curling up her lips into what looked like 

 a complicated sneer. At last there was a brief clearance. 

 An unsatisfactory observation was taken and 'camp could 

 be struck. The sledges were nearly loaded. Spits was just 

 harnessed, Bergen being harnessed, when he gave us the 

 slip and went careering around. There was no catching 

 him. Picture our disgust ! Little was said ; the work of 

 preparing the sledges went on. We hoped the beast would 

 return to the oat-bag, but his memory of the flesh-pots of 

 Advent Bay was a stronger attraction. In a few minutes he 

 became small in the distance. Pedersen was accordingly 

 sent off to bring him back. He was found at Advent Point, 

 which he reached just in time to be harnessed to another 

 sledge and made to draw coal from the neighbouring hill. 



Our prospects were dismal. There was no redeeming 

 feature. W T e determined to make a half march with the 

 remaining pony and one sledge and then to return for the 

 other. The weather remained abominable — rain falling from 

 low clouds in the midst of the bleakest surroundings ima- 

 ginable. How it came to pass that the interior of Spits- 

 bergen had remained for us to explore was no longer a 

 mystery. The job was more laborious than any of us 

 anticipated. So much the better, had we been properly 



