314 THE VOYAGE OF THE JEANNETTE. 



all along in the afternoon until six o'clock. The move- 

 ment seemed to be confined between N. W. and N. 

 Brilliant parhelion 22° in radius immediately after sun- 

 rise, and two brilliant sun dogs at five and six a. m. 

 Although the sun is below the horizon for about eight 

 hours, we have daylight the whole twenty-four hours. 

 That is to say I consider enough daylight existing at 

 midnight to navigate the ship were there open water 

 to make it possible. No regular order of sunrise and 

 sunset can be marked from day to day, the time of 

 these events varying greatly with the refraction. I am 

 scrupulously careful in my observations for position to 

 apply to the mean refraction Chaavenet's corrections 

 for height of barometer and for temperature. At such 

 altitudes the corrections are not very large ; but when 

 the sun approaches its setting, for instance, they are so 

 markedly important as to make their omissions a seri- 

 ous error. 



A2:)ril Sth, Thursday. — Our pumping goes on now 

 in this manner : When enough water gets aft into the 

 fire-room to be worth the steam, the little cutter's en- 

 gine pumps it out. At other times the steam-cutter's 

 boiler distills water. Every time the bell strikes, the 

 man on watch works the forward spar deck bilge-pump 

 until it draws air, which it generally does in from five 

 to ten minutes. Our windmill pump rig gets on apace, 

 Melville being engaged in making necessary forgings, 

 and the carpenters working at such wood-work as is 

 required. 



April 9th, Friday. — Our new moon has come, with- 

 out any of the disturbance I anticipated ; not even a 

 jar occurred to note its arrival. The first bird of the 

 year arrived to-day. A raven, flying from the south- 

 ward, lighted on the ice near the ship long enough to 



