384 Chapter VI. 



crescent moon peering over the treetops. Dawn, with 

 its glowing hues up here in the north, is the breaking 

 of a spring day over the forest wilds at home ; the 

 hazy blue vapour beneath the morning glow, turns to the 

 fresh early mist over the marshes ; the dark low clouds 

 on a background of dim red, seem like distant ranges of 

 hills. 



" Daylight here with its rigid, lifeless whiteness has no 

 attractions ; but the evening and night thaw the heart of 

 this world of ice ; it dreams mournful dreams, and you 

 seem to hear in the hues of the evening, sounds of its 

 smothered wail. Soon these will cease, and the sun will 

 circle round the everlasting light blue expanse of heaven, 

 imparting one uniform colour to day and night alike. 



" Friday, April 6th. A remarkable event was to take 

 place to-day, which naturally we all looked forward to with 

 lively interest. It was an eclipse of the sun. During the 

 night Hansen had made a calculation that the eclipse 

 would begin at 12.56 o'clock. It was important for us to 

 be able to o-et a Q-ood observation, as we should thus be 



o o 



able to regulate our chronometers to a nicety. In order 

 to make everything sure, we set up our instruments a 

 couple of hours beforehand, and commenced to observe 

 We used the large telescope, and our large theodolite. 

 Hansen, Johansen, and myself took it by turns to sit for 

 five minutes each at the instruments, watching the rim of 

 the sun, as we expected a shadow- would become visible 

 on its lower western edge, while another stood by with 



