132 CONQUERING THE ARCTIC ICE 



shouting aloud and behaving like fools, just feeling a keen 

 pleasure in being alive and able to enjoy weather like this. 



In the evening I went down to the village, and although the 

 temperature was - - 35 C., the children were playing outside 

 the igloos. 



The white surface of land and ice was glittering in the light 



DUCHESS OF BEDFORD 

 AUTUMN, 



FROZEN IN THE ICE. 

 1906. 



of the full moon, a king amongst the millions of stars which 

 twinkled and sparkled in the dark Arctic sky ; every now and 

 then a streak of greenish light would shoot across the sky, 

 assume fantastic shapes, and disappear as it had come, noise- 

 lessly and without any warning. The Eskimos would look up 

 to the wavering masses of light their dead children playing 

 football in the regions of light and warmth ! The picture is one 

 of utter peace, and only the cries of happy children break the 



