A FROZEN SUMMER. 437 



the extent to which our men were obliged to be in the 

 water w^hile sawing ice, have led to the accumulation of 

 a large quantity of wet clothes. In order to dry them 

 I have ordered a fire on the berth deck, which, com- 

 mencing on Friday, continued yesterday and to-day. 

 This makes a sad expenditure of coal (145 pounds), 

 but it is necessary for health and comfort that people 

 should wear dry clothing. Sweetman continues his 

 work of altering the deck-house for our possible win- 

 ter's detention, and as he always makes a thorough 

 finish of anything he undertakes, the altered house is 

 as much like a new one as possible. He is as invalu- 

 able a carpenter as he is desirable as a cheerful ship- 

 mate, and I cannot be too loud in his praise. His 

 exertions, with those of Nindemann, down in the fore 

 peak on and after January 19th will always remain in- 

 delibly fixed in my mind. 



Inspection and divine service took place as usual on 

 Sundays. We sounded in thirty-seven fathoms, a drift 

 to N. N. E. being indicated by the lead line. Light 

 southerly breezes four miles an hour, freshened by mid- 

 night to ten miles, and yet a temperature at one time 

 as low as 28.3°! 



Have Behring Strait and the ocean south of us closed 

 thus early ? If so, by what accident shall we find water 

 north of us ? Fog, mist, and drizzling rain as usual, but 

 I managed to get some fair sights, show^ing our position 

 obtained yesterday to be reliable. 



The outlook from the crow's-nest is dreary enough. 

 Ice, ice, ice ! In the little basin or valley in which we 

 are numerous rivulets and pond-holes may be seen ; but 

 beyond what was once our encircling mountain ridge 

 twenty to forty feet high, and now a ragged mass of 

 confused chunks, is a seemingly endless ice desert, with 



