iest. I was tough by
constitution, and lucky inasmuch as I was warmly clad and had not broken
my leg like Aaron Northrup. Even so, so strong was he that, despite
being the first to be severely frozen, he was days in passing. Vance
Hathaway was the first. We found him in the gray of dawn crouched
doubled in the bow and frozen stiff. The boy, Lish Dickery, was the
second to go. The other boy, Benny Hardwater, lasted ten or a dozen
days.

So bitter was it in the boat that our water and beer froze solid, and it
was a difficult task justly to apportion the pieces I broke off with
Northrup's claspknife. These pieces we put in our mouths and sucked till
they melted. Also, on occasion of snow-squalls, we had all the snow we
desired. All of which was not good for us, causing a fever of
inflammation to attack our mouths so that the membranes were continually
dry and burning. And there was no allaying a thirst so generated. To
suck more ice or snow was merely to aggravate the inflammation. More
than anything else, I think it was this that caused the death of Lish
Dickery. He was out of his head and raving for twenty-four hours before
he died. He died babbling for water, and yet he did not die for need of
water. I resisted as much as possible the temptation to suck ice,
contenting myself with a shred of tobacco in my cheek, and made out with
fair comfort.

We stripped all clothing from our dead. Stark they came into the world,
and stark they passed out over the side of the longboat and down into the
dark freezing ocean. Lots were cast for the clothes. This was by
Captain Nicholl's command, in order to prevent quarrelling.

It was no time for the follies of sentiment. There was not one of us who
did not know secret satisfaction at the occurrence of each death.
Luckiest of all was Israel Stickney in casting lots, so that in the end,
when he passed, he was a veritable treasure trove of clothing. It gave a
new lease of life to the survivors.

We continued to run to the north-east before the fresh westerlies, but
our quest for warmer weather seemed vain. Ever the spray froze in the
bottom of the boat, and I still chipped beer and drinking water with
Northrup's knife. My own knife I reserved. It was of good steel, with a
keen edge and stoutly fashioned, and I did not care to peril it in such
manner.

By the time half our company was overboard, the boat had a reasonably
high freeboard and was less ticklish to