476 THE VOYAGE OF THE JEANNETTE. 



positively uncomfortable. Night after night I sleep 

 with my air port one third open, and yet in the morn- 

 ing find I have slept too warm if anything. However, 

 it is rather early to talk ; we have not had our normal 

 condition of cold yet. 



An almost steady fall of small snow particles all day, 

 enough to be driven along the surface ice (gathering 

 salt and being consequently of no use to us), and fill- 

 ing up the spaces between hummocks so completely as 

 to make many traps into which we flounder in our 

 wanderings. 



October 21st, Thursday. — Another day has come 

 and gone, and here we are yet; and the only thing 

 which has disturbed the regular monotony may be de- 

 scribed as the stupendous discovery of a fox - track. 

 Upon going out to the bear-trap this afternoon we saw 

 a number of small foot-prints of this little visitor, and 

 we promptly sent back to tine ship for a couple of fox- 

 traps for his benefit should he come that way again. 



October 22d, Friday. — Continuing up the prodig- 

 ious excitement of yesterday, Mr. Dunbar and I walked 

 out to the bear- trap to-day to look for our fox. We 

 found he had been there, had eaten up all the small 

 scraps of meat laid out for him, and walked all over 

 the fox-traps without springing them, so we walked 

 back again hoping for better luck to-morrow. Other- 

 wise the da} r was without event, and so we worry along. 

 The routine is as regular as clock-work, and is carried 

 out with mechanical exactness. If we must spend a 

 second winter in the pack we cannot help ourselves, 

 and must confront it with cheerfulness and courage. 

 We have enough coal to keep us warm (unless some 

 accident requires a resumption of steam-pumping), and 

 food enough to save hunger, and the only thing to be 



