The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1894-11-22
THE NORTH POLE
Erom drst page

ILL NUN Ill FULL
From first page.
Ing an ounce each, to each man. They are
almost perfect food, containing 16 per
cent of heterogeneous matter. The writer in
experimenting subsisted several days to-
gether with no other food than ten of these
crackers, but to obtain their full value it
is necessary, Of course, to eat them very
slowly, merely to nibble at them.
When eaten in this way, couple Of
them are almost as good as an ordinary
meal, and those of us who know how to
use them find the three little crackers of in
estimable value in keeping up our strength
and in suppressing the desire for large
quantities of food at the meal hours. They
seem unable to learn this valuable lesson
and gulp their crackers down in few
mouthfuls. So it is with other features of
our daily ration. We shall go on preach
ing and commanding, however, in hopes
finally of inducing all the members of the
party to use their food as it was intended
to be used.
Sore Footed Dogs.
Many of our dogs are still suffering from
sore feet. Some get better and are of great
assistance to us in pulling the loads, while
otht rs suffer so much that they are unable
to do any work, and we find it necessary
to shoot them to put them out of their
misery. Today we executed three of the
unfortunate creatures and shall have to
dispose of some more in a day or two. We
have 80 dogs left, about two dozen of
which are working very well. The ques-
ton of food for the remaining dogs will
soon be a pressing one. Only one box of
dog biscuits remains, and then it must be
bear meat or dog eat dog. An unfortu-
nate feature of the dog business is the re-
luctance with which the animals change
from day to night as we do. While we
eep during what corresponds to the day
and work at night, the dogs show tend
ency to sleep at the time they are expect
ed to work and to roam about and howl
when they should be asleep. It would be
comical if it were not SO painful to wit
ness the efforts of the dogs to slumber.
They place their heads upon one another's
shoulders and snooze until they fall down
in the snow. They lean up against boxes
or scramble to the top of the aluminium
cases and fall asleep until they slip off,
with many plaintive howl and scratch
ing on the metal. AS soon as boat or
sledge stops for a moment the tired brutes
fall asleep, and it is certainly cruelty to
animals-though pardonable cruelty-to
give them a kick and cuff and set them
going through the snow.
We renewed our journey at 9 in the
evening" with no improvement in the road.
The weather continues murky, and we are
wondering If the sun has been lost some
where in the terrestrial regions. Upon the
distant ice mountains of Northeast Land
and west Spitzbergen we occasionally see
evidence of his existence in the form of
broad CLEANS of dazzling light upon the
frozen SUBMITS, but not once has his maj
esty deigned to shine upon u.s.
June 5.-After a hard nights work we
made camp at clock this morning, hav.
ing covered about five miles, much of it
over very rough ice, with occasional peck
cts of deep snow. 1t is surprising how
much strength and endurance men who
have led professional and even sedentary
lives develop in the pure air of the arctics.
For instance, DR.. Mohun and the writer,
neither of whom has ever known hard
work of physical sort except by seeing it
in others, take each day sled laden with
400 pounds, and with three or four dogs
attached to it make the days journey.
Half the time the dogs are of no use on
account of the roughness of the road and
we have to do the work, wading through
snowdrifts, lifting the sled out of holes,
putting it on its runners after 1t has been
overturned and pulling and pushing about
ten hours per day. We do this, too, with
out fatigue. Imagine the many tons OF
energy put forth by our Norwegian con-
-, l,xyD
Dodge, all of whom go three times over the
road, twice with loads proportionately
much heavier than those drawn by DR..
Mohun and myself.
We killed another useless dog this morn.
ing and will serve him up for breakfast
to his surviving companions in the even.
ing. After a good sleep we rose at this
evening, had a fine breakfast of oatmeal
porridge, sweetened to individual taste
with a few tablets of saccharine, tomato
soup, biscuit and as fine a cup of coffee as
any man ever tasted. Could one ask fol
better breakfast? The dogs enjoyed the
flesh of their late companion in misery
very much. Within ten minutes after his
remains were cut up and thrown upon the
snow not a vestige remained. The dogs
are getting SO hungry that we hang oul
boots and such articles high out of the
reach of their voracious jaws.
We set out at O'Clock this evening il
good spirits and with the snow fairly
good for travelling, the temperature hav
ing dropped just under the freezing point
June 6.-Hard by our noon camp was
bit of open salt water, a tidal crack, will
a layer of ice underneath about IS inclle:
of water. The temptation for a bath wa:
too strong for some of us to resist, anG
Mr.. Juen and the writer stripped to thu
skin and waded in, while all the men sal
about and smoked their pipes and looked
on, very much amused spectators Tht
walk in bare feet from the boat, where W,
procured clean Undertaking, through the
snow to the pool was the most trying par
of the ordeal. The snow made the toes colo
enough. Once in the water, with the
| fringe of snow and floor of beautiful blue
ice, the plunge was really pleasant.
have had many bath in the Atlantic dur
ing the summer season that was more try
| ing to the flesh. The last bath any of u:
had enjoyed was the night before we left
the Ragnvald Jarl, and under these cir
cumstances we could be pardoned for i'm
| proving any opportunity to wet and wash
our skin, no matter how frigid. The reac
ton on coming out and vigorously drying
| oneself with a rough towel while seated