344 CONQUERING THE ARCTIC ICE 



had disappeared, and the whole thing, once a well-known 

 stopping place, where weary travellers were well treated by 

 the hospitable John, was now filled with snow to such an extent 

 that we could hardly crawl into it. It was still too early in the 

 day for camping, the trail to Point Barrow was yet long, our 

 sledges were emptier than I cared to think about, our dogs foot- 

 sore and tired, and we had to move on against the increasing 

 wind, which cut through our clothing, froze our wrists and faces, 

 and made travelling hard. We kept on driving till after dark, as 

 there was plenty of wood about, and we wanted to make as long 

 marches as possible. Besides, it was so bitterly cold that the 

 thought of having to pitch tent was far from tempting, and we 

 consequently put it off as long as possible, till at last the dark- 

 ness forced us to camp. 



When the tent was raised and all our belongings inside it, 

 Axel generally made a big fire outside, on which to cook the 

 dog-feed while I began to prepare our own food. As soon as 

 the dogs saw that the big kerosene tin which we used for dog- 

 feed was filled with snow or ice, they would come up to the fire 

 and watch Axel's every movement with the greatest interest, 

 and never move until the food was ready. It took quite a long 

 time, as a rule about an hour or even more, and I must admit 

 that I never envied Axel this part of the work, which meant 

 freezing stiff on one side and roasting on the other. And when 

 the food at last was ready, it was too warm to eat, and to the 

 great dismay of the dogs it had to be taken into the tent to cool. 

 The cheated animals set up a fearful howl, and every now and 

 then they would poke their noses under the tent or try to force 

 the door. The only reward, however, which they received 

 would be a cut of the whip, not very hard, but just enough to 

 show them that the tent belonged to us and that their place 

 was outside. By the time we had eaten our meal their food was 

 cool enough, and the three of us turned out to feed them. Still 

 howling, but now with delight, they again watched all our move- 

 ments, most of them sitting on their haunches with their noses 

 high in the air, while others were jumping up against us 

 as if to make us remember their existence. Our pets were 

 permitted to lick the tin inside as well as outside, which, how- 

 ever, is rather a dangerous habit for dogs to acquire, for more 

 than once we have been roused from our sleep by the mournful 



