266 NEW LAND. 



whole livelong day, without a sup or a bite, had not been pleasant 

 work. We had breakfasted between five and six in the morning, 

 and it was six o'clock again before we had anything to eat ; but, 

 in return, how delicious were the smoking soup and meat the 

 former had a layer of fat on it as thick as the broth itself. The 

 amount which one can put away on such occasions is something 

 astounding ; and then, one's pipe alight, the coffee before one, and 

 one's weary limbs stretched on the bag, a feeling of wellbeing comes 

 over one which could hardly be possible except after such a day of 

 toil. But, as a rule, it is not long before one is overcome by sleep ; 

 it grows more and more difficult to keep one's pipe alight, and one's 

 last waking thought is a firm determination to creep into the bag. 

 Often we used to fall asleep before we had fastened the last buckle 

 of the hood ; but then one is so fresh to begin again the next day 

 that is to say, if one's night's rest is undisturbed. 



This was not the case on the present occasion, as later in the 

 night the wind got up, and the tent was very nearly blown away. 

 Schei, who was lying nearest the door, had to turn out and brace 

 up the guy-ropes. 



It was blowing just as hard when we woke up in the morning, 

 and the whole fjord was in a smoke. It was little better at the 

 slaughter-ground, where we had the pleasure of skinning fourteen 

 half-frozen animals in some twenty-five degrees below zero ; but 

 where there is a will there is a way, and goodwill was not 

 wanting in our case. Had we had plenty of flay ing-knives with 

 us the work would have gone quicker ; but we only had one that 

 was really fit to be used. 



By four o'clock the animals were all skinned and cut up, and 

 the meat carried to one place, where it was piled in a heap. This 

 we covered with skins to prevent the foxes getting at it quite so 

 readily. 



I simply had to stand still for a while and contemplate this 

 glorious stack. Never before or since have I seen such a heap 

 of good meat ; it was literally a ' meatberg.' Here was both the 

 lust of the flesh and the lust of the eye ; it almost made one's 

 mouth water to look at it. 



We were able to turn in fairly early that evening, after having 



