ox, or by the loud
explosion of bursting rocks, as the frost penetrates their bosoms.

The crews of exploring vessels, which are frozen firmly in the ice in
winter, spend almost the whole of their time in their ships, which in
Sir James Ross's expedition (in 1848-49) were well warmed and
ventilated. Where there has not been sufficient warmth, their
provisions--even brandy--became so frozen as to require to be cut by a
hatchet. The mercury in a barometer has frozen so that it might be
beaten on an anvil.

As Sir James Ross went in search of Sir John Franklin, he adopted
various methods of letting him know (if alive) of assistance being at
hand. Provisions were deposited in several marked places; and on the
excursions to make these deposits, they underwent terrible fatigue, as
well as suffered severely from what is termed "snow blindness." But the
greatest display of ingenuity was in capturing a number of white foxes,
and fastening copper collars round their necks, on which was engraved a
notice of the position of the ships and provisions. It was possible that
these animals, which are known to travel very far in search of food,
might be captured by the missing voyagers, who would thus be enabled to
avail themselves of the assistance intended for them by their noble
countrymen. The little foxes, in their desire to escape, sometimes tried
to gnaw the bars of their traps; but the cold was so intense, that their
tongues froze to the iron, and so their captors had to kill them, to
release them from their misery, for they were never wantonly destroyed.

The great Painter of the Universe has not forgotten the embellishment of
the Pole. One of the most beautiful phenomena in nature is the Aurora
Borealis, or northern lights. It generally assumes the form of an arch,
darting flashes of lilac, yellow, or white light towards the heights of
heaven. Some travellers state that the aurora are accompanied by a
crackling or hissing noise; but Captain Lyon, who listened for hours,
says that this is not the case, and that it is merely that the
imagination cannot picture these sudden bursts of light as unaccompanied
by noise.

We will now bid farewell to winter, for with returning summer comes the
open sea, and the vessels leave their wintry bed. This, however, is
attended with much difficulty and danger. Canals have to be cut in the
ice, through which to lead the ships to a less obstructed ocean; and,
after this had been done in Sir Jam