AFTER FIFTY YEARS 



Thus we passed the second winter under the greatest 

 difficulties, and still hoping that in the coming spring, we 

 would be enabled to take the vessel out, and make the 

 journey home with all hands. It was a hard winter, and 

 as we had exhausted our supply of anti-scorbutics, the 

 scurvy was making heavy inroads. Those of us who had 

 been living on fresh foods were free from the scourge, but 

 when we returned to the ship we had frozen hands and 

 feet to take care of. Our straits can be appreciated, when 

 the fact is stated that in the month of February of that 

 year (1855), Dr. Kane and myself were the only two on 

 the ship who were able to go outside and work for the 

 welfare of others. 



As early as possible further efforts were made to go 

 south with the whole party; the sledges were fixed, and the 

 boats mounted upon them, and the whole fleet started from 

 Rensselaer Bay, on May 20, to slide these boats over the 

 ice ninety miles to the open water. This laborious work 

 required several weeks for its accomplishment. The ice 

 became weak as the sun rose in power, and we were con- 

 stantly breaking through, having to discharge the cargoes 

 of the boats and extricate them from the ice, and move on, 

 only to find the same difficulty again, every few hundred 

 yards. In the course of time, however, we succeeded in 

 reaching the bay, and in the latter part of June we were 

 enabled to launch the boats in their natural element. 



After more or less difficulty, we reached Upernavik on 

 the morning of August 6, 1855, just two years to a day, 

 from the time we had left the place on our upward voyage. 

 We were lodged in the oil-house where we were, according 

 to our ideas, very comfortable indeed, and prepared to wait 

 patiently for the arrival of a vessel in the harbor, which 

 should restore us to home and friends. About a week 

 later a ship came in and then, after she had discharged her 

 cargo and reloaded, we took passage on the bluff-bowed 

 vessel " Marianna." 



At Godhaven, one hundred and fifty miles south — a 

 voyage which took us about three days to accomplish, ow- 

 ing to the slow speed of the vessel — we were surprised and 

 delighted to meet with United States ships which had been 

 sent out in search of us. They had been far to the north, 



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