PREPAEATIONS FOB. WINTERING. 335 



which in every respect was, in winter, of the greatest 

 importance. 



First, the sails were taken down and rolled together, 

 then the yards and the maintopmast, and the sails and all 

 the rigging dismantled. The foretopmast we purposely 

 left standing, that we might have a lofty point, which, in 

 the course of time, might be useful for observing the air- 

 currents and electricity. Then the deck was cleared, and 

 the long-boat hoisted from its place. The spare spars and 

 all utensils and chests were brought to shore. The same 

 thing was done with all provisions which the frost could not 

 destroy, except, of course, what we needed for use during 

 the half-year. The two largest boats we laid with the 

 yards, &c., on the flat shore at the end of the harbour. 

 For the provisions, however, we erected a " depot, " half 

 way to the observatory on the peninsula. On a layer of 

 planks we closely packed our chests and vessels, covering 

 them with sails, the edges of which were kept down by 

 heavy stones. Thus buried, our belongings seemed able 

 to defy both storms and bears. But other things re- 

 mained to be done. One or two men had to help build the 

 stone houses ; and the engineer and the stoker were busy 

 taking the machinery to pieces. One of these stone 

 houses was intended for an observatory. It was built on 

 the corner of land lying near to the ship, upon the steep 

 edge of the bank ; foi the other, as a magnetical obser- 

 vatory, a more north-west position seemed preferable. 



The glorious evenings on the ice during these last 

 September weeks, the first of our winter stay, will ever 

 be remembered by all. 



Seamen and scientific men worked valiantly in the 

 sweat of their faces the whole day long ; and when the 



