THE LENA DELTA. 757 



up — Lee groaning and complaining, Ericksen, Boyd, 

 and Sam hobbling. Three rests of fifteen minutes each 

 were of no use. Road bad. Breaking through thin 

 crust; young ice everywhere. Occasionally up to 

 knees. Conclude to send back log-books, stove, two 

 alcohol, one tent, binoculars. Built a roaring big fire, 

 and dried ourselves while we ate supper. Then sent 

 Nmdemann»back with Alexey and Dressier to deposit 

 log-books. They returned at nine p. m., when we all 

 crawled into our tents and tried to sleep. Bright sun 

 all the afternoon. Light south wind. Toward eight 

 p. m. became cloudy, and wind backed to S. E. and 

 freshened. 



Sejrtember 20th, Tuesday. — Called all hands at 6.30. 

 Slept better than I expected on our wooden beds. 

 Woke up frequently to shiver with cold. Sick about 

 the same, but no worse. At 8.05 got under way. Left 

 No. 1 tent behind because we could not carry it. No. 

 6 tent is made of cotton, and sheds water better ; and 

 it is my intention to cut it at each end and use it as a 

 coverlet for the fourteen of us. 



I found that our progress was terribly slow. The 

 sun shone brightly and enabled me to keep an idea of 

 our course, generally to the southward ; but so many 

 ponds with thin ice and mossy swamps intervened that 

 we were making a queer traverse table. The most 

 serious trouble was with Ericksen, who kept us all back 

 as he hobbled along a foot at a time. Frequent rests 

 did him no good, and at 11.05 I was compelled to halt 

 the party, for he was done up. Four miles made good. 

 Boyd and Sam did very well, though unable to carry 

 any w T eights. Every one of us seems to have lost all 

 feeling in his toes, and some of us even half way up the 

 feet. That terrible week in the boat has done us a 

 great injury. 



