404 THE VOYAGE OF THE JEA^'XETTE. 



This seems to be the time for shedding the coat, as 

 all our captures are made while the seal is out of water, 

 getting rid of his old coat by friction on the ice. But 

 they are rare in this neighborhood, for some reason or 

 other. Had the spruce (?) log brought in which we 

 found the other day. 



July 17th, Saturday. — A day of not ijiuch interest. 

 Much fog, mist, and rain prevailed, and during the af- 

 ternoon snow fell. This is a nice showing for the 17th 

 day of July, indeed. So slack does the ice seem, that 

 a shift of wind is immediately noticeable in our change 

 of drift. 



July ISth, Sunday. — Another week has come and 

 gone, and here we are yet held in bondage. This kind 

 of life is most discouraging. If we were only drifting 

 toward our goal, we would be somewhat content ; but 

 alas! we are steadily drifting away from it: or, if in 

 our enforced idleness we w^ere accomplishing anything 

 for the good of science or human nature, it would be a 

 comfort, — but instead of either we are simply burning 

 coal to cook food to consume day after day. Over ten 

 months of this imprisonment have we had, and in fact 

 were it not that a certain indefinable, and I confess in- 

 explicable something, keeps telling me all will come 

 out right yet, I could hardly assign any reason why it 

 should not last any multiple of ten months more. Cur- 

 rents there are none, except such as are created locally 

 and temporarily by a wind. See-saw, see-saw N. ^y. 

 with a S. E. wind, and then S. E. with a N. W. wind, 

 and the same result with any other two succeeding 

 winds. The surface water shows no increase of tem- 

 perature that is not due to the air, and the bottom 

 water has a temperature of 30°. Inspected the ship 

 and read divine service, thus, as it were, making the 



