788 THE VOYAGE OF THE JEANNETTE. 



ice, but I think it must have been below zero. A 

 watch was set to keep the fire going and we huddled 

 around it, and thus our third night without sleep 

 was passed. If Alexey had not wrapped his sealskin 

 around me and sat down alongside of me to keep me 

 warm by the heat of his body, I think I should have 

 frozen to death. As it was I steamed, and shivered, 

 and shook. Erickseri's groans and rambling talk rang 

 out on the night air, and such a dreary, wretched night 

 I hope I shall never see again. 



October 4:th, Tuesday. — One hundred and fourteenth 

 day. At the first approach of daylight we all began 

 to move around, and the cook was set to work making 

 tea. The doctor now made the unpleasant discovery 

 that during the night Ericksen had got his gloves off 

 and that now his hands were frozen. Men were at 

 once set to work rubbing them, and by six A. m. we 

 had so far restored circulation as to risk moving the 

 man. Each one had hastily swallowed a cup of tea, 

 and got his load in readiness. Ericksen was quite un- 

 conscious, and we lashed him on the sled. A S. W. 

 gale was blowing, and the sensation of cold was in- 

 tense ; but at six A. m. we started, made a forced fleet 

 of it, and at eight a. m. had got the man and ourselves, 

 thank God, under the cover of a hut large enough to 

 hold us. Here we at once made a fire, and for the 

 first time since Saturday morning last got warm. 



The doctor at once examined Ericksen and found 

 him very low indeed. His pulse was very feeble, he 

 was quite unconscious, and under the shock of the 

 exposure of the past night he was sinking very fast. 

 Fears were entertained that he might not last many 

 hours, and I therefore called upon every one to join 

 with me in reading the prayers for a sick person before 



