or the stomach
and thighs, as none of us had our wind trousers [47] on. We wore
our usual dress of a pair of ordinary trousers and woollen pants,
a shirt, and wolfskin cloak, or a common woollen suit with a light
sealskin jacket over it. For the first time in my life I felt my
thighs frozen, especially just over the knee, and on the kneecap; my
companions also suffered in the same way. This was after going a long
while against the wind. We rubbed our legs a little, and they soon
got warm again; but had we kept on much longer without noticing it we
should probably have been severely frost-bitten. In other respects we
did not suffer the least inconvenience from the cold--on the contrary,
found the temperature agreeable; and I am convinced that 10 deg., 20 deg.,
or even 30 deg. lower would not have been unendurable. It is strange how
one's sensations alter. When at home, I find it unpleasant if I only
go out-of-doors when there are some 20 degrees of cold, even in calm
weather. But here I don't find it any colder when I turn out in 50
degrees of cold, with a wind into the bargain. Sitting in a warm
room at home one gets exaggerated ideas about the terribleness of
the cold. It is really not in the least terrible; we all of us find
ourselves very well in it, though sometimes one or another of us does
not take quite so long a walk as usual when a strong wind is blowing,
and will even turn back for the cold; but that is when he is only
lightly clad and has no wind clothes on. This evening it is 51.2 deg.
Fahr. below zero, and 14 1/2 feet N.N.E. wind. Brilliant northern
lights in the south. Already there is a very marked twilight even
at midnight.

"Monday, March 12th. Slowly drifting southward. Took a long snow-shoe
run alone, towards the north; to-day had on my wind breeches, but found
them almost too warm. This morning it was 51.6 deg. Fahr. below zero, and
about 13 feet N. wind; at noon it was some degrees warmer. Ugh! this
north wind is freshening; the barometer has risen again, and I had
thought the wind would have changed, but it is and remains the same.

"This is what March brings us--the month on which my hopes relied. Now
I must wait for the summer. Soon the half-year will be past, it
will leave us about in the same place as when-it began. Ugh! I am
weary--so weary! Let me sleep, sleep! Come, sleep! noiselessly close
the door of the soul, stay the flowing stream of thought! Come dreams,
and let the sun beam over the