88 THE SIEGE OF THE NORTH POLE 



The tent was kept upright by means of four long poles, 

 each crossed at the top, stretched by ropes fastened to 

 axes or piles driven into the ground. When the sleeping- 

 sack had been laid down in the tent, our personal baggage 

 settled, the kettle filled with blocks of snow by the cook, 

 the lamp lit, and the rations given out, our comrades, 

 who, owing to the increased cold since the setting of the 

 sun, had meanwhile been running and jumping to keep 

 themselves warm, were allowed to enter. 



" During our last half-hour's march, each man had been 

 busy thawing his beard with his hands, for it had been 

 changed into a lump of ice, so that it might not melt 

 whilst the cooking was going on, and so wet their clothes 

 and coverings. As soon as all were in their places in the 

 tent, the aperture was closed, and preparations made for 

 passing the night. 



" The stiff sail-cloth boots, fast frozen to the stockings 

 which were to form our pillows, were thawed between the 

 hands, and with difficulty taken off; the stockings, thick 

 with rimy snow, were scraped, then wrung and laid upon 

 the breast, to dry by our only available means — our bodily 

 heat — so as to prepare them for the following day's work. 



" At last all have wriggled themselves into the sleeping- 

 sack, each one lying partly on his neighbour, and in this 

 modest space waiting for the evening meal. 



" The first hour is spent in melting the snow, the second 

 in preparing the meal, which is devoured eagerly, and as 

 cool as possible. The development of steam during the 

 cooking (which in the very cold weather consumed one 

 bottle of spirit, or 1 lb.) put us into such a vapour-bath 

 that we could not even see our next neighbour ; the tent 

 walls were completelv wet through ; and the temperature 

 rose rapidly. The dampness of the coverings and clothes, 

 from the condensation of the steam on the rime, of course 

 increased, and the opening of the tent door occasioned a 



