It was interesting to watch the home-coming of the dogs from the last trip.  They showed no sign of surprise when we came into camp; they might have been there all the time.  It is true they were rather more hungry than the rest.  The meeting between Lassesen and Fix was comic.  These two were inseparable friends; the first-named was boss, and the other obeyed him blindly.  On this last trip I had left Fix at home, as he did not give me the impression of being quite up to the work; he had therefore put on a lot of flesh, big eater as he was.  I stood and watched their meeting with intense curiosity.  Would not Fix take advantage of the occasion to assume the position of boss?  In such a mass of dogs it took some little time before they came across each other.  Then it was quite touching.  Fix ran straight up to the other, began to lick him, and showed every sign of the greatest affection and joy at seeing him again.  Lassesen, on his part, took it all with a very superior air, as befits a boss.  Without further ceremony, he rolled his fat friend in the snow and stood over him for a while —­ no doubt to let him know that he was still absolute master, beyond dispute.  Poor Fix! —­ he looked quite crestfallen.  But this did not last long; he soon avenged himself on the other, knowing that he could tackle him with safety.

In order to give a picture of our life as it was at this time, I will quote a day from my diary.  March 25 —­ Saturday:  “Beautiful mild weather, +6.8deg.  F. all day.  Very light breeze from the south-east.  Our seal-hunters —­ the party that came home from 81deg.  S. —­ were out this morning, and brought back three seals.  This makes sixty-two seals altogether since their return on March 11.  We have now quite enough fresh meat both for ourselves and for all our dogs.  We get to like seal-steak more and more every day.  We should all be glad to eat it at every meal, but we think it safer to make a little variety.  For breakfast —­ eight o’clock —­ we now have regularly hot cakes with jam, and Lindstrom knows how to prepare them in a way that could not be surpassed in the best American houses.  In addition, we have bread, butter, cheese, and coffee.  For dinner we mostly have seal meat (we introduced rather more tinned meat into the menu in the course of the winter), and sweets in the form of tinned Californian fruit, tarts, and tinned puddings.  For supper, seal-steak, with whortleberry jam, cheese, bread, butter, and coffee.  Every Saturday evening a glass of toddy and a cigar.  I must frankly confess that I have never lived so well.  And the consequence is that we are all in the best of health, and I feel certain that the whole enterprise will be crowned with success.

“It is strange indeed here to go outside in the evening and see the cosy, warm lamp-light through the window of our little snow-covered hut, and to feel that this is our snug, comfortable home on the formidable and dreaded Barrier.  All our little puppies —­ as round as Christmas pigs —­ are wandering about outside, and at night they lie in crowds about the door.  They never take shelter under a roof at night.  They must be hardy beasts.  Some of them are so fat that they waddle just like geese.”