THE WHITE WORLD 



seen a great many pass to-day. It is warm enough on 

 deck at 10.30 P. M. without an overcoat, and the twilight 

 still lasts. 



Monday, August 23 



Woke up to find a strong nor'easter blowing and the 

 " Yukon " lurching uncomfortably. The sea is short and 

 choppy; the vessel down to double reefed fore and main, 

 and laboring slowly along. Every loose thing on board 

 has revealed itself by dropping with a clatter. 



Tuesday, August 24 



During last night the wind shifted, and the sea soon 

 became so smooth that one could work with comfort. 

 The country is mainly low and flat in the vicinity of Point 

 Lay and for many miles to the southward. Seal have been 

 abundant; birds very scarce, only an occasional murre 

 and one gull. The sea has been smooth as a mill-pond 

 nearly all day and wind exceedingly light. It has been 

 just comfortably warm, too, 49 ° at 8 P. M. and 48 at 

 10.30 P. M. The water is quite shoal here and generally 

 in the Arctic, 32 fathoms being the deepest sounding on 

 my chart — so that while an ugly sea rises quickly it also 

 subsides quickly with a change of wind and does not make 

 life miserable for days and days after a storm, as is the 

 case in the deep sea. 



Wednesday, August 25 



Anchored about breakfast time not far from Icy Cape. 

 Very early this morning we passed the whaler " Dawn " 

 of San Francisco. She had six whales. Captain Hickmot 

 said he saw the " Corwin " about a week ago; he had four- 

 teen whales. All are doing well. Whales have been very 

 plenty all around us. The carcass which the " Dawn " had 

 lately finished cutting in was near our anchorage. 



Ashore I collected some shells and other invertebrates, 

 skulls of polar bear and walrus, a stickleback, a golden 

 plover, one dunlin, four phalaropes, a stone-chat, besides 

 one black brant, which last was very abundant on the 

 brackish lagoons of the spit. 



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