CROSS TO HAMMERFEST. 265 



M There we hunted the walrus, the narwhal and the seal. 

 Aha ! 'twas a noble game : 

 And like the lightning's flame 

 Flew our harpoons of steel." 



As we sailed down the west coast we had much 

 calm, and the weather was actually milder than we 

 had had it all the summer. There is evidently an 

 enormous difference of climate between this part of 

 Spitzbergen and the east coast — caused, no doubt, 

 by the great extent of glacier and the vast fields of 

 floating ice in the more immediate vicinity of the 

 latter, as well as by the presence of the fag-end of 

 the Gulf Stream, before alluded to, on this coast. 



It begins to get a little darkish now from ten till 

 two in the night. One could not have seen to shoot 

 a seal at 10 30 on the 6th. We lighted the cabin 

 and binnacle lamps for the first time to-night at 10 

 o'clock ; and so rapid is the decline of the sun in 

 those latitudes when he once commences to go below 

 the horizon, that on the 7th we had to light them 

 two hours earlier, although we have not made much 

 southing since yesterday. 



We had light winds and mild weather all the way 

 across, and only cast anchor in Hammerfest harbor 

 at dusk on the evening of the 11th. 



To 'our great surprise and annoyance, we found 

 that the "Anna Louisa" had only made her num- 

 ber twelve hours before us. 



We found a great accumulation of letters and 

 newspapers, and read nearly all night. 



