CHAPTER XVIII. 



LIEUTENANT DANENHOWER'S NARRATIVE. 



(CONTINUED.) 



WE left Bennett Island about August 4th. We were 

 then fifty-three days out from the place where the 

 Jeannette had sunk. We were fortunate enough in being 

 able to launch our boats and to make better progress in the 

 cracks between the floes. But we still had to keep our sleds 

 for a short time longer. Some of the dogs rendered us very 

 important services; but about half the number were now 

 disabled by famine and weakness. We had forty originally, 

 but about sixteen had died, or had been killed by the others 

 during the two winters in the ice. After the stock of dog- 

 food gave out, and owing to the scarcity of game, there were 

 long periods of starvation for the poor brutes. Each man 

 had a favorite animal, and would share his own rations with 

 him; but this was not sufficient. At Bennett Island we 

 still had, I think, twenty-three left, and the day before leav- 

 ing eleven of the poorest of these were shot. We took the 

 remaining twelve in the boats, but in passing close to big 

 floe-pieces these gave us a great deal of trouble by jumping 

 out and running away. Finally, Prince and Snoozer were 

 the only two that had sense enough to remain by us. 



For the next eighteen days we were working between 

 floe-pieces, and sometimes making as much as ten miles a 

 day on our course to the southwest. Several times a day we 

 would have to haul the boats out, and make portages across 

 the large floe-pieces that barred our progress. This was 

 very severe work. We had at this time retained only the 

 boat sleds, having left the provision sleds and all superfluous 



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