644 THE VOYAGE OF THE JEANNETTE. 



repairs exceed our supply. I have already author- 

 ized the use of the leather from the dingy's oars, and 

 this morning I had to have the leather cut off the first 

 cutter's steering oar for patches. This leather will last 

 longer than skin patches, it is true, but I hope the time 

 is not far distant when I can have at least this one care 

 and anxiety removed from my mind. Supper at 7.20 

 a. m. Piped clown at nine a. m. Called all hands at six 

 p. m. Breakfast at seven p. m. Moderate N. W. wind ; 

 weather dull and gloomy, with some fog. Under way 

 at 8.15 p. m., some little time having been lost in har- 

 nessing up the dogs. Some of them, during our sleep, 

 devoted themselves to eating the hide part of two har- 

 nesses carelessly placed within their reach. There were 

 no less than eleven openings in the ice ahead of us 

 before dinner, and we had to bridge and watch three 

 of them. In momentary fear that all eleven might open 

 and give us any amount of trouble, I hurried every- 

 thing along with all speed, and I am satisfied that by 

 one a. m. we had made a good mile and a half. 



July 15th, Friday. — Before midnight the horizon to 

 the northwest began to brighten, and there were indica- 

 tions of a clearing. The heavy masses of fog and clouds 

 began to roll away, and occasional glimpses could be had 

 of the sun and blue sky, with cirro-cumulus clouds which 

 seemed to me to be rising from the southeast. By mid- 

 night the sky was clearing also to the west and south- 

 west, and I was beginning to peer around for our land 

 and water, when I saw Aneguin ahead of me on a high 

 hummock looking intently to the westward. Hasten- 

 ing forward, he showed me a long black streak on the 

 western horizon, calling it an island. I looked, but saw 

 what I called water, and so it proved upon getting my 

 glasses. I saw the long, regular curve mentioned on 



