THE JOURNEY OVER THE PACK ICE 239 



beautiful going over old ice. But even over this kind of ice the 

 men have to lend a hand, or the sledge would soon stop. The 

 dogs notice at once if the driver is loafing, and then first 

 one, then another, will commence to slacken the trace. A 

 furious whipping is the result ; the guilty as well as the 

 innocent ones get their share, and then the procession starts 



" 



THE HUMMOCKS BEING THIRTY FEET HIGH AT THE VERY EDGE. 



afresh. It is hard work driving dogs, for the driver, besides 

 pulling, has to urge the dogs on with shouting and whipping. 

 They know their names now, and it is often quite sufficient to 

 shout the name of the offender, at the same time crackingthewhip. 

 The dogs know that if they do not take the hint the next thing 

 which happens will be a cut from the whip across their backs. We 

 have been out now for about forty days, but the surviving dogs 

 are just as fat and just as lively as when we started. However, 

 they stop before the slightest hindrance if the driver is not there 

 to throw his full weight on the hauling strap and thus keep the 

 sledge going. If he does not help or is not strong enough, the 

 dogs, instead of buckling down to work, will slacken their 

 traces and look back with interest to see what has happened. 

 They will soon find out, however, for the man is yelling, plying 

 the whip with good will, and straining at the sledge until it is 

 moving again. Another bad habit of the dogs is to stop when 



