n8 LETTERS FROM HIGH LATITUDES. [VIII. 



where we found the "Saxon" looking like a black sea-dragon 

 coiled up at the bottom of his den. Up fluttered a signal 

 to the mast-head of the corvette, and blowing off her steam, 

 she wore round upon her heel, to watch the effects of her 

 summons. As if roused by the challenge of an intruder, 

 the sleepy monster seemed suddenly to bestir itself, and 

 then pouring out volumes of sulphureous breath, set out 

 with many an angry snort in pursuit of the rash troubler of 

 its solitude. At least, such I am sure might have been the 

 notion of the poor peasant inhabitants of two or three 

 cottages I saw scattered here and there along the loch, as, 

 startled from their sleep, they listened to the stertorous 

 breathing of the long snake-like ships, and watched them 

 glide past with magic motion along the glassy surface of the 

 water. Of course the novelty and excitement of all we had 

 been witnessing had put sleep and bedtime quite out of our 

 thoughts : but it was already six o'clock in the morning ; it 

 would require a considerable time to get out of the fiord, 

 and in a few hours after we should be within the Arctic circle, 

 so that if we were to have any sleep at all — now was the 

 time. Acting on these considerations, we all three turned 

 in ; and for the next half-dozen hours I lay dreaming of a 

 great funeral among barren mountains, where white bears in 

 peers' robes were the pall-bearers, and a sea-dragon chie f- 

 mourner. When we came on deck again, the northern 

 extremity of Iceland lay leagues away on our starboard 

 quarter, faintly swimming through the haze ; up overhead 

 blazed the white sun, and below glittered the level sea, like 

 a pale blue disc netted in silver lace. I seldom remember 

 a brighter day; the thermometer was at 7 2°, and it really 

 felt more as if we were crossing the line than entering the 

 frigid zone. 



Animated by that joyous inspiration which induces them 

 to make a fete of everything, the French officers, it appeared, 

 wished to organize a kind of carnival to inaugurate their 

 arrival in Arctic waters, and by means of a piece of chalk 

 and a huge black board displayed from the hurricane-deck 



