SUMMER JOURNEYS AND FERTILITY. 27 



the teams made straight for it it did not move a muscle. The dogs 

 were stopped at thirty yards' distance, and at once began to bark 

 and howl, notwithstanding which, this peculiar animal remained 

 unmoved through all the deafening clamour without attempting 

 to take to the water. The ice on which it was lying was so low 

 that the water reached to its body, and several times it dipped a 

 flipper down as if to feel whether it was very cold or not. It 

 gave the wayfarers the idea that it found the water too cold, and 

 had not the courage to dive in. Poor seal ! It had to pay with 

 its life for its want of hardihood ; Bay sent it a bullet through 

 the head, 



Isachsen used Stolz's dogs on this trip. They were quick 

 and intelligent, but not in every way the pleasantest to drive ; for 

 they had a trick of trying to go up every hummock they came 

 across, and the higher it was the better they liked it. To prevent 

 them, once they had got the idea into their heads, was almost 

 impossible, and often they walked like flies up the most 

 immoderately high places, which is a sort of thing that rather 

 delays one. Across Sydkapfjord progress was easy, until just on 

 entering the sound ; there the ice was as thin as a leaf, and in 

 many places entirely gone. It was really remarkable that they 

 managed to get along at all in the face of such difficulties as they 

 had. About five on Sunday morning, July 15, they reached the 

 ship, having left their loads behind them at the crack, whence they 

 were fetched by a boat later in the day. 



During the fine weather which now followed for a time we 

 made steady progress with our summer work. The sailmakers, 

 who were stitching full steam, were able to sit out on deck every 

 day, in the beautiful warm weather. Both of them, however, had 

 other work besides sailmaking, so that they had to portion out 

 their time with method. Baurnann had a number of observations 

 on hand, and the mate, of course, quite enough to do without this 

 additional task. At this time also a very necessary re-stowing 

 of certain things in the hold took place, causing extra work for 

 several busy days. 



On Thursday, July 10, the wind began to blow from the south- 

 south-east. The ' Fram ' slipped the floe she had been fast in, and 



