526 FARTHEST NORTH 



which I thouglit sounded Hke shots, but I had explained 

 them away as noises in the ice. I now shouted to 

 Johansen that I heard dogs farther inland. Johansen 

 started up from the bag where he lay sleeping and 

 tumbled out of the tent. ' Dogs T He could not 

 quite take it in, but had to get up and listen with 

 his own ears while I got breakfast ready. He very 

 much doubted the possibility of such a thing, yet fancied 

 once or twice that he heard somethino; which mioht be 

 taken for the barking of dogs ; but then it was drowned 

 again in the bird-noises, and, everything considered, he 

 thought that what I had heard was nothing more than 

 that. I said he might believe what he liked, but I 

 meant to set off as quickly as possible, and was impatient 

 to get breakfast swallowed. I had emptied the last of 

 the Indian meal into the soup, feeling sure that we 

 should have farinaceous food enough by the evening. 

 As we were eating we discussed who it could be, wheth- 

 er our countrymen or Englishmen. If it was the Eng- 

 lish expedition to Eranz Josef Land which had been in 

 contemplation when we started, what should we Ao} 

 ' Oh, we'll just have to remain with them a day or two,' 

 said Johansen, ' and then we'll have to go on to Spitz- 

 bergen, else it will be too long before we get home.' 

 We were quite agreed on this point ; but we would 

 take care to get some good provisions for the voyage 

 out of them. While I went on, Johansen was to stay 

 behind and mind the kavaks, so that we should run no 



