360 THE VOYAGE OF THE JE ANNETTE, 



injured ship I shall have to be careful how I handle 

 her lest I jeopardize all hands. Something must be 

 done, for we cannot rest content with a blank score ; 

 and with God's grace I will try to make some record to 

 which I can look back with at least no regret or morti- 

 fication. It is terrible to me to contemplate that the 

 Jeannette has traveled so many thousand miles under 

 my command only to overwhelm me with confusion at 

 the end. How can I meet her godmother with such a 

 meagre description of her doings ! 



The bright weather we are having is very cheering. 

 An uninterrupted sunlight the whole twenty -four hours 

 is a great treat, and would be fully appreciated if we 

 could only avail ourselves of it in carrying the ship fur- 

 ther N. in open water. Every day parties are out on 

 the hunt, and I find that there is more or less complaint 

 about soreness of the eyes. My stringent order about 

 wearing snow-glasses whenever more than two hundred 

 yards from the ship seems to be faithfully obeyed, and 

 I have no doubt that their use, though not an infallible 

 way of avoiding snow bhndness, will nevertheless so 

 mitigate the severity of the complaint as to prevent any 

 one being laid up. 



Our two invalids, Sweetman and Ah Sam, are back 

 on duty again. By doing all the carpenter work in the 

 deck-house, protected from exposure, I think Sweetman 

 will not again be troubled with neuralgia. Ah Sam's 

 complaint (intermittent fever) is an old friend of his, for 

 it appears that he was afflicted with it in China. 



May 21st, Friday. — Another bear. Mr. Dunbar and 

 the two natives started off this morning on their regu- 

 lar visit to the traps, and finding nothing in them went 

 on a cruise. When about five miles northward from 

 the ship they sighted Bruin, and set the dogs on him to 



