Page:The open Polar Sea- a narrative of a voyage of discovery towards the North pole, in the schooner "United States" (IA openpolarseanarr1867haye).pdf/340

 *

of them looked as if they were going to their own funerals, and wore that "My God! what shall I do?" look that would have been amusing enough had it not been alarming. One of these, without sufficient energy to keep himself in motion, crouched behind a snowdrift, and when discovered he had squarely settled himself for a freeze. In half an hour his inclination would have been accomplished. When I came up to him he said very coolly, and with a tone of resignation worthy a martyr, "I'm freezing." His fingers and toes were already as white as a tallow-candle. There was no time to be lost. I rubbed a little circulation back into them, and, placing him in charge of two men with orders to keep him moving, I saved him from the serious consequences which would otherwise have resulted from his faint-heartedness. Without waiting for more of the coveted drops of water, I pushed on for the first snow-bank, and got my party out of the wind and under cover. But this was not done without difficulty. It seemed as if two or three of them were possessed with a heroic desire to die on the spot, and I really believe that they would have done it cheerfully rather than, of their own accord, seize a shovel and aid in constructing, if not a place of comfort, at least a place of rest and safety. This sort of thing at the start is not encouraging, but I cannot say that I am much surprised at it; for my former experience has shown the hazard of exposing men in the wind in such low temperatures. This, however, is one of those things against which no foresight can provide. No serious consequences appear to have resulted from the event, and the sufferers are growing more comfortable as the temperature of the hut rises. We have had our rude camp supper, and