196 CHALLENGER 



between Kunghit Island and Graham Island, the next land to the 

 northward. The northern coast of the peninsula was searched by 

 boat, while small search parties, keeping only a few yards from 

 their leader, fought their way across the peninsula at maximum 

 speeds of about 400 yards an hour, so tangled and matted was the 

 undergrowth and so frequent and deep were the potholes left by 

 old decayed tree-stumps. 



The second day ended without results and by now all onboard 

 were seriously worried as to whether their two shipmates would 

 survive a second night, ill clad as they were in light overalls, with 

 freezing temperatures, high winds and falling snow. 



There is on Kunghit Island an abandoned whaling station, shown 

 on the charts. It lies on the north coast of the island but consider- 

 ably to the west of the limit of the north shore already searched 

 by boat. On the third day it was decided to send a boat to the old 

 whaling station, in the faint hope that the wanderers had found 

 shelter there. Meanwhile the search parties returned to the 

 woods, searching to the westward. 



About noon the wireless operator ran into the Captain's cabin. 

 A message had been received from the boat by R/T — Hope and 

 Abel had been found, and the boat was on her way back to the 

 ship. 



The First Lieutenant had been in charge, and as soon as he 

 landed on the ruined jetty at the whaling station he saw footprints 

 in the snow and called out the now familiar names. A thin 

 answering cry came from one of the tumbledown huts, and there, 

 too cold and weary to stagger out to meet their rescuers, were 

 the two men. 



They spent about a week in the sick bay and after a painful 

 interview with the Captain, who took the odd view that they 

 had been absent over leave for two days, they told their mess- 

 mates of their experiences. They had entered the woods for only 

 a few yards before losing their sense of direction. They spent the 

 first night huddled under a fallen tree, scared by the howling of 

 wolves; as no wolves are known in these islands, it must have 

 been the ship's siren that they heard, which was sounded at 

 intervals to assist them to locate the ship. Hope was interviewed 

 by Soulsby on the ship's internal broadcasting system. When 

 asked if they had considered eating berries to nourish themselves, 



