CHAPTER XXXIX
“October 10th, Monday—120th day.
Last half ounce alcohol at 5:30; at 6:30 send Alexey off to look for ptarmigan. Eat deerskin scraps. Yesterday morning ate my deerskin footnips. Light S.S.E. airs. Not very cold. Under way at eight. In crossing creek three of us got wet. Built fire and dried out. Ahead again until eleven. Used up. Built fire. Made a drink out of the tea-leaves from alcohol bottle. On again at noon. Fresh S.S.W. wind, drifting snow, very hard going. Lee begging to be left. Some little beach, and then stretches of high bank. Ptarmigan tracks plentiful. Following Nindemann’s tracks. At three halted, used up; crawled into a hole in the bank, collected wood and built fire. Alexey away in quest of game. Nothing for supper except a spoonful of glycerine. All hands weak and feeble, but cheerful. God help us.
October 11th, Tuesday—121st day.
S.W. gale with snow. Unable to move. No game. One spoonful of glycerine and hot water for food. No wood in our vicinity.
October 12th, Wednesday—122nd day.
Breakfast; last spoonful of glycerine and hot water. For dinner, we tried a couple of handfuls of Arctic willow in a pot of water and drank the infusion. Everybody getting weaker and weaker. Hardly strength to get firewood. S.W. gale with snow.
October 13th, Thursday—123rd day.
Willow tea. Strong S.W. wind. No news from Nindemann. We are in the hands of God, and unless He intervenes, we are lost. We cannot move against the wind, and staying here means starvation. Afternoon went ahead for a mile, crossing either another river or a bend in the big one. After crossing missed Lee. Went down in a hole in the bank and camped. Sent back for Lee. He had turned back, lain down, and was waiting to die. All united in saying Lord’s Prayer and Creed after supper. Living gale of wind. Horrible night.
October 14th, Friday—124th day.
Breakfast, willow tea. Dinner, one half teaspoonful sweet oil and willow tea. Alexey shot one ptarmigan; had soup. S.W. wind moderating.
October 15th, Saturday—125th day.
Breakfast, willow tea and two old boots. Conclude to move on at sunrise. Alexey breaks down, also Lee. Come to empty grain raft. Halt and camp. Signs of smoke at twilight to southward.
October 16th, Sunday—126th day.
Alexey broken down. Divine Service.
October 17th, Monday—127th day.
Alexey dying. Doctor baptized him. Read prayers for sick. Mr. Collins’ birthday; forty years old. About sunset Alexey died; exhaustion from starvation. Covered him with ensign and laid him in the crib.
October 18th, Tuesday—128th day.
Calm and mild, snow falling. Buried Alexey in the afternoon. Laid him on the ice of the river and covered him with slabs of ice.
October 19th, Wednesday—129th day.
Cutting up tent to make footgear. Doctor went ahead to find new camp. Shifted by dark.
October 20th, Thursday—130th day.
Bright and sunny, but very cold. Lee and Kaack done up.
October 21, Friday—131st day.
Kaack was found dead about midnight between the Doctor and myself. Lee died about noon. Read prayers for sick when he found he was going.
October 22nd, Saturday—132nd day.
Too weak to carry the bodies of Lee and Kaack out on the ice. The Doctor, Collins and I carried them around the corner out of sight. Then my eye closed up.
October 23rd, Sunday—133rd day.
Everybody pretty weak. Slept or rested all day and then managed to get enough wood in before dark. Read part of Divine Service. Suffering in our feet. No footgear.
October 24th, Monday—134th day.
A hard night.
October 25th, Tuesday—135th day.
October 26th, Wednesday—136th day.
October 27th, Thursday—137th day.
Iveson broken down.
October 28th, Friday—138th day.
Iveson died during early morning.
Oct. 29th, Saturday—139th day.
Dressier died during night.
Oct. 30. Sunday, 140th day.
Boyd and Görtz died during night. Mr. Collins dying