22 THE SIEGE OF THE NORTH POLE 



wrestled, boxed, ran, argued, jeered, or reprimanded : an 

 immediate halt could not be avoided. 



" We pitched our tent with much difficulty. Our hands 

 were too powerless to strike a fire ; we were obliged to do 

 without water or food. Even the spirits (whisky) had 

 frozen at the men's feet, under all the coverings. We 

 put Bonsall, Ohlsen, Thomas, and Hans, with the other 

 sick men, well inside the tent, and crowded in as many 

 others as we could. Then, leaving the party in charge of 

 Mr. McGary, with orders to come on after four hours' 1 

 rest, I pushed ahead with William Godfrey, who volun- 

 teered to be my companion. My aim was to reach the 

 half-way tent, and thaw some ice and pemmican before 

 the others arrived. 



" The floe was of level ice, and the walking excellent. 

 I cannot tell how long it took us to make the 9 miles ; 

 for we were in a strange sort of stupor, and had little 

 apprehension of time. It was probably about four hours. 

 We kept ourselves awake by imposing on each other a 

 continued articulation of words ; they must have been 

 incoherent enough. I recall these hours as among the 

 most wretched I have ever gone through : we were neither 

 of us in our right senses, and retained a very confused 

 recollection of what preceded our arrival at the tent. We 

 both of us, however, remember a bear, who walked leisurely 

 before us and tore up as he went a jumper that Mr. 

 McGary had improvidently thrown off the day before. 

 He tore it into shreds and rolled it into a ball, but never 

 offered to interfere with our progress. I remember this, 

 and with it a confused sentiment that our tent and buffalo- 

 robes might probably share the same fate. Godfrey, 

 with whom the memory of this day's work may atone for 

 many faults of a later time, had a better eye than myself; 

 and, looking some miles ahead, he could see that our tent 

 was undergoing the same unceremonious treatment. I 



