RENEWED ILLNESS. lOI 



night. On the following morning, December twenty-second, I had 

 developed a high fever and my head about the old wound was swollen, 

 very much inflamed and quite painful. I was clearly unfit to go on 

 and decided to lie over for the day until the fever should subside. 

 We had no remedies, so that I was quite without medical assistance, ex- 

 cept for a few five-grain phenacetine tablets. I began and continued tak- 

 ing these until they were exhausted, but, despite every effort and the 

 kindly care of Mr. Peterson, the fever continued to increase, while the 

 wound on my head reopened. The swelling spread so rapidly over my 

 head, face and neck that on Christmas day both my eyes were entirely 

 closed. Mr. Peterson repeatedly urged me to allow him to make a couch 

 in the cart and return with me to Gallegos, but I could not think of this. 

 Until the time of my injury while on the road to Sandy Point I had sel- 

 dom known what it was to be ill, and I did not now for a moment doubt 

 my ability to pull through. After several days passed in a half delirious 

 state and suffering from fever and the erysipelas in my head and neck, I 

 began to mend. The inflammation subsided rapidly, taking with it, how- 

 ever, most of my hair, and on the first of January we were able to re- 

 sume our journey. During those two or three days of my sickness, when 

 I was suffering most with the terrible fever from which I could get no re- 

 lief, passing hours at a time in a half delirious state, I frequently had 

 most vivid but imaginary experiences. One of these I wish to relate in 

 this connection, because of the permanency of the impression which it 

 produced upon my mind. I fancied myself as going on an expedition to 

 Greenland, a place, by the way, where I had never had the slightest de- 

 sire to go. The personnel of the party, the name of the ship and her 

 officers, as well as our landing place and the site of our encampment in 

 Greenland were all, not only brought distinctly and vividly before my 

 imagination, but so deeply and thoroughly fixed were they in my mind, 

 that it was many months after my recovery before I was quite able to 

 convince myself that I had really never been to Greenland. 



During my convalescence Mr. Peterson had passed some time in recon- 

 noitering. He discovered that the Santa Cruz River lay only a few miles 

 to the north of us, and that consequently we had directed our course across 

 the pampa rather too much to the north and not quite enough to the west. 



Leaving that bleak and desolate spot upon the pampa, where I had all 

 unwillingly passed the most miserable Christmas of my life, with the new 



