From the nature of their habitations, however, their
comfort was greater, and their chance of health better, when the
cold was more severe. On this account, they began to make fresh
alterations in these curious dwelling-places, either by building
the former apartments two or three feet higher, or adding others,
that they might be less crowded. In building a higher hut, they
constructed it over, and, as it were, concentric with the old one,
which is then removed from within. It is curious to consider that,
in all these alterations, the object kept in view was _coolness_,
and this in houses formed of snow!
Some of them had caught a wolf in their trap; but we found that
nothing less than extreme want could have induced them to eat the
flesh of that which we had given them, as, now that they had other
food, they would not touch it. Only four wolves at this time
remained alive of the original pack, and these were constantly
prowling about near the ships or the village.
The month of February closed with the thermometer at -32 deg., and,
though the sun had now attained a meridian altitude of nearly
sixteen degrees, and enlivened us with his presence above the
horizon for ten hours in the day, no sensible effect had yet been
produced on the average temperature of the atmosphere.
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