At half past five in the evening the decks were cleared up, and at
six we again beat to divisions, when the same examination of the
men and of their berths and bed-places took place as in the
morning; the people then went to their supper, and the officers to
tea. After this time the men were permitted to amuse themselves as
they pleased, and games of various kinds, as well as dancing and
singing occasionally, went on upon the lower deck till nine
o'clock, when they went to bed and their lights were extinguished.
In order to guard against accidents by fire, where so many fires
and lights were necessarily in use, the quartermasters visited the
lower deck every half hour during the night, and made their report
to the officers of the watches that all was, in this respect, safe
below; and to secure a ready supply of water in case of fire, a
hole was cut twice a day in the ice, close alongside of each ship.
It is scarcely necessary to add, that the evening occupations of
the officers were of a more rational kind than those which engaged
the attention of the men. Of these, reading and writing were the
principal employments, to which were occasionally added a game of
chess, or a tune on the flute or violin, till half past ten, about
which time we all retired to rest.
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