254* THE LAST VOYAGE OF THE KARLUK 
them. At frequent intervals during the day they 
pour water on the bearskin and rub it over the run¬ 
ners; it freezes quickly and forms a coating of ice 
which reduces the friction, whereas a steel shoe in 
extreme cold has a tendency to cling to the snow. 
When the weather gets warm enough so that the 
snow is at the melting stage they use the steel shoes. 
They seldom use a whip; instead they are more 
likely to use a stick about three feet long with a 
heavy spear-point on the end. Along this stick 
are several rings which jingle and rattle against 
each other and make the dogs quicken their speed. 
They use this stick as a brake when the sledge is 
going down hill, setting it up at the forward end 
and letting the spear-point scratch along; in this 
way they keep the sledge from running over the 
dogs. They have large teams of dogs and can get 
over the ground rapidly. If all went well we 
should now be able to make far greater progress 
than had been possible with our small number of 
worn-out dogs. 
We went back across the entrance to Koliuchin 
Bay to Cape Onman and followed the bay shore 
to a point about fifteen miles from Mr. Olsen’s 
place. About two hours before we reached the 
aranga where we were to spend the night my guide 
stopped the sledge and informed me that he was 
not going to East Cape with me. He said he 
