INTO THE STORM 



of snow! Ugh I I crawled down head first and 

 scraped the most of it out ; but the bag was damp 

 and clammy, and it took me half the night to thaw 

 it to a comfortable warmth. A pint mug of hot tea 

 is a wonderful help at a time like that, even if the 

 water is smoky and clouded with grits ; and we used 

 to fold our hands and " say grace " for those rough 

 meals with real thankfulness. But oh ! for an 

 Eskimo constitution for sledge travelling. After this 

 tea-supper of ours Julius and Kristian lay down to 

 rest. They had no sleeping-bags ; they spread the 

 dogs' harness under them so as not to be actually on 

 the snow, and pillowed their heads on their arms. 

 They had to bend their bodies to fit the curve of the 

 wall, but before many minutes had passed I heard 

 great snores from each side of me. I must have 

 dozed towards morning, for I suddenly felt some- 

 body shaking me and poking a mug of tea into my 

 hand. The men had left me to sleep while they 

 harnessed the dogs and made the breakfast, and 

 blessed the kindness that spared me the usual long 

 shivery time of waiting. 



The weather was worse than ever, but the men 

 were quite cheerful about it, although they must 

 have known that we had a thoroughly dangerous 

 task in front of us. To-day we must cross the 

 summit of the Kiglapeit mountains, with a blinding 

 snowstorm beating in our faces. But the Eskimos 

 were in their element, and at times like these they 

 seem unable to be faint-hearted. 



Off we went into the storm, and the sledge-runners 

 groaned as they ploughed heavily through the soft 

 snow. For ten or twelve miles the going was plain ; 

 our track followed the course of a frozen torrent, 



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