PARRY'S POLAR VOYAGE. 181 



mode of travelling which they were compelled to adopt. 

 The first step was to convert night into day to begin 

 their journey in the evening, and end it in the morning. 

 Thus, while they had quite enough of light, they 

 avoided the snow-glare, and the blindness which it 

 usually produces ; besides, the ice was drier and harder 

 beneath them ; and they enjoyed the greatest warmth 

 when it was most wanted, during the period of sleep, 

 though they were a little annoyed by dense and fre- 

 quent fogs. Thus their notions of night and day became 

 inverted. Several of the men declared that they never 

 knew night from day, during the whole excursion. They 

 rose in what they called the morning, but which waa 

 really late in the evening, and, having performed their 

 devotions, breakfasted on warm cocoa and biscuit ; then, 

 drawing on their boots, usually either wet or hard 

 frozen, and which, though perfectly dried, would have 

 been equally soaked in fifteen minutes, the party trav- 

 elled five or six hours, and a little after midnight stopped 

 to dine. They next accomplished an equal journey in 

 what was called the afternoon ; and in the evening, that 

 is, at an advanced hour in the morning, halted as for the 

 night. After applying themselves to obtain rest and 

 comfort, they put on dry stockings and fur boots, 

 cooked something warm for supper, smoked their pipes, 

 told over their exploits, and, forgetting the toils of the 

 day, enjoyed an interval of ease and gayety ; then, well 

 wrapped in their fur cloaks, they lay down in the boat, 

 rather too close together, perhaps, but with very tolera- 

 ble comfort ; and in due time the sound of a bugle 

 roused them to their breakfast of cocoa, and to a repe- 

 tition of the same arduous duties. 



The progress for several days was most slow and 

 laborious. The floes were small, exceedingly rough, 

 and intersected by lanes of water, which could not be 



