The Winter Night. 



o/ 



''Monday, March I2th. Slowly drifting southwards. 

 Took a lono- snow-shoe run alone, towards the north ; 



o * 



to-day had on my wind-breeches, but found them almost 

 too warm. This morning it was 51 '6 F. below zero, and 

 about 1 3 feet N. wind ; at noon it was some degrees warmer. 

 Ugh ! this north wind is freshening ; the barometer has 

 risen again, and I had thought the wind would have 

 changed, but it is and remains the same. 



"This is what March brings us the month on which 

 my hopes relied. Now I must wait for the summer. 

 Soon the half-year will be past, it will leave us about in 

 the same place as when it began. Ugh ! I am weary- 

 so w r eary let me sleep, sleep ! Come sleep ! noiselessly 

 close the door of the soul, stay the flowing stream of 

 thought ! Come dreams, and let the sun beam over the 

 snowless strand of Godthaab ! 



"Wednesday, March i4th. In the evening the dogs 

 all at once began to bark, as we supposed on account of 

 bears. Sverdrup and I took our guns, let ' Ulenka' and 

 ' Pan ' loose, and set off. There was twilight still, and 

 the moon moreover began to shine. No sooner were 

 the dogs on the ice than off they started westward like a 

 couple of rockets, we after them as quickly as we could. 

 As I was jumping over a lane I thrust one leg through 

 the ice up to the knee. Oddly enough, I did not get 

 wet through to the skin, though I only had Finn shoes and 

 frieze gaiters on; but in this temperature, 58 F. below zero 

 ( 39 C), the water freezes on the cold cloth before it can 



