356 THE VOYAGE OF THE JEANXETTE. 



cmd master its details in so short a period that their 

 ignorance would not have time to become apparent. 



To satisfactorily account for the small increase over 

 last week's consumption of coal, 2,910 pounds, last 

 week's consumption being 2,650, 1 may here mention 

 that shavings, splinters, and small pieces of wood are 

 beginning to come down to the bunker door with the 

 coal, and are consequently shoveled into the buckets 

 as fuel. There is also much fine dust which goes to 

 swell the weight. As it all burns, however, it is con- 

 sidered as so much coal, and so weighed and served out. 

 Melville's reasoning is, that nothing is lost by such an 

 operation, because, he says, " We know that all that is 

 not exj^ended is in the bunker, which is a good place." 

 I am more certain that we have more coal in the bun- 

 kers to-day than the books call for, than I am suspicious 

 of our running short. 



May 17th, Monday. — One more day come and gone, 

 like many of its predecessors, with nothing to vary the 

 monotony of our lives. We are still drifting north, but 

 we see no laud ; and though we have had occasionally 

 a water-sky to the northward, it seems to go before us 

 as we advance, and we come to no result. Low tem- 

 peratures and an unbroken ice-view do not seem to in- 

 dicate a speedy liberation, but there is always comfort 

 in the reflection that " we know not what a day may 

 bring forth." I find patience to be an admirable qual- 

 ity under these circumstances, but I am afraid that 

 patience long drawn out in these regions generates 

 dullness. If we only had something to do that would 

 be advancing the interests of the expedition, there 

 would be some excitement in the life. Hourly meteor- 

 ological observations are taken, it is true, and the ship's 

 position daily obtained by sights, and then we have to 



