816 THE VOYAGE OF THE JEANNETTE. 



better rest another day ; " and Nindemann, in his narra- 

 tive adds, " By this time our dysentery was so bad that 

 it was almost impossible for us to start, and I think 

 that if we had started, we should have frozen by the 

 way." So they kept in the hut and worked at their 

 boots, which were falling to pieces. 



At noon, as they were seated by the fire, trying to 

 get a meal ready, they heard a noise outside like a Hock 

 of geese sweeping by. Nindemann looked through the 

 crack of the door, and saw something moving which he 

 took to be a reindeer. He took the rifle down, loaded 

 it, and was moving forward, when the door opened, 

 and a man stood at the entrance. Seeing Nindemann 

 advancing toward him with his rifle, he fell on his 

 knees, throwing up his hands, and began to suppli- 

 cate him. Nindemann threw the rifle into the corner 

 and beckoned eagerly to the man to come in. At first 

 the man was fearful, but finally came in, and the two 

 men, wishing to show that they were friends, offered 

 him some of the fish they were cooking. The man 

 shook his head and made signs that it was not fit to 

 eat. He had come in a sleigh with reindeer, and the 

 men went out to see what he had. He had noth- 

 ing in his sleigh to eat, but Nindemann picked up a 

 large deer-skin coat and brought it with him into the 

 hut, and by signs offered to give the man in exchange 

 his flannel shirt, but he shook his head. Nindemann 

 showed him his boots, and the man went out to his 

 sleigh and brought back a pair of deer-skin boots. 



The two men now tried their best by signs, but in 

 vain, to make the man understand the critical condi- 

 tion of the captain and their shipmates ; he only made 

 signs in return that he must go and that he needed his 

 coat, for it was very cold. He brought in a deer-skin. 



