THE RETURN TO COLD AND DARKNESS. 469 



endure it. Dull, leaden gray sky, no sun, and that ex- 

 asperatingly light fall of snow which is neither one 

 thing nor the other. 



October 12th, Tuesday. — Gloomy and dull as a fu- 

 neral. Not a sight of the sun, and not a star. Really 

 it is such a long time between observations that we 

 have plenty of time to get lost. 



October loth, Wednesday. — Nothing unusual occurs 

 to mark this day over any other. But 1 observe one 

 little circumstance which I cannot account for until 

 time or some future occurrence give a clue. While 

 standing alongside of the ship, on the ice at the fire 

 hole, abreast the port cabin door, I noticed a bubbling 

 of the water in a free place, as if some seal, for instance, 

 had just gone under. In a minute it had subsided, and 

 the surface was smooth again. In five minutes it re- 

 commenced, lasted for a short time, and again ceased. 

 I should not have attached any importance to it, or, 

 perhaps, might have remained satisfied with the belief 

 that it was caused by the discharge from the main en- 

 gine bilge-pump, but Mr. Dunbar, who came in from 

 an opening ahead of the ship, described the rising and 

 falling of water in a small hole he saw, as if acted upon 

 by a swell of the open ocean, and while the previous 

 occurrence then came again to my mind, I asked my- 

 self, " Can it be possible we are approaching open water 

 again ? " 



Mr. Dunbar brought in three seals, having shot and 

 lost two more, and mentioned having seen a new bird, 

 with red and black feathers, which tried to alight on a 

 seal the natives were dragging. The party having 

 only rifles with them fired at the bird, but without 

 effect. 



October lAth, Thursday. — One more day comes and 



