232 



ARCTIC RESEARCH EXPEDITION. 



Groups were still following after, some of them far behind. At 

 12 o'clock M. I was pained to see that all in our rear had become 

 exhausted, and were directing their steps toward the vessel. Out 

 of twenty men in all who left the ship, but five of us now contin- 

 ued the search. 



"I must confess that the race of the morning had seriously ex- 

 hausted my strength. Nothing but the hope of saving human 

 life could have induced me to take another step at twelve. By 

 occasional rests, myself and my companion were reinvigorated. 

 By this prudence, and that of avoiding farther overexertion in 

 running, we found that we were fast gaining upon the three ahead 

 of us. 



"Thirst — burning thirst continually harassed me.. Seeing an 

 iceberg at our right, we turned to it. Seating ourselves by it, 

 with our knives we chipped off piece after piece, with which our 

 thirst was partially allayed. The first piece which I put into my 

 mouth froze it fast. Tongue, palate, and lips refused farther 

 service until the ice became of freezing water temperature. The 

 cause of this of course was that the ice contained a degree of cold- 

 ness even far lower than the temperature of the air then around 

 us. The air at twelve and one o'clock was only 42° below freez- 

 ing point, while the berg was 60° — that is, 28° below zero. I took 

 the precaution of holding succeeding pieces in my mittened hand 

 until I raised their temperature to near freezing point, when I 

 could with perfect safety introduce them to my parched tongue. 



" By-the-by, I found one serious obstacle to my stopping to 

 rest. Cramps of a most excruciating character in the calves of 

 my legs threatened to overpower me. After 1 o'clock P M. I suf- 

 fered less from them. This grievous affliction arose, undoubted- 

 ly, from the overexertion upon our setting out. 



"At 1 o'clock P.M. € and William Johnston saw the three 

 ahead of us (Morgan, Sam, and Fluker) throw themselves flat on 

 the ice. By this we knew they had become exhausted. Fifteen 

 minutes later found us with them, and flat beside them. Oh, how 

 glad I was to make my bed for a while upon this bosom of the 

 deep ! how refreshed we all were by that prostration of our weary 

 limbs ! While we were resting, Sam exclaimed, ' Well, come, let 

 us eat dinner;' these words being accompanied by the act of 

 drawing out of his pocket two sea-biscuit. One of the other men 

 drew out another. These three cakes of bread made us a feast, 

 though weighing but three quarters of a pound total. The fore- 



