333 CONQUERING THE ARCTIC ICE 



more lonely than ever when towards night we had passed all 

 the different places which had been visited on many a walk 

 during the winter. 



On the first day we made only eleven to twelve miles during 

 eight and a half hours' march, and we were eagerly wishing 

 for cold weather, which would crystallize the slush on the 

 top of the ice, freeze the surface of the snow and make it 

 hard, thus giving us an opportunity to move with a little less 

 toil. 



On Friday, the i8th, we passed the Saviovik River and had 

 some splendid going over the glare ice in its delta, but before 

 then we had already been obliged to leave behind the 76 Ibs. of 

 pemmican which I had intended for use on the other side of 

 Point Barrow. The weather had changed, and instead of the 

 damp westerly wind we got clear weather and a light easterly 

 breeze, but, judging by the look of the weather, we thought we 

 should probably have a gale the. next day. 



Made fifteen miles. Temperature 13 C. 



Saturday, the iqth. As we had expected, the beating of 

 drifting snow against the tent was the first thing heard when 

 we awoke. But, though strong, the wind was fair, and we 

 started at 7 A.M. with two skis rigged up as masts and our tent 

 stretched out as a sail. 



At first things went easily enough. Axel and Hipana rode 

 on the sledge, which moved at full speed, while I was running 

 in front to keep ahead of the team. Whenever I turned round 

 to see how matters stood, I saw the sledge lurching through 

 the snowdrifts with the sail blown out, tight as a drum and 

 sheering like a ship before the wind. The wind was quarter- 

 ing, and to windward the sledge cover was overlaid with 

 a thick coating of snow, the men looked like moving snow- 

 men, and snow was everywhere in the dogs' fur. Axel and 

 Hipana had to stand on the windward runner and take good 

 care that the sledge did not capsize, while on we went through 

 snowdrifts and storm, skimming along at six miles an hour. 

 But this rate was not maintained. Owing to the thick weather, 

 we had come too close to the mainland and were brought to a 

 standstill by the mudflats of the Sakovanukto River, where the 

 wind had blown off all the snow, leaving the flats bare. The 

 sail was taken in, Hipana was sent ahead, and Axel and I toiled 



