10 
THE VOYAGE OF THE VEGA. 
[chap. 
men and dogs. In consideration of this payment they bound 
themselves faithfully to execute their commission and promised 
to return in May. And they kept their word. For on the 8th 
and 9th Alay a large number of sledges heavily laden with rein¬ 
deer skins and drawn by many dogs, passed along the coast from 
west to east. Of course all rested at the Vega, the only house 
of entertainment on the coast of the Asiatic Polar Sea, consider¬ 
ing it as a matter of indisputable right, that they should in 
return for a little talk and gossip obtain food and “ram.” Very 
eagerly they now informed us that a letter would come with 
another dog train that might be expected in a few hours. .This 
was for us a very great piece of news, the importance of which 
none can understand who has never hungered for months for 
news from home, from the home-land and the home-world. 
Eager to know if we had actually to expect a fost from Europe, 
we asked them how large the packet was. “ Very large ” was 
the answer, and the “ ram ” was of course measured accordingly. 
But when at last the letter came it was found to be only an 
exceedingly short note from some of the Kussian officials at 
Kolyma, informing me that our letters had reached him on the 
IJ^TiarL, l^®6n immediately sent by express to Yakutsk. 
Thence they were sent on by post, reaching Irkutsk on the 
May, and Sweden on the 2nd August. 
DuriiiG: autumn and midwinter the sunshine was not of 
course strong and continuous enough to be painful to the eyes, 
but in February the light from the snow-clouds and the snow¬ 
drifts began to be troublesome enough. On the 22nd February 
accordingly snow-spectacles were distributed to all the men, an 
indispensable precaution, as I have before stated, in Arctic 
journeys. Many of the Chukches were also attacked with snow- 
blindness somewhat later in the season, and were very desirous 
of obtaining from us blue-coloured spectacles. Johnsen even 
stated that one of the hares he shot was evidently snow-blind. 
On the evening of the 22th February there burst upon us 
