UNDER THE MIDNIGHT SUN. 347 



see no change: if his eye seems to improve for a day 

 or so, it only precedes a fresh outbreak, which makes it 

 difficult to say whether or not it is as bad as it ever 

 was. Being allowed by the doctor to be about the 

 cabin during the day, with one eye covered up entirely, 

 and the other protected by a colored goggle, and even 

 in dry, warm weather, to go on deck under the awning 

 for a few moments, carefully changing his foot-gear for 

 rubber boots before going out, and changing back on 

 coming in, — he became over-confident, began looking 

 at and trying to distinguish too many things, then went 

 a step or two outside the awning, in the full sunlight, 

 and finally delayed changing his foot-gear, and the re- 

 sult is he is down in his room in the dark again, only 

 allowed to come up to breakfast and supper blindfolded. 

 How his case will terminate I cannot say. After in- 

 spection, divine service was performed in the cabin. 



May 10th, Monday. — Another day of perfect monot- 

 ony, waiting for the mild weather and open water, which 

 do not come. Strange to say, however, good observa- 

 tions placed the ship four miles W. of where she was on 

 the 7th. Either we have been in the mean time further 

 W. and have come back again, or else lead-line indica- 

 tions are valueless. Latitude 73° 9' 49" N., longitude 

 179° 9' 55'' E. If this latitude were only 83° 9' 49", 

 how much better satisfied I should be with our work of 

 exploration. 



May 11th, Tuesday. — An absolutely uneventful day. 

 At three a. m. an occasional crack could be heard from 

 the ice about the ship, but very faint and of no impor- 

 tance, unless it be a sign of wasting away. Really the 

 sameness and monotony of this hoping and waiting are 

 wearing upon me. Were we somewhat further north, we 

 would not expect milder weather or a breaking up until 



