GREELY'S ARCTIC WINTER OF STARVATION 363 



the forlorn hope of reaching an outlying camp of Etah Eskimo on 

 the Greenland coast. 



The terrible prospect of such a scheme to men situated as they 

 were can scarcely be imagined. For four months they would have 

 to face that rigid diet, suffering the pangs of starvation constantly, 

 almost entirely in the dark, and always huddled up in the sleeping- 

 bags against the walls of their low-roofed hut. Yet they accepted 

 the scheme without a murmur. 



Seldom have men shown themselves so absolutely courageous, 

 for at the best it was merely slow starvation so as to be able to make 

 an almost hopeless dash for freedom and food in four months' time. 

 The suffering during those four months was terrible. Men, as soon 

 as they got hold of their day's rations, were tempted to devour them 

 at once, and so still for a time the ceaseless gnawing of hunger ; but 

 to do so meant that in an hour's time the pain would be back again 

 with no means of staying it until twenty-three hours had passed. 

 Calmly and bravely they faced the ordeal, dividing their scanty 

 store into regular meals, and when, by an accident one of them 

 upset his can, spilling his few mouthfuls of tea on the ground, the 

 others contributed from their share so that he should not go entirely 

 without. Nothing could exceed the touching fidelity which char- 

 acterized their bearing, one to the other, during this period of ui>- 

 exampled suffering. 



At Cape Isabella, a stock of 140 pounds of meat was known to 

 have been left by Sir George Nares, and a party of four set out in 

 the hopes of securing it. For a week before they started they were 

 allowed an extra ration in order to strengthen them for the trial of 

 a journey in the dark over rough ice and with the temperature at 

 34 degrees below zero. The extra ration consisted of two ounces 

 a day. 



For five days they battled their way through the darkness 

 against a heavy wind laden with snow, and at last found the food. 

 Piling it on their sledge, they turned back home, and for fourteen 



