Farthest north; being the record of a voyage of exploration of the ship "Fram" 1893-96, and of a fifteen months' sleigh journey by DrNansen and LieutJohansen . such are natures everlasting rhythms. Monday, April 30th. Drifting northward. Yester-day observations gave 80 42, and to-day 80° 44^. Thewind steady from the south and southeast. It is lovely spring weather. One feels that spring-time must have come, though the thermometer denies it. Spring cleaning has begun on board; the snow and ice THE WINTER NIGHT 441 along the Fraiiis sides are cleared away, and she standsout like the crags from t
Farthest north; being the record of a voyage of exploration of the ship "Fram" 1893-96, and of a fifteen months' sleigh journey by DrNansen and LieutJohansen . such are natures everlasting rhythms. Monday, April 30th. Drifting northward. Yester-day observations gave 80 42, and to-day 80° 44^. Thewind steady from the south and southeast. It is lovely spring weather. One feels that spring-time must have come, though the thermometer denies it. Spring cleaning has begun on board; the snow and ice THE WINTER NIGHT 441 along the Fraiiis sides are cleared away, and she standsout like the crags from their winter covering decked withthe flowers of spring. The snow lying on the deck islittle by little shovelled overboard ; her rigging rises upagainst the clear sky clean and dark, and the gilt trucksat her mastheads sparkle in the sun. We go and batheourselves in the broiling sun along her warm sides, wherethe thermometer is actually above freezing-point, smoke apeaceful pipe, gazing at the white spring clouds thatlightly fleet across the blue expanse. Some of us perhapsthink of spring-time yonder at home, when the birch-trees are burstino- into CHAPTER VIITHE SPRING AND SUMMER OF 1894 So came the season which we at home call spring, theseason of joy and budding life, when Nature awakensafter her long winter sleep. But there it brought nochange; day after day we had to gaze over the samewhite lifeless mass, the same white boundless we wavered between despondency, idle longing, andeager energy, shifting with the winds as we drift for-ward to our goal or are driven back from it. As before,I continued to brood upon the possibilities of the futureand of our drift. One day I would think that everythingwas going on as we hoped and anticipated. Thus onApril 17th I was convinced that there must be a currentthrough the unknown polar basin, as we were unmistaka-bly drifting northward. The midday observation gave80° 20 northeast; that is, 9 since the day before
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