806 THE VOYAGE OF THE JEANNETTE. 



On the morning of Monday, October 10th, they had a 

 little willow tea and another boot-sole, and then started 

 along the bank to the westward, and again to the south- 

 west. They were aiming to keep a southerly course 

 on the west bank of the main stream, but they were in 

 a confused morass, with points of land here and there, 

 which they tried to reach. The wind was v high, and 

 the drifting snow filled the air, so that sometimes they 

 could not see fifty yards beyond them. When there 

 was a lull they would get their bearings, but as they 

 went from point to point, they were constantly com- 

 pelled to cross streams, wading through the water to a 

 sand spit beyond, only to find another stream beyond 

 that. Thus they struggled on all day, from nine o'clock 

 till nearly dark, making a course which was sometimes 

 northwest and sometimes west. The wind was still so 

 high when they halted for the night, that though they 

 found drift-wood, they were unable to light and keep a 

 fire. So, walking till they came to a bank of the river 

 where there was a deep snow T -drift, they set to work to 

 scoop out a hole into which they could crawl for shelter. 

 They had no tools but their sheath-knives, and it was 

 midnight before their task was done. Then they crawled 

 in, nearly closed the hole behind them to keep the snow 

 from drifting in, and rolled themselves in their blankets. 

 There they lay the night through, but they were wet 

 to their waists, and had to keep the blood in circulation 

 by knocking their feet together. One would sleep for 

 five minutes, and then be waked by the other and bid- 

 den keep from freezing by knocking his feet together. 



When morning came it was with difficulty that they 

 could extricate themselves from the hole which they 

 had dug, for the snow had been piled up by the wind 

 against the opening. Once on their feet again, they 



