314 NEW LAND. 



worked until late at night, and as the time of departure drew near, 

 we were obliged to turn Sundays into working days. 



On January 20, 1900, a bear visited us for the first time that 

 year. He came galloping up towards the ship, but all the dogs 

 were out on the ice, and the bear, which was probably as in- 

 corruptible as it was young and thin, realized at once that this 

 was no company for him, and made off across the crack with the 

 evident intention of fleeing from the source of danger. But, as so 

 often happens, virtue was not fleet enough in her movements ; the 

 dogs soon stopped him, and the mate's rifle brought him to the 

 ground. He had absolutely nothing in his stomach, so it was not 

 to be wondered at that he was anxious for a meal. 



In order to economize the dogs' patent-food, we were obliged 

 to feed them at the beginning of our journeys on blubber and 

 stock-fish, in such proportions that each day's rations consisted of 

 about 10 ozs. of blubber and half a stock-fish, amounting together 

 to rather more than f Ib. in weight. We chopped in readiness a 

 large number of allowances of blubber, and the stock-fish we 

 packed in bundles of twelve halves in each. The patent-food was 

 stowed in sacks, and on each sack was written the number of 

 allowances and their collective weight. 



At the end of February, Lindstrom was again able to take up 

 his duties in the galley, and Hassel then set to work to weigh out 

 provisions for the different sledge-parties. 



Both cabins were now so full of workmen and tools, that it 

 was almost impossible to move about in them ; in the after-cabin 

 things had got to such a pitch that a gangway had been made 

 across the sofa. 



As I expected the sun on February 10, I walked out to 

 the southern part of Skreia to see if anything was to be seen of it. 

 A bank of fog was lying over the ice in the south, so that I could 

 see nothing of the sun itself, but the whole of the southern horizon 

 was a sea of fire, and if the atmosphere had been clear, the sun, 

 sure enough, would have smiled on our meeting. It was not till 

 two days later that we first bade it welcome back. 



In the middle of the month we had again a mild period, and 

 the temperature rose to just under 36 Fahr. We also had 



