RESCUE OF GREELY 279 



outside, lay what was apparently a dead man. On the 

 opposite side was a poor fellow, alive but without hands 

 or feet, and with a spoon tied to the stump of his right 

 arm. Two others, seated on the ground, were pouring 

 something out of a rubber bottle into a tin can. 

 Directly opposite, on his hands and knees, was a dark 

 man with a long matted beard, in a dirty and tattered 

 dressing-gown with a little red skull cap on his head, 

 and brilliant staring eyes. As Colwell appeared, he 

 raised himself a little, and put on a pair of eyeglasses. 



" Who are you ? " asked Colwell. 



The man made no answer, staring at him vacantly. 



" Who are you ? " again. 



One of the men spoke up. " That's the Major- 

 Major Greely." 



Colwell crawled in and took him by the hand, saying 

 to him, " Greely, is this you ? " 



" Yes," said Greely in a faint, broken voice, hesitating 

 with his words ; " yes seven of us left here we are 

 dying like men. Did what I came to do beat the 

 best record." 



Near at hand were ten graves. The bodies, despite 

 Greely 's remonstrances, were taken up and removed 

 for burial in the United States. " Little could be seen 

 of the condition of the bodies, as they had been clothed, 

 and all that appeared was intact. In preparing them 

 subsequently," says Schley, " it was found that six had 

 been cut and the flesh removed." One of these, that 

 of a cavalryman serving under the assumed name of 

 Henry, had a bullet in it. He had been shot, at 

 Greely 's written order, " for stealing sealskin thongs, 

 the only remaining food." 



