The Warner weekly sun. (Warner, Brown Co., Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1885, 1885-06-12
THE RESCUE OF GREEDY.
Commander scnIey's Account Of the Pa
thetic Incident.

thetic Incident.
The strange fascination which at
taches to stories of exploration, danger
and suffering in the bleak and dasolate
acrtic region will cause a book to be pub
lished in a few days by Charles Serb
ner's Sons to be read with eagerness.
This is "The Rescue of Greedy" by
Commander w. S. Schley, who had
charge of the successful relief expe-
dition of 1884, and by Professor j. r.
Solely, also of the United States Navy,
who has access to the official documents
bearing on the case.
The story is an old one, but as au-
thoritatiyely and pathetically told by
Commander Schley, it is worth retell-
ing. And so, passing wei the discov-
cry of Greely's records, which are given
entire, o. Brevoort Island, we make a
condensation of the narrative, taking it
up at the point where the cutter Of the
rescuing party approached the spot
where the provisions of ~thewrecked Pro
teus had been left:
At last the boat arrived at the site of
the wreck cache, and the shore was
eagerly scanned, but nothing could be
seen. Rounding the next point, the
cutter opened out the cove beyond.
There, on the top of a little ridge, fifty
or sixty yards above the ice-foot, was
plainly outlined the figure of a man.
Instantly the coxswain caught up the
boat hook and waved his flag. The
man on the ridge had seen them, for he
stopped, picked up O signal flag from
the rock and waved it in reply. Then
he was seen coming slowly and eau
tiously down the steep, rocky slope.
Twice he fell down bafore he reached
the foot. As he approached, still walk
ing feebly and with difficulty, Colwell
hailed him from the bow of the
boat:
"Who are there left ?" "Seven left"
AS the cutter struck the ice, Colwell
jumped off and went up to him. He
was a CHASTITY sight. As he spoke, his
utterance was thick and mumbling,
and In his agitation his jaws worked in
convulsive twitches. AS the two met,
the man, with a sudden impulse, took
off his glove and shook Colwell's hand.
"Where are thHy?" asked Colwell,
briefly. I'm the tent, said the man,
pointing over his shoulder, lover the
hill-the tent is down" sis Mr.. Greedy
alive?" 'Yes Greely's alive" "Any
other officers" mo" Then he re-
peated absently, THE tent is down."
who are your" "Long."
Before this ~colloquy was over, Lowe
and Norman had started up the hill.
Hastily filling his pocket with bread
and taking the two cans OF pemmican,
Colwell told the coxswain to take Long
into the cutter, and started after the
others with Ash. Hurrying on across
tho intervening hollow, Colwell came
up with Lowe and Norman, Just as
they were greeting a soldierly-looking
man who had come out from the tent.
As Colwell approached, Norman was
saying to the man-aThere is the lieu
tenant" And he added to Colwell-
"This is Sergeant Brainard." Brainard
Immediately drew himself up to the
position of the soldier" and was about
to salute, when Colwell took his hand.
At this moment there was a confused
murmur within the tent, and a voice
said-"Who's there?" Norman an
swered, SITS Norman-Norman who
was in the Proteus.p This was followed
by cries OF "Oh, it's Normanl" and q
sound like q feeble cheer.
Meanwhile one Of the relief party,
who in his agitation and excitement
was crying like a child, was down on his
hands and knoes trying to rcll away
the stones that held down the Tapping
tent-cloth. Colweil called for a knife,
cut q slit in the tent cover. and looked
in. 1t was o sight of horror. =
Directly opposite, on his hands and
knees, was a dark man with along mat
ted beard, in a dirty and battered dress
ing gown with q little red skull cap on
his head, and brilliant, staring eyes.
As Colwell appeared, he raised himself
q little, and put on a pair of eye-glasses.
Who are you?" asked Colwell. The
man made no answer, staring at him
~vacantly. "Who are your again.
One of the nen spoke up, ssThat's the
major-Major Greedy" Colwell crawled
m and took him by the hand, saying to
him, "Greely, is this your EYES,"
said Greedy, in a faint, broken voice,
hesitating and shutting with his words,
"Yes-seven of us left-here we are
dying-like men. DID what ] came To
do-beat the best record" Then he
fell back exhausted.
The scene, as Colwell looked around,
was one of misery and squalor.
There was no food left in the tent, but
two or three cans of a thin repulsive-
looking jelly, made by boiling strips cut
from the sealskin clothing. Except
Cornell and Ellison, the feeblest Of the
party was Lieutenant Greedy. His