at from the
earth, is one of those explanations that do not explain. There is no
heat to radiate. The cloud is a mass of moist air, which is warm air,
introducing itself from some milder region. So the cloud brings the
heat; and the lower layers of atmosphere extract it and thereby
discharge the moisture. For an hour or two around noon the thermometer
stood at -35 deg. and there was a light fall of snow; then the skies cleared
because they were discharged of all their moisture, and the thermometer
went down to -50 deg. again. It is a beautifully simple process and
sometimes takes place two or three times a day. Every time the sky
clouds, the thermometer rises; every time the sky clears, the
thermometer falls. And because the barometer gives notice of changes in
the density of the atmosphere, it is valuable in forecasting temperature
in our winters. A steady rise in the barometer means a steady fall in
the thermometer; a fall in the barometer in a time of great cold
infallibly prophesies warmer weather; even such rapid changes as the one
given above are anticipated. So well is this established, that during
"50 deg.-below spells" at Fairbanks, impatient, weather-bound travellers and
freighters would busy the hospital telephone with inquiries about the
barometer, the hospital having the only barometer in the country.

After another long, cold run, on the night of Friday, the 12th of
January, we reached Bettles, the place we had planned to spend Christmas
at. We were unable to stir from Bettles for two solid weeks, for during
the whole of that time the thermometer never rose above 50 deg. below zero.

The long wait at Bettles would have been excessively tedious had it not
been for the kind hospitality of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Grimm, the
Commercial Company's agent and his wife, and this is but one of many
times that I have been under obligation to them for cordial welcome and
entertainment, for needs anticipated, and every sort of assistance
gladly rendered. We had been expected many days; the Christmas
festivities with a gathering of natives of both races had come and gone;
still they looked for us, for in this country one does not give a man up
merely because he is a few weeks behind time, nor hold him to account
for unpunctuality. The natives remained for the most part, and there was
abundant opportunity of intercourse with them and some beginnings of
instruction. As the days passed and all arrangements for our advance
we