The Winter Night. 217 



take a turn on the Hoe to get some fresh air, and to 

 examine the state of the ice, its pressure, etc. At one 

 o'clock all were assembled for dinner, which generally 

 consisted of three courses soup, meat, and dessert ; or, 

 soup, fish, and meat ; or fish, meat, and dessert ; or 

 sometimes only fish and meat. With the meat we 

 always had potatoes and either green vegetables or 

 maccaroni. I think we were all agreed that the fare was 

 good ; it would hardly have been better at home ; for 

 some of us it would perhaps have been worse. And we 

 looked like fatted pigs ; one or two even began to 

 cultivate a double chin and a corporation. As a rule, 

 stories and jokes circulated at table along with the bock- 

 beer. 



After dinner the smokers of our company would march 

 oft, well fed and contented, into the galley, which was 

 smoking-room as well as kitchen, tobacco being tabooed 

 in the cabins except on festive occasions. Out there 

 they had a good smoke and chat ; many a story 

 was told, and not seldom some warm dispute arose. 

 Afterwards came, for most of us, a short siesta. Then 

 each went to his work again until we were summoned to 

 supper at six o'clock, when the regulation day's work was 

 done. Supper was almost the same as breakfast, except 

 that tea was always the beverage. Afterwards there was 

 again smoking in the galley, while the saloon was trans- 

 formed into a silent reading-room. Good use was made 

 of the valuable library presented to the expedition by 



