Crossing the Arctic Circle. 11 



Listening to these and other stories of the whale 

 fishery, and gaining an insight into the mysteries of 

 ice navigation, the days pass quickly and pleasantly ; 

 seldom one passing without some quaint remark or 

 odd proceeding on the part of some of my mess- 

 mates. Our meals afford many opportunities for 

 their witticisms ; and if I request that I may be 

 served with a piece of beef not quite a pound in 

 weight, it is immediately remarked that the cap- 

 tain, as I am always called, is fond of " Wax- 

 hallers." 1 At dinner to-day we indulged in the 

 luxury of green peas, very large and very hard ; 

 but I found that the effort of picking them off the 

 plate with a "two-pronged steel fork" (the only 

 kind we have on board) required so much patience 

 and dexterity, and was withal of such a tantalizing 

 nature, that it hardly compensated for the exertion 

 required to ensure success. 



Saturday, May Slst. — To-day we crossed the 

 Arctic circle. Formerly it was customary on board 

 whale ships to perform a ceremony somewhat simi- 

 lar to that still in vogue on board most men-of-war 

 and other ships when crossing the equator. Since 

 the introduction of steamers iuto this trade, the 

 practice, like many others, has gone completely out 

 of fashion. 



1 Vauxhall Gardens were at one time famous for the ex- 

 tremely thiii slices of ham and beef which used to be supplied 

 to those requiring refreshments. 



