126 FARTHEST NORTH 



about the Kara Sea ; forty birds, principally geese and 

 long-tailed ducks ; one seal ; and a disabled boat. 

 Amundsen and I, however, soon put this in complete 

 repair again — but in so doing I fear I forfeited for- 

 ever and a day the esteem, of the Russians and Samoy- 

 edes in these parts. Some of them had been on board 

 in the morning and seen me hard at work in the boat 

 in my shirt - sleeves, face and bare arms dirty with oil 

 and other messes. They went on shore afterwards to 

 Trontheim, and said that I could not possibly be a 

 great person, slaving away like any other workman on 

 board, and looking worse than a common rough. Tront- 

 heim. unfortunately, knew of nothing that could be said 

 in my excuse ; there is no fighting against facts. 



In the evening some of us went on shore to try the 

 dogs. Trontheim picked out ten of them and harnessed 

 them to a Samoyede sledge. No sooner were we ready 

 and I had taken my seat than the team caught sight 

 of a wretched strano-e doo- that had come near, and off 

 dashed dogs, sledge, and my valuable person after the 

 poor creature. There was a tremendous uproar; all the 

 ten tumbled over each other like wild wolves, biting and 

 tearing wherever they could catch hold ; blood ran in 

 streams, and the culprit howled pitiably, while Trontheim 

 tore round like a madman, strikino- rioht and left with his 

 long switch. Samoyedes and Russians came screaming 

 from all sides. I sat passively on the sledge in the 

 middle of it all, dumb with frioht, and it was ever so Ions; 



