l6o MV ARCTIC JOURNAL 



frisked back and forth in the water close to the shore. This 

 was when we first landed, and before the house was ready 

 for us. 



Wednesday, June 15. The last of winter is leaving us. 

 The water is rushing and gurgling on all sides, and the brown 

 clifTs back of the house, as well as the red clififs to the right, 

 are almost entirely bared of the snowy mantle which has so 

 long covered them. Eider-ducks are passing us daily, and in 

 their wake come other birds from the balmy south. 



My routine tramps have been largely interfered with by the 

 character of the walking, which has become very bad, snow, 

 slush, and water alternating in layers. Into this one plunges 

 thigh- deep without warning, and it requires considerable ma- 

 neuvering to extricate one's self without becoming saturated 

 with ice-cold water. The tide comes in beyond the ice-foot, 

 and Verhoefif almost swims to the tide-gage, which is now 

 five inches higher out of the ice. I have been for some time 

 past taking my watch regularly with the boys, and naturally 

 it interferes somewhat with the fulness of my night's rest. At 

 present the night is di\'ided into three watches, of which I take 

 the first, Verhoefif the second, and Matt the morning watch. 



Wednesday, June 22. Another week has passed, and by 

 this much my husband is nearer to his return. Our routine 

 continues unchanged, except in unimportant details, and the 

 monotony of our life, together with certain vexations which 

 necessarily arise, makes me at times cross and despondent. 

 Our Eskimos have been taking advantage of the open leads 



