14.4 Art of Travel.
with the exception of a change of this foot-gear, carried no spare clothes.
"When we halted for the night, Thompson and I usually sawed out the blocks of compact snow, and carried them to Petersen, who acted as the master-mason in building the hut. The hour-and-a-half or two hours usually employed in erecting the edifice was the most disagreeable part of the day's labour ; for, in addition to being already well tired and desiring repose,we became thoroughly chilled while standing about. The dogs were then fed, then the sledge unpacked, and everything carried into it. The door was now blocked up with snow, the cooking-lamp lighted, foot-gear changed, diary written up, watches wound, sleeping-bags wriggled into, pipes lighted, and the merits of the various dogs discussed, until supper was ready ; the supper swallowed, the upper robe or coverlet pulled over, and then to sleep. Next morning came breakfast, a struggle to get into frozen mocassins, after which the sledges were packed, and another day's march commenced. In these little huts we usually slept warm enough, although latterly, when our blankets and clothes became loaded with ice, we felt the cold severely. When our low doorway was carefully blocked up with snow, and the cooking-lamp alight, the temperature quickly rose, so that the walls became glazed and our bedding thawed ; but the cooking over, or the doorway partially opened, it as quickly fell again, so that it was impossible to sleep, or even to hold one's pannikin of tea without putting mits on, so intense was the cold."-Sir L. 21cClintock is here speaking of a temperature of - 39° Fahr.
Materials for Building Huts.-The materials whence the walls and roofs of huts may be constructed are very numerous there is hardly any place which does not furnish one or other of them. Those principally in use are as follows :
Wattle-and,-daub, to be executed neatly, requires well-shaped and flexible sticks ; but a hut may be constructed much like the sketch (see p. 120) of the way of Drying Clothes." it is made by planting in the ground a number of bare sticks, 4 feet long, and I foot apart, bending their tops together, lashing them fast with string or strips of bark; and wattling