CROSSING A CREVICE 



havoc with the ice ; a crack four or five feet wide lay 

 across the track, and there seemed to be no way of 

 getting round it. " We must go across," said the men. 

 The first thing was to fling or shove the dogs into 

 the water one by one ; they made a great to-do about 

 it, but the drivers pushed them all in, and the terrified 

 creatures were soon shaking themselves on the other 

 side. The next thing was to push the sledge along 

 until the front of it bridged the crack and the runners 

 were touching the other side ; then with a great howl 

 of " Hu-it " big Julius started the dogs and we all 

 jumped on to the sledge as it careered safely over. 

 Then the drivers turned and looked at one another, 

 and laughed ; it was, to them, a spice of excitement 

 in the monotony of sledge travel. 



191 



