592 THE VOYAGE OF THE JEANNETTE. 



up, when, by filling in with some large pieces of ice, we 

 managed to get an uncertain way of crossing the open- 

 ing; lead. While so crossing; we doubled under the right 



O o o 



runner of No. 1 sled, and had to stop lest we should 

 ruin it No. 2 and No. 5 each broke a runner, the 

 tenons of the upright breaking short off. And in fine, 

 by the time we had crossed this lead, Saturday, June 

 18th, 12.10 A. M., we had three disabled sleds, were al- 

 ready an hour late for our dinner, had our provisions 

 half a mile further on, and the mess gear and sleep- 

 ing gear of No. 1 sled a half mile further still. How- 

 ever, there was no help for it. So, buckling to our two 

 boats we started on, and by 1.30 A. M. had reached the 

 black flag and our provisions. Here I ordered a halt 

 and dinner cooked. On the way back from the first 

 cutter the doctor had encountered Chipp and the in- 

 valids hobbling along pretty well exhausted, and after 

 administering a dose of whiskey to Chipp had recom- 

 mended him to stop at the third flag, where the pro- 

 visions were. But to make our confusion more com- 

 plete he had not clone so, but had continued on to the 

 first cutter. Hence I had to move all hands on to him 

 or bring him back to us. Deciding the latter to be 

 most feasible I sent Ericksen ahead with a dog sledge 

 to bring No. l's mess gear back, and with orders for 

 the invalids to come back riding upon the dog sled, if 

 they could not walk. (During the advance with the 

 first cutter Lauterbach had doubled up with cramps, 

 and was left where the cutter stopped in Newcomb's 

 charge. Lee frequently was falling clown also suffering 

 with cramps, for which we can assign no cause except 

 lead poison.) Well, I got all hands together by two 

 A. m. and at dinner, except No. 1 sled, which did not 

 get dinner until three A. m. 



