"I declare," said Altamont, one evening; "life like this is not worth having. We might as well be some of those reptiles that sleep all the winter. But I suppose there is no help for it." "I am afraid not," said the Doctor; "unfortunately we are too few in number to get up any amusement." "Then you think if there were more of us, we should find more to do?" "Of course: when whole ships' crews have wintered here, they have managed to while away the time famously." "Well, I must say I should like to know how. It would need a vast amount of ingenuity to extract anything amusing out of our circumstances. I suppose they did not play at charades?" "No, but they introduced the press and the theatre." "What? They had a newspaper?" exclaimed the American. "They acted a comedy?" said Bell. "That they did," said the Doctor. "When Parry wintered at Melville Island, he started both amusements among his men, and they met with great success." "Well, I must confess, I should like to have been there," returned Johnson; "for it must have been rather curious work." "Curious and amusing too, my good Johnson. Lieutenant Beechey was the theatre manager, and Captain Sabina chief editor of the newspaper called 'The Winter Chronicle, or the Gazette of Northern Georgia.'" "Good titles," said Altamont. "The newspaper appeared daily from the 1st of November, 1819, to the 20th of March, 1820. It reported the different excursions, and hunting parties, and accidents, and adventures, and published amusing stories. No doubt the articles were not up to the 'Spectator' or the 'Daily Telegraph,' but the readers were neither critical nor blase, and found great pleasure in their perusal." [Illustration: ] "My word!" said Altamont. "I should like to read some of the articles." "Would you? Well, you shall judge for yourself." "What! can you repeat them from memory?" "No; but you had Parry's Voyages on board the Porpoise, and I can read you his own narrative if you like." This proposition was so eagerly welcomed that the Doctor fetched the book forthwith, and soon found the passage in question. "Here is a letter," he said, "addressed to the editor." "'Your proposition to establish a journal has been received by us with the greatest satisfaction. I am convinced that, under your direction, it will be a great source of amusement, and go a long way to lighten our hundred days of darkness. "'The interest I take in the matter myself has led me to study the effect of your announcement on my comrades, and I can testify, to use reporter's language, that the thing has produced an immense sensation. "'The day after your prospectus appeared, there was an unusual and unprecedented demand for ink among us, and our green tablecloth was deluged with snippings and parings of quill-pens, to the injury of one of our servants, who got a piece driven right under his nail. I know for a fact that Sergeant Martin had no less than nine pen-knives to sharpen.