122 THE FUR COUNTRY. more protect his fort than a single sunbeam could melt the solid layer of snow, Mrs Joliffe suddenly exclaimed : " And our dogs ! our reindeer ! " It was indeed time to think about the poor animals. The dog- house and stable being lower than the house were probably entirely covered, and the supply of air had perhaps been completely cut off. Some hurried to the dog-house, others to the reindeer stable, and all fears were quickly dispelled. The wall of ice, which connected the northern corner of the house with the cliff, had partly protected the two buildings, and the snow round them was not more than four feet thick, so that the apertures left in the walls had not been closed up. The animals were all well, and when the door was opened, the dogs rushed out barking with delight. The cold was so intense, that after an hour's walk every one began to think of the glowing stove in the large room at home. There was nothing left to be done outside, the traps buried beneath ten feet of snow could not be. visited, so all returned to the house, the window was closed, and the party sat down to the dinner awaiting them with sharpened appetites. We can readily imagine that the conversation turned on the intensity of the cold, which had so rapidly converted the soft snow into a solid mass. It was no light matter, and might to a certain extent compromise the safety of the little colony. " But, Lieutenant," said Mrs Barnett, " can we not count upon a few days' thaw — will not all this snow be rapidly converted into water % " " Oh no, madam," replied Hobson, " a thaw at this time of year is not at all likely. Indeed I expect the thermometer will fall still lower, and it is very much to be regretted that we were unable to remove the snow when it was soft." " What, you think the temperature likely to become much colder?" '* I do most certainly, madam, 4° below zero — what is that at this latitude % " " What would it be if we were at the Pole itself? " " The Pole, madam, is probably not the coldest point of the globe, for most navigators agree that the sea is there open. From certain peculiarities of its geographical position it would appear that a certain spot on the shores of North Georgia, 95° longitude and 78° latitude, has the coldest, mean temperature in the world: 2°
