d, and
upon this the sun-dried hides of the caribou and mountain-sheep we had
killed were placed. There was thus a dry bottom for our bedding, and we
were not much troubled thenceforward by the rising moisture, although a
camp upon the ice is naturally always a more or less sloppy place. The
hides were invaluable; heavy as they were, we carried them all the way
up.

So soon as we were thus securely lodged, elated when we thought of our
advance, but downcast when we recalled our losses, we set ourselves to
repair the damage of the fire so far as it was reparable. Walter and
Johnny must go all the way down to the base camp and bring up
sled-covers out of which to construct tents, must hunt the baggage
through for old socks and mitts, and must draw upon what grub had been
left for the return journey to the extreme limit it was safe to do so.

Karstens, accustomed to be clean-shaven, had been troubled since our
first glacier camp with an affection of the face which he attributed to
"ingrowing whiskers," but when many hairs had been plucked out with the
tweezers and he was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse and the
inflammation spread to neck and temple, it was more correctly attributed
to an eczema, or tetter, caused by the glare of the sun. So he was not
loath to seclude himself for a few days in the tent while we set about
the making of socks and mitts from the camel's-hair lining of the
sleeping-bag. Walter's face was also very sore from the sun, his lips in
particular being swollen and blistered. So painful did they become that
I had to cut lip covers of surgeon's plaster to protect them. Then the
boys returned with the sorry gleanings of the base camp, and the
business of making two tents from the soiled and torn sled-covers and
darning worn-out socks and mittens, was put in hand. Our camp looked
like a sweat-shop those days, with its cross-legged tailormen and its
litter of snippets. In addition to the six-by-seven tent, three feet six
inches high, in which we were to live when we left the glacier, we made
a small, conical tent in which to read the instruments on the summit.
And all those days the sun shone in a clear sky!

[Sidenote: Amber Glasses]

Here, since reference has just been made to the effect of the sun's
glare on the face of one member of the party, it may be in place to
speak of the perfect eye protection which the amber snow-glasses
afforded us. Long experience with blue and smoke-colored glass