Page:The open Polar Sea- a narrative of a voyage of discovery towards the North pole, in the schooner "United States" (IA openpolarseanarr1867haye).pdf/192

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well-organized party of hunters, who are exempt from other duty, and this system I propose continuing. The result thus far has shown the correctness of my plan. A more healthy ship's company could not be desired. Not a single case of illness has yet occurred. I do not expect to have any scurvy in my party, and I am firmly impressed with the belief that at Port Foulke men might live indefinitely without being troubled with that "dread scourge of the Arctic Zone." I do not, however, wholly rely upon the hunters. The moral sentiments have much to do with health everywhere; and, with the best food in the world, unhappiness will make more than the heart sick. For my own part, I would rather take my chances against the scurvy with the herbs and the love, than with hatred and the stalled ox. Luckily my ship's company are as harmonious and happy as they are healthy, and the fault will be mine if they do not continue so.

Our game-list, according to Knorr, who keeps the tally, sums up as follows: Reindeer 74, foxes 21, hares 12, seals 1, eider-ducks 14, dovekies 8, auks 6, ptarmigan 1. This includes all that has been brought on board from the beginning. Besides these substantial contributions to our winter supplies, there are some twenty or thirty reindeer cached in various places, which are available whenever we choose to bring them in. The dogs are the largest consumers.

I find McCormick suffering with a sore throat and swelled tongue, resulting from eating snow. Leaving me at the glacier, he set out to return on board, and, growing thirsty by the way, without being aware of the evil consequences likely to result therefrom, commenced eating snow to quench it. The effect of this