Page 17

[verso]
breaking out our cabin bulk head to extract
the beam. [?] [?] back is down. Cold
vapour fills our cabin [?] every thing is com-
fortless, blanket makes a poor substitute
for the moss padded wall which had
protected us from -60^o.

Hans nearly due is daily expected. Jenny one of his
dogs has a bad foot. Kane a diarrhoea
from cold after walrus meat, McGary
nearly well [and] few scurvy symptoms.

Satur.
Apr 21

Morton's heel nearly closed, and
apparently a sound bone underneath. He
has now been since October laid upon his
back. Soon I can set this faithful and
valuable man to active duty, I feel as if
we had an accession of half a dozen Long
Bills to our company, a doubtful compli-
ment to Morton.

The beam was too long to be carried
through our hatches it caught between our
[?] and main mast we therefore
saw it as it stands and will carry
up the slabs separately. These slabs
are but 1-1/2 in. wide and [?] must be
strenthened then by iron bolts and cross
pieces, still they are all that we have.
I made the bolts out ofour cabin curatin rods, long disused.
Mr. Petersen aids Ohlsen in grinding his
tools, they will complete the job tomorrow
for we must work on Sunday now, and
by Monday be able to commence work
Petersen, who is a first rate tinker under-
takes to manufacture our cooking [and] mess gear. I have
a sad looking assortment of battered rusty
tins to offer him but with stovepipe much
may be done.

Sick the same, John is getting his
legs, Whipple will be made to get his. I sus-
pect him, Goodfellow is as usual my one
impracticable nuissance. I can't get him

[recto]
out of bed or dry his mattrass.
We have only two days more of meat on
hand but we eat or have eaten without
stint and expect daily to see Hans
with a fresh supply.

Sunday
Apr. 22.

Gave rest for all but the sawyers who keep manfully at the beam some notion of our weakness may be formed from the fact of these five poor fellows averaging among them but one foot per hour and
a volunteer spell by Petersen and Ohl-
sen. I read our usual allowances prayers, and Dr.
Hayes who feels sadly the loss of his foot came aft and also by consent
crawled upon deck to sniff the daylight.
He had not seen the sun for 5 months
and three weeks. Bonsall sleeps in
his hammock truly increasing the ventila-
tion of my own corner since the scurvy had prostrated the party. I as a matter
of principle have retained no bunk no
peculiar of any sort. On the platform and
abreast of it say 8 feet by 18 we stow 8 sleepers
an undue division of atmostphere for respi-
ration. For me while a single one of the
returned party are without a dry berth I will
retain none for myself. My bunk first went
to Dr. Hayes, and when his stump healed to
Goodfellow via Morton, who gave the boy his
bed and took my own himself. It is a part
of Henry's dignity to refuse the direct occu-
pation of my bunk, but to accept Mortons by
my interposition, the same gallant gentleman
will refuse a plate of food culled by my
own hand, but will heat freely of my cookery
presented by another. The records of his
short lived return to duty were neglected
he neither dated nor registered his meteoro-
logical observations and now the only break
in upon the integrity of the series is due to him.
I had to reinstate as gentleman passenger.

Copy to here
[?]

Hans continued stay leads me to
hope that Kalutanak may bite at my
proposal of a hunting party and thus afford
dogs for my journey.