CHAPTER XXX. 



THE POLAR DOG AND ITS AILMENTS. 



THE dogs were now put into winter quarters, or, in other words, 

 were shut up in their kennels. They had ' playtime ' out on the 

 ice from nine to one, but the rest of the day were under house 

 arrest. Watch had always to be kept over them while they 

 were out, for they were so savage at this time that they were 

 quite capable of tearing one another to pieces. We divided the 

 watches between us, and also the duty of feeding them ; each 

 man, as I have said before, feeding his own team. I made an 

 exception, however, in my own favour, and did not feed my dogs 

 when we were on board. Fosheim looked after them for me ; 

 nor did I mount guard. 



My experiences with regard to the feeding and keeping of the 

 dogs on a journey of this kind differ not a little from those of 

 other polar travellers, and I think therefore, that my view of the 

 subject will not be out of place if set forth here. 



The dogs should be fed once every day. We chopped the 

 frozen walrus-meat into allowances, and every other day gave them 

 three to four pounds of it; on the intermediate days they had 

 dog-biscuit. At times we added stock-fish to their diet, and they 

 then had meat, biscuit, and fish alternately. If it is necessary to 

 feed dogs entirely on the flesh and blubber of walrus, care should 

 be taken that each dog has his due portion of meat, and not 

 blubber only. For a single meal blubber is quite enough, but 

 in the long run a diet of blubber alone is not sufficiently nourish- 

 ing. The best arrangement is to divide the two stuffs equally, 

 though at the coldest time of ' the year a larger proportion of 

 blubber may naturally be used than in milder weather. 



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