e labyrinth of life, their struggles are assuredly no
less fierce than ours--one incessant, restless hurrying to and fro,
pushing all others aside, to burrow out for themselves what is needful
to them. And as to love, only mark with what passion they seek each
other out. With all our brain-cells, we do not feel more strongly than
they, never live so entirely for a sensation. But what is life? What
matters the individual's suffering so long as the struggle goes on?

"And these are small, one-celled lumps of viscous matter, teeming in
thousands and millions, on nearly every single floe over the whole
of this boundless sea, which we are apt to regard as the realm
of death. Mother Nature has a remarkable power of producing life
everywhere--even this ice is a fruitful soil for her.

"In the evening a little variety occurred in our uneventful existence,
Johansen having discovered a bear to the southeast of the ship, but
out of range. It had, no doubt, been prowling about for some time
while we were below at supper, and had been quite near us; but, being
alarmed by some sound or other, had gone off eastward. Sverdrup and I
set out after it, but to no purpose; the lanes hindered us too much,
and, moreover, a fog came on, so that we had to return after having
gone a good distance."

The world of organisms I above alluded to was the subject of special
research through the short summer, and in many respects was quite
remarkable. When the sun's rays had gained power on the surface of
the ice and melted the snow, so that pools were formed, there was
soon to be seen at the bottom of these pools small yellowish-brown
spots, so small that at first one hardly noticed them. Day by day
they increased in size, and absorbing, like all dark substances, the
heat of the sun's rays, they gradually melted the underlying ice and
formed round cavities, often several inches deep. These brown spots
were the above-mentioned algae and diatoms. They developed speedily
in the summer light, and would fill the bottoms of the cavities
with a thick layer. But there were not plants only, the water also
teemed with swarms of animalcules, mostly infusoria and flagellata,
which subsisted on the plants. I actually found bacteria--even these
regions are not free from them!

But I could not always remain chained by the microscope. Sometimes,
when the fine weather tempted me irresistibly, I had to go out and
bake myself in the sun, and imagine myself in Norway.