Page:Life with the Esquimaux - 1864 - Volume 1.djvu/270

Rh full run. A piece of dark-coloured ice, raised up from the main, had, however, deceived them.

"On, on we followed the steps of the lost for miles, leading generally southeast.

"Some distance ahead of me and William Johnston were Morgan, Sam Wilson, and 'Fluker.' I felt that I was acting the judicious part, and therefore kept up a rapid walk—a gait that I could sustain for hours. Occasionally I cast my eyes back. Groups were still following after, some of them far behind. At 12 o'clock, I was pained to see that all in our rear had become exhausted, and were directing their steps toward the vessel. Out of twenty men in all who left the ship, but five of us now continued the search.

"I must confess that the race of the morning had seriously exhausted my strength. Nothing but the hope of saving human life could have induced me to take another step at twelve. By occasional rests, myself and my companion were reinvigorated. By this prudence, and that of avoiding farther over-exertion in running, we found that we were fast gaining upon the three ahead of us.

"Thirst—burning thirst continually harassed me. Seeing an iceberg at our right, we turned to it. Seating ourselves by it, with our knives we chipped off piece after piece, with which our thirst was partially allayed. The first piece which I put into my mouth froze it fast. Tongue, palate, and lips refused further service until the ice became of freezing water temperature. The cause of this of course was that the ice contained a degree of coldness even far lower than the temperature of the air then around us. The air at twelve and one o'clock was only 42° below freezing point, while the berg was 60°—that is, 28° below zero. I took the precaution of holding succeeding pieces in my mittened hand until I raised their temperature to near freezing point, when I could with perfect safety introduce them to my parched tongue.

"By-the-bye, I found one serious obstacle to my stopping to rest. Cramps of a most excruciating character in the calves of my legs threatened to overpower me. After 1 o'clock