60 THE GERMAN ARCTIC EXPEDITION. 



at a rubber of wliist, or engaged in a sharp argument, we 

 now began to feel quite at home. We were accustomed 

 to the cabin, and had learnt to know each other better. 

 We found that it was not so difficult to live in such a 

 confined space in peace and quietness, if we only to some 

 extent considered each other and learned to take quietly 

 such disagreeables as would naturally turn up. 



And they soon did turn up. Our store of water had 

 already greatly decreased, and we were obliged to submit 

 to great restrictions. We could only have one glassful 

 daily to wash in, but as compensation we found on deck 

 a fresh-drawn bucket of salt water. As it had become 

 somewhat muddy in the tanks, our filter stood us in good 

 stead. The rye-bread had already disappeared on the 

 8tli of July, but we still had a store of potatoes. 



Since the midnight of the 9th to the 10th of July, 

 we had sailed with a fresh easterly breeze direct for the 

 ice, and early in the morning had already lost sight of 

 the Hansa; the fog-horn no longer found an echo. 

 Presently with the wind from the distance there rolled 

 the thunder of a cannon-shot ; a second followed, and we 

 joyfully returned the greeting of the sister-ship. At 

 noon we fired again, and received no answer ; we were 

 for the time separated from the Hansa. The follow- 

 ing five days brought no change in the weather; day 

 after day passed with the interesting variations of — fog, 

 thicker fog, thickest fog. The temperature was about 36° 

 Fahr. ; only once rose to 39^°, and fell to 33.80°. The 

 only comfort was that no obstacle stopped our progress, 

 as on the open sea the ship can find her way with the help 

 of the compass in the darkest night as easily as in broad 

 daylight. A collision was not to be feared here, so we 



