596 



HISTORY OF THE SEA. 



inspiration : all inhaled it guardedly and with compressed 

 lips. The 22d of December brought with it the midnight of 

 the y^ar : the fingers could not be counted a foot from the 

 eyes. Nothing remained to indicate that the Arctic world had 

 a sun. The men during this their first winter kept up their 

 spirits wonderfully ; but most of the dogs died of diseases of the 

 brain brought on by the depressing influences of the darkness. 



The first traces of returning light were observed on the 2ast 

 of January, when the southern horizon had a distinct orange tint. 

 Towards the close of February the sun silvered the tall icebergs 

 between the headlands of the bay : his rays reached the deck 

 on the 28th, and perpetual day returned with the month of 

 March. The men found their faces badly mottled by scurvy- 

 spots, and they were nearly all disabled for active work. But 



"CHAOS." 



six dogs remained out of forty-four. "No language can 

 describe," says Kane, " the chaos at the base of the rock on 



