UNDER THE MIDNIGHT SUN. 321 



afternoon while taking sights. The artificial horizon 

 was placed on the ice as usual, with the wind carefully 

 excluded by pressing the roof well into the surround- 

 ing snow. The surface of the mercury was smooth, 

 and the reflected image of the sun perfectly sharp on 

 its edge ; but there was a rising and falling of the image, 

 gentle, of course (else the edge would have become 

 blurred), but so decided that 1 had great difficulty in 

 making perfect contact. It was as if the horizon trough 

 were in so nearly an exact equilibrium on a knife edge 

 that a breath produced and continued the motion. 

 Could it possibly have been a swell ? I have thought 

 much over this occurrence, but cannot account for it. 

 If the whole ice-field had been swayed up and down 

 see-saw, I ought to have swayed with it, and the motion 

 of the mercury would not have been noticeable ; but 

 as it was noticeable, could there have been a break be- 

 tween me and the artificial horizon, and my piece have 

 remained fixed while the other one rose and fell ? 



Considering that we are all (excepting Danenhower) 

 in such perfect health; that our scale of food contains 

 so much fresh bread and canned vegetables, with milk, 

 butter, and other anti-scorbutics ; that we have so many 

 fresh potatoes, sixty pounds each week ; and that one of 

 our three barrels of lime juice is now consumed (since 

 December 6th, much sooner than I anticipated), I have 

 decided, upon consultation with the surgeon, to reduce 

 our consumption to an issue of the regular ounce on 

 Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. I think it would 

 be difficult to mention a more healthy crew in Arctic 

 experience than we are, after our winter of damp, cold, 

 anxiety, and danger. Before long these things will be 

 of the past, and we shall forget them in our expecta- 

 tions of the future. 



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