TRAPPERS 15 



land, which in the Arctic regions takes place 

 very slowly, had first transformed the bay into 

 a lagoon. The lagoon, now almost wholly dry, 

 had preserved as witness of its past these masses 

 of flotsam. There was little or no vegetation, 

 except extremely rare clusters of white or yellow 

 anemones. 



As we descended, two men approached us. 

 The first of the two was dressed in a black 

 leather coat and fur hat. He politely saluted 

 us. We learnt that he was the chief of a group 

 of six trappers from Tromso, who had been on 

 the island since the preceding July to hunt 

 foxes during the winter. One of the party had 

 died of scurvy in February ; another as a 

 matter of fact it was the man accompanying 

 the chief displayed early symptoms of the 

 same fell disease. He believed death inevitable, 

 and had come to beg of us lime-juice to ease 

 his suffering. 



Recamier turned back with the sick man 

 and took him on board to examine and prescribe 

 for him. The rest of us pushed forward until 

 we came to the Austrian station, where we 

 found the other trappers. 



In accordance with a long-established custom 

 these hunters had separated during the winter, 

 three of them occupying the Austrian hut on 



