t. That evening they
stopped beneath a hillock of ice, in which Bell at once cut a cavern;
the travellers entered it; the doctor passed the night attending to
Simpson; the scurvy had already made fearful ravages, and his
sufferings caused perpetual laments to issue from his swollen lips.

"Ah, Dr. Clawbonny!"

"Courage, my dear fellow!" said the doctor.

"I shall never get well! I feel it! I'd rather die!"

The doctor answered these despairing words by incessant cares;
although worn out by the fatigue of the day, he spent the night in
composing a soothing potion for his patient; but the lime-juice was
ineffectual, and continual friction could not keep down the progress
of the scurvy.

[Illustration]

The next day he had to be placed again upon the sledge, although he
besought them to leave him behind to die in peace; then they resumed
their dreary and difficult march.

The frozen mists penetrated the three men to the bone; the snow and
sleet dashed against them; they were working like draught-horses, and
with a scanty supply of food.

Duke, like his master, kept coming and going, enduring every fatigue,
always alert, finding out by himself the best path; they had perfect
confidence in his wonderful instinct.

During the morning of January 23d, amid almost total darkness, for the
moon was new, Duke had run on ahead; for many hours he was not seen;
Hatteras became uneasy, especially because there were many traces of
bears to be seen; he was uncertain what to do, when suddenly a loud
barking was heard.

Hatteras urged on the sledge, and soon he found the faithful animal at
the bottom of a ravine. Duke stood as motionless as if turned to
stone, barking before a sort of cairn made of pieces of limestone,
covered with a cement of ice.

"This time," said the doctor, detaching his harness, "it's a cairn,
there's no doubt of that."

"What's that to us?" asked Hatteras.

"Hatteras, if it is a cairn, it may contain some document of value for
us; perhaps some provisions, and it would be worth while to see."

"What European could have come as far as this?" asked Hatteras,
shrugging his shoulders.

"But in lack of Europeans," answered the doctor, "cannot Esquimaux
have made it here to contain what they have fished or shot? It's their
habit, I think."

"Well, go and look at it," continued Hatteras; "but I'm afraid it will
be hardly worth your while."

Clawbonny and Bell walked to the cairn with picks in their h