374 THE VOYAGE OF THE JEAXNETTE. 



made to me by the doctor, namely, that Nelse Iversen, 

 coal-heaver, was trembling on the border of insanity : 

 this was as imexjoected as it was astounding. The 

 man all along had been bright and cheerful, and dis- 

 posed to be active in his habits as well as attentive to 

 his duty. For a day or two he has received medicine 

 for constipation, and in his conversations with the doc- 

 tor betrayed more nervousness and anxiety and gen- 

 eral disquiet than such a disorder should have given 

 rise to. This morning, however, on presenting himself 

 at nine o'clock, he was very hysterical and nervous, in- 

 forming the doctor in all seriousness that he was being 

 watched, and that a mutiny was on foot among the 

 men ; that he had been approached on the subject, and 

 asked what he would do in such a case, etc. Being 

 closely plied with questions he burst into tears and be- 

 came quite incoherent, going on with all sorts of rig- 

 marole. He mentioned Sharvell, another coal-heaver, 

 as one who had approached him on the subject of mu- 

 tiny. This Sharvell is a mere lad, who would no more 

 be suspected by me or any one else in the ship than a 

 child. This is a serious case, and I can but hope that 

 time will alleviate the disorder. But at best Iversen 

 will always be more or less doubtful, and, of course, ut- 

 terly unfit for any responsibility. First a blind officer, 

 and now a crazy man — these will be serious charges 

 on my mind in any emergencies. Observations to-day 

 reveal the unpleasant fact that we are going backward, 

 showing a drift of three miles to S. 34° E. This is not 

 at all pleasant. Motion onward was pleasant enough, 

 but we cnnnot say the same for motion backward. 



At Avork all day in stowing away against the bul- 

 wark the deck-house planking and frame, in rearrang- 

 ing our deck load of provisions, in unpacking our sleds, 



