188 A VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY 
at a time. They generally keep within sight 
of the ships; but she is so wary, that it is 
impossible to get within gun-shot of her; and 
the traps we have are too small to hold her, — 
for some animal, which we suppose to be a wolf, 
has been in them once or twice, but yet managed 
to get away. . 
They have, within these few days past, been 
surveying the provisions, fuel, and stores of the 
Griper; but as they have not finished, the 
report of survey is not yet made out. I under- 
stand, however, that the frost has done some da- 
mage to their lemon-juice, by bursting many of the 
‘bottles. This, indeed, is a thing that has occurred 
to our own, and with which we have been ac- 
quainted for a long time past ; for, in many of the 
lemon-juice cases that were opened during the 
winter, several bottles were found broken. 
Thursday, May 4th.— An order has been issued 
to-day, stating that the officers and men of both 
ships are, on the 8th instant, to be reduced to two- 
thirds’ allowance of all sorts of provisions, except 
‘‘ meat, and sugar for cocoa.’? “Whether this re- 
gulation is in consequence of any deficiency that 
has been found by the late survey or not, I am 
unable to say, as the order did not state the 
cause ; but certainly there must be good reasons 
for adopting such a measure, particularly at this 
time, when active employment is about to com- 
mence. ‘The weather is now improving daily ; 
the thermometer, about midnight, generally falls 
as low as zero, but during the day it is, for the 
most part of the time, from 10° to 15° above it ; 
