434 THE VOYAGE OF THE JEANNETTE. 



during the afternoon and evening, and all the changes 

 on bears and bear-hunting were rung ad infinitum. 



While the doctor and I were in chase we came to a 

 place on the trail where one of the bears seemed to 

 have sat down, for the snow was colored red for quite 

 a space. Examining more carefully, however, we saw 

 that it was " crimson snow," so-called (infusorise, about 

 which, as to whether of vegetable, marine, or cosmic 

 origin, so many diverse opinions are advanced). Gath- 

 ering some of it the doctor examined it with a micro- 

 scope, and he thinks it is pink-colored marine algae, 

 probably a species of protococcus. 



Lest I have not mentioned it heretofore, I mention 

 here that Mr. Collins discovered some magnetic parti- 

 cles (meteoric iron) in a lot of sand and gravel found 

 on the ice two miles to the eastward by Mr. Dunbar. 



When not engaged in chasing bears, our men were 

 engaged to-day in sawing up and removing the ice 

 which we displaced around the stern yesterday. The 

 engineer's force was employed in trying to get the shaft 

 to revolve. Uncoupled the engine from the line shaft, 

 and found that the engine could be moved readily. 

 Coupled up again and removed the packing from the 

 stufhusf-box of the stern bearinoj until the water ran 

 freely to the box. Then tried to jack the engine and 

 shaft as coupled together, but without much effect. 

 The difficulty seemed to be in the stern-pipe or sleeve 

 (as we supposed yesterday), as there was a noise as of 

 grinding in the pipe, and supposing it to be occasioned 

 by ice, the stuffing-box w^as so arranged as to admit 

 during the night a small, steady stream of water to aid 

 in thawing. 



August 27th, Friday. — Another day of fog — im- 

 penetrable as a wall. Temperature, maximum 35°, min- 



