The Winter Night. 341 



frozen wave. It seemed as if the ice on the south side 

 of the opening where the Frain is lying, were moving 

 east, or else that on the north side was moving west ; for 

 the floes on the two sides slanted in towards each other 

 in these directions. We saw tracks of a little bear 

 which had trotted along the opening the day before. 

 Unfortunately it had gone off south-west, and we had small 

 hope, with this steady south wind, of its getting scent of 

 the ship and coming to fetch a little of the flesh on board. 

 "Saturday, January 27th. The days are turning 

 distinctly lighter now. We can just see to read Verdens 

 Gang* about midday. At that time to-day Sverdrup 

 thought he saw land far astern ; it was dark and irregular, 

 in some places high ; he fancied that it might be only an 

 appearance of clouds. When I returned from a walk, 

 about one o'clock, I went up to look, but saw only piled- 

 up ice. Perhaps this was the same as he saw, or possibly 

 I was too late. (It turned out next day to be only an 

 optical illusion.) Severe pressure has been going on this 

 evening. It began at 7.30 astern in the opening, and 

 went on steadily for two hours. It sounded as if a 

 roaring waterfall \vere rushing down upon us with a 

 force that nothing could resist. One heard the big floes 

 crashing and breaking against each other. They were 

 flung and pressed up into high walls, which must now 

 stretch along the whole opening east and west, for one 



* A Norwegian newspaper. 



