232 THE LIFE OF E. J. PECK 



in tent this evening. Bread was frozen quite hard, 

 so I had to chop off pieces, and altogether I made 

 but a poor meal." 



But the next day " I had a more satisfactory 

 meal than that of previous day, experience having 

 taught me a lesson. The frozen bread I wrapped in 

 a towel and took to bed with me the previous night, 

 and through the heat generated in my fur bag it was 

 quite thawed by the morning. Snow was melted by 

 one of the Eskimo and brought to me ; this was 

 finally, by means of my methylated-spirit lamp, 

 brought to the boiling point, and I soon had the 

 pleasure of drinking a cup of hot cocoa, which 

 beverage, by-the-bye, is most acceptable in these 

 cold regions. It is certainly preferable to either 

 tea or coffee, on account of its sustaining properties." 



Towards the end of May : " The weather is now, I 

 am thankful to say, getting warmer, and I slept 

 quite comfortably last night in my tent. The bread 

 in my box is also beginning to thaw, so there is much 

 to be thankful for." 



It is indeed well for the dwellers in Arctic regions 

 that the kingdom of heaven is not meat and drink. 



So the nights became shorter, or practically did 

 not exist, for on May 28 the sun was actually shining 

 about eighteen hours out of the twenty-four, and 

 the remaining six hours were bright twilight, scarcely 

 distinguishable from day. But this meant weak- 

 ness of ice, and consequently the near impossibility 



