198 THE SIEGE OF THE NORTH POLE 



their bags the heads of the tall men touched the roof. 

 Under the boat was the only place where a man could get 

 on his knees and hold his head erect. In this miserable 

 dwelling the winter had to be passed on starvation 

 rations. Holes were cut in the sides of the boat, in 

 which oars were inserted, which reaching to the side walls 

 and fastened by ropes, supported the canvas and over- 

 lying blocks of snow which formed part of the roof. The 

 house was surrounded with snow, and at one end a snow- 

 house was built for the stores. Sand was put on the 

 floor over the uneven rocks. 



The provisions from the various caches were slowly 

 brought to the house under great difficulties. The 

 records of the expedition and the pendulum were cached 

 on Stalknecht Island in a prominent position, so that 

 no one visiting Payer Harbour could miss seeing it. A 

 record similar to the one placed on Brevoort Island was 

 put in the sextant-box and left in the cache. 



On 29th October the party decided that one of two 

 mattresses should be set aside for Greely, who directed 

 that the other should be disposed of by lot. Greely also 

 generously turned over his own mattress to Sergeant 

 Gardiner, who was ill. A considerable part of the dog- 

 biscuits was found mouldy, but although Greely gave 

 orders that the bad ones should be thrown away, the 

 whole were afterwards eaten by the famished men. 



On 1st November the daily ration was cut down to 

 about 6 oz. bread, 4 oz. meat, and 4 oz. vegetables, etc. ; 

 a total of about 14 oz. On this ration it was calculated 

 that the party could be provided for until 1st March 1884, 

 at which date there would be ten days' rations of 20 oz. 

 each in which to cross Smith Sound by sledge. 



On 2nd November, Rice, Frederick, Elison, and Lynn 

 left for Cape Isabella to obtain the English meat cached 

 there. The Arctic night had commenced a week before 



