166 REIN-DEER KILLED. 



on his hands and knees near enough, killed it at 

 the first shot. His exploit had been witnessed 

 from the ship, and some men were immediately 

 dispatched with a sledge to bring on board the 

 unlooked-for addition to our Christmas fare. It 

 was very lean, and when skinned, only weighed 

 60 lbs., the head included. This event, how- 

 ever, raised the emulation of our sportsmen, of 

 whom several started early on the following day, 

 but they saw only three wolves, which made the 

 vallies echo with their howling. The weather 

 was still fine, and the thermometer high, varying 

 from 20° — to 5° — , which, without wind, we 

 thought satisfactory enough. The extreme edge 

 of the sun's upper limb was barely visible now 

 above the lowest hill. 



A tranquil interval of uninterrupted clear 

 weather followed, and all anxiety was set at rest 

 by the firm adhesion of the ice to the land, 

 which was now T almost daily visited either for 

 exercise or amusement. A few more deer were 

 seen, and a Polar hare as well as two white 

 partridges shot. Lines also were set for fish, but 

 in this attempt we failed. A young fox had 

 been slightly wounded and caught. It was put 

 into an open snow hut and secured, but though 

 in the night it got loose, it made no attempt to 

 escape ; on the contrary, it diverted itself by 

 running round the ship, and quietly retreated to 



