CHAPTER XXL

First gleam of light—Trip to weleome the sun—Bears and strange dis-
covertes—O’ Riley is reckless—First view of the sun.

HE wisest of men has told us that “it is a

pleasant thing for the eyes to behold the sun,”

but only those who spend a winter in the Arctic

Regions can fully appreciate the import of that inspired
saying.

It is absolutely essential to existence that the bright
beams of the great luminary should fall on animal as
well as plant. Most of the poor dogs died for want
of this blessed light, and had it been much longer
withheld, doubtless our navigators would have sunk
also.

About the 20th of January a faint gleam of hight
on the horizon told of the coming day. It was hailed
with rapture, and long before the bright sun himself
appeared on the southern horizon the most of the
men made daily excursions to the neighbouring hill-
tops to catch sight of as much as possible of his faint
rays. Day by day those rays expanded, and at last
a sort of dawn enlightened a distant portion of their
earth, which, faint though it was at first, had much the