HOME TO THE 'PRAM.' 399 



and I occupied taking observations and in various other ways, the 

 dogs lay quite quiet, and remained so nearly the whole time we 

 were there. They were so footsore that they did not know which 

 foot to stand on, and thought perhaps that they might as well lie 

 where they were. 



On Friday evening, June 6, we were off again. We had 

 flattered ourselves that we should reach Bjornekaplandet in one 

 spell, but the dogs' feet and the going were too much for us, and 

 we had to bite the sour apple, as we say, and camp out on the 

 drift-ice. On Saturday, the 7th, things were still worse : the snow 

 was like scum. Without any warning the dogs disappeared to the 

 tops of their backs in the slush, and we who were struggling along 

 beside them on ' ski,' more than once sank in to far above our 

 knees. Needless to say, we were hardly dry-shod when, at midnight, 

 weary and tired out, we reached Bjornekaplandet. 



At seven on Sunday morning we were hard at work observing. 

 After breakfast Schei went off across the plains towards the ridges 

 in the south-east, and I went with him for some way to see if 

 there was enough snow on the country south to make it possible 

 for us to give up driving on this terrible sea-ice. I found that 

 there was probably enough snow for us to drive across the low 

 country, and that, though possibly it consisted only of a very thin 

 layer, there was herbage beneath it the whole way, and, therefore, 

 it would not be a serious matter if we scraped over bare land 

 now and again. Sledges travel very fairly well on grass, and our 

 loads were light. Moreover, there were so many sandbanks jutting 

 out from the land, that in order to get on to the sea-ice we should 

 have to make a long circuit west, and for this we had no desire. 

 The only thing which made us hesitate about driving over land, 

 was the numerous rivers which were now in flood, and came 

 foaming down the slopes. However, we both thought that there 

 must certainly be some means of crossing them. 



I had just started on my midday observations near the camp 

 when a flock of geese settled down not far from the tent. The 

 first flock of the year could not have come more opportunely. 

 They seemed a little frightened at their own temerity ; for when 

 I came up with my rifle they were rather wild, and I had 



