The Winter Night. 351 



the longing begins again ; and again attainment seems so 

 far off, so doubtful. And this though I dream at nights 

 just now of getting out of the ice west of Iceland. Hope 

 is a rickety craft to trust oneself to. I had a long, 

 successful drive, with the dogs to-day. 



"Sunday, February nth. To-day we drove out with 

 two teams of dogs. Things went well ; the sledges got 

 on much better over this ice than I thought they would, 

 They do not sink much in the snow. On flat ice four 

 dogs can draw two men. 



" Tuesday, February i3th. A long drive south-west 

 yesterday with white dogs. To-day still farther in the 

 same direction on snow-shoes. It is good healthy 

 exercise, with a temperature of 43 F. to 47 F. below zero 

 ( 42 and 44 C.) and a biting north wind. Nature is 

 so fair and pure, the ice is so spotless, and the lights and 

 shadows of the growing day so beautiful on the new- 

 fallen snow. The Frawts hoar-frost-covered rigging 

 rises straight and white with rime towards the spark- 

 ling blue sky. One's thoughts turn to the snow- 

 shoeing days at home. 



"Thursday, February i5th. I went yesterday on 

 snow-shoes farther north-east than I have ever been 

 before, but I could still see the ship's rigging above 

 the edge of the ice. I was able to go fast, because 

 the ice was flat in that direction. To-day I went the 

 same way with dogs. I am examining the ' lie of the 

 land ' all round, and thinking of plans for the future. 



