stefansson-wrangel-09-32-039v

282 THE ADVENTURE OF WRANGEL ISLAND

up by 6 A.M. The woman cut some wood.” Then, after
a description of symptoms
he says: “Appetite fairly
good and I sleep well. Oh! you Bear!”

On February 24th and 25th Knight says in connection
with his description of symptoms that he is feeling a
little better and that his appetite is good, adding, “Oh
yes, my desire for cold water is enormous. I am sure
I drink at least three quarts a day. Perhaps I should
not do this but I don’t think it is doing any harm.”

On February 26th: “There was nothing much to
record,” but on the 27th “The woman went outside,
rushed in and woke me up saying that a bear was coming
toward camp along the beach from the east. The wind
was blowing a little from the west and drifting along
the ground, so I told her to tell me when the bear got
within 200 yards. In the meantime I would remain in
my bag. The woman kept saying that it was getting
closer and closer. From the description she first gave
me I thought the bear was a long time getting here.
Finally she went on the roof of the house with my glasses,
and the bear proved to be a yellow dirty piece of ice in
the distance. Seen through the drifting snow it appeared
to be moving. Feeling about the same as the last few
days. The woman saw a fox to-day.”

From February 28th to March 2nd we have repetitions
of “feeling about the same.” On March 2nd he adds
that, “The woman caught a poor fox, fair eating, how-
ever.” On the 3rd, “The woman got a fox this morning,
not very fat but welcome.”

We marvel all the more at Knight’s cheerfulness when
we remember that gloom is a symptom of scurvy. It was
the disease temporarily submerging his good humor