AND KAYAK 115 



hu-it " (go straight on, go straight on) to the 

 dogs, hoping by this means to hit the track 

 again on the other side of the lake. An hour 

 slipped by and still there was no land, so we 

 stopped the sled for a conference. " Ajornar- 

 mat " (it cannot be helped), said the drivers ; 

 "it is useless to look for landmarks, for we 

 are still on the lake. We must just drive on 

 and hope." We seemed to be travelling fast, 

 for the dogs were frisky and full of energy ; 

 but it was a very blindfold sort of work, and 

 I think it was a relief to us all to feel the grind 

 of rock under the runners, and to have the 

 sensation of going uphill again. We were 

 across the lake, though where, and how far 

 from our course, we could not tell. The nose 

 of the sled pointed up and up, and then 

 suddenly dipped : we were over the ridge on 

 the summit of the Kiglapeit mountains, and 

 the men were slipping the heavy walrus -hide 

 drags over the nose of each runner in readiness 

 for the slide downhill. The sled began to 

 gather way, and I took a good grip of the 

 lashings and braced myself to withstand the 

 jolts, for to fall off meant certain disaster. 

 Suddenly a cloud of powdery snow hissed up 

 as the drags bit the road under the runners, 

 and I was flung violently backwards against 

 my travelling box. As I fell I had a glimpse 



