NINDEMANN AND NOROS. 811 



cover the opening with one of their blankets, but it 

 was not long enough. There was not room for both 

 below the fire, so they took turns, one crawling up 

 above and lying upon his face to avoid the smoke, but 

 this was so penetrating that it was impossible for him 

 to stay, and he would shift with his companion. There 

 was little sleep to be had, and little warmth, and they 

 watched for the morning. Possibly it was the smoke 

 from this fire which Captain De Long descried as he 

 lay in his camp to the north. 



A little before daylight on Sunday morning, the 

 16th, the wind moderated, and the snow was drifting 

 less. They were impatient to get away from their 

 miserable shelter, and taking a little more willow tea 

 and seal-skin they started on their march to the south- 

 ward and eastward in search of the main river, which 

 they believed to flow by the high land which they 

 could see in that direction. They crossed the stream 

 by which they were, and got upon some sand spits 

 where were heavy hummocks of ice. The wind had 

 increased again. They tried to rest in the lee of the 

 hummocks, but the wind was searching and struck 

 through their imperfect clothing, so they struggled on 

 until they reached a large sand bank and saw that 

 the high hills toward which they had been aiming ap- 

 peared to be about three miles distant. They could 

 see no river, however, and began to fear they must 

 have crossed, the main stream. But they resolved to 

 push on to the foot of the hills, and then if they failed 

 to find the river to turn back and take a westward 

 course. 



Following the sand spit on which they had halted 

 they soon came to the river. Their orders had been 

 to keep on the west bank, but there seemed to be noth- 



