NINDEMANN AND NOROS. 807 



found better weather and little of the drifting snow. 

 It was Tuesday, October 11th, and they pushed on 

 southward until midday, when they kindled a fire, mean- 

 ing to warm a little of the alcohol' which they carried ; 

 but Noros, who had carried the bottle in his pocket, put 

 his hand in to find that the bottle was broken, and the 

 alcohol gone. They had recourse to the Arctic willow 

 tea and boot-sole, and took up their march again. To- 

 Avard evening, as they stood on the river bank, they 

 sighted something beyond them which looked like a 

 hut, and after crossing a couple of streams they came 

 up to it, and hailed it as a refuge after that terrible 

 thirty-six hours. 



They gathered wood for a fire which they made, and 

 searched the hut, but found nothing save some deer 

 bones,. which they threw upon the fire and burned and 

 then made effort to eat along with their willow tea. 

 They dried their wet clothes before the fire, and at 

 length lay down and slept. They were under shelter, 

 and when they looked out the next morning, it was 

 blowing a gale from the southwest, and nothing could 

 be seen but the wild, drifting snow. All day, therefore, 

 they lay in their refuge, seeking again for nourishment 

 from the willow tea and the charred bones. 



On the morning of Thursday, the 13th, the weather 

 was clearer, but it was still blowing, and they could 

 get no certain view of where they were going. They 

 were apparently on an island between two streams. 

 The river to the west of them was open to the south- 

 ward and westward ; that to the southward and east- 

 ward was open on the south side, with three hills lying 

 there. They kept along the island through the morn- 

 ing, sitting down often to rest, for they were facing 

 the strong wind and it was hard work. It was on this 



