drawn by large dogs. But
nearly all of the dogs died in the long winter night.
[Illustration: A Dog Sled]
Doctor Kane thought that the ice would melt. He wanted to get the ship
out. But the ice did not melt at all.
At last the summer passed away. Another awful winter came. The sun did
not rise any more. It was dark for months and months. The men were
ill. Some of them died. They were much dis-cour-aged. But Kane kept
up his heart, and did the best he could.
At last the least little streak of light could be seen. It got a
little lighter each day. But the sick men down in the cabin of the
ship could not see the light.
Doctor Kane said to himself, "If my poor men could see this sunlight,
it would cheer them up. It might save their lives." But they were too
ill to get out where they could see the sun. It would be many days
before the sun would shine into the cabin of the ship. The men might
die before that time.
So Doctor Kane took some looking glasses up to the deck or top of the
ship. He fixed one of these so it would catch the light of the sun.
Then he fixed another so that the first one would throw the light on
this one. The last one would throw the sunlight down into the cabin
where the sick men were.
One day the poor fellows were ready to give up. Then the sun fell on
the looking glasses, and flashed down into the cabin. It was the first
daylight the sick men had seen for months. The long winter night was
over. Think how happy they were!
A DINNER ON THE ICE.
After two winters of cold and darkness, Doctor Kane made up his mind
to leave the ship fast in the ice. He wanted to get to a place in
Green-land where there were people living. Then he might find some way
of getting home again.
The men started out, drawing the boats on sleds. Whenever they came to
open water, they put the boats into the water, and took the sleds in
the boats. When they came to the ice again, they had to draw out their
boats, and carry them on the sleds. At first they could travel only
about a mile a day.
It was a hard journey. Some of the men were ill. These had to be drawn
on the sleds by the rest. They had not enough food. At one time they
rested three days in a kind of cave. Here they found many birds' eggs.
These made very good food for them. At another place they staid a
week. They staid just to eat the eggs of the wild birds.
After they left this place, they were hungry. The men grew thinner and
thinner
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