THE LAST EXPEDITION OF CHARLES FRANCIS HALL. 767 



cans of mock turtle soup, six pint cans of green corn made into scouch. Afternoon, 

 three ounces of bread, and the last of our chocolate." 



" December 2d. — No open water has been seen for several days. Cannot catch any- 

 thing. Land has been seen for several days ; cannot determine which shore it is, 

 east or west. It has been so cloudy that we cannot select a star to go by. Some 

 think it is the east land ; I think it is the west. Boiled some seal-skin to-day and 

 ate it, blubber, hair, and tough skin. The men ate it ; I could not ; the hair is too 

 thick, and we have no means of getting it off. Qth. — A fox came too near the other 

 day. Bill Lindemann shot him ; skinned him, and cut him up for cooking. Fox in 

 this country is all bones and hair. 8^^. — All in good health. The only thing that 

 troubles us is hunger ; that is very severe. We feel sometimes as though we could 

 eat each other. Very weak, but, please God, we will weather it all. 20^A. — Joe 

 found a crack yesterday and three seals. Too dark to shoot. It is a good thing to 

 have game underneath us ; it would be much better for starving men to have them on 

 the floe. To-morrow will be our shortest day; then the sun turns back. 24:th. — 

 Christmas Eve. We are longing for to-morrow, when we shall have quite a feast : 

 half a pound each of raw ham, which we have been saving nearly a month for Christ- 

 mas. A month ago our ham gave out ; so we saved this for the feast. Yesterday 9 

 degrees below zero; to-day 4 degrees above. 2bth. — Christmas Day, This is a 

 day of jubilee at home, and certainly here for us ; for besides the approaching day- 

 light we have quite a feast to-day. One ounce of bread extra per man, which made 

 our soup for breakfast a little thicker than for dinner. We had soup made from a 

 pound of seal blood, which we had saved for a month ; a two-pound can of sausage 

 meat, the last of our canned meat ; a few ounces of seal, which we saved with the 

 blood, all cut up fine ; last of our can of apples, which we saved also for Christmas. 

 The whole was boiled to a thick soup, which I think was the sweetest meal I ever 

 ate. This, with half a pound of ham and two ounces of bread, gave us our Christ- 

 mas dinner. Then in the evening we had our usual thin soup." 



''^January 1, 1873. — Poor dinner for New Year's Day : mouldy bread, and short al- 

 lowance. 2d. — Mr. Meyer took an observation last night. Latitude 72° 10', longitude 

 60° 40^ The news was so good " [i. e. in about nine weeks they had drifted south- 

 ward something more than seven degrees, about 525 miles] "that I treated myself 

 to an extra pipe of tobacco. We are obliged to cook our meals over the lamp ; slow 

 work. Thermometer 31 degrees below zero. IM. — Hans caught a seal to-day. 

 Thank God, for we are very weak. Our light would have been finished to-morrow, 

 and our cooking also. But God sent this seal to save us. It has been so all the 

 time. Just as we were played out, something came along. I am afraid I have a 

 touch of the scurvy ; a little raw meat will drive it out, I hope. l^th. — Clear, light 

 wind. Thermometer 39 degrees below zero. The sun has made his appearance to- 

 day. I gave him three cheers, hoping we will be able to start " [that is in the boats] 

 *' in a month. The sun has brought us luck in the way of a seal which Joe caught. 

 27^^. — The sun is out. Mr. Meyer took an observation. He makes latitude 69^ 

 82^^ He thinks we are 42 miles from the shore. Godhaven, on the island of Disco, 

 is in latitude 69° 13". That leaves us nineteen miles north of our store-house, which 

 I am afraid we will never see. God knows where we will fetch up." 



" February Ath. A gale from the west ; very thick snow drift, I seldom see it snow 



