undressing. It was necessary to leave free
passage for the breath, which would freeze at once on anything it met.

The boundless plain stretched out with tiresome monotony; everywhere
there appeared heaped-up ice-hills, hummocks, blocks, and icebergs,
separated by winding valleys; they walked staff in hand, saying but
little. In this cold atmosphere, to open the mouth was painful; sharp
crystals of ice suddenly formed between the lips, and the heat of the
breath could not melt them. Their progress was silent, and every one
beat the ice with his staff. Bell's footsteps were visible in the
fresh snow; they followed them mechanically, and where he had passed,
the others could go safely.

Numerous tracks of bears and foxes crossed one another everywhere; but
during this first day not one could be seen; to chase them would have
been dangerous and useless: they would only have overloaded the
already heavy sledge.

Generally, in excursions of this sort, travellers take the precaution
of leaving supplies along their path; they hide them from the animals,
in the snow, thus lightening themselves for their trip, and on their
return they take the supplies which they did not have the trouble of
carrying with them.

Hatteras could not employ this device on an ice-field which perhaps
was moving; on firm land it would have been possible; and the
uncertainty of their route made it doubtful whether they would return
by the same path.

At noon, Hatteras halted his little troop in the shelter of an
ice-wall; they dined off pemmican and hot tea; the strengthening
qualities of this beverage produced general comfort, and the
travellers drank a large quantity. After an hour's rest they started
on again; in the first day they walked about twenty miles; that
evening men and dogs were tired out.

Still, in spite of their fatigue, they had to build a snow-house in
which to pass the night; the tent would not have been enough. This
took them an hour and a half. Bell was very skilful; the blocks of
ice, which were cut with a knife, were placed on top of one another
with astonishing rapidity, and they took the shape of a dome, and a
last piece, the keystone of the arch, established the solidity of the
building; the soft snow served as mortar in the interstices; it soon
hardened and made the whole building of a single piece.

[Illustration]

Access was had into this improvised grotto by means of a narrow
opening, through which it was necessa