If we were going south we should be frozen stiff by this time." "Yes; but if we were going north," said I, "we ought to find it growing warmer." "No," said he, "not with all this ice around us.

It's the ice that keeps the temperature in this cold state." Argument could do no good, and so we each remained true to our belief--his leading him to hope, and mine dragging me down to despair.
At length we finished the last fragment of the seal that we had cooked, and, finding ourselves near some firm ice, we went ashore and cooked all that was left, using the remainder of our wood for fuel, and all that we dared to remove from the boat.

Re-embarking with this, we drifted on as before.
Several more days passed.

At last one night I was roused by Agnew.

He pointed far away to the distant horizon, where I saw a deep red glow as of fire.