stefansson-wrangel-09-22-009r

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Surprising thing to me yesterday while getting wood.
C seemed very tired & worn, dragged his feet; K grumble
about hard work he had to do when as fact he does least
of all, Ada included. M continually complaining about
his back, wrenched some weeks ago; and all complaining
about being exceptionally sleepy today. K makes some
facetious remark about all of us should be getting up at
a given hr. This evening he severely reprimanded C for
having called him - leaves strict orders not to be called
in morning. Now what can you do? You can't shoot him,
you can't hang him, so what are you going to do? During
nite he gets up again, makes coffee & eats meat, then sits
down to read. Reads till 10 A.M. then when we get up he
makes some sarcastic remarks about noise. What can you do?
C then became sleepy, turns in about 10 P.M. M soon
follows. I stay awake reading because could not go to
sleep as many previous nights. K stays up. C prepared
breakfast about 1:30 P.M. M & I get up. C acting upon
good judgement calls K. K gets up grumbling & swearing
about the short sleephad (he still awake when I turn in).

Sept. 19 - Breeze N 12 Midnite, foggy & sleety, stop 1:30 P.M.
weather same then. Wind change sometime during nite, blew
strong breeze all day. The thermometer to 40°- sun out
all day. Ice not move a bit, no sign water sky. Blew
light gale around midnite, ice not moved a bit when last
seen about 8:30.

Sept. 20 - Still blowing L. gale, ice not moved (3:30) but water
sky to S & SE. 5:30 A.M. Could see water to S-E-W about
2 mi. offshore, largest to E. 7 A.M., very much all along.
Clouds high, sun out some places on ice, wind strong
breeze. 11 A.M. ice closest in moved, lead not so large.
3 P.M. decided move in ice close in, large cakes & floes
floating by. Lead large again, seems closer than before.
Wind now breeze. About 7 it snowed a bit, just enough to
make the ground look ripply. Wind had let down to light
breeze & it came in squalls. 10 only airs, still w. tho
ice is coming in, some even grounded 15 feet from beach
grounded ice only large floes too dark to see otherwise
before floe goes out again, by, Midnite has snowed quite a
bit, wind down, airs.

Sept. 21 - 3:30 A.M. snowed a bit just enough to cover ground &
tents. Could see out to ice now about 1/3 mile offshore.
Bed 4, up shortly after noon. Wind squally, light breeze
N.N.W. sun out few times, ice not moved by dark (7 P.M.).
C & K go to Harbor to look for camp site for winter camp.
C must have changed his mind about former site he had
chosen. They returned in 2 1/2 hrs. so did not go far. Not
word is said about site when return. I believe the site
they will pick is the one I suggested this spring, on the
inside spit of 1 harbor mouth where all the wood is, enough
to keep camp all summer but not all winter. I go E as far
as lake to get a large board I saw there to make into back
rest, board not what expected. Ice to E close in beach but