421 THE GEK5[.\N AHCTIO EXrEDITION. 



goes into tlio open air. He is almost torn to pieces, 

 stifled by the snow-filled air, betrayed into snow-drifts, 

 and yet not daring to open his eyes. Numbed with cold, 

 white as a miller, he returns to the tent. Here he is a 

 subject of horror to his neighbours in the sack, whom he 

 intends robbing of their warmth to thaw himself. The 

 snow-powder blown in upon the opening of the tent-door 

 has penetrated through all the clothes, and the skin has 

 to be scraped, and any frost-bites that may have set in 

 have to be dispersed by rubbing. Indeed, the disturbance 

 and excitement consequent upon a walk in the open air 

 does not subside for some hours. 



But the snow-blind suffer the most from such a state 

 of things. Out of consideration to them smoking was 

 dropped. 



The irritation caused by the white snow-flakes, which 

 with us are easily beaten aside, causes great suffering in 

 Grreenlandj from the inflamed state of the eyes and the 

 thick heavy atmosphere, to those who may have been 

 unfortunate enough to break their snow-spectacles. 



Beating them off while on the march is impossible, for 

 the damp cloth freezes at once to a lump of ice, making 

 the eyes insupportably cold. The simple bandage, on 

 the other hand, does not save one from the steady burn- 

 ing pain, which acts like needle-pricks. Opening the eye 

 for a moment is not to be thought of. The blind are 

 obliged to pull with the others, as the laden sledge cannot 

 be moved but by our united strength. 



As a rule, we break up about five a.m. The thin black 

 coffee is taken with some ice-cold bread dust,^ which effec- 



" From loading aud uuloadiug the sacks, the hard bread carried with 

 us falls by degrees into dust. 



