Clouds of snow swept over the ice,
fine and dry as flour. Again and again the cold scene was lighted up by
the arcs of the aurora. In the middle of December the planks in the
sides of the _Vega_ cracked as the ice pressed against her. If the
pressure had been bad, the vessel might have been broken to pieces and
have sunk in a few minutes. It would not have been so serious for the
crew as in the case of the _Erebus_ and _Terror_, for here there were
people far and near. But to ensure a safe retreat, the men of the _Vega_
carried to the nearest shore provisions, guns, and ammunition to last a
hundred men for thirty days. These things were all stacked up into a
heap covered with sails and oars. No watch was kept at the depot, and
though the Chukchis knew that valuable goods lay under the sails, they
never touched a thing.

Near the _Vega_ two holes were kept always open. In one the captain
observed the rise and fall of the tide; the other was for water in case
of fire. A small seal splashed for a long time in one of the holes and
came up on to the ice after fishing below. One day his retreat was cut
off and he was caught and brought up on deck. When fish bought from the
Chukchis had been offered him in vain, he was let loose in the hole
again and he never came back.

A house of ice was erected for the purpose of observing the wind and
weather, and a thermometer cage was set up on the coast. Men took turns
to go out, and each observer remained six hours at the ice-house and the
cage to read off the various instruments. It was bitterly cold going out
when the temperature fell to-51 deg., but the compulsory walk was
beneficial. One danger was that a man might lose his way when snowstorms
raged in the dark winter nights, so a line was stretched the whole way,
supported on posts of ice, and with this guide it was impossible to go
astray.

Then came Christmas, when they slaughtered two fat pigs which had been
brought on purpose. The middle deck was swept out, all the litter was
cleared away, and flags were hung round the walls and ceiling. The
Chukchis brought willow bushes from the valleys beyond the mountains to
the south, and branches were fastened round a trunk of driftwood. This
was the _Vega's_ Christmas tree, and it was decked with strips of
coloured paper and small wax candles. Officers and men swung round in
merry dance beneath flaming lanterns suspended from the roof. Two
hundred Christmas boxes were found packed o