CHAPTER XX. MERCURY FREEZES, .y^ FEW days of dry calm weather favoured the operations 5?& of the hunters, but they did not venture far from the fort ; the abundance of game rendered it unnecessary to do so, and Lieutenant Hobson could justly congratulate himself on having chosen so favourable a situation for the new settlement. A great number of furred animals of all kinds were taken in the traps, and Sabine and Marbre killed a good many Polar hares. Some twenty starving wolves were shot. Hunger rendered the latter animals aggressive, and bands of them gathered about the fort, filling the air with hoarse howls, and amongst the " hummocks " on the ice- fields sometimes prowled huge bears, whose movements were watched with great interest. On the 25th December all excursions had again to be given up. The wind veered suddenly to the north, and the cold became exceedingly severe. It was impossible to remain out of doors with- out being frost-bitten. The Fahrenheit thermometer fell to 18° below zero, and the gale r^^ared like a volley of musketry. Hobson to'^k care to provide the animals with food enough to last several weeks. Christmas Day, the day of home-gatherings so dear to the heart of all Englishmen, was kept with due solem:-ity. The colonists re- turned thanks to God for preserving them through so many perils ; and the workmen, who had a holiday in honour of the day, afterwards assembled with their masters and the ladies round a well-tilled board, on which figured two huge Christmas puddings. In the evening a huge bowl of punch flamed in the centre of the table ; the lamps were put out, and for a time the room was lighted only by the livid flames of the spirit, the familiar objects assuming strange fantastic forms. The spirits of the soldiers rose as they watched the flickering illumination, and their excitement v/as not lessened after imbibing some of the burning liquid. But now the flames began to pale : bluish tongues still fitfully
