POLAR HOSPITALS 



worked wonders for a short time, when life again began to 

 ebb away, and the man with the scythe commenced anew 

 to reap his harvest. 



Most of my comrades during those days of misery died 

 there, and the majority of them died supported by my own 

 weak arm, since in their last moment I would always, as 

 was my duty, try to ease them, and help them as much as 

 was in my poor power. A stronger will than ours decreed 

 that nineteen out of the twenty-five strong, healthy men, 

 who had dared everything in the interest of science, should 

 pay the cost with their lives, and that only six of us should 

 see the land of our love once more, kiss our dear ones, 

 and be greeted by a hearty welcome from our friends. We 

 returned, but no one of us the same healthy, vigorous 

 man he had been on leaving, all being more or less invalided. 

 Death, at most times so much dreaded, was really a friendly 

 visitor to some of the good men called away, since it 

 brought peace and release from all pain. 



Our final days at Cape Sabine were spent in misery and 

 suffering. The last food had been consumed, and in our 

 necessity we were forced to eat our sealskin clothing and 

 boots. Fortunately, it was now continuous day, and warm 

 enough to get fresh water out of little pools, made by the 

 slowly melting snow. We also were able to crawl about 

 adjacent rocks, and gather lichens (tripe de roche), the 

 nutritive value of which may be questioned, but they aided 

 to fill up. As part of the ground was free from snow, we 

 could gather the roots of saxifrage, which we used for fuel, 

 and which would, by constantly blowing on them, give 

 quite a little heat, enough to singe the hair off our fur 

 clothing, and partly roast it so that it could be ground with 

 the teeth. It would also suffice to heat water to almost the 

 boiling point, and in this we would parboil parts of our 

 skin-boots, so as to permit of their mastication. All this 

 was very poor stuff on which to feed the sick, but since 

 it was all we had, we could do no better, and our good 

 Elison lived through it all, getting the lion's share to the 

 last. Although without feet, and practically without hands, 

 his face greatly disfigured by scars caused by frostbite, yet 

 he was otherwise physically the strongest. As it seemed 

 that he might survive us all, after our last pair of boots 



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