376 THE VOYAGE OF THE JEANNETTE. 



everything frozen as hard as ever. However, Nil des- 

 perandmn ! 



At ten A. M., just as we were going to call all hands 

 to muster, a fall of rain compelled us to wait. It was 

 a pleasure to see it, and a positive luxury to hear it 

 pattering on the poop over our heads. It lasted but a 

 few moments, unfortunately for us, because rain will 

 do an immense amount toward thinni-ng out the ice. 



I inspected the ship, however, as usual, and found 

 everything wonderfully neat and trim. We are quite 

 clear enough to work the ship, as far as the spar deck 

 is concerned ; and it will be a subject for experiment 

 whether, when she floats again, her trim so much by 

 the stern will let her be handled under sail. 



At one we had the general muster and read the Arti- 

 cles of War, and following this I read divine service in 

 the cabin. We are almost down to our minimum ex- 

 penditure of coal, — 1,425 pounds for the past week. 



June 7th, Ilonday. — To-day our observations for po- 

 sition have produced a somewhat discouraging effect 

 upon me. The wind having prevailed from the north- 

 ward and westward, I was prepared for, and anticipated, 

 being set to the southward and eastward, perhaps S. E. ; 

 but to my disgust my sights (latitude 74° 4' 37'' N., lon- 

 gitude 177° 27' E.) showed that we have been set 

 seven and three quarters miles to S. seven degrees W. 

 Seven and three quarters miles of our hard fought drift 

 gone in a day. Had we gone east I would not have 

 minded it, for we always have something in that direc- 

 tion ; but to go any further to the westward seems like 

 trying to walk through a stone fence. There is plenty 

 of water-sky around us, too, as if to tempt us with a 

 sight of the impossible. As the wind still continues 

 from the northward and westward, we must expect 



