450 
STRIKING A LIGHT. 
“I do not know liow long we' slept, but my admi¬ 
rable clothing kept me up. I was cold, but far from 
dangerously so; and Avas in a fair A\ r ay of sleeping out 
a refreshing night, when Petersen waked me Avith_ 
‘Captain Kane, the lamp’s out.’ I heard him with a 
thrill of horror. The gale had increased; the cold Avas 
piercing, the darkness intense; our tinder had become 
moist, and Avas now like an icicle. All our fire-arms 
were stacked outside, for no Arctic man Avill trust 
poAvder in a condensing temperature. We did not 
dare to break down our doorway, for that would admit 
the gale; our only hope of heat Avas in re-lighting our 
lamp. Petersen, acting by my directions, made several 
attempts to obtain fire from a pocket-pistol; but his 
only tinder Avas moss, and our heavily stone-roofed hut 
or cave Avould not bear the concussion of a rammed 
wad. 
“ By good luck I found a bit of tolerably dry paper 
in my jumper; and, becoming apprehensive that Peter¬ 
sen Avould waste our feAv percussion-caps with his in¬ 
effectual snappings, I determined to take the pistol 
myself. It was so intensely dark that I had to grope 
for it, and in doing so touched his hand. At that 
instant the pistol became distinctly visible. A pale 
bluish light, slightly tremulous but not broken, coA 7 ered 
the metallic parts of it, the barrel, lock, and trigger. 
The stock too, was clearly discernible as if by the 
reflected light, and, to the amazement of both of us, 
the thumb and tAA r o fingers with Avhich Petersen Avas 
holding it, the creases, Avrinkles, and circuit of the 
