398 THE GERMAN ARCTIC EXPEDITION. 



But a danger of quite another sort threatened us— fire 

 on board ! 



On the 11th, when, as usual, all were in the cabin 

 engaged in reading and smoking, some having already 

 sought their berths, about a quarter to nine a slight smell 

 of burning at the lower end of the cabin was perceived. 

 It seemed to spring from the stove, in the fender of which 

 things often fell and smouldered. But as Dr. Copeland 

 went at nine o'clock to the meteorological reading, he 

 noticed a stronger smell and smoke upon the stairs, and, 

 hurrying on deck, was met by a thick vapour. There 

 could no longer be any doubt ; there was fire somewhere, 

 and the fireplace in the after-cabin must be the place, as it 

 had been heated for the tailoring. Quickly all hands were 

 to the fore ; buckets and vessels of all kinds were brought 

 out; and while some fetched water from the tide-hole, 

 others pulled off the top and saw at once the white flames 

 quivering through the smoke. Some few pails of water 

 soon put it out, and in about a quarter of an hour all was 

 over. Deck-beams and deck-planks were burnt, and 

 charts were smoking; had not help come so speedily, 

 the fire would have burnt through to the coal-bunkers. 



After this interruption, everything resumed its usual 

 course, and on the 18th the travelling- tent was raised for 

 trial. The weather remained pretty steady to the end of the 

 month. Clear skies alternated with cloudy atmospheres, 

 and from time to time Boreas sought us, though only for 

 a short spell of fury. On the 1 7th a great deal of snow fell 

 with stormy weather, so that for the first time the land was 

 quite white, and! the astronomers had the great pleasure of 

 once more clearing the observatory. The 27th was the 

 same, when a raging snow-storm lasted several hours. It 



