A WOLF 



got our evening meal, with hunger as sauce ; and we 

 were glad to lie down and rest. 



The drivers used to "make the beds" by 

 spreading all the harness on the floor, and covering it 

 with a bearskin. Then across the middle of the 

 house they laid my sleeping-bag, and I crawled in. 

 Last of all they made a little hole at the top of the 

 house for ventilation, and blocked up the door, and 

 we were ready for sleep. I was never cold in a 

 snow house, for a threefold bag like mine, sealskin, 

 reindeer skin, and blanket, was as snug as the 

 warmest of beds : but, oh, the floor ! Dogs' 

 harness may be all very well as a bed ; the Eskimos 

 used to lie on it without any extra covering, and 

 snore the snores of the just ; but I rolled from side 

 to side, vainly trying to find a soft spot, and feeling, 

 I suppose, very much as the poor princess did in the 

 fairy story, when she had to sleep with a pea under 

 the mattress. 



On one of these wakeful nights I heard a terrible 

 scuffling among the dogs outside. There were con- 

 stant snarlings and howls, mixed with a most weii 

 trampling noise. 



At last the turmoil came too near for my peace 

 of mind: scraping, shuffling feet padded over the 

 snow house, bringing down showers of snow on to 

 my face. I got rather alarmed. 



I woke Johannes and he took some waking, too. 



He rubbed his eyes, and then as the noise dawned 

 on his ears, " Kingmi&rluit " (those awful dogs), he 

 said, and shoved his way through the door. There 

 was a sharp yelp and a brisk scuttering, and then 

 silence again. Johannes crawled back, and plastered 

 up the doorway with handfuls of snow. 



166 



