LEAVING THE SHIP BEHIND. 605 



the men broke through over their knees, and dragging, 

 under these circumstances, is hard work. In pools here 

 and there around us water has formed, and though the 

 lower temperature freezes it at night, the sun thaws the 

 ice in the middle of the day, and we suddenly flounder 

 in. A month later this water will drain off to the sea. 

 The weather was foggy at our start last night, but 

 though the fog disappeared soon after, the sky was 

 covered with cirro-cumulus and cumulo-stratus clouds, 

 effectively blocking my attempt to get the latitude 

 at midnight, consequently we are still in the dark as 

 to our position. 



Chipp is very weak, and just strong enough to be 

 able to walk from place to place by easy stages. I am 

 very seriously disturbed about him. Lauterbach was 

 restored to duty yesterday evening. Alexey still sick, 

 unable to keep anything on his stomach. 



Starr informs me that he has often come across writ- 

 ten papers in our provision packages, and he has 

 brought me this one which he found yesterday with 

 some coffee : — 



" This is to express my best wishes for your furtherance and 

 success in your great undertaking. Hoping when you peruse 

 these lines you will be thinking of the comfortable homes you 

 left behind you for the purpose of aiding science. If you can 

 make it convenient drop me a line. My address, 



" G. J. K. 

 " 10 Box, New York City." 



At the doctor's suggestion I to-day issued an order 

 that all salt now in our possession should be saved, and 

 none used until further orders. Each boat box has 

 two tin canisters containing two pounds each, and that 

 gives us twelve pounds altogether. 



We used the last of our chicken and turnips to-day, 



