384 THE VOYAGE OF THE JEANNETTE. 



sen, his two chronic patients. Melville draws a little 

 for this journal, sings a little, and stirs everybody up to 

 a realization that it is daytime. Danenhower talks in- 

 cessantly — on any or all subjects, with or without an 

 audience. The doctor moralizes between observations ; 

 I smoke ; Mr. Newcomb makes his preparations for 

 dredging specimens ; Mr. Collins has not appeared, his 

 usual hour being 12.30 in the afternoon. Meanwhile, 

 the men have been set at work; a sled and dogs are 

 dispatched for the day's snow for washing purposes. 

 The decks are cleared up, soundings made, berth deck 

 inspected, and work of painting, scraping, or whatever 

 is on hand commenced. The day's rations are served 

 out to the cook, and then we commence to drift out on 

 the ice to dig ditches, to look at the dogs, calculate the 

 waste in the ice since yesterday, and the probable 

 amount by to-morrow. The dredge is lowered and 

 hauled. I get the sun at meridian, and we go to din- 

 ner. After dinner more smoke, more drawing, more 

 singing, more talk, more ditch and canal-making, more 

 hunting, more work, more dog inspection, and some at- 

 tempts at napping until four p. m., when we are all 

 around for anything that may turn up. At 5.30 time 

 and azimuth sight, post position in cabin, make chart, 

 go to supper at six, and discuss our drift, and then 

 smoke, talk, and general kill-time occupations until ten 

 p. M., when the day is ended. The noise subsides ; those 

 who can, go to bed ; I write the log and my journal, 

 make the observations for meteorology until midnight. 

 Mr. Collins succeeds me four hours, Chipp him four 

 hours, the doctor next four hours, Mr. Collins next six 

 hours, I next two hours, Melville next two hours, and I 

 end the day again, and so it goes. 



Our meals necessarily have a sameness. Canned 



