CHAPTER VII 



Running downhill A breakdown on the mountain The beautiful 

 plank John The scraping noises Evening in John's house 

 The little cloud The hand of God Johannes in the dark- 

 ness. 



THERE are plenty of thrills on a sled 

 journey, and coasting downhill is one 

 of them. As soon as we began to 

 descend, the drivers moved to the front of 

 the sled, and sat one on each side. Their main 

 concern seemed to be to keep the sled from 

 running away. They dug their heels into the 

 snow, and tugged and shoved to keep the 

 track ; and all the while they were yelling 

 and screaming at the dogs, which raced on 

 in front in a frightened effort to get out of the 

 way. 



As the pace grew faster the drivers put on 

 the brakes. 



On my very first journey I had noticed two 

 heavy loops of walrus hide, tucked under the 

 lashings at the front of the sled, and had 

 wondered about them. I soon knew what 

 they were. Looped over the front of the sled 



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