Torn between hope and despair, the castaways returned to their tent and made a hearty meal out of their dwindling provisions. They would have to endure at least another night on their island. One slight comfort was that the temperature had dropped again. The ice would not break so easily, and slushy new ice forming on the water would cushion the floe against knocks and pressures. Nevertheless, the three men each slept with a knife at the ready in case the ice split beneath them and they needed to cut their way out of the tent while holding their breath in the pitch-black water.
