THE RETURN OF DAYLIGHT. 265 



curious phenomenon in connection Avitli this was that 

 puffs of vapor would shoot up hke smoke from an ex- 

 plosion, too distant to be heard, and follow along in a 

 line of possible fracture. As soon as the puff had dis- 

 appeared a regular haze would rise as if from open 

 water. The commotion went on until eleven a. m., 

 when it ceased as suddenly as it began. We did not 

 experience any shock or jar, and as our period of sus- 

 pense and standing by was a short one, we were not in- 

 clined to regard the movement as any "great shakes." 

 I had been looking forward to this time, the time of 

 full moon, as a period of uncertainty, but, as often 

 happens, the anticipation was worse than the reality. 

 We have ceased to tremble at these semi-monthly visi- 

 tations. We can see now, and that is more than half 

 a victory. Eight hours' sunlight gives us a confidence 

 we did not feel in November, December, and Janu- 

 ary; and as we know we are daily lengthening our 

 sunlight, and that each day is a day nearer mild and 

 pleasant weather, we are as bold as lions. It seems 

 difficult at times to anticipate any mild weather with 

 the thermometer going on serenely day after day be- 

 low minus 40°. This month has been a screamer for 

 cold. 



When the ice excitement subsided this morning I 

 went out to look for results, and I foimd that, although 

 generally the floes had come together again, leaving 

 only cracks to show where they had broken, there were 

 a few openings six inches wide over which the ice had 

 formed in an hour one half inch in thickness. Nobody 

 seems to mind the cold much, Ave are all out every day 

 for an hour or two at a time, and beyond a cold nose 

 (and if it is windy, occasionally a slightly nipped one) 

 we seem none the worse for it. Our chief trouble is 



