I902] DOG-FOOD 



21 



sledges, in silence ; the third does not pull, but carries the 

 whip and has to use it all too frequently. Thus our weary 

 caravan winds its slow way along until the sledge- meter has 

 reeled off the required distance. When we halt, the dogs drop 

 at once, but when the lightened sledge is attached and we 

 start to wheel them round, they wake up and for the first time 

 display a little energy in trying to fight as they circle about ; 

 but this show of spirit soon fails, though we naturally get back 

 at a brisker pace. Then the second half- load is joined up, and 

 the whole thing has to be done over again. When the dogs 

 sight the advanced load, however, there is a distinct improve- 

 ment ; they know that to get there means rest, and, encouraging 

 this spirit as much as we can, the last half-mile is done almost 

 at a trot. The afternoon march is of the same nature as that 

 of the forenoon, but is made worse by the increased fatigue of 

 our wretched animals. It is all very heart-breaking work. 



' This morning we sighted further land to the south-west, 

 and like the rest it appears as a detached fragment. We now 

 see three distinct gaps between the several land masses, and 

 the distance is too great for us to make out any detail of the 

 latter ; to the south and round through east to the north we 

 have still the unbroken snow horizon. 



' To-night we have been discussing our position again ; it 

 is evidently going from bad to worse. We have scarcely liked 

 to acknowledge to ourselves that the fish diet is having a 

 permanently bad effect on the dogs, but it looks very much 

 Hke it ; we saw that it disagreed with them at first, but we have 

 tried to persuade ourselves that the effect is only temporary. 

 It will be a terrible calamity if this is the cause of all our 

 distress, for there is no possible change of diet except to feed 

 the poor things on each other, and yet it is difficult to account 

 in any other way for the fact that whilst they are receiving an 

 ample amount of food they should daily be growing weaker. 

 One of the most trying circumstances in our position is that we 

 are forced to spend hours in our tent which might be devoted 

 to marching ; it is the dogs, and not we, who call the halt each 

 night.' 



