258 ABOTIO SEAS. 



south, but no further traces were found, &nd on the 19th 

 June the weary searchers reached once more " their poor 

 dear lovely little Fox" 



Little is said by M'Clintock of the determination 01 

 endurance required bearing on so extended and minute a 

 search on an Arctic shore for a period of more than two 

 months and a-half. The temperature was frequently 

 nearly 30 below zero, with cutting north winds, bright 

 sun, and intense severe glare. The men had each to drag 

 a weight of 200 Ibs., to encamp every evening in snow 

 huts, which it cost something like two hours of hard 

 labour, at the close of a long day's walk, to build, and in 

 which the very blankets and clothes became loaded with 

 ice. 



" When onr low doorway was carefully blocked Tip 

 with snow, and the cooking lamp alight, the tempera- 

 ture quickly rose, so that the walls became glazed and 

 our bedding thawed ; but the cooking over, as the door- 

 way 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 our mitts on, so intense was the cold.'* 



Under these privations, Hobson at last had fairly 

 broken down, and for many days before he reached the 

 yacht had been totally unable to walk or even stand with- 

 out assistance. He was obliged in consequence to be 

 dragged home in one of the sledges, but by the time 

 M'Clintock arrived had already begun to mend. One 

 death had taken place during their absence, making, 

 with that of the engineer, who had suddenly died of 



