314 
LETTERS FROM HIGH LATITUDES. 
spirits turn to ice; the snow burns like caustic; if 
iron touches the flesh, it brings the skin away with 
it; the soles of your stockings may be burnt off your 
feet, before you feel the slightest warmth from the fire; 
linen taken out of boiling water, instantly stiffens to 
the consistency of a wooden board; and heated stones 
will not prevent the sheets of the bed from freezing. If 
these are the effects of the climate within an air-tight, 
fire-warmed, crowded hut,—what must they be among 
the dark, storm-lashed, mountain peaks outside! 
It was now time to think of going south again; we 
had spent many more days on the voyage to Spitzbergen 
than I had expected, and I was continually haunted 
by the dread of your becoming anxious at not hearing 
from us. It was a great disappointment to be obliged 
to return without having got any deer; but your peace 
of mind was of more consequence to me than a ship-load 
of horns ; and accordingly we decided on not remaining 
more than another day in our present berth; leaving it 
still an open question whether we should not run up to 
Magdalena Bay—if the weather proved very inviting— 
the last thing before quitting for ever the Spitzbergen 
shores. 
