52 FAR THE S2' NORTH 



spirits; it almost appears as if they looked upon this as 

 a pleasant break in the monotony of our existence. Well, 

 it is half-past one, I had better turn into my bunk ; I am 

 tired, and g-oodness knows how soon I may be called up. 

 " h^riday, January 4th. The ice kept quiet during the 

 night, but all day, with some intervals, it has been crack- 

 line and settlinij:, and this evening there have been sev- 

 eral fits of pressure from 9 o'clock onward. For a time 

 it came on, sometimes rather lightly, at regular inter- 

 vals; sometimes with a rush and a regular roar; then 

 it subsided somewhat, and then it roared anew. Mean- 

 while the pressure-ridge towers higher and higher and 

 bears right down upon us slowly, while the pressure 

 comes on at intervals only, and more quickly when the 

 onset continues for a time. One can actually see it 

 creeping nearer and nearer; and now, at i o'clock at 

 night, it is not many feet — scarcely five — away from the 

 edge of the snow-drift on the port side near the gang- 

 way, and thence to the vessel is scarcely more than ten 

 feet, so that it will not be long now before it is upon 

 us. Meanwhile the ice continues to split, and the solid 

 mass in which we are embedded grows less and less, 

 both to port and starboard. Several fissures extend 

 right up to the Fj'cwi. As the ice sinks down under 

 the weight of the ridge on the port side and the Frarn 

 lists more that way, more water rushes up over the new 

 ice which has frozen on the water that rose yesterday. 

 This is like dying by inches. Slowly but surely the 



