assistance.

Rooney had spoken cheerily, though his feelings were anything but
cheerful, for he knew well the extreme danger of their position, but he
felt it a duty to do his best to encourage his friends. The Eskimos
were equally well, if not better, aware of their danger, and took to the
floes with resolute purpose and in profound silence--for true men in
such circumstances are not garrulous.

A gleam of sunshine from a rift in the dark clouds seemed sent as a
heavenly messenger to guide them. By it the Eskimos as well as the
sailor were enabled to judge of the position of land, and to steer,
accordingly, in what western hunters would call "a bee-line." The great
danger, of course, lay in the risk of the pack breaking up before they
could reach the shore. There was also the possibility of the pack being
a limited strip of floe-ice unconnected with the shore, which, if it had
been so, would have decided their fate. In these circumstances they all
pushed on at their best speed. At first the women seemed to get along
as well as the men, but after a while the former showed evident symptoms
of exhaustion, and towards dusk old Kannoa, despite Rooney's powerful
aid, fairly broke down and refused to walk another step. The seaman
overcame the difficulty by raising her in his arms and carrying her. As
he had not at that time quite recovered his full strength, and was
himself pretty well fatigued, he was constrained to think pretty
steadily of the old woman's resemblance to his grandmother to enable him
to hold out!

After another mile or so the mother of Arbalik succumbed, whereupon her
son put his arm round her waist and helped her on. Then the pleasant
little mother of Ippegoo broke down with a pitiful wail; but her son was
unable to help her, for he was already undulating about like a piece of
tape, as if he had no backbone to speak of. Okiok therefore came to her
aid. As for the hardy spinster Sikogow, she seemed inexhaustible, and
scorned assistance. Nuna was also vigorous, but her sons Norrak and
Ermigit, being amiable, came on each side of her, and took her in tow
before the breaking-down point was reached.

Thus they continued to advance until the darkness became so profound as
to render further travelling impossible. The danger of delay they knew
was extreme, but men must perforce bow to the inevitable. To advance
without light over rugged ice, in which were cracks and fissures and
hummocks innumerab