serving more than the lives of his
men was gradually abandoned by Gardiner; though Daggett still clung to his
wreck, and actually had wood transported back to it, that he might stay as
much as possible near his property. There was no longer any thawing,
though there were very material gradations in the intensity of the frosts.
Occasionally, it was quite possible to remain in the open air an hour or
two at a time; then, again, there were days in which it exceeded the
powers of human endurance to remain more than a few minutes removed to any
distance from heat artificially procured. On the whole, however, it was
found that the comparatively moderate weather predominated; and it was
rare indeed that all the people did not pursue their avocations and
amusements outside, at what was called the middle of the day.

And what a meridian it was! The shortest day had passed some time, when
Roswell and Stimson were walking together on the terrace, then, as usual,
as clear from snow as if swept by a broom; but otherwise wearing the
aspect of interminable winter, in common with all around it. They were
conversing, as had been much their wont of late, and were watching the
passage of the sun as he stole along the northern horizon; even at high
noon rising but a very few degrees above it!

"It has a cold look, sir, but it does give out some heat," said Stephen,
as he faced the luminary, in one of his turns. "I can feel a little warmth
from it just now, sheltered us we are here under the cliffs, and with a
back-ground of naked rock to throw back what reaches us. To me, all these
changes in the movements of the sun seem very strange, Captain Gar'ner;
but I know I'm ignorant, and that others may well know all about what I do
not understand."

Here Gardiner undertook to explain the phenomena that have been slightly
treated on in our own pages. There are few Americans so ignorant as not to
be fully aware that the sun has no sensible motion, or any motion that has
an apparent influence on our own planet; but fewer still clearly
comprehend the reasons of those very changes that are occurring constantly
before their eyes. We cannot say that Captain Gardiner succeeded very well
in his undertaking, though he imprinted on the old boat-steerer's mind the
fact that the sun would not be seen at all were they only a few degrees
farther south than they actually were.

"And now, sir, I suppose he'll get higher and higher every day," put in
Stephen,