488 DR. KANE'S EXPEDITION. 



water or food, when a new hope cheered us. I think 

 it was Hans, our Esquimaux hunter, who thought he 

 saw a broad sledge-track. The drift had nearly eil'aced 

 it, and we were some of us doubtful at first whether it 

 was not one of those accidental Hits which the gales 

 make in the surface-snow. But, as we traced it on to 

 the deep snow among the hummocks, we were led to 

 footsteps ; and, following these with religious care, wo 

 at last came in sight of a small American flag fluttering 

 from a hummock, and lower down a little Masonic ban- 

 ner hanging from a tent-pole hardly above the drift. It 

 was the camp of our disabled comrades : we reached it 

 after an unbroken march of twenty-one hours. 



" The little tent was nearly covered. I was not 

 among the first to come up ; but, when I reached the 

 tent-curtain, the men were standing in silent file on each 

 side of it. With more kindness and delicacy of feeling 

 than is often supposed to belong to sailors, but which is 

 almost characteristic, they intimated their wish that I 

 should go in alone. As I crawled in, and, coming upon 

 the darkness, heard before me the burst of welcome 

 gladness that came from the four poor fellows stretched 

 on their backs, and then for the first time the cheer out- 

 side, my weakness and my gratitude together almost 

 overcame me. ' They had expected me ; they were sure 

 I would come ! ' 



We copy entire Dr. Kane's spirited account of the 

 retreat of the party, now consisting of fifteen souls : 



" It was fortunate indeed that we were not inexpe- 

 rienced in sledging over the ice. A great part of our 

 track lay among a succession of hummocks ; some of 

 them extended in long lines fifteen and twenty feet high, 

 and so uniformly steep that we had to turn them by a 

 considerable deviation from our direct course ; others 

 that we forced our way through, far above our heads in 



