OF THE POLAR SEA. 



201 



much additional weight. Keskarrah offered 

 to us, as a great treat, the raw marrow from 

 the hind legs of the animal, of which all the 

 party ate except myself, and thought it very 

 good. I was also of the same opinion, 

 when I subsequently conquered my then 

 too fastidious taste. We halted for the 

 night on the borders of a small lake, which 

 washed the base of a ridge of sand-hills, 

 about three hundred feet high, having 

 walked in direct distance sixteen miles. 



There were four ancient pine 7 trees here 

 which did not exceed six or seven feet in 

 height, but whose branches spread them- 

 selves out for several yards, and we gladly 

 cropped a few twigs to make a bed and to 

 protect us from the frozen ground, still 

 white from a fall of snow which took place 

 in the afternoon. We were about to cut 

 down one of these trees lor firewood, but 

 our guide solicited us to spare them, and 

 made us understand by signs that they had 

 been long serviceable to his nation, and that 

 we ought to content ourselves with a few of 

 the smaller branches. As soon as we com- 



