OP THE POLAR SEA. si 



restrained from pursuing every animal which they 

 see, set out immediately. It was late when they 

 returned, having had good success, and bringing 

 with them five tongues, and the shoulder of a 

 deer. We made about twelve miles this day. 

 The night was fine, and the Aurora Borealis so 

 vivid, that we imagined, more than once, that we 

 heard a rusding noise like that of autumnal leaves 

 stirred by the wind ; but after two hours of atten- 

 tive hstening, we were not entirely convinced of 

 the fact. The coruscations were not so bright, 

 nor the transition from one shape and colour to 

 another so rapid, as they sometimes are ; other- 

 wise, I have no doubt, from the midnight silence 

 which prevailed, that we should have ascertained 

 this yet undecided point. 



" The morning of the 20th was so extremely 

 hazy that we could not see ten yards before us ; 

 it was, therefore, late when we started, and dur- 

 ing our journey the hunters complained of the 

 weather, and feared they should lose the track of 

 our route. Towards the evening it became so 

 thick that we could not proceed ; consequently, we 

 halted in a small wood, situated in a valley, after 

 having only completed a distance of six miles. 



" The scenery consisted of high hiUs, which were 

 almost destitute of trees, and lakes appeared in 

 the valleys. The cracking of the ice was so loud 



