IV:

And when the sun came out of the ice
In its gray and wintry light
There was naught t'be seen but the pale white sheen
Where the hills and the sea lay white.
And the paths were white, and the sky was white
And white was the lead dog's breath
As if sea, and land, and dogs and air
Had agreed to jes' freeze to death.
And the frost was white that rimed our beards
At the dawn of that frozen day.
And the only glow came from a dream,
A dream of that distant Kay.

For we wasn't close--we had fer to go
We had over five hundred still.
With nothing to aid but the guts of the crew,
Our backs, and the dogs' good will.
We had little enough to eat or drink
And nothing' to ease our way.
And all we could do was mush, and think,
Think on that next of Kay.