h of which was being dried by
the heat, and penetrated by the sweet aroma of the smoke, which came
puffing through the holes. The smoke arose from a smouldering fire of
the leaves and branches of the Andromeda (_Andromeda tetrigona_), the
heather of Greenland,--a trailing plant with a pretty purple blossom,
which grows in sheltered places in great abundance. Besides moss, this
is the only vegetable production of North Greenland that will burn, and
it is sometimes used by the natives for fuel, after it is dried by the
sun, for which purpose it is torn up and spread over the rocks. The
perfume of the smoke is truly delicious, which accounts for the
excellent flavor of the salmon which the Doctor had given me for lunch.
Nothing, indeed, could exceed the delicacy of the fish thus prepared.

The inspection of the Doctor's garden, or "farm," as he facetiously
called it, occupied us during the remainder of the afternoon; and so
novel was everything to me, from the Doctor down to his vegetables and
perfumed fish, that the time passed away unnoticed, and I was quite
astonished when Sophy came to announce "dinner."

We were soon seated at the table where we had been before, and Sophy
served the dinner. Her soup was excellent, the trout were of fine
quality and well cooked, the haunch was done to a turn, the wines were
this time rightly tempered, the champagne needed not to be iced, more of
the round red radishes appeared in season, and then followed lettuce and
cheese and coffee, and then we found ourselves at another game of
billiards, and at length were settled for the evening in the Doctor's
study, one on either side of a table, on which stood all the ingredients
for an arrack punch, and a bundle of cigars.

Our conversation naturally enough ran upon the affairs of the big world
on the other side of the Arctic Circle,--upon its politics and
literature and science and art, passing lightly from one to the other,
lingering now and then over some book which we had mutually fancied. I
found my companion perfectly posted up to within a year, and inquired
how he managed so well. "Ah! you must know," answered he, "that is a
clever little illusion of mine. I'm always precisely one year behind the
rest of the world. The Danish ship brings me a file of papers for the
past twelve months, the principal reviews and periodicals, the latest
maps, such books as I have sent for the year previous, and, beside this,
the bookseller and my other