THE WINTER NIGHT 427 



of my fire on the shore of the silent, murky woodland 

 tarn, with the gloom of night overhead, how happy I used 

 to be in the enjoyment of nature's harmony ! 



" Thursday, March 29th. It is wonderful what a 

 change it makes to have daylight once more in the sa- 

 loon. On turnino^ out for breakfast and seeine the lio-ht 

 gleaming in, one feels that it really is morning. 



" We are busy on board. Sails are being made for the 

 boats and hand-sledges. The windmill, too, is to have 

 fresh sails, so that it can go in any kind of weather. Ah, 

 if we could but give the Fravi wings as well ! Knives 

 are being forged, bear-spears which we never have any 

 use for, bear-traps in which we never catch a bear, axes, 

 and many other things of like usefulness. For the mo- 

 ment there is a q-reat manufacture of wooden shoes eoino; 

 on, and a newly started nail-making industry. The only 

 shareholders in this company are Sverdrup and Smith 

 Lars, called ' Storm King,' because he always comes upon 

 us like hard weather. The output is excellent and is in 

 active demand, as all our small nails for the hand-sledge 

 fittings have been used. Moreover, we are very busy 

 putting German -silver plates under the runners of the 

 hand-sledges, and providing appliances for lashing sledges 

 together. There is, moreover, a workshop for snow-shoe 

 fastenings, and a tinsmith's shop, busied for the moment 

 with repairs to the lamps. Our doctor, too, for lack of 

 patients, has set up a bookbinding establishment which is 

 greatly patronized by the Franis library, whereof several 



