NINE MONTHS IN THE ARCTIC. 115 



We had neither book nor chart of any descrip- 

 tion in our possession, with which to divert or 

 instruct our minds. We had nothing upon 

 which to write any event or fact, except small 

 pieces of copper, and a few stray leaves which 

 we happened to find in the huts of the natives. 

 Our time, as all must see, was spent compara- 

 tively in a most listless and unprofitable manner ; 

 it was simply the endurance of life, and the pro- 

 longed hope that another year, if we should live 

 to see it, would bring to us the day of deliverance. 



Captain Norton kept, by the aid of a piece of 

 twine, in which he tied knots, an account of every 

 day, from the time of the wreck until our rescue 

 at East Cape, with the single exception of only 

 one knot too many, which he supposed he must 

 have added during the long night. 



The only razor, which was a great favorite 

 with the company, and which we frequently used 

 to the best of our ability, without either soap or 

 brush, was an ordinary jackknife. It was ne- 

 cessary to keep our beards trimmed within proper 

 limits ; otherwise our breath, even in the huts, 

 and especially when exposed to the air outside, 

 would reduce them to a mass of solid ice. 



These two articles, viz., the twine and the 

 knife, were about all the significant and expres- 

 sive mementoes which we brought with us from 



