pon which they were drifting carried them toward Baffin Bay.
Sludge ice, the most troublesome of all, abounded, and their poor
rations grew scant. In the latter part of September enough of the floes
came in contact to permit the men to pass over them to solid land, some
twelve miles from Cape Sabine. A reconnoitering party in attempting to
reach that point was turned back by the open water. Another company,
however, got through and brought back important news. The _Proteus_ had
been wrecked and a couple of caches, left by English ships, together
with the stores brought from the wreck of the _Proteus_, were
discovered. As may be supposed, they formed a welcome addition to the
meagre stock of food.

THE LAST EXTREMITY.

It being inevitable that another winter must be passed in the land of
desolation, preparations were made for doing so. The spot selected was
between Cape Sabine and Cocked Hat Island. A hut was erected and the
supplies moved thither. Greely informed the men that he had decided to
reduce the rations so that they would last until the coming March. A
cairn was built at Cape Sabine in which was placed a record of what had
been done by the explorers.

All admitted the necessity of reducing the rations, but it was done to
that extent that the men suffered continually from hunger. They were
glad to eat mouldy potatoes, and, when, occasionally, a fox was shot,
nothing was left but the shining bones. If the preceding period was
horrible it was now more so, for all felt they had every reason for
depression, gloom, and despair. The meagre food made them more
susceptible to cold, and, although Greely strove to awaken an interest
in different educational subjects, the conditions were so woeful that he
accomplished little. It may seem strange, but it was natural that the
men's thoughts should dwell almost continually upon delicacies in the
way of eating. They talked about the choicest viands and smacked their
lips over tempting feasts which, alas! existed only in imagination.

Every man uttered a prayer of thanks when the 21st of December arrived,
for it meant that the appalling polar night was half over, but how
endless the other half seemed to them!

In the following month the feet of Corporal Ellison were so badly frozen
that they sloughed off, as did several of his fingers. Soon afterward
one of the men died. The brave Lockwood felt himself growing so weak
that he privately requested Greely to leave him behin