466 FARTHEST NORTH 



" Saturday, February 29th. The sun high above the 

 glacier to-day. We must begin to economize in train-oil 

 in earnest now if we are to get away from here, or there 

 will be too little blubber for the journey. 



" Wednesday, March 4th. When Johansen went out 

 this mornino' the mountain above us was covered with 

 little auks, which flew twittering from crest to crest, and 

 sat all over the glacier. When we went out again later 

 on they were gone. 



" Friday, March 6th. We are faring badly now. We 

 have to sleep in the dark to save oil, and can only cook 

 once a day. 



"Sunday, March Sth. Shot a bear. Johansen saw 

 ten flocks of little auks flying up the sound this 

 morning. 



"Tuesday, March loth. That bear the day before 

 yesterday came in the nick of time, and an amusing 

 fellow he was, too. We were very badly off both for 

 blubber and meat, but most for blubber, and we were 

 longing for a bear; we thought it must be about time 

 for them to come again now. I had just spent Sunday 

 morning in mending my wind trousers and patching my 

 'homager,' so as to be all ready if a bear should come, 

 Johansen, whose cooking week it was, had been sewing 

 a little too, and was just cleaning up the hut for Sunday 

 and takino' out some bone and meat — he had taken it as 



O 



far as the passage. But no sooner had he raised the 

 skin over the opening out there than I heard him come 



