a
little talk and gossip obtain food and "ram." Very eagerly they now
informed us that a letter would come with another dog train that
might be expected in a few hours. This was for us a very great piece
of news, the importance of which none can understand who has never
hungered for months for news from home, from the home-land and the
home-world. Eager to know if we had actually to expect _a post_ from
Europe, we asked them how large the packet was "Very large" was the
answer, and the "ram" was of course measured accordingly. But when
at last the letter came it was found to be only an exceedingly short
note from some of the Russian officials at Kolyma, informing me that
our letters had reached him on the 4th April/23rd March and had been
immediately sent by express to Yakutsk. Thence they were sent on by
post, reaching Irkutsk on the 20th/14th May, and Sweden on the 2nd
August.

During autumn and midwinter the sunshine was not of course strong
and continuous enough to be painful to the eyes, but in February the
light from the snow-clouds and the snow-drifts began to be
troublesome enough. On the 22nd February accordingly snow-spectacles
were distributed to all the men, an indispensable precaution, as I
have before stated, in Arctic journeys. Many of the Chukches were
also attacked with snow-blindness somewhat later in the season, and
were very desirous of obtaining from us blue-coloured spectacles.
Johnsen even stated that one of the hares he shot was evidently
snow-blind.

On the evening of the 22th February there burst upon us a storm with
drifting snow and a cold of -36 deg.. To be out in such weather is
not good even for a Chukch dog. Of this we had confirmation the next
day, when a Chukch who had lost his way came on board, carrying a
dog, frozen stiff, by the backbone, like a dead hare. He had with
his dog gone astray on the ice and lain out, without eating
anything, in a snow-drift for the night. The master himself had
suffered nothing, he was only hungry, the dog on the other hand
scarcely showed any sign of life. Both were naturally treated on
board the _Vega_ with great commiseration and kindness. They were
taken to the 'tweendecks, where neither Chukches nor Chukch dogs
were otherwise admitted, for the man an abundant meal was served of
what we believed he would relish best, and he was then allowed,
probably for the first time in his life, to sleep if not under a
sooty, at least under a wooden roof. The