70 RETURN OF A DESERTER. Chap. V. 



occurred between me and the ship when I was returning 

 from the iceberg; the sun was just setting as I found 

 myself cut off. Had I been upon the other side I would 

 have loitered to enjoy a refreshing gaze upon this dark 

 streak of water ; but after a smart run of about a mile along 

 its edge, and finding no place to cross, visions of a patrol on 

 the floe for the long night of fifteen hours began to obtrude 

 themselves ! At length I reached a place where the jagged 

 edges of the floes met, so crossed and got safely on board. 

 Nothing was seen during this walk of nearly 25 miles except 

 one seal. Recent gales have drifted us rapidly southward ; 

 cracks and lanes are very numerous. 



On the 1st a blue (or sooty) fox was shot. Although 130 

 geographical miles from the nearest land he was very fat, 

 hence we argue dovekies were much more numerous during 

 winter than we supposed. We have often noticed the tracks 

 of foxes following up those of the bears, probably for 

 discarded scraps of the seals upon which they prey. Hob- 

 son's favourite dog " Chummie " has returned, after an 

 absence of six days, decidedly hungry, but he can hardly 

 have been without food all that time ; some fox may have 

 lured him off. He evinced great delight at getting back, 

 devoted his first attentions to a hearty meal, then rubbed 

 himself up against his own particular associates, after which 

 he sought out and attacked the weakest of his enemies, and, 

 soothed by their howlings, coiled himself up for a long 

 sleep. 



1st March. — Position, 69 50' N., 59 43' W. February 

 has been a remarkably mild, cloudy, windy month : the 

 winter temperature may be said to have passed away by the 

 10th, the average temperature for the first ten days being 

 — 2 5 , whilst for the remainder of the month it was — n° 

 Had one fallen asleep for a month at least, 'he could not rea- 

 sonably have expected to find a greater change on awaking 



