HEUREKA ! 197 



crack and up among some steep sand-hills which extended as far 

 to the north as we could see. We had to take to the sea-ice then, 

 after all ; but along a furrow where advance was fairly practicable 

 we eventually worked our way up on to a large old floe which 

 we were able to follow along the shore for a while. The going, 

 however, was as miserable as ever. Hound the floe lay enormous 

 pressure-ridges, several times the height of a man; and away 

 through the sound, as far as we could see in the hazy atmosphere, 

 lay ridge after ridge. 



From the drift-ice we saw a herd of polar oxen up on laud ; as 

 far as we could distinguish, it consisted of eleven animals. 



We camped for the night between some large hummocks, and 

 continued northward next morning in fairly clear weather, but our 

 hopes of fine weather were completely dashed. No sooner had 

 we begun to drive than a wind sprang up from the south with 

 continually increasing fog. 



As we were driving along two wolves came running slantwise 

 up towards us. They thought they were going to meet us some 

 way out on the ice, the rascals. They ran under cover of some 

 hummocks, so that I did not know they were there until they 

 were within a hundred yards of me. The dogs saw them at the 

 same moment, and, of course, tried to give chase ; I only just 

 managed to stop them by overturning the sledge. 



I had now to get my rifle out. But when the dogs were 

 stopped in their career they had begun to whine and howl so 

 vociferously that the wolves were frightened, and made off at such 

 a pace that by the time I had my gun ready they were at least 

 two hundred yards away. I would not risk missing them, and 

 so drove on again. The wolves ran in front of us for a time, but 

 always took care to keep well out of range. However, it was a 

 practical arrangement, for the dogs were desperate to catch them 

 up, and we got along considerably faster with them in front of us 

 as a bait. 



As might be expected, the wolves soon grew tired of being our 

 outrunners, and made for land, where they sat down a good way 

 from each other on a sand-hill above the crack, and treated us to 

 a terrible howling duet. Schei was keen about shooting of any 



