On the "Polar Star (Volume 2); in the Arctic Sea

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1903. Excerpt: ... CHAPTER IV WE RETURN TOWARDS THE SOUTH. DESPERATE STRUGGLE WITH THE DRIFT J/ff EDNESDAY, April ith.--We are now indeed on our return journey! The dogs seem to know it; they follow the tracks at a rate we cannot maintain, and I therefore tell each of the men to mount his sledge. It is the first time we allowed ourselves such a luxury. We go on thus for four hours and a half much faster than usual, stopping only twice to let the dogs gain breath. Before five o'clock we are near the little hill where we encamped on the evening of the 23rd, so that we have made the journey at the rate of nearly four miles an hour. We stop for a few minutes, and then go forward. Our former tracks, which are no longer so hard, and the ice, which is rather undulating, render it more difficult to drag the sledges, and we get down from them very willingly in order not to tire the dogs, and also because while sitting we felt the cold very much, and were benumbed by the north wind, which was accompanied by snowdrift. Although the rate is now less rapid, we very soon warm ourselves in following the dogs. At seven we come to the crossing over the great horseshoeshaped lake. Later, the dogs begin to slacken their pace, but we drive them onwards, and advance quickly until half-past nine. The poor brutes pant and their tongues hang out, but we can see no possible shelter from the wind on the level stretch of ice where we are; we cross over to the southern shore of the lake, where there is a small pressure-ridge, and on the other side of this we encamp. It is 10 p.m., and we have travelled from twenty-eight to twenty-nine miles, a good many on our legs. We are all tired and hungry, and as this evening I have not the courage to reduce the ration, I serve it out entire. I think that, even i...