CHAPTER XXXVII. 



TOWARDS CAPE SOUTH-WEST. 



THE returning party travelled quickly. For the first they had the 

 track to keep to, and secondly, their baggage had been considerably 

 lightened. With us, however, things were very different ; our 

 loads had grown very much bigger, the travelling was heavy, and 

 the dogs had great difficulty in making their way through all the 

 loose snow, and could hardly move the sledges from the spot. 

 We spent the whole day hauling along with the dogs, but when 

 we camped in the evening, it proved that we had only made 

 a little over nine miles. It is true that the odometers were 

 out of order, but by counting our steps and judging from our 

 surroundings, we gained a pretty good idea of how far we had 

 advanced. 



If only a bear would turn up, so that we could afford to stay 

 quiet for a few days, feed the dogs, and wait for better going, for 

 this was only wearing them out to no purpose ! With such cold 

 weather, and hard work, they would not be able to stand very 

 much more of it; but who can afford to lie idle on a sledge - 

 journey when there is no extra dog-food to fall back on ? Even 

 if one can only push on for a mile or so, it is something done. 



Each sledge-party had with them a bottle of brandy, which it 

 was intended should help to enliven them on festal and com- 

 memorative occasions, and so as the thirty-first was my little 

 daughter's birthday, we had a round of hot grog in the evening, 

 while Fosheim, who is as eloquent as an Aaron, made a speech in 

 honour of the day. 



One's feelings on sucli occasions are a curious mixture ; the 

 days are intended to be festive, and one does indeed screw one's 



aeo 



