SECOND AUTUMN IN THE ICE 537 



maintain ; but these seem to me the best arrangements I 

 can make to insure the good of all — and that must come 

 before everything else. 



" Friday, September 21st. We have had tremendously 

 strong wind from the northwest and north for some days, 

 with a velocity at times of 39 and 42 feet. During this 

 time we must have drifted a good way south. ' The Rad- 

 ical Right ' had got hold of the helm, said Amundsen ; 

 but their time in power was short ; for it fell calm yester- 

 day, and now we are going north again, and it looks as 

 if the ' Left ' were to have a spell at the helm, to repair 

 the wrongs done by the ' Right.' 



" Kennels for the dogs have been built this week — a 

 row of splendid ice-houses along the port side of the 

 ship ; four dogs in each house ; good warm winter quar- 

 ters. In the meantime our eight little pups are thriving 

 on board ; they have a grand world to wander round 

 — the whole fore -deck, with an awning over it. You 

 can hear their little barks and yelps as they rush about 

 among shavings, hand-sledges, the steam-winch, mill-axle, 

 and other odds and ends. They play a little and they 

 fight a little, and forward under the forecastle they have 

 their bed among the shavings — a very cozy corner, where 

 ' Kvik ' lies stretched out like a lioness in all her majesty. 

 There they tumble over each other in a heap round her, 

 sleep, yawn, eat, and pull each other's tails. It is a pict- 

 ure of home and peace here near the Pole which one 

 could watch by the hour. 



