nd lemon ice (alias granitta) and
limejuice toddy, without alcohol. The health of the hero of the day
was first proposed 'in a few well-chosen words'; and then we drank a
bumper to the seventy-ninth degree, which we were sure was only the
first of many degrees to be conquered in the same way.

"Saturday, September 30th. I am not satisfied that the Fram's present
position is a good one for the winter. The great floe on the port side
to which we are moored sends out an ugly projection about amidships,
which might give her a bad squeeze in case of the ice packing. We
therefore began to-day to warp her backward into better ice. It is by
no means quick work. The comparatively open channel around us is now
covered with tolerably thick ice, which has to be hewn and broken in
pieces with axes, ice-staves, and walrus-spears. Then the capstan is
manned, and we heave her through the broken floe foot by foot. The
temperature this evening is -12.6 deg. C. A wonderful sunset.

"Sunday, October 1st. Wind from the W.S.W. and weather mild. We
are taking a day of rest, which means eating, sleeping, smoking,
and reading.

"Monday, October 2d. Warped the ship farther astern, until we found a
good berth for her out in the middle of the newly frozen pool. On the
port side we have our big floe, with the dogs' camp--thirty-five black
dogs tied up on the white ice. This floe turns a low, and by no means
threatening, edge towards us. We have good low ice on the starboard
too; and between the ship and the floes we have on both sides the
newly frozen surface ice, which has, in the process of warping, also
got packed in under the ship's bottom, so that she lies in a good bed.

"As Sverdrup, Juell, and I were sitting in the chart-room in the
afternoon, splicing rope for the sounding-line, Peter [32] rushed
in shouting, 'A bear! a bear!' I snatched up my rifle and tore
out. 'Where is it?' 'There, near the tent, on the starboard side;
it came right up to it, and had almost got hold of them!'

"And there it was, big and yellow, snuffing away at the tent
gear. Hansen, Blessing, and Johansen were running at the top of
their speed towards the ship. On to the ice I jumped, and off I went,
broke through, stumbled, fell, and up again. The bear in the meantime
had done sniffing, and had probably determined that an iron spade,
an ice-staff, an axe, some tent-pegs, and a canvas tent were too
indigestible food even for a bear's stomach. Anyhow, it was follo