SAVING GENERAL NOBILI.

Auckland Star, Volume LIX, Issue 249, 20 October 1928, Page 15 (Supplement)

SAVING GENERAL NOBILI.

MAROONED MEN'S LIFE.

OIC THE ICE not

vats PUESUTT of a polap., beak.

.(This is tie fifth section of the full story <rf tie heroic rescw if Geeerml >~obili IT the fallal SweeHsh litati, Captain Bnr Lecdbeeg; nd low for the first time jivea to the worlii ttrongii tie Berth Brewspeper AHianee.)

Xow that I hare learnt that, after such terrible sufferings and melt a long time of waiting, all my brave comrades have at last been rescued from the pack ice by the I?"-*"*" icebreaker Krassin, it is easier for me to describe our Joist fight against the ice. During the interval wheh elapsed between my rescue and theirs, the thought of their uncertain fate ha—tad me like a" terrible nightmare, especially as the weather here in 3Torth-east Land has become anything bat saleable for flying.

The first night in the camp was as light and warm as S midsummer day itself. Sleep was quite out of the question. My thoughts few hither and thither. My certain belief that we shouid all be rescued by aeroplane soon, if not immediately, disappeared when, at about two in the morning, I felt slight winds blowing from the north, and noticed that they brought with them a faiae fog whieh enveloped the Polar region Eke a living whitish-grey blanket. Suddenly it became eold in the tent. Owing to the dampness caused by the fog, even more than the low temperatur* outside, we never felt really warm, bui w«e constantly shrverng with cold.

Ia tlie message which we sent to General No bill late that night we informed aim of the fog, and told him how anxious it made as. Bat when the General immediately replied that we were not to be at ah worried about the fog, hot that we were to keep op our caarage r oar mood again became a little brighter. The staccato sound of the Wceless transmitter was now Kke music t« as. We loved it, and longed for it, &eeause it told as that we were not altogether alone.

The Master Cook. Abous eight o'clock in the morning Tr&jani, although suffering terribly from fever, began to prepare breakfast. 2® was tie master cook of the camp, and on Mg shoulders rested such tasks as ftiakfng chocolate and boiling milk. _ Ahoctt nine in the evening we contained the work of removing our camp &> the ice 2oe r after first having eaten our supper. A tiny bite of corned beef *»d a few most bhcsiti. Considering frame of mind, and the ntuationil waicfc *a found ourselves, the work * j .* e fii that night between nine aa «£ «ix mast be considered as repres *®g considerably son than : ? two. 4aya* wok. We carried the »Wy accumulators, radio parts, tins 2j peniinican r the andresesed skin of the *«lar bear, and every imaginable kind off instruments a distance of 800 metres SSltethepack ice. This represented an gfunaoi effort, and we had to sit ® c * lt «ad rest ever; now and thca

When the tent had also been removed to the ice floe, the qaesthm arose of choosing a good camping ground- I suggested a spot elose to the wreckage of my Fokker, which was lying upside down, this plan was adopted.

-Vith mj» banting knife I cut some pieces of waterproof canvas out of the plane in order to provide the best passible underlay for the tent. When I had eut oat e piece about the sise of the tent bottom the tent was erected. On top of piece was laid the tent's own door mat, and on top of that.two of the Italian fHy parachutes by safari* of which MadAeJena had dropped provisions and other things. The Swedish parachutes were much smaller, and as they were red they were more suited for signal flags or similar purposes than for carpeting the teat. On top of the parachutes we spread the Polar bear pelt and some smaller ! reindeer pelts. ATI the pelts had become | very sour, hot they were still usable for ; resting on. At last- the tent was ready. The wireless receiver and some other . apparatus were placed cat the left inside the entrance, and Ceeewni was placed on I t.hi» heap. He never laid down, but sat ilay aad in fri* corner. He-occaaon- [ ally slept a little, bat was mostly awake. | He" used sticks from the airship wreckage as supports for. his broken leg. They were primitive but practical.

Cold and Stinging Fog. The fog: was stall lying thick and close around as. It felt cold and stinging, and it was therefore more than stimulating. In the morning, with, the work well finished, or other of us had made the •iLseovery that our portions of semi-warm chocolate and soft biscuits tasted better when the biscuits were dipped in the chocolate, aad his example was quickly followed by us aQ. We ail fell heavily asleep, even Blagi, who had to watch, took n nap in his sleeping bag; but denly we were awakened by Ms loud yeHa- "Polar bear, Polar bear," he criedI put on my boots, and without stopping to T—» then I crawled oat of the tent and snatehed op my rifle, with which 'Biigi had armed himself, but which, in a situation like this, I preferred to have in my own hands.

Tk« polar hear was slowly trudging across He ice floe away towards the pack, ice his own salvation. I ran some

dozen metres" after him until he was just at the edge of the paek iee. and then there were reports from my rifle and also from the other Swedish gun, and from the rifles which were used by Biagi and Vig?i«i respectively. I saw that my second shot had Sit the bear, which gave a wild roar and then stretched out its head so that the neck could be seen at its full length. Now, however, it was hiding the towering tops of the paek ice, and it was of no use that I rushed forward over the remaining 50 metres of the xee floe, and from a high mound in the iee sent a few more shots after it- It sneaked slowly away in the direction of Foyn Bland, and went roand the iee floe and its enemies in a big circle.

Daring the following days the fog stesdOy increased in intensity, and the wind grew stronger. The temperature •laved below *ero both night and day, and thus the floe became extremely good for Landing Previously part of the thick covering of snow had melted away. Oar ndio connection as a rule was good. We received the good news that in a day or two the Krassitt'woald piek us np in order that she might afterwards search for the airship groap.

After receiving this message we felt J that life was still worth Irving after all, | and we feasted on extra raiinnn of ehoco-

late and the last drops of my stock of brandy. But our pleasure was not to be of long duration. Already, oa the following day, we received news that the Krassin had met compact masses of ice and wis only able to push its way on with the greatest difficulty. It was now thought that it would not reach as for seven or eight days. "What a change this news wrought in our newly-raised hopes of a little while back. We had considered that we were all saved, but now we again woke np to reality. We were just a few poor fellowje drifting on an ice floe, very lonely and left to our fate.

Promises of the help of a Swedish sports machine, a Finnish Junker plane and some small English planes helped to keep up oar courage, but now and again fear and despair got bold of us. If only we had still bee a able to see land, btit this thick, damp cold fog made everything seem worse than it really was. Behoonek and I could not sleep at night. We lay telling each other of our experiences in life, and discussed the prospects of the various relief expeditions. Sometimes we felt certain that help would eome quickly, but just as often we gave op all hope and thought that oar "end was near.

We spoke a good deal about Professor Malmgren. Behoonek and he had been good friends. "MaTmgren and Zappi had keen the-first to propose walking- towards land. The General desired that they should wait, bat at last they set off one evening. They took with "them provisions for 50 days, double sets of reindeer shoes, a compass, sextant and chronometer and mathematical tables, but as the camp only possessed one weapon, the Colt pistol with whieh llalmgren had killed the Polar bear and which had onlv six shots left in it. they had to go unarmed. Behoonek had given them some letters- to his relatives, and Malmgren was to send them on if Behounek were not rescued within two months, ilalmgrin had * serious injury in his left shoulder, presumably a complicated collarbone break. The three men took a heartrending leave of those remaining ami started off. Two days later thev could stffl be seen from the camp.