HOME TO THE 'PRAM.' 405 



We made the most of any little snow-drift which we happened to 

 come across along the bed of the river. It would have been hard 

 work indeed had not our way been chiefly down hill. 



We reached the fjord-ice at high water, and there was nothing 

 for it but to wait for an hour, until the water fell sufficiently for 

 us to take to the ice-foot. Meanwhile, we thought we would fry 

 ourselves some fillets off the geese we had shot on the way down 

 the valley, but it proved that the dogs had eaten the geese to the 

 last mouthful, and we had to content ourselves with warming up 

 some stewed pemmican, which had been left in the cooking-pot 

 after our morning meal. When we were just off the spot where our 

 forge had stood the year before, we saw a camp up on land. We 

 drove nearer, and outside the tent found a team of dogs and inside 

 it the inhabitant, sleeping sweetly. It was Bay, who was collect- 

 ing insects. We invited ourselves to breakfast, drove off again 

 soon afterwards, and reached the ship about half-past one, after 

 seventy-seven days' absence. 



This was the second long journey I had made with Schei, 

 besides all the shorter trips. We drove many a mile together and 

 weathered many a storm, and always got on well with each other. 

 Often Schei had the hardest job, but he accepted it all with 

 patience. We had many a spell of hard work, but of pleasure, on 

 the whole, still more, and I shall always remember these two trips 

 as particularly enjoyable. They were through interesting parts, 

 and a prolific game country. 



