CHAPTER XX. 



LOOKING FOR THE SUN. — THE OPEN SEA. — BIRDS. 



While the days were thus running on, the sun was 

 crawling up toward the horizon, and each returning 

 noon brought an increase of light. I carried in my 

 pocket at all times a little book, and early in Febru- 

 ary I began to experiment with it. When I could 

 read the title-page at noon I was much rejoiced. By 

 and by the smaller letters could be puzzled out ; then 

 I could decipher with ease the finest print, and the 

 youngsters were in great glee at being able to read 

 the thermometers at eleven and twelve and one 

 o'clock without the lantern. On the 10th of Feb- 

 ruary I made the following memorandum on the mar- 

 gin of my book : " Almost broad daylight at noon, 

 and I read this page at 3 o'clock P. M." My calcula- 

 tions placed the sun at the horizon on the 18th. 



The appearance of the sun became now the one 

 absorbing event. About it everybody thought and 

 everybody talked continually. No set of men ever 

 looked more eagerly for a coming joy than did we for 

 the promised morn, — we, half-bloodless beings, com- 

 ing from the night, bleached in the long-continued 

 lamp-light, and almost as colorless as potato-sprouts 

 growing in a dark cellar. We all noted how to-day 

 compared with yesterday, and contrasted it with this 

 day a week ago. Even the old cook caught the con- 



