by the tent, as clear as
glass, and the doctor was delighted.

"Not a very handsome specimen, doctor," I said, looking through the ice
at a lean, long, ugly Yankee, lying there like a western mummy, with his
eyes shut, and an ugly leer upon his face, just as if he heard what we
said, and was laughing at us.

"No, not handsome, Captain, but a wonderful specimen. We must give up
the North Pole, and go back to-morrow. I wouldn't lose that specimen
for worlds."

I gave my shoulders a shrug like the Frenchman did, and said nothing,
though I knew we could never get that block over the ice, even if it did
not melt.

Just then I saw the doctor examining the glass, and before long a most
rapid thaw set in. The surface ice was covered with slushy snow, and
for the first time for days we felt the damp cold horribly, huddling
together round the lamp, and longing for the frost to set in once more.

We had not stirred outside for twelve hours, a great part of which had
been spent in sleep, when suddenly the doctor exclaimed--

"Why, it will be thawed out!"

"What will?" I said.

"My specimen!" he exclaimed.

"Here it is!" I said; and we all started, in spite of being used to
such appearances; for just then the tent opening was dragged aside, and
the tall Yankee, that we had left in the ice slab, came discontentedly
in, and just giving us a nod, he stood there staring straight before him
in a half-angry, spiteful way.

I never could have believed that tobacco would have preserved its virtue
so long, till I saw that tall, lean, muscular Yankee begin slowly to wag
his jaw in a regular grind, grind, grind; when, evidently seeing their
danger, our men backed away. For our friend began coolly enough to spit
about him, forming a regular ring, within which no one ventured; and at
last, taking up his position opposite the lamp, he would have put it out
in about a couple of minutes, had not the doctor slewed him round, when,
facing the wind, we all set to wondering at the small brown marbles that
began to fall, and roll about on the ice, till we saw that it was
freezing so hard again that the tobacco-juice congealed as it left his
lips.

"I like grit--I do like a fellow as can show grit!" he kept on muttering
in a discontented kind of way, as he took a piece of pine-wood out of
his pocket, and then, hoisting a boot like a canoe upon his knee, he
sharpened his knife, and began to whittle.

"Where did you get that piece of