cond row is placed on top of the first, but sloping slightly inward;
and the following rows are carried up in a gradually ascending spiral,
each successive layer leaning inward a little more, and each block held
in place by the blocks on either side, until finally an aperture is left
in the top to be filled with one block.

This block is then properly shaped by the man inside the igloo; he
pushes it up endwise through the aperture, turns it over by reaching
through the top, lowers it into place, and chips off with his knife
until it fits the hole like the keystone of an arch, firmly keying the
structure, whose general proportions are not unlike those of a beehive.

A hole just large enough for a man to crawl through is cut close to the
bottom on one side, and any superfluous snow inside the igloo is thrown
out through this hole. In the rear or larger end, the sloping floor is
leveled off to form a bed platform, and in front of this the floor is
dug down a foot or more for a standing space and a place for the
cookers.

Then the sleeping gear and cooking outfit are passed into the igloo,
and, after the dogs have been fed and tethered for the night, the
members of the party enter, the opening at the bottom is closed by a
large block of snow, the edges of which have been shaped and chipped by
a saw knife to make a tight joint, and everything is ready for the
night.

After the cookers are lighted, the igloo is soon comparatively warm, and
in the arctic regions, when men are tired out from a long march, they
generally fall asleep easily. Insomnia is not one of the arctic
annoyances.

We never carry alarm clocks in the field to arouse us in the morning.
The first man who has had his sleep out looks at his watch, and if it is
time to be on the march again, he wakes the others. After breakfast we
break camp and are out again.

I did not join the field parties during the winter moons this time, but
remained on the ship, going over and perfecting the plans for the spring
campaign--the sledge journey toward the Pole--and giving considerable
study to the new type of Peary sledge, to the improvement of details of
clothing, and to experimenting with the new alcohol stove which I had
designed for the spring work--determining the most effective charge of
alcohol, the most effective size of broken ice for melting, and so on.
The question of weights is a most important factor in all sledge
equipment, and it was necessary constantly