GREENLAND BY THE POLAR SEA 



same point, and killed twenty-four hares, six ducklings, and 

 two reindeer. 



On the whole of the expedition Dr. Wulff had shown him- 

 self to be a quick and enduring walker. On the inland-ice he 

 managed excellently in spite of the very short rations of pem- 

 mican and meat. Not until we had to live entirely on dog-flesh 

 did he collapse. Notwithstanding this, I am convinced that 

 he would have managed after all had not the exhaustion and 

 weakness consequent on the passage across the many glacier 

 rivers used up his last energy. When anaemia and pains in the 

 heart set in he collapsed. Not until then did he lie down to 

 meet the death which he had no longer the strength to evade. 



It is my conviction that Wulff 's death was easy, for he was 

 in that state of physical exhaustion when the change from life 

 to death is not very great, and in which death comes as a sleep 

 which one feels that one needs more than anything else and 

 which almost unnoticeably carries one out of life. He had 

 his hardest days together with us during the period which he 

 describes in his diary, and which will here be reproduced. 



Our physical energy was so low after the last few months 

 of under-nourishment, that we were not far from that state in 

 which, after all, everything appears quite indifferent to one. 

 The will also claims some material nourishment, even though 

 for a period one may force one's constitution to perform 

 miracles, simply because one will and must. As long as one 

 is capable of this, one is quite indifferent to what he eats so long 

 as he feels that he is capable of getting up again after the 

 short rests. 



One must shut one's brain to arguments of any kind and 

 try to force one's thoughts to refrain from playing with intoler- 

 able food phantasies ; one must look ahead in such a way that 

 one does not even accept the hopelessness of the moment. 

 Wulff not only gave in to his food phantasies, he even discussed 

 in his diary his state of exhaustion, and regarded the last walks 

 towards people as worse than death. Thought of this kind can 

 merely lead to the breaking of the will and a weak surrender. 



One then genuinely feels that there is onlv one desirable 

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