THE RETURN TO COLD AND DARKNESS. 457 



ter's boiler to pump out such water as filters aft into 

 the fire-room through our water-tight bulkhead. This 

 we cannot stand, and I direct that hereafter pumping be 

 done by hand. This necessitates the altering back again 

 of the main engine bilge-pump. We are acquiring a 

 thorough training and education in the art of pumping 

 at all events, and I dare say any one of us could write a 

 valuable paper entitled, " What I know about Pumps." 



A low fog rests all the afternoon on the southwest 

 horizon, and the sky otherwise is very nearly cloudless. 

 At midnight there was not a speck of cloud in the 

 heavens, and the most beautiful effects were created by 

 a bright moon and starlight illuminating the floe and 

 the ship, every spar and rope of which was so thickly 

 covered with snow and frost feathers as to be simply a 

 wonderful sight, while northeast to southwest, about 15° 

 above the southeast horizon, extended an irregular cur- 

 tain-like arch spreading at its southwest end into large 

 patches of a most vivid sea-green. Imagine the ship 

 standing out in bold relief against these large green 

 patches, every rope the size of my arm, with soft down- 

 like fluffy frostings, and the bright moonlight showing 

 their pure whiteness to double advantage, and my feel- 

 ings may be understood when I thought such a sight 

 was worth coming for. 



September 22c?, Wednesday. — The early part of the 

 day was marked by the lowest temperature so far in 

 the month, 0.5°, but I shall not be surprised to find it 

 go much lower before September 1880 is a thing of 

 the past. In fact I have ceased being surprised at any- 

 thing. This kind of life begets a careless sort of feel- 

 ing as to what may happen, and a lazy belief that time 

 is of no value whatever. Knowing that our surround- 

 ings to-day are the same as yesterday, we see no rea- 



