AND KAYAK 95 



hard at work lifting the traces over rocks and 

 points of ice while the heavy sled came bowling 

 after him. 



Things were even worse with the sled. Julius 

 and I were clinging to it, trying to keep its 

 nose to the front, but the gusts swirled it 

 hither and thither and flung us from side to 

 side like corks. At last we came to a frozen 

 waterfall, and the dogs took to the bank. 

 Julius tugged and strained and put forth all 

 his strength and cunning, but the ice was 

 like glass and the sled would not turn ; the 

 runners could get no grip upon the slippery 

 surface, and we were helpless in front of the 

 wind. 



After a short few moments of anxious 

 clinging we came up against a boulder, and 

 over we went with a crash. I remember quite 

 well that as I was flung from my hold on the 

 sled and went sliding down the frozen river 

 I heard Johannes's voice from the bank 

 shouting " Ah ah ah " to make the dogs lie 

 down. 



I picked myself up and made my precarious 

 way to the sled by clinging to the boulders 

 it was impossible to walk in the ordinary way 

 because of the wind whistling down stream 

 and found the drivers holding a palaver over 

 a smashed runner. They displayed no con- 



