382 THE GERMAN ARCTIC EXPEDITION. 



minds ; but they did it with ^eat eagernoss, and seldom 

 in a forecastle was so much heard of plus and minus, of 

 squares and square roots as with us on the Germania. 



Christmas month was approaching, and the first week 

 passed without anj particular occurrence. The mean 

 daily temperature remained moderate, 14° to — 4° Fahr. 

 The wind frequently blew violently from the north, and 

 on the 4th brought heavy drifting snow. To the south 

 and south-east we heard from time to time crashing and 

 roaring, as of water and ice, but we were spared a real 

 storm. 



On the 3rd of December, in the afternoon, we were 

 suddenly alarmed by a loud and violent breaking and 

 cracking the whole length of the ship, followed by a 

 shght shock. Hurrying out to see the cause, we soon 

 found that the snow-wall on the port side had loosened 

 itself from the ship and had sunk some inches against 

 it, in consequence of which it was forced to the starboard 

 side, and this crooked position increased later, and was at 

 once perceptible in the cabin. The ice behind it showed 

 some cracks and fissures, one of which reached to the 

 land. The sternpost, however, of the Germania seemed 

 not to have suffered ; the rudder and the rudder-pin were 

 uninjured. It seemed that the colossal burden of the 

 snow masses heaped on the starboard side had caused 

 the ice to sink, and, giving way, had loosened the wall 

 from the ship. 



Weeks passed without any unusual interruption. 

 Everything went its usual way, the increasing darkness 

 of the days turning our thoughts to Christmas and the 

 new year. 



But not very considerately did the old one intend to 



