202 THE VOYvVGE OF THE JEANNETTE. 



daylight and not from the moonhght. Well, here we 

 are in the pack. So far, with two exceptions, we are 

 in good health. The two exceptions are Mr. Danen- 

 hower and Mr. Dunbar. Mr. Danenhower has an in- 

 flammatory trouble with his left eye, which obliges him 

 to keep it blinded, but is of no very serious character. 

 Mr. Dunbar has caught a bad cold which has run him 

 down considerably, and as he says he never was sick 

 before it seems to depress his spirits to be ailing now. 

 Some of us are troubled with extreme sleeplessness, 

 myself, probably, worst of all, or, at least, as badly. 

 My work not being over until one A. m., at which time 

 I retire, I rarely get asleep before 3.30, and sometimes 

 not until four A. m. I avoid napping as a rule during 

 the day, but it seems to make no difference. The lack 

 of sufficient exercise may be the cause of our wakeful- 

 ness. As an electrical celebration of the shortest day 

 in the year, we had a display of auroras far exceeding 

 in quantity, and, perhaps, also in quality any previous 

 efforts in that line. 



December 23fZ, Tuesday. — The high winds of the 

 last few days having accumulated some snow near us 

 we set to work to-day banking it up against the ship's 

 side, with the hope of adding to her warmth and dimin- 

 ishing the dampness of the berth deck. 



December 2U]i, Wednesday. — A day of high winds, 

 cloudy and unpleasant weather, and occasional flurries 

 of very fine snow. 



Christmas Eve. Our surroundings are not of the most 

 cheerful character, and our ship is not large enough 

 to make any effort at theatricals possible. A feeble 

 attempt at minstrels was in contemplation during the 

 past week, but it has not yet matured. In order that 

 some little conviviality and good feeling might be 



