Page:The open Polar Sea- a narrative of a voyage of discovery towards the North pole, in the schooner "United States" (IA openpolarseanarr1867haye).pdf/368

 man." Foolish Sancho Panza! yet wise in thy folly! Mankind will long remember thee for thy sage reflection,—"Now blessings light on him that first invented sleep." I will cover myself all over with it, as thou didst; and, if I cannot find in it "heat for the cold," I will cloak with it for a few brief hours the recollection of my disappointed hopes.

April 29th.

Back again under our last night's shelter. The hummocks were much the same to-day as yesterday, and we made about the same progress—with, however, only half our stores. The load was left buried in the snow, and we returned for the balance; but, upon arriving here, the dogs were not able for the second trip. So here we are under our buffaloes once more in the ice-cave, seeking sleep. It is the best hut that I have ever had. The temperature of the air came up at noon to 4° above zero, and in the sun it was 38°. The thermometer hanging above my head in the cave now shows 31°.

April 30th.

It was all we could do to bring up the balance of our cargo to where we cached our load yesterday. I must not overtax the dogs; for, if they give out, I am done for. They are much fatigued to-night and must be nursed; so I directed Jensen to make them a warm supper of meat and potatoes and lard, and plenty of it. Nothing could exceed their ravenous hunger. The ferocity with which they tear into their food exceeds any thing that I have ever seen, and nothing escapes their sharp fangs. They eat up their harness if not closely watched, and we are obliged to bring every thing made of skin inside the hut. Several of the traces have disappeared down their rapa