92 THE SIEGE OF THE NORTH POLE 



"The saucepan has become leaky, a small sea has 

 formed on the sack, the spirit-lamp runs, and repeatedly 

 threatens to destroy the tent by fire, which, during the 

 storm, would be the work of a moment. The cook 

 grumbles, burns his fingers to-day which were frozen 

 yesterday ; — urged on by hunger, his cooking is subject 

 to sharp criticism, as each is waiting for the eventful 

 moment when the meal shall be ready. 



•* All food was frozen — even brandy began to freeze one 

 night — meat in the tins or ham had to be chopped with 

 the axe ; butter could, without any fear, be carried in the 

 waistcoat-pocket, to be enjoyed on the march. 



' Woe to the unfortunate man who, in a lull of the 

 storm, goes into the open air. He is almost torn to 

 pieces, stifled by the snow-filled air, betrayed into snow- 

 drifts, and yet not daring to open his eyes. Numbed 

 with cold, white as a miller, he returns to the tent. 

 Here he is a subject of horror to his neighbours in the 

 sack, whom he intends robbing of their warmth to thaw 

 himself. The snow-powder blown in upon the opening 

 of the tent door has penetrated through all the clothes, 

 and the skin has to be scraped and any frost-bites that 

 may have set in have to be dispersed by rubbing. Indeed, 

 the disturbance and excitement consequent upon a walk 

 in the open air does not subside for some hours. 



' But the snow-blind suffer the most from such a state of 

 things. Out of consideration to them, smoking was dropped. 

 ' The irritation caused by the white snowfiakes, which 

 with us are easily beaten aside, cause great suffering in 

 Greenland, from the inflamed state of the eyes and the 

 thick heavy atmosphere, to those who may have been 

 unfortunate enough to break their snow-spectacles. 



" Beating them off while on the march is impossible, 

 for the damp cloth freezes at once to a lump of ice, making 

 the eyes insupportably cold. The simple bandage, on the 



