776 THE VOYAGE OF THE JEANNETTE. 



more and more critical. The doctor tells me this morn- 

 ing that his foot is sloughing away very fast, and that 

 unless he can very soon be given the care and medical 

 treatment which only a prolonged stay at a settlement 

 will admit, his life is in danger. From the symptoms 

 of a couple of days back the doctor fears lockjaw may. 

 intervene and carry him off ; and in fact, it seems hard 

 to see how he can recover in any case. If we could 

 move on, and I forced him along, it would probably 

 shorten his life ; if I remained here and kept every- 

 body with me, Ericksen's days would be lengthened a 

 little at the risk of our all dying from starvation. This 

 is evidently a crisis in our lives. I can do nothing more. 

 We cannot cross the water until it freezes, or until we 

 are ferried across it. I may be mistaken in our posi- 

 tion, and we may be still twelve miles from the Delta 

 end. This river making to the east may be the river I 

 thought we rafted over some days ago, and we may be 

 that much out. Any raft that is built must be large 

 enough to carry us all at one time, for in such deep 

 water and strong winds, there can be no coming back 

 and forth ; and how can we secure enough logs together 

 to float us, having only a few ends of lanyards from the 

 mens' bundles ? The doctor and Mr. Collins started out 

 on a hunt, after breakfast, too, but beyond a ptarmigan 

 or two they saw nothing. 



At twelve had dinner ; eight and one fourth pounds 

 bone soup, and seven pounds meat. At 12.15 Alexey 

 and Nindemann returned, having come together and 

 proceeded in company about four miles along the 

 river. According to Nindemann the river proceeds 

 indefinitely east southeast. Two miles from us they 

 came to a two-man hut, which seemed to have been 

 recently occupied. A portion of fish found there 



