THE DEAD OF WINTER. 221 



do nothing towards building a water-tight bulkhead 

 across the fore peak, and thus keeping the water leak 

 under control of the hand-pumps. As the water will 

 not come aft readily to the steam-pump, we must get a 

 steam-pump forward to it, for men cannot stand pump- 

 ing from now till spring. Fortunately we have a pump 

 in the engine-room which we can move forward to the 

 old galley-room and connect by a long series of pipes 

 to the main boiler, and that is suggested by Melville 

 and commenced to be put into execution at midnight. 



Everything was carried on regularly, quietly, and 

 systematically. There was no excitement and no con- 

 fusion. If we had to leave the ship, our sledges were 

 ready on the poop packed with forty days' provisions, 

 our boats were ready to lower, and we had the two 

 dingys mounted on their sleds. Everybody had his 

 knapsack and sleeping-bag ready, and our records and 

 papers were in condition to seal up in a box, but thank 

 God we had no occasion to experience that emergency. 

 Temperature slowly rises to minus 44°. Early daylight 

 at 6.50. Clear and pleasant. Bright moonlight and 

 starlight. Considerable ice movement during da}^, and 

 continuous heavy pressure. 



January 20tli, Tuesday. — A very disagreeable fea- 

 ture in connection with our trouble is, that we have a 

 sick man on our .hands (Danenhower), and his being 

 unable to help himself, in case of an extraordinary 

 emergency, makes it a cause of serious anxiet}^ to me. 

 The doctor was suddenly taken ill last night with a 

 bilious attack, and for a time I was quite alarmed about 

 him. But this morning he seems to be on the mend. 

 Mr. Dunbar is not strong yet, his recent sickness seem- 

 ing to have added twenty years to his age. 



While we are in this uncertain state, there is not 



