Some remains of food were drawn out, and a case a quarter full of pemmican. "If it is a hiding-place," said Hatteras, "the bears have been before us. See, the provisions are not intact." "I am afraid so," answered the doctor; "for----" He was interrupted by a cry from Bell, who had come upon a man's leg, stiffened and frozen. "A corpse," cried the doctor. "It is a tomb," answered Hatteras. When the corpse was disinterred it turned out to be that of a sailor, about thirty years old, perfectly preserved. He wore the clothes of an Arctic navigator. The doctor could not tell how long he had been dead. But after this corpse, Bell discovered a second, that of a man of fifty, bearing the mark of the suffering that had killed him on his face. "These are not buried bodies," cried the doctor, "the poor fellows were surprised by death just as we find them." "You are right, Mr. Clawbonny," answered Bell. "Go on! go on!" said Hatteras. Bell obeyed tremblingly; for who knew how many human bodies the mound contained? "These men have been the victims of the same accident that almost happened to us," said the doctor. "Their snow-house tumbled in. Let us see if any one of them is still alive." The place was soon cleared, and Bell dug out a third body, that of a man of forty, who had not the cadaverous look of the others. The doctor examined him and thought he recognised some symptoms of existence. "He is alive!" he cried. Bell and he carried the body into the snow-house whilst Hatteras, unmoved, contemplated their late habitation. The doctor stripped the resuscitated man and found no trace of a wound on him. He and Bell rubbed him vigorously with oakum steeped in spirits of wine, and they saw signs of returning consciousness; but the unfortunate man was in a state of complete prostration, and could not speak a word. His tongue stuck to his palate as if frozen. The doctor searched his pockets, but they were empty. He left Bell to continue the friction, and rejoined Hatteras. The captain had been down into the depths of the snow-house, and had searched about carefully. He came up holding a half-burnt fragment of a letter. These words were on it: ... tamont ... orpoise ... w York. "Altamont!" cried the doctor, of the ship _Porpoise_, of New York." "An American," said Hatteras. "I'll save him," said the doctor, "and then we shall know all about it." He went back to Altamont whilst Hatteras remained pensive. Thanks to his attentions, the doctor succeeded in recalling the unfortunate man to life, but not to feeling; he neither saw, heard, nor spoke, but he lived. The next day Hatteras said to the doctor: "We must start at once." "Yes. The sledge is not loaded; we'll put the poor fellow on it and take him to the brig." "Very well; but we must bury these bodies first."