stefansson-wrangel-09-34-016

12.

"April 3rd.
My eye is getting better and swelling going down.

April 4th.
My eye is just the same yesterday but my stumoc
was on bum and I don't feel pain in my throad but
my eyes was foggy today and I haven't been out
for three days.

April 5th.
I go out today and carry snow for water and took
ship poket out.

April 6th.
I made saw bock today and chop wood and I feel
better today and I open case of biscuits. Blowing
today.

April 7th.
Blowing al day I didn't go out today and yesterday
on account of wind blowing.”

As she wrote, the calendar said it was spring
and truly it was. The geese had not yet started to come in
calling but behind the frequent storms and the wind that blew
across the tundra there was a drift of softness moving and
melting more snow than was falling.

Only But twenty months ago the calendar had said it
was autumn and it had not been true then. The water stayed
free of ice and, although the temperature had continued to
drop and the winds blew colder, no snow came at all. Well,
without ice there could be no sealing, and without snow there
could be no sledging to bring in game that was shot, and she
had begun to get uneasy about it. When the boys seemed not
to be troubled at all, she decided they really were troubled
but were saying nothing to her, and that it explained their grow-
ing strangeness. And that confused her because she wanted to