500 Chapter VIII. 



twilight. Far, far out a dark line marks the horizon, 

 formed by the packed-up ice, over it a shimmer of silvery 

 vapour and above all the boundless deep blue, starry 

 sky, where the full moon sails through the ether. But 

 in the south is a faint glimmer of day low down of a 

 dark, o-lowino> red hue, and higher up a clear vellow and 



" O O O J 



pale green arch, that loses itself in the blue above. The 

 whole melts into a pure harmony, one and indescribable. 

 At times one longs to be able to translate such scenes 

 into music. What mighty chords, one would require 

 to interpret them ! 



" Silent, oh, so silent ! You can hear the vibrations of 

 your own nerves. I seem as if I were gliding over and 

 over these plains into infinite space. Is this^not an 

 image of what is to come ? Eternity and peace are here. 

 Nirvana must be cold and bright as such an eternal star- 



o 



night. What are all our research and understanding in 

 the midst of this infinity ? 



" Friday, November i6th. In the forenoon I went 

 out with Sverdrup on snow-shoes in the moonlight, and 

 we talked seriously of the prospects of our drift and 'of 

 the proposed expedition northwards over the ice in the 

 spring. In the evening we went into the matter 

 more thoroughly in his cabin. I stated my views, 

 in which he entirely coincided. I have of late 

 been meditating a great deal on what is the proper 

 course to pursue, supposing the drift does not take us so 

 far north by the month of March as I had anticipated. 



