346 Thirty Years 



they continued, however, to be full of hope. Their 

 utmost exertions could only supply wood to renew the 

 fire thrice, and on making it up the last time we went 

 to bed. Adam was rather in better spirits, but he 

 could not bear to be left alone. Our stock of bones 

 was exhausted by a small quantity of soup we made 

 this evening. The toil of separating the hair from 

 the skins, which in fact were our chief support, had 

 now become so wearisome as to prevent us from eat- 

 ing as much as we should otherwise have done. 



November 4. — Calm and comparatively mild wea- 

 ther. The Doctor and Hepburn, exclusive of their 

 usual occupation, gathered some tripe de rocJie. I 

 went a few yards from the house in search of bones, 

 and returned quite fatigued, having found but three. 

 The Doctor again made incisions in Adam's legs, 

 which discharged a considerable quantity of water, and 

 gave him great relief. We read prayers and a portion 

 of the New Testament in the morning and evening, as 

 had been our practice since Dr. Richardson's arrival ; 

 and I may remark that the performance of these duties 

 always afforded us the greatest consolation, serving to 

 reanimate our hope in the mercy of the Omnipotent, 

 who alone could save and deliver us. 



On the 5th the breezes were light, with dark cloudy 

 weather, and some snow. The Doctor and Hepburn 

 were getting much weaker, and the limbs of the hi- 



