488 THE VOYAGE OF THE JEANNETTE. 



In our position we have clone all that man can do, and 

 we must leave the rest with God. After breakfast, as 

 soon as people began to move around, it was discov- 

 ered that the lead a mile ahead of the ship, as well as 

 the lead one eighth mile astern, were both open, the 

 latter to a width of one hundred yards. Hunters were 

 out at once and Nindemann got a seal, in which was 

 found an embryo, as beautiful an addition to our col- 

 lection of natural history as we have yet received. Ex- 

 cept as to its flippers it looked like a puppy in many 

 respects. 



Inspected the ship at eleven, and had divine service 

 at 1.30. The berth deck, for dryness and general com- 

 fort, was as perfect as perfection itself. If we keep it 

 all winter as it is now, we may consider that we have 

 solved a difficult (heretofore) Arctic problem. 



November \bth, Monday. — A day magnificently 

 bright and clear. For the greater part of the day the 

 sky was absolutely cloudless, and a bright moon and 

 starlight made up a superb Arctic picture. Light S. W. 

 breezes and a most remarkable rise of the barometer 

 from 30.15 to 30.95. It will be well worthy to note 

 carefully the result of this occurrence, particularly as 

 it comes about the time of full moon. If -a full moon 

 for tides, a high barometer for wind, do not make 

 some remarkable change in the ice I shall be much sur- 

 prised. 



November lQth, Tuesday. — The barometer goes up, 

 up, until at nine a. m. it reaches its maximum 31.08 ; 

 at nearly the same time the moon became full, so these 

 two occurrences coincided. Light southerly breeze of 

 six miles had diminished to two miles by noon, and as 

 the barometer then began to fall I was on the lookout 

 for some unusual result. The wind began to back and 



