chap, iv ICE FJORD 61 



in and out with the tide close before us, made a novel 

 and beautiful foreground. But our eyes most frequently 

 turned in the opposite direction, for there lay our fate, our 

 route inland. All we could see was the frozen surface of 

 the bay and the white banks on either hand, with a valley 

 bending away beyond, to the east, between white hill-slopes 

 under a roof of cloud. I was destined never to behold this 

 view clear. The hills were always buried in cloud when I 

 was at Advent Point. 



It was delightful to be again under canvas, living in pure 

 air with no dark roof to shut out the sky. I sat till midnight 

 writing in the door of my tent, and needing no extra clothing. 

 The air was fresh indeed, but its freshness served only to 

 make the blood course warmly through the veins. Late at 

 night a shot was fired from the steamer — at some bird, I 

 suppose. Gregory, half asleep, leaped up. He thought it was 

 the Masai coming to loot his camp. How varied are the 

 excitements of travel in different places ! 



