all directions and covered with briny deposit--a condition we have
never seen before. The ice foot at the S.W. corner of the bay is
broken down, bare rock appearing for the first time.

The sledges, magnetic huts, and in fact every exposed object on the
Point are thickly covered with brine. Our seal floe has gone, so it
is good-bye to seals on this side for some time.

The dogs are the main sufferers by this continuance of phenomenally
terrible weather. At least four are in a bad state; some six or seven
others are by no means fit and well, but oddly enough some ten or a
dozen animals are as fit as they can be. Whether constitutionally
harder or whether better fitted by nature or chance to protect
themselves it is impossible to say--Osman, Czigane, Krisravitsa,
Hohol, and some others are in first-rate condition, whilst Lappa is
better than he has ever been before.

It is so impossible to keep the dogs comfortable in the traces and
so laborious to be continually attempting it, that we have decided
to let the majority run loose. It will be wonderful if we can avoid
one or two murders, but on the other hand probably more would die if
we kept them in leash.

We shall try and keep the quarrelsome dogs chained up.

The main trouble that seems to come on the poor wretches is the icing
up of their hindquarters; once the ice gets thoroughly into the coat
the hind legs get half paralysed with cold. The hope is that the
animals will free themselves of this by running about.