tti4 THE WORLD'S WONDERS. 



There was also a small lake, which supplied them with water up 

 to the middle of February. 



In May the party moved into the tent, at the place where they 

 were found, on a slight elevation overlooking the former cainp r 

 and about two hundred and fifty yards to the eastward of it. 

 This change was made owing to the summer thaw setting in and 

 washing out their winter quarters. 



The scene about the entire camp was one of the most wretched 

 imaginable. Quantities of debris, old clothes, cans, camp uten- 

 sils everything but fuel and food covered the ground. Valu- 

 able chronometers, barometers, and other meteorological instru- 

 ments were streAvn about, showing the disregard that the poor 

 fellows had come to have at the last for anything but life. The 

 tent was an army wall-tent, nine by nine feet, and was pitched 

 with its opening to the north-east. 



The first words that gave signs of life to the rescuing party 

 were those of Greely, who said, in a feeble voice, " Cut the tent." 

 The front and western sides had blown down, and the poles were 

 lying across three of the party, who were stretched out in their 

 sleeping-bags, entirely too weak to lift the burden off. They 

 had been in this condition sixty-two hours. Forty-eight hours 

 more was the most that any of the party thought they could have 

 survived under the circumstances. 



The winter house was twenty-five by seventeen feet, with walls 

 of small rocks, about six inches in thickness, piled to a height of 

 three feet. Over the centre was laid the Neptune's whale-boat, 

 forming a ridge pole, and canvass was stretched across this for a 

 roof. Blocks of snow were banked on the outside to keep out 

 the wind. The door was on the south side, and was about two- 

 and-a-half by three feet, with a covered tunnel of the same size 

 running out about twenty-five feet. There were no windows, 

 and their only source of light during the dark, dreary winter 

 nights was an Esquimau blubber-lamp. At the best it was a 

 wretched hovel. 



