556 THE VOYAGE OF THE JEANNETTE. 



set the men to work digging a trench around the ship. 

 We are now beginning to be straitened for dog food ; 

 all our condemned meats, fish, and other suitable arti- 

 cles are ended. Having tried the dogs upon every- 

 thing to their seeming satisfaction, we at last tried them 

 with potatoes (desiccated). But here was the dividing 

 line. They turned up their noses and walked away in 

 disgust, and no matter how great their hunger, they 

 cannot be induced to astonish their stomachs with such 

 an excellent (?) anti-scorbutic' In fine, something else 

 had to be done, and so I ordered one half pound English 

 pemmican, and one half pound corn meal to be served 

 out to every dog every second clay from the ship's 

 stores ; and in order that no more of such precious food 

 than was absolutely necessary should be expended for 

 dogs, I gave orders that three old and worn-out dogs 

 should be quietly removed from the ship and shot. Of 

 course I regret taking even a dog's life, but where it is 

 a question of sentiment only in putting priceless food 

 into a dog, from which no work can ever be obtained, 

 the sentiment cannot be tolerated. 



May 31s/, Tuesday. — At nine a. m., everything be- 

 ing ready, the sledge party, in charge of Melville, 

 started. Mr. Dunbar, Nindemann, Ericksen, Bar tie tt, 

 and Sharvell composed the personnel, and the following 

 the material : — 



15 dogs, 6 sleeping-bags, 



42 lbs. American pemmican, 10^ lbs. sardines, 



21 lbs. pigs' feet, 42 lbs. mutton-broth, 



42 oz. lime juice, b\ lbs. coffee, 



1 McClintock sled, 2§ lbs. tea, 



1 McClintock dingy, 5^ lbs. chocolate, 



1 tent, . 10£ lbs. sugar, 



5 tent-poles, 2 rubber blankets, 



210 lbs. English pemmican, 6 packed knapsacks, 



