of the meat, this vanished instantly on the first trial.  The meat was excellent, quite excellent, and one cutlet after another disappeared with lightning-like rapidity.  I must admit that they would have lost nothing by being a little more tender, but one must not expect too much of a dog.  At this first meal I finished five cutlets myself, and looked in vain in the pot for more.  Wisting appeared not to have reckoned on such a brisk demand.

We employed the afternoon in going through our stock of provisions, and dividing the whole of it among three sledges; the fourth —­ Hassel’s —­ was to be left behind.  The provisions were thus divided.  Sledge No.1 (Wisting’s) contained

Biscuits, 3,700 (daily ration, 40 biscuits per man).

Dogs’ pemmican, 277 3/4 pounds (1/2 kilogram, or 1 pound 1 1/2 ounces per dog per day).

Men’s pemmican, 59 1/2 pounds (350 grams, or 12.34 ounces per man per day).

Chocolate, 12 3/4 pounds (40 grams, or 1.4 ounces per man per day).

Milk-powder, 13 1/4 pounds (60 grams, or 2.1 ounces per man per day).

The other two sledges had approximately the same supplies, and thus permitted us on leaving this place to extend our march over a period of sixty days with full rations.  Our eighteen surviving dogs were divided into three teams, six in each.  According to our calculation, we ought to be able to reach the Pole from here with these eighteen, and to leave it again with sixteen.  Hassel, who was to leave his sledge at this point, thus concluded his provision account, and the divided provisions were entered in the books of the three others.

All this, then, was done that day on paper.  It remained to make the actual transfer of provisions later, when the weather permitted.  To go out and do it that afternoon was not advisable.  Next day, November 23, the wind had gone round to the north-east, with comparatively manageable weather, so at seven in the morning we began to repack the sledges.  This was not an altogether pleasant task; although the weather was what I have called “comparatively manageable,” it was very far from being suitable for packing provisions.  The chocolate, which by this time consisted chiefly of very small pieces, had to be taken out, counted, and then divided among the three sledges.  The same with the biscuits; every single biscuit had to be taken out and counted, and as we had some thousands of them to deal with, it will readily be understood what it was to stand there in about -4deg.  F. and a gale of wind, most of the time with bare hands, fumbling over this troublesome occupation.  The wind increased while we were at work, and when at last we had finished, the snow was so thick that we could scarcely see the tent.