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But the greatest enjoyments of man [[strikethrough]] all [[/strikethrough]] have its stings. The sights of Grandeur that loomed up here & there as we mounted high - & higher would have been too blessed to us, perhaps, had it not been for the torments of burning sun and the stinging needles of the lady musquitos.
After 2 long hours we gained the top ^[[insertion]] of [[/insertion]] one of the lowest ridges. Actually Sterry & myself were completely covered over - [[underlined]] Cap a pie [[underlined]] - with Musquitos & their bites. Times innumerable before getting to the top did take our hats in hand and thrash each other from head to foot - thus momentarily enjoying the smarting bites without the ^ [[insertion]] immediate [[/insertion]] presence of [[strikethrough]] Muss [[/strikethrough]] Musquitos.
      One thing we discovered that the ^ [[insertion]] same [[/insertion]] Army of musquitos we ^ [[insertion]] 1st [[/insertion]] encountered accompanied us all the way up. True we fell in with new brigades that joined in with their ^ [[insertion]] sworn [[/insertion]] friends; but in fact [[strikethrough]] that [[/strikethrough]] the original ones kept up their presence & warfare.  Finding ^[[insertion]] out [[/insertion]] this great truth Sterry proposed 
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[[pencil]] 126 [[/pencil]]

the practice of a strategem [[strikethrough]] on our skin [[?]] [[/strikethrough]] so on arriving at the point most - top, we denu^[[insertion]] d [[/insertion]]ed each other ^[[insertion]] completely [[/insertion]] of [[strikethrough]] the [[/strikethrough]] our afflictors & then [[underlined]] run [[underlined]] as if for dear life! [[strikethough]] as [[/strikethrough]] [[underlined]] indeed, we did run for dear life's blood [[underlined]]! - High rocks & pinnacles, snow-banks & [[sparkling?]] brooks [[strikethrough]] laklets [[/strikethrough]] lakelets & yawning precipices ^[[insertion]] of this Greenland's icy mountain [[/insertion]] were as nothing ^[[insertion]] in our way [[/insertion]] compared to ^[[insertion]] these [[?]] [[/insertion]] [[strikethrough]] our [[/strikethrough]] blood-seeking ^[[insertion]] & sucking [[/insertion]] [[strikethrough]] savages [[/strikethrough]] ^[[insertion]] canabals [[/insertion]] on our tracks. We run full 1/4 of a mile before he brought to! Not a Musquito! Not one was to be seen, except the defunct bodies of those battalions we had slain upon each others bodies by firing broadside shots with our Chapeaus. Out of breath, & feeling to share the joy of our deliverance we threw ourselves [[strikethrough]] upon [[/strikethrough]] flatly upon the bosom of Mother earth. A bed of roses ^[[insertion]] could [[/insertion]] [[strikethrough]] would [[/strikethrough]] not have received us more kindly than Nature's carpet there spread. Our [[strikethrough]] [[?]] [[/strikethrough]] cup of rejoicing was nigh to the brim when Sterry cried out. There if those 

Transcription Notes:
cap a pie = head to foot (in French)