718 THE VOYAGE OF THE JEANNETTE. 



Breakfasted at six. Light E. S. E. breeze. Temperature 

 24°. Soundings eight and three fourths fathoms. Slight 

 drift N. W. To-day, at dinner we in No. 1 tent tried, 

 our pemmican fried in its own grease, and as a change 

 it was excellent, I have been much amused all the 

 morning at hearing men in No. 6 tent talking about 

 good things to eat, and the conclusion reached about 

 the excellence of Boston baked beans and brown bread. 

 The extent of my longings thus far is for fried oysters, 

 and recollections of their delicious taste will come up. 

 The day passed in dreary stupidity. The w T incl grew 

 light and backed to N., while the barometer fell to 

 29.53 at 40°. The ice commenced to slack up a bit 

 without opening any way of escape. Mr. Collins shot 

 a seal, which gave us about three fourths pounds each 

 fresh meat for supper. Temperature 22°. 



August 25//z, Thursday. — Called all hands at five. 

 Breakfasted at six. Barometer 29.36 at 36°. Tempera- 

 ture 24°. Light N. air. Otherwise the situation is the 

 same, discouraging, disheartening, consuming provisions 

 without doing work ; owing to our having cut up our 

 sleds, we are not making inroads on Our alcohol for fuel, 

 and there is a slight comfort in that, but provisions are 

 diminishing all the same, whether cooked with alcohol 

 or wood. During the afternoon a seal was brought in — 

 tw T enty-t\vo pounds — which gave us a good supper. 



The wind at seven p. m. was very light and westerly, 

 sometimes N., sometimes N. W. ; and there was a very 

 little movement in the ice toward the east. Tempera- 

 ture 27° in the sun, fell to 24° in the shade. If the 

 change of the moon has had anything to do with the 

 weather, the new moon at six this morning ought to 

 have made a difference ; but except that the ice is 

 slacking off a little from our floe piece, there is no 



