I08 MY ARCTIC JOURNAL 



Thursday, January 28. About five o'clock I was called out 

 to see the brightest aurora we had yet seen. It extended over 

 us almost due east and west.^ This night we succeeded in 

 obtaining an observation of Arcturus. 



Friday, January 29. To-day we went out to the " amphi- 

 theater berg," breaking a new path part of the distance — 

 warm as well as hard work. This evening, for the first time 

 in our house, one of the women (Mane) stripped herself to the 

 waist ; there she sat sewing away, in the midst of a crowd of 

 huskies as well as our boys, just as unconcerned as if she were 

 clad in the finest raiment. The men do this frequently when 

 it gets too warm for them, but I never saw a woman do it 

 before. It is true they are nearly always entirely nude in 

 their igloos, and visiting Eskimos, as soon as they enter an 

 igloo, take off every stitch, just as we lay aside our wraps and 

 overcoats at home. This is done by both sexes. 



Sunday, January 31. Another month has slipped away, 

 and I can say, " One month nearer home." I must admit I 

 am very homesick at times. Hardly a night passes that I do 

 not dream of some of my home folks. The bill of fare which I 

 made out for last week, giving the times for cooking each dish 

 on the patent-fuel stove, worked very well, and I can sa\'e 

 about one quart of oil a day ; this will be of considerable help 

 to us in case we shall be obliged to go to south Greenland in 

 our boats. I walked down to the two first fox-traps, but 



1 This was the only aurora observed by us during our entire stay in the Arctic 

 regions which was bright enough to cast a shadow. 



