130 



JOURNEY TO THE SHORES 



again dejected, and could scarcely be pre- 

 vailed upon to eat. The Doctor and Hep- 

 burn were almost exhausted. The cutting 

 of one log of wood occupied the latter half 

 an hour ; and the other took as much tnW 

 to drag it into the house, though the dis- 

 tance did not exceed th^rty^ards. I en- 

 deavoured to help the Doctor, but my as- 

 sistance was very trifling. Yet it was evi- 

 dent that, in a day or two, if their strength 

 should continue to decline at the same rate, 

 I should be the strongest of the party. 



I may here remark that owing to our loss 

 of flesh, the hardness of the floor, from 

 which we were only protected by a blanket, 

 produced sorenass over the body, and espe- 

 cially those parts on which the weight 

 rested in lying, yet to turn ourselves for 

 relief was a matter of toil and difficulty. 

 However, during this period, and indeed 

 all along, after the aeuj^pains of hunger, 

 which lasted but thre^orjfcur days, had i 

 subsided, we generally enjoyed the comfort j 

 of a few hours' sleep. The dreams which 

 for the most part, but not always, accora- I 



