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Chapter 19
Inthemorningwetookstock.Tocommencewith,allbuttwoorthreehadsufferedfrost-bite.AaronNorthrup,unabletomovebecauseofhisbrokenhip,wasverybad.Itwasthesurgeon’sopinionthatbothofNorthrup’sfeetwerehopelesslyfrozen.
Thelongboatwasdeepandheavyinthewater,foritwasburdenedbytheentireship’scompanyoftwenty-one.Twoofthesewereboys.BennyHardwaterwasabarethirteen,andLishDickery,whosefamilywasnearneighbourtomineinElkton,wasjustturnedsixteen.Ourprovisionsconsistedofthreehundred-weightofbeefandtwohundred-weightofpork.Thehalf-dozenloavesofbrine-pulpedbread,whichthecookhadbrought,didnotcount.Thentherewerethreesmallbarrelsofwaterandonesmallkegofbeer.
CaptainNichollfranklyadmittedthatinthisunchartedoceanhehadnoknowledgeofanynearland.Theonethingtodowastorunformoreclementclimate,whichweaccordinglydid,settingoursmallsailandsteeringquarteringbeforethefreshwindtothenorth-east.
Thefoodproblemwassimplearithmetic.WedidnotcountAaronNorthrup,forweknewhewouldsoonbegone.Atapoundperday,ourfivehundredpoundswouldlastustwenty-fivedays;athalfapound,itwouldlastfifty.Sohalfapoundhadit.
