AUGUST IS TO JANUARY /, iSg6 655 



should again begin to pinch. As the ice soon after slackened a 

 good deal, and became more broken than before, we some days 

 later made another attempt to haul her a little farther, but had 

 soon to give it up ; there was not enough space between the two 

 great floes on either hand of us. We now lay at the same spot 

 until September 2d, with half a gale blowing continually from 

 the southwest, and with heavy rain now and then. On the even- 

 ing of August 30th, for instance, we had a violent rain-storm, 

 which loosened the ice-coating of the rigging and made a fright- 

 ful racket as it brought the pieces of ice clattering down upon 

 the deck, the deck-house, and the awning. 



Our " estate " was very thoroughly ploughed, harrowed, and 

 drained at this time by wind, rain, pressure, and other such 

 doughty laborers. Then came the tiresome business of moving 

 the things out from the ship, which involved the cutting up and 

 parcelling out of almost the whole " estate," so that what was 

 left open to us was scanty and cramped enough. 



Thus reduced, the " estate " now formed an approximately 

 oblong floe, with its greatest length from east to west, and sur- 

 rounded on all sides by more or less open rifts and lanes. The 

 FnxDi lay moored to the north side close to the northeast point, 

 with her bow heading west. Immediately astern of her, and sepa- 

 rated from the point only by a narrow lane, lay a large floe, upon 

 which was stowed, among other things, a part of our provision of 

 coal. Far off to the westward the great hummock still lay drifting. 



While the other sides of the " estate " were pretty nearly 

 straight, the east side formed a concave arc or bay, which offered 

 an excellent winter berth for the Frani. But there was no 

 possibility of getting the ship into it so long as the channel be- 

 tween the " estate " and the floe to eastward remained closed. 

 Late in the afternoon of September 2d the ice at last slackened 

 so much that we could make an attempt. By the help of our 

 tackle we managed to get her warped a ship's length eastward, 

 but it was impossible for the moment to get her any farther, as 

 the new ice was already pretty thick (the night temperature was 

 — 5° C), and also a good deal packed. Nor was it any use to 

 bring the ice-saw into play and cut a channel, for the slush was 



