hey get their breakfast, consisting of half
a dried fish or three biscuits apiece. The rest of the forenoon is
spent in rooting round among all the refuse heaps they can find; and
they gnaw and lick all the empty tin cases which they have ransacked
hundreds of times before. If the cook sends a fresh tin dancing along
the ice a battle immediately rages around the prize. It often happens
that one or another of them, trying to get at a tempting piece of fat
at the bottom of a deep, narrow tin, sticks his head so far down into
it that the tin sits fast, and he cannot release himself again; so with
this extinguisher on his head he sprawls about blindly over the ice,
indulging in the most wonderful antics in the effort to get rid of it,
to the great amusement of us the spectators. When tired of their work
at the rubbish heaps they stretch out their round, sausage-like bodies,
panting in the sun, if there is any, and if it is too warm they get
into the shade. They are tied up again before dinner; but "Pan," and
others like-minded, sneak away a little before that time, and hide up
behind a hummock, so that one can only see a head or an ear sticking
up here and there. Should any one go to fetch him in he will probably
growl, show his teeth, or even snap; after which he will lie flat down,
and allow himself to be dragged off to prison. The remainder of the
twenty-four hours they spend sleeping, puffing and panting in the
excessive heat, which, by-the-way, is two degrees of cold. Every now
and then they set up a chorus of howls that certainly must be heard
in Siberia, and quarrel among themselves till the fur flies in all
directions. This removal of the dogs on to the ice has imposed upon
the watch the arduous duty of remaining on deck at nights, which was
not the practice before. But a bear having once been on board and taken
off two of our precious animals, we don't want any more such visitors.

"On July 31st 'Kvik' again increased our population by bringing eleven
puppies into the world, one of which was deformed, and was at once
killed; two others died later, but most of them grew up and became
fine, handsome animals. They are still living.

"Few or no incidents occurred during this time, except, naturally,
the different red-letter days were celebrated with great ceremony."

May 17th [50] we observed with special pomp, the following description
of which I find in my journal:

"Friday, May 18th. May 17th was celebrated yeste