ONLY A DREAM. 



303 



During the early spring of 1881 nothing especial occurred. 

 The first bird (7. grylle) was seen April 6th, and more 

 birds were seen this April than during the corresponding 

 month of last year. Among them were no new species. 



The Arctic is very shoal in these parts. From the 21st 

 to the 23d of this month we shoaled our water 21 fathoms, 

 giving but 18 or 20 fathoms where we had been getting 35 

 to 40. This was the most sudden shoaling we ever experi- 

 enced. 



A VISION OF HOME. 



I suppose the reader will smile if I say that many a de- 

 lightful repast I sat down to in my dreams. Such, however, 

 was the case, and the most provoking part was to wake up 

 finding it only a dream. Visions of pie pumpkin pie, the 

 particular weakness of a New England Yankee always oc- 

 cupied an aggravatingly prominent place. Life under such 

 circumstances as ours was well calculated to make a person 

 sleep with " one eye and an ear open." 



On the 16th of May, 1881, about seven P. M., seaman 

 Erickson came in the cabin and reported to the captain, say- 

 ing : " Captain, Mr. Chipp reports land in sight on the star- 

 board beam." This news made us all glad. Notwithstand- 

 ing the proximity of land would probably cause the floe to 



