WEARY DAYS OF WAITING l6l 



and the return of animals to go out on various hunting-expe- 

 ditions, and they report more or less success with walrus, white 

 whale, and narwhal. I am longing for venison, as we have 

 been largely reduced to a seal diet, and seal is all but nause- 

 ating to me. Deer seem to be very difficult to get at just at 

 present, and Dr. Cook, who returned early Sunday morning 

 from his hunt at the head of the bay, brought none with him 

 — indeed, no meat of any kind. 



The first rain of the season took place last Thursday night, 

 and it has been raining again lightly this evening. Yesterday 

 I took a walk along the base of the trap-dyke. The snow has 

 disappeared from the plateau, and the air is fragrant with the 

 spring flowers and mosses, which fairly cover the ground. 

 Numberless snow-birds are flitting about, chirping to each 

 other, and the rushing of the brooklets is heard constantly. 

 All the flowers have returned and all the birds are here again, 

 and they will stay with us until the middle of September, when 

 I hope that we, too, shall return south. Altogether the scene 

 reminded me of the time when Mr. Peary and I came up here 

 last fall, and I gathered flowers while he pressed them. 



Tuesday, June 28. What a horrible day it has been! The 

 wind blows so hard that it is almost impossible for me to 

 stand up against it. The rain dashes against the window until 

 it seems as though it would break it in. At times the rain 

 changes to snow, while on the clifTs it has been snowing con- 

 stantly. They are as white as they have been any time this 

 winter. Icebergs have been groaning and toppling over all 



