THE WINTER NIGHT 273 



pipes of an organ ; the ship trembles and shakes, and 

 rises by fits and starts, or is sometimes gently lifted. 

 There is a pleasant, comfortable feeling in sitting listen- 

 ing to all this uproar and knowing the strength of our 

 ship. Many a one would have been crushed long ago. 

 But outside the ice is ground against our ship's sides, 

 the piles of broken-up fioe are forced under her heavy, 

 invulnerable hull, and we lie as if in a bed. Soon the 

 noise begins to die down ; the ship sinks into its old 

 position again, and presently all is silent as before. In 

 several places round us the ice is piled up, at one spot 

 to a considerable height. Towards evening there was a 

 slackening, and we lay again in a large, open pool. 



"Thursday, October 12th. In the morning we and 

 our floe were drifting on blue water in the middle of a 

 large, open lane, which stretched far to the north, and in 

 the north the atmosphere at the horizon was dark and 

 blue. As far as we could see from the crow's-nest with 

 the small field-glass, there was no end to the open water, 

 with only single pieces of ice sticking up in it here and 

 there. These are extraordinary changes. I wondered 

 if we should prepare to go ahead. But they had long 

 ago taken the machinery to pieces for the winter, so 

 that it would be a matter of time to get it ready for 

 use again. Perhaps it would be best to wait a little. 

 Clear weather, with sunshine — a beautiful, inspiriting 

 winter day — but the same northerly wind. Took sound- 

 ings, and found 50 fathoms of water (90 metres). We 



