ld resist the influence of an antarctic winter.

From the moment it was probable the party would be obliged to pass the
winter at Sealer's Land, therefore, Roswell had kept a vigilant eye on the
wood. Stimson had more than once, spoken to him on the subject, and with
great prudence.

"Warmth must be kept among us," said the old boat-steerer, "or there will
be no hope for the stoutest man in either crew. We've a pretty good stock
of coffee, and that is better, any day, than all the rum and whiskey that
was ever distilled. Good hot coffee of a morning will put life into us
the coldest day that ever come out of either pole; and they do say the
south is colder than the north, though I never could understand why it
should be so."

"You surely understand the reason why it grows warmer as we approach the
equator, and colder as we go from it, whether we go north or south?"

Stimson assented; though had the truth been said, he would have been
obliged to confess that he knew no more than the facts.

"All sailors know sich things, Captain Gar'ner; though they know it with
very different degrees of exper'ence. But few get as far south as I have
been, to pass a winter. A good pot of hot coffee of a morning will go as
far as a second pee-jacket, if a man has to go out into the open air when
the weather is at the hardest."

"Luckily, our small stores are quite abundant, and we are better off for
coffee and sugar than for anything else. I laid in of both liberally when
we were at Rio."

"Yes, Rio is a good place for the articles. But coffee must be _hot_ to do
a fellow much good in one of these high-latitude winters; and to be hot
there must be fuel to heat it."

"I am afraid the wood will not hold out much more than half the time we
shall be here. Fortunately, we had a large supply; but the other schooner
was by no means as well furnished with fuel as she ought to have been for
such a voyage."

"Well, sir, I suppose you know what must be done next in such a case.
Without _warm_ food, men can no more live through one of these winters,
than they can live without food at all. If the Vineyard craft has no
proper fuel aboard her, we must make fuel of her."

Roswell regarded Stephen with fixed attention for some time. The idea was
presented to his mind for the second time, and he greatly liked it.

"That might do," he said; "though it will not be an easy matter to make
Captain Daggett consent to such a thing."

"Let him go two