604 THE VOYAGE OF THE JE ANNETTE. 



ner, while Melville and his party drag the sleds ahead 

 another stage. Then there is midnight, and — 



June 24:th, Friday — Dinner succeeds. At one we 

 turn to, drag the boats to where we left the sleds ; then 

 along goes the doctor and the sick to that place ; then 

 ahead go the sleds again ; again the boats, always the 

 dog-sleds, and finally at 5.30 or six I bring up the rear- 

 guard. We prepare for supper, pitch camp, and the 

 dog-sleds get up with the last load. At seven we sup, 

 at eight pipe down, to be called at six p. m. 



We therefore haul nine hours a day, sleep or rest 

 ten, meal hours three, and the other two hours are oc- 

 cupied in pitching camp, serving out and cooking food, 

 breaking camp, and marking road ahead. There is no 

 work in the world harder than this sledging ; and with 

 my two line officers constantly on the sick-list, I have 

 much on my hands. In Melville I have a strong sup- 

 port, as well as a substitute for them, and as long as he 

 remains as he is — strong and well — I shall get along- 

 all right. The doctor is willing and anxious 'to pitch 

 in and haul like a seaman, but I consider him more 

 necessary to the sick, and have directed him to remain 

 with and accompany them. 



To-day we have clone very well, having made one 

 and a fourth miles (estimated), good. The ice opened 

 on us twice, and gave me and the dog-sleds some trou- 

 ble. The heavy sleds had gone on before the ice opened. 

 One dog sled got half overboard, and we had to cut the 

 dogs adrift to save them from being drowned, while two 

 of us held the sled back. The prospect for our next 

 start is encouraging. We are now on a piece of old 

 ice which seems to extend for several miles yet. To- 

 day has been unusually disagreeable on account of the 

 amount of water on the surface of the ice. Frequently 



