Report of the First Thule Expedition 1912. 307 



and then, passing round behind a hill, get down into a deep ravine 

 about a mile long, which cut at right angles into the main valley 

 we sought to enter. It would be bitterly hard work now to drive the 

 tired and hungry dogs up over broken ground and down through the 

 stones and clay of the ravines, for there was no snow anywhere in 

 the country we had to cross. 



A couple of the dogs were now left behind with Freuchen, and 

 the remainder formed into two sledge teams, 22 dogs to each. It 

 was difficult going; the dogs seemed unable to get over their disap- 

 pointment at finding that the naked land, brown, beautiful and free 

 from snow, proved harder work than the inland ice had been. 



The worst part of the journey was toiling up over slopes or 

 through pathless rocky places; here the dogs simply bunched together, 

 tangling up the huge length of traces, deaf to all our cries, and moving 

 only when the merciless whip lash hissed through the air above them 

 as they stood. But we had to get forward somehow; it was now more 

 than ever a matter of life or death to them. 



It took us all day to get up over the ice and down the hills 

 into the ravine which led to the lake; the last stage was over a mighty 

 mass of huge stones which made slow but perilous going. On one of 

 the hill slopes we shot a hare, and as ill luck would have it, the 

 creature came tumbling down in full view of the dogs. I shall never 

 forget the moment when those two score of dogs dashed away at break- 

 neck pace, sledges and all, to get at the hare. It was devoured in 

 the twinkling of an eye, though we never saw a single dog actually 

 chewing for a moment. The thing was simply gone, without a bone 

 or a tuft of fur remaining. 



Once down on the lake, where it was easier going, all went very 

 well for a time; at any rate, we got along somehow without having 

 to urge the teams. Later on in the evening, however, we reached a 

 stony water course, where the dogs again had to put their shoulders 

 to the work. And here it suddenly seemed as if the quiet, well-behaved 

 creatures had been transformed into ravening beasts of prey: when- 

 ever one of their number lagged behind, or got hung up by catching 

 its traces on a stone, the remainder flung themselves upon the un- 

 fortunate, ready to tear him in pieces as they had the hare. It was 

 all we could do each time to save the poor beast from the greedy 

 jaws of his comparisons, who seemed utterly regardless of the hail of 

 blows that warned them to desist. We were horrified to see them in 

 this state, a thing none of us had ever before experienced with any 

 of our dogs. It was not the first time we had been forced to keep 

 our teams hard at work for days on short rations; endeed, we had 

 seen them sufîer worse in both respects. But never before had we 

 witnessed any such open attempt to allay their hunger by devouring 

 their living comrades. Moreover, most of them did not appear to be 



