PARTIES TURN BACK 
mittens, etc., was thoroughly soaked. Luck- 
ily for the boy, he was at the side of the sledge 
and escaped a ducking. Foolishly I rushed 
over, but, quickly realizing my danger, I 
slowed down, and with the utmost care he 
fished out the sledge, and the dogs, shaking 
as with palsy, were gently urged on. Walk- 
ing wide, like the polar bear, we crept after, 
and without further incident reached the oppo- 
site side of the lead. My team had reached 
there before me and, with human intelligence, 
the dogs had dragged the sledge to a place of 
safety and were sitting on their haunches, with 
ears cocked forward, watching us in our pre- 
carious predicament. They seemed to rejoice 
at our deliverance, and as I went among them 
and untangled their traces I could not forbear 
giving each one an affectionate pat on the 
head. 
For the next five hours our trail lay over 
heavy pressure ridges, in some places sixty 
feet high. We had to make a trail over the 
mountains of ice and then come back for the 
sledges. A difficult cMmb began. Pushing 
from our very toes, straining every muscle, 
urging the dogs with voice and whip, we 
104 
