But even the
bravest hearts must have sunk--and that there were many brave hearts
among them cannot be doubted, when the awful desolation of this country
forced itself upon them. No more powerful picture of utter abandonment
could possibly be devised than this. The land low and barren, so low,
indeed, as to be scarcely distinguished from the sea, as both lay
covered with their mantle of snow. Neither tree nor sprout, and
scarcely a hill visible--nothing whatever to relieve the crushing
monotony of the scene--no living thing to be seen anywhere, though the
eye had uninterrupted range over so vast a territory. Even a wolf
prowling around would have been a relief in the utter loneliness that
oppressed them. All this presented itself to our minds as we looked
around but saw no traces of the lost ones. Had we known at this time
what we learned a few days later, the place would have had an
additional interest as the spot where the records of the expedition,
which had been brought thus far with infinite toil and care, had been
irrecoverably lost. We marked the spot carefully, for a thorough search
when the snow was off the ground, and returned to camp. Our guides
informed us that the boat was found upside down on the beach, and all
the skeletons beneath it. They did not remember the exact number, but
thought there were about five or more.
Pages:
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101