380 THE VOYAGE OF THE JEAXNETTE. 



some squalls. We are engaged in painting the ship 

 outside, a curious spectacle in the ice-pack, and shall 

 look as neat and trim ere long^as if we were at anchor 

 in a snug harbor. Our boats are also being painted, 

 getting their share of the general '-'- tarring " up. 



June l^th, Tuesday. — Much water-sky all around ho- 

 rizon, and from aloft we can see ponds here and there 

 at long intervals. 



June IQth, Wednesday. — Observations to-day place 

 us in "73° 40' 54" N., and 177° 18' 15'' E., showing that 

 we have drifted since yesterday thirteen miles to S. 18° 

 E. This is the hardest blow of all, and difficult to stand 

 up under. Are we never to have a change ? Our sound- 

 ings to-day are in twenty-five fathoms, so I suppose we 

 are drifting towards some shoal on which our ice-field 

 may bring up. I am too disgusted to make any more 

 remarks on such a miserably resulting day. 



June 17th, Thursday. — Observations to-day place 

 us in 73° 33' 41" N., and 177° 27' 15" E., showing a 

 drift since yesterday of 7.7 miles to S. 21° E. 



The work of painting goes on as if we were in a har- 

 bor with other ships to look at us, instead of being hard 

 fast in the ice many hundred miles away from the rest 

 of humanity. At all events we can admire the result 

 of our own labor. 



June ISth, Friday. — Our daily monotony is very 

 depressing. Over nine months have we been held fast 

 and drifted here and there at the will of the winds. So 

 long as the temperature gave no chance for a change, 

 no one expected it, and we cheerfully accepted the in- 

 evitable. When during the month of May we steadily 

 drifted to the northward and westward we were nearly 

 as well pleased as if we had had a lane to move the 

 ship along in, for we were advancing. Since the 4th 



