All
hands were in harness whenever we marched, and the work was too hard to
admit of feeling the cold as the greatest discomfort we had to
encounter.
CHAPTER XIV.
FAMINE.
The last day we travelled on the river, December 28th, the thermometer
had registered during the day -69 degrees in the morning, -64 degrees
at noon, and -68 degrees at five o'clock in the evening; the lowest,
101 degrees below the freezing-point. Toolooah, Joe, and Ishnark went
hunting the next day, but were unfortunate in not being able to secure
any game, though they saw a small herd of reindeer. Toolooah reported
the land sledging in good condition toward the south-east, much better
than upon the river, and said there appeared to be plenty of game a
day's march from the river in that direction. Lieutenant Schwatka,
therefore, decided to abandon the river at once and strike directly for
Depot Island, which had the advantage of being a straighter route than
the one by the unsurveyed river proposed by Narleyow. With a guide that
would have been feasible; but it would be running much risk to attempt
to find our way by the longer route in a country whose game we knew
nothing of, with a large party dependent upon the very difficult
hunting for support.
It is a difficult matter to keep guns in working order in the intensely
cold weather we were experiencing.
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