GREELY'S CAMPING-GROUND. 95 



preserve them during the journey home, it was found that the 

 flesh of six of them had been partially cut away. The horrors and 

 sufferings of the last three weeks, says Schley, need not be 

 mentioned ; should the story ever be told, it must be done by the 

 survivors themselves. 



On February 12, the doctor and Olsen went off to try to find 

 the scene of these horrors. In clear, cold weather, with the ther- 

 mometer at -40 Fahr. ( -40 Cent.), without food or other means 

 of locomotion than their own legs, they started forth early in the 

 morning, so that they might have the day before them, for it was 

 not yet light for very long at a time. The snow in Eice Strait was 

 hard, and the walking consequently good, but on the north side of 

 Pirn Island it became very loose and heavy. They ploughed along, 

 however, and about noon reached a spot where among other things 

 they found some bits of rope and sailcloth, and where they imagined 

 the camp must have been. 



When they had looked round the place, the doctor said it was 

 time to think about returning home, as it was already growing late, 

 but Olsen declared he could not go another step. The doctor then 

 told him that he must make an effort, for it was impossible for them 

 to remain where they were, without either food or a sleeping-bag. 

 He took Olsen by the arm, supporting him as well as he could, 

 and they both staggered off together. The doctor did everything 

 in his power to keep his man going ; he tried to arouse his 

 patriotism by singing, 'Ja, vi elsker dette Landet;' he tried to 

 make him laugh, and sang ' Den evigglade Kobbersmed ; ' he tried 

 to play on his erotic feelings, and sang ' Den gang jeg drog afsted, 

 min pige vilde med,' but Olsen refused to be roused. As a matter 

 of fact, he had been much indoors all the winter, at his tinkering 

 and instrument-making and the like, and had had little exercise.' 



In spite of the doctor's songs and support, they made very little 

 progress, and slower and slower grew the pace. They passed 

 Cocked Hat Island, but a little north of the Meat-heap Olsen 

 could not move another step ; in fact, he was not able to stand. 

 There was nothing for it then but for the doctor to use his long 

 legs as fast as they could cany him, and use them he did, for he 



