GREELY'S CAMPING-GROUND. 93 



In the spring of 1884, two of these four, Sergeants Eice and 

 Frederick, made another attempt to fetch the meat, but again they 

 were unsuccessful. They were overtaken by a violent snowstorm, 

 and Eice this time is the one to fail. In order to warm and protect 

 his dying friend, Frederick takes off his timiak, and covers him 

 with it. It is in vain ; he begins to wander, and talks about his 

 friends at home, and all the good food he will have when he gets 

 back. In a lucid moment he makes his friend promise that he 

 will take back his few possessions to his home, and his manuscripts 

 to a certain newspaper. Half divested of his clothing, and in a 

 driving snowstorm, Frederick remains sitting on the sledge .for 

 several hours with his friend in his arms, until at last the latter 

 expires. Then he can do no more, but his promise to the dead 

 and duty to his country steel his will. He gropes his way back to 

 the place where he had left the sleeping-bag, in order to be able to 

 return with greater rapidity with the meat, rests in it till the next 

 day, and then goes back to the sledge to secure what Eice had asked 

 him to take home, and with an axe and his bare fingers hacked 

 and dug him a grave in the ice. 



In 1884 a relief fleet of three ships, under the command of 

 Captain W. S. Schley, proceeded up between Greenland and Elles- 

 mere Land. They made depots in various places, and on June 22 

 two of the ships reached Cape Sabine. Parties had been sent 

 ashore to make a depot, when, through the howling of the storm, 

 those on board heard the sound of shouting and hurrahs, and soon 

 afterwards saw a signal which told them that news of Greely 

 had been found. The intelligence spread like fire, and caused the 

 greatest joy, when it was heard that he was not in distress, although 

 he had only forty rations left. But, alas ! disappointment immedi- 

 ately followed, for when they came to the last page of the record, 

 they found to their dismay that it was dated October 21, 1883 

 eight months previously ! A sloop was sent northwards in 

 the greatest haste. Those on board scanned and scanned the 

 country, and at last, through the hazy atmosphere, they saw the 

 outline of a human being standing on a little hill. He was 

 signalled ; the figure answered and came down the hill, but his gait 

 was tottering, and twice he fell. He looked like a ghost, with 



