352 FARTHEST NORTH 



moonlight playing on the coal-black waves, and awak- 

 ened a remembrance of well-known scenes. I followed 

 this lane far to the north, seemed to see the outlines of 

 high land in the hazy light below the moon, and went on 

 and on ; but in the end it turned out to be a bank of 

 clouds behind the moonlit vapor rising from the open 

 water. I saw from a high hummock that this opening 

 stretched north as far as the eye could reach, 



"The same luxurious living as yesterday; a dinner 

 of four courses. Shooting with darts at a target for 

 cigarettes has been the great excitement of the day. 

 Darts and target are Johansen's Christmas present from 

 Miss Fougncr. 



"Wednesday, December 27th. Wind began to blow 

 this afternoon, i9;V to 26 feet per second; the windmill 

 is going again, and the arc lamp once more brightens 

 our lives. Johansen gave notice of 'a shooting -match 

 by electric light, with free concert,' for the evening. It 

 was a pity for himself that he did, for he and several 

 others were shot into bankruptcy and beggary, and had 

 to retire one after the other, leaving their cigarettes 

 behind them." 



" Thursday, December 28th. A little forward of the 

 Frain there is a broad, newly formed open lane, in 

 which she could lie crossways. It was covered with last 

 nights ice, in which slight pressure began to-day. It is 

 strange how indifferent we are to this pressure, which 

 was the cause of such great trouble to many earlier 



