212 CONQUERING THE ARCTIC ICE 



move it themselves, pulling the sledges one by one through 

 snow so deep and soft that the runners would sink down and 

 the crossbars drag through the snow. It is very hard work, 

 and, what is worst of all, brings little result in the way of 

 progress. Another obstacle is the treacherous snow which gives 

 way beneath us, so that we fall heavily down to the solid ice, 

 at the risk of twisting our feet, while soft snow finds its way 

 up our sleeves, down our trousers, and into our mittens. At 

 last, after five hours' continuous work, we got through the belt 

 of rubble ice which lay across our course for a width of about 

 five hundred yards. After a short rest for lunch we struck out 

 again, but now over better ice. The further we went the better it 

 became, and with word and whip we drove our dogs as hard 

 as we could. We came to a lofty old pressure-ridge, and I 

 climbed it to see what was beyond. 



A shout of joy told my comrades that the view was good ; 

 commencing just beneath my feet was the "old ice," the ice 

 which we had so long been hoping to reach, stretching for miles, 

 unbroken, bounding the very horizon, and extending as far as I 

 could see, far away to the north. Coming down the ridge and 

 getting the procession started was a matter of minutes, and 

 there, just round a huge block of ice, we struck the floes which 

 we had been dreaming of, the floes which were to give us a fair 

 road to the north. It was mere child's play to go over it ; my 

 sledge went easily behind me, the dogs came yelping with joy 

 and tails lifted. Mr. Leffingwell and Storkersen went beside 

 their sledges, the whip hanging loose in its strap around their 

 wrists, being now superfluous for the first time. The dogs 

 needed no such encouragement and were seized by the same 

 excitement which drove the men on. The going was beautiful, 

 the ice level, the snow dry and hard, the sledges slipped over it 

 easily, and above us the sun shone from a clear sky. Its rays 

 were reflected from the large snow crystals, glittering like 

 diamonds, outside the huge black shadows of the high rounded 

 hills on the ice. It hardly looked like ice, but more like the 

 pictures of a great desert with its sharp and deep shadows, its 

 shiny yellow colour and brilliant sun. At 5.40 P.M. we camped, 

 having made about seven miles a good day's work considering 

 the time we had lost in the morning. 



Temperature at 6.30, 30 ; at noon, 22 C. Sounded to 



