612 THE VOYAGE OF THE JEANNETTE. 



had it cleared I hung up a thermometer with the fol- 

 lowing result : — 



One foot above the ice .... 37° 



Height of my breast 40° 



Calm and pleasant weather when we piped down. 

 Called all hands at six p. m. Breakfasted at seven; 

 under way at eight p. m. Some ugly bridging delayed 

 us considerably, so that 



June 2Sth, Tuesday, found us advanced only one half 

 mile southwest. At 1.15 we had everything across the 

 lead, and had dinner ready. At 2.15 a. m. we turned 

 to again, and immediately had to tow a large ice-island 

 into a lead, and placing all our stuff and boats on it. 

 made a flying bridge of it. Then we sped on a quarter 

 of a mile farther, and at five a. m. pitched camp. When 

 we started we had a cloudless sky, a blistering sun, 

 light east airs, and a temperature of 28°. But toward 

 dinner time clouds began to rise in the west, and pass- 

 ing around by north and by south at equal speed had 

 entirely covered the sky by four a. m., and rain com- 

 menced to fall in large drops. The temperature rose 

 to 30°, and the wind veered to S. E. 



The cloud formations were, in the foreground, beau- 

 tiful cirro-cumulus, which, nearly reaching the eastern 

 horizon, assumed most striking resemblances to ice 

 raised by refraction. Every hummock and peak was 

 very strongly defined, seemingly. Following the cirro- 

 cumulus were stratus, cumulo - stratus, and nimbus 

 clouds, and frequently the rain pattered down from 

 these last named. Though we could have gone on a 

 short distance further before getting to an opening, I 

 decided to camp, in order to save ourselves a wetting. 

 Wet we were, it is true, below our knees, but this 



