362 GREELY'S ARCTIC WINTER OF STARVATION 



whale-boat, which had drifted ashore near the cape, was recovered. 

 At a later date it served them for firewood when their other fuel 

 was exhausted. 



The news brought was a serious blow to the wanderers. They 

 knew now that no help could reach them till the following spring or 

 summer. And it was found that the party from the "Proteus" had 

 used much of the stores upon which the Greely party had depended. 

 When they obtained what was left, part of the bread was found to 

 be a mass of green slimy mildew. Yet so hungry were the members 

 of the band sent to convey the stores from Cape Sabine to the hut 

 that when the green moldy stuff was thrown out by the officer in 

 charge, the men seized and devoured it despite all he could do to 

 persuade them from such a course. 



The question of the strictest economy in the management of 

 the food supplies was now a matter of life or death, and very seri- 

 ously the leaders debated it. On October 26th the sun sank beneath 

 the horizon, and in the ensuing darkness, which lasted for no days, 

 there would be no chance of obtaining any game. A few blue foxes 

 had been killed since the camp was formed, and half the number 

 were set aside for subsequent consumption, those consumed at once 

 being devoured to the bones, every part being put into the stew. 



Meagre as the rations were, it was necessary to reduce them 

 still further if the food was to last until the spring. By a further, 

 reduction it was calculated that the party could exist until March 

 ist, when the available supplies would amount to ten days' rations. 

 But no relief could possibly reach them until a couple of months 

 later than that, and how were they to live after March loth, when 

 the last crumb of their supplies had been consumed. 



There was only one course open for them, and that was ex- 

 plained by the leader. On November ist the allowance for each 

 man would be fourteen ounces, given out every twenty-four hours, 

 and on March ist, as soon as there was light, they would take their 

 remaining ten days' supply and set out across the frozen straits in 



