THE RETURN OF DAYLIGHT. 237 



hood ; the hberation of water at a temperature of 29^ 

 or 30° to the action of the air at minus 29° or minus 

 30° always occasions a mist, which, rising by natural 

 laws, interposes between us and the moon and causes 

 us to see that luminary dimly. As its distance from us 

 increases it forms the halo. Snow dust occasions a sim- 

 ilar phenomenon with the same peculiarity of color.) 

 At eleven the sun was about 3° above the horizon, be- 

 ing much raised by refraction. At six a. m. faint auro- 

 ral arches or bands shedding diffused light. 



We succeeded to-day in thawing the delivery-pipe in 

 the ship's side, so as to discharge the water through it 

 instead of pumping it through the fire connection on 

 deck, and that saves us from a steady fear of the hose 

 freezing up. 



February 1st, Sunday. — We ended the month of 

 January with the steam-pump going, and we com- 

 menced the new month of February in like manner. 

 The steam-pump is kept going all day, and although it 

 is the only one working manages to hold the water in 

 check, going forty strokes a minute, equivalent to pump- 

 ing out of the ship 2,250 gallons an hour. 



At midnight, ending this day, Nindemann and Sweet- 

 man had managed to clear the limbers completely on 

 one side of the ship chock aft to the fire-room, and in 

 consequence the water flows aft as freely as it enters. 

 At one p. M. the Articles of War were read and the men 

 mustered, after which I inspected the ship. Of course, 

 everything forward was damp and disagreeable, but we 

 can hope for no better luck with two thousand two 

 hundred and fifty gallons coming into her per hour. 

 At 1.30 I read divine service in the cabin. At eleven 

 A. M. an Arctic fox (white) was seen close to the ship. 

 The dogs went for it, and the poor thing ran for the 



