THE MARCH OVER THE FROZEN OCEAN. 637 



the chest, are fearfully trying ; and the working with 

 pickaxes through flinty ice makes every bone ache. 

 From the looks of the weather at camping, I judge we 

 are in for a southeast blow. The sky is overcast, a 

 nasty fog shuts in everything. If we have a south- 

 easter we may be blown miles to the northwest before 

 we can get to this land or water. 



Our cocoa and chocolate being exhausted (to my sat- 

 isfaction, for I like neither), we commenced this even- 

 ing (morning) on our tea, — one ounce per man is too 

 much, and I shall reduce it to a half ounce. Pipe down 

 at nine a. m. Men to stand watches of two hours. 

 Called all hands at six p. m. ; breakfast at seven for 

 everybody but No. 1, and w T e were delayed until 7.20 ; 

 occasionally the cooks get bothered with the stoves, and 

 this was the case with our cook, Ericksen, this morn- 

 ing. Found the barometer had fallen to 29.55 at 38°, 

 and the temperature risen to 35°. A thick fog shut in 

 everything at short distances, but we had so much wa- 

 ter around us that we seemed already to have reached 

 the margin of the ice. Rain fell at six p. m. heavily, 

 and the S. E. wind, which blew freshly during our 

 sleep, was now only a moderate breeze from south south- 

 west. At eight p. m. I took the dingy and went ahead to 

 look at our prospects. So much fog prevailed that from 

 the camp it was impossible to see the other side of the 

 water around us. Just after I started rain fell again, 

 but the wind shifted to southwest, and a clearing along 

 the horizon indicated a change for the better. I found 

 that in order to make any progress we must ferry our 

 things down a lead about three hundred yards in length, 

 and then drag them across an intervening floe piece to 

 another lead which we must cross. Emptying the first 

 and second cutters at nine p. m., they were made to 



