The Palatka news and advertiser. [volume] (Palatka, Fla.) 1908-19??, 1914-04-03
A RAG: FOR FOOD
1t Was Slow and Painful and Over
Arctic Ice Fields.
PLIGHT CT TWO EXPLORERS.
Their Fight Against Death by Starva-
ton and the Visions That Were Con-
Jured Up n the Torture of the Mad
eenins Panss Of Hunger.

| t'oh ana the VISIONS nat were Con
jured Up b. the Torture of the Mad
denins Panss OF Hunger.
The terrible phantom that hauuts
every Traveller in the desert is the pos
SiDility that he will not find water
The arctic explorer rarely suffers from
thirst, but another danger equally
terrible and menacing, is always on his
trail starvation.
In Lost In the Arctic" Captain
Ejnar MikkelSen. the explorer who,
after having been given up for dead
for over two years. was picked up il
east Greenland by IL sailing vessel.
gives a graphic account of his race
against hunger. Their sedge dogs
dead. their outfits abandoned, every
morsel Of food long since devoured.
the only hope of Mikkelsen and his
companion was to reach II Kilometer
Naesset where. on the fall trip. they
had left Il few tins of food
Every two hours We make short
halt. but the rest is spoiled by the
thought of the uncomfortable quarter
OF an hour that awaits us when we
start and try to get our stiffened mus
Giles into working order again. Our
feet especially are very painful; the
ankles are swollen and horribly tender.
THE pangs Of hunger increase every
minute For my own part. ! can
think of nothing but food At first my
thoughts dwell upon all sorts of dishes.
but gradually they concentrate them.
selves upon saIMwicheS-D Danish sand.
witches. lu particular my fancy turns
upon the food that | have seen given
away to heggars. and | grow furious
at the thought of the contempt with
which these gentry often regard such
gifts.
"Gradunly the thought takes possess
sion of NE that am walking in the
streets of Copenhagen. eagerly on the
lookout for sandwiches. Suddenly
spy what am seeking. little white
object lying to the right Of me. turn
to pick 1t up. but as | stop my foot
strikes against stone. The shock
brings me back to stern reality.
take in my belt and stagger on again
"lversen is in no better case, | notice
hat he frequently stops and peers
through the fieldgass at something on
ahead; then he let's the glass fall again.
with Il shake of the head. Once or
vice | ask what he Is looking at. but
he answer is always the same-he
thought he had discovered case of
but it turned out to be a
'ock.
According to our reckoning, we
ought to reach II Kilometer Naesset
~ about 6 in the evening. We keep a
sharp lookout for the point and sight
something about o'clock that looks
Ike it. Once more. however, we are
doomed to disappointment. 1t is not
he point
I'VE pass many old camping places,
'elics of the Denmark expedition: but. |
although we search long and carefully |
among the old tins for any remains of |
food. we find nothing. In the gather
ng darkness every point we approach
seems to us the one we seek Encour-
iged by the thought of food. we re-
1ouble our efforts. But when we get |
close enough to see that it is not the
point our Pickering flame of energy
lies down. and we stagger sulenly
along with bowed heads.
I'VE have no longer any idea of our
bouts. and 1t is indescribably
to see time after time the
same headland with the two small hill
ocks at its foot, the ghost of II KiIo-
meter NaesSet. About 10 o'clock. half
mad with hunger and exhaustion, we
give it up and, creeping as close to-
'ether as possible. try to sleep But
he pain in lverSen's leg is so great
hat he cannot sleep. and he is half out
# his mind He wakes ME mt mid.
light and bpgS me to go on.
ut Is bitterly cold and the wind has
United so that it is blowing in our
aces. Staggering unsteadily and feel
ng our way with our sticks. off we go
ntu the darkness
FINALLY. after another long march
We sight Il point that resembles II
Nilumeter NaesSet. and this time il is
10 trick of the Imagination. The race
won. for at the point we find fueI
nd tins of soup and peas"