,,the ,,home ,,of ,,the ,,blizzard3 ,,being ,,the ,,story ,,of ,,the ,,australasian ,,antarctic ,,expedition1 #aiaa-aiad2 ,by ,sir ,douglas ,mawson1 ,d4,sc41 ,b4,e4 ,,illustrated ,,in ,,colour ,,and ,,black ,,and ,,white ,,also ,,with ,,maps ,,with #bfj ,,full-,,page ,,and ,,smaller ,,illustrations ,,by ,,dr4 ,e4 ,a4 ,,wilson ,,and ,,other ,,members ,,of ,,the ,,expedition1 ,,photogravure ,,frontispieces1 #ab ,,plates ,,in ,,facsimile ,,from ,,dr4 ,,wilson',s ,,sketches1 ,,panoramas ,,and ,,maps ,,to ,,those ,,who ,,made ,,it ,,possible3 ,,the ,,subscribers ,,and ,,co-,,operators ,,to ,,those ,,who ,,made ,,it ,a ,,success3 ,,my ,,comrades ,,and ,,to ,,those ,,who ,,waited ,,author',s ,,preface ,the object of this book is to present a connected narrative of the ,expedition from a popular and general point of view4 ,the field of work is a very extensive one1 and ,i feel that this account provides a record inadequate to our endeavours4 ,however1 ,i am comforted by the fact that the lasting reputation of the ,expedition is founded upon the scientific volumes which will appear in due course4 ,allusion to the history of ,antarctic exploration has been reduced to a minimum1 as the subject has been ably dealt with by previous writers4 ,this1 and several other aspects of our subject1 have been relegated to special appendices in order to make the story more readable and self-contained4 ,a glossary of technicalities is introduced for readers not familiar with the terms4 ,in the same place is given a list of animals referred to from time to time4 ,there1 the common name is placed against the scientific name1 so rendering it unnecessary to repeat the latter in the text4 ,the reports handed to me by the leaders concerning the work of sledging journeys and of the respective bases were in the main clearly and popularly written4 ,still it was necessary to make extensive excisions so as to preserve a balance of justice in all the accounts1 and to keep the narrative within limits4 ,i wish to assure the various authors of my appreciation of their contributions4 ,mr4 ,frank ,hurley's artistic taste is apparent in the numerous photographs4 ,we who knew the circumstances can warmly testify to his perseverance under conditions of exceptional difficulty4 ,mr4 ,a4 ,j4 ,hodgeman is responsible for the cartographical work1 which occupied his time for many months4 ,other members of the ,expedition have added treasures to our collection of illustrations2 each of which is acknowledged in its place4 ,to ,dr4 ,a4 ,l4 ,mc,lean1 who assisted me in writing and editing the book1 ,i am very greatly indebted4 ,to him the book owes any literary style it may possess4 ,dr4 ,mc,lean's journalistic talent was discovered by me when he occupied the post of ,editor of the ',adelie ,blizzard'1 a monthly volume which helped to relieve the monotony of our second year in ,adelie ,land4 ,for months he was constantly at work1 revising cutting down or amplifying the material of the story4 ,finally1 ,i wish to express my thanks to ,dr4 ,hugh ,robert ,mill for hints and criticisms by which we have profited4 ,,douglas ,,mawson ,london1 ,autumn #aiad4 ,,foreword ,nor on thee yet ,shall burst the future1 as successive zones ,of several wonder open on some spirit ,flying secure and glad from heaven to heaven4 ,,browning ,the aim of geographical exploration has1 in these days1 interfused with the passion for truth4 ,if now the ultimate bounds of knowledge have broadened to the infinite1 the spirit of the man of science has quickened to a deeper fervour4 ,amid the finished ingenuities of the laboratory he has knitted a spiritual entente with the moral philosopher1 viewing3 ,the narrow creeds of right and wrong1 which fade ,before the unmeasured thirst for good4 ,science and exploration have never been at variance2 rather1 the desire for the pure elements of natural revelation lay at the source of that unquenchable power the love of adventure4 ,of whatever nationality the explorer was always emboldened by that impulse1 and1 if there ever be a future of decadence1 it will live again in his ungovernable heritage4 ,eric the ,red2 ,francis ,drake--the same ardour was kindled at the heart of either4 ,it is a far cry from the latter1 a born marauder1 to the modern scientific explorer4 ,still ,drake was a hero of many parts1 and though a religious bigot in present acceptation1 was one of the enlightened of his age4 ,a man who moved an equal in a court of ,elizabethan manners was not untouched by the glorious ideals of the ,renaissance4 ,yet it was the unswerving will of a ,columbus1 a ,vasco da ,gama or a ,magellan which created the devotion to geographical discovery1 per se1 and made practicable the concept of a spherical earth4 ,the world was opened in imaginative entirety1 and it now remained for the geographer to fill in the details brought home by the navigator4 ,it was long before ,thule the wondrous ice-land of the ,north yielded her first secrets1 and longer ere the ,terra ,australis of ,finne was laid bare to the prying eyes of ,science4 ,early ,arctic navigation opened the bounds of the unknown in a haphazard and fortuitous fashion4 ,sealers and whalers in the hope of rich booty ventured far afield1 and1 ranging among the mysterious floes or riding out fierce gales off an ice-girt coast1 brought back strange tales to a curious world4 ,crudely embellished1 contradictory1 yet alluring they were2 but the demand for truth came surely to the rescue4 ,thus1 it was often the whaler who forsook his trade to explore for mere exploration's sake4 ,baffin was one of those who opened the gates to the ,north4 ,then1 too1 the commercial spirit of the generations who sought a ,north ,west ,passage was responsible for the incursions of many adventurers into the new world of the ice4 ,strangely enough1 the ,south was first attacked in the true scientific spirit by ,captain ,cook and later by ,bellingshausen4 ,sealing and whaling ventures followed in their train4 ,at last the era had come for the expedition1 planned1 administered1 equipped and carried out with a definite objective4 ,it is characteristic of the race of men that the first design should have centred on the ,pole--the top of the earth1 the focus of longitude1 the magic goal1 to reach which no physical sacrifice was too great4 ,the heroism of ,parry is a type of that adamant persistence which has made the history of the conquest of the ,poles a volume in which disaster and death have played a large part4 ,it followed on years of polar experience1 it resulted from an exact knowledge of geographical and climatic conditions1 a fearless anticipation1 expert information on the details of transport--and the fortune of the brave--that ,peary and ,amundsen had their reward in the present generation4 ,meanwhile1 in the wake of the pioneers of new land there were passing the scientific workers born in the early nineteenth century4 ,sir ,james ,clark ,ross is an epitome of that expansive enthusiasm which was the keynote of the life of ,charles ,darwin4 ,the classic ,voyage of the ,beagle 7#ahca-cf7 was a triumph of patient rigorous investigation conducted in many lands outside the polar circles4 ,the methods of ,darwin were developed in the ',challenger' ,expedition 7#ahgb7 which worked even to the confines of the southern ice4 ,and the torch of the pure flame of ,science was handed on4 ,it was the same consuming ardour which took ,nansen across the plateau of ,greenland1 which made him resolutely propound the theory of the northern ice-drift1 to maintain it in the face of opposition and ridicule and to plan an expedition down to the minutest detail in conformity therewith4 ,the close of the century saw ,science no longer the mere appendage but the actual basis of exploratory endeavour4 ,disinterested research and unselfish specialization are the phrases born to meet the intellectual demands of the new century4 ,the modern polar expedition goes forth with finished appliances1 with experts in every department--sailors1 artisans1 soldiers and students in medley2 supremely1 with men who seek risk and privation--the glory of the dauntless past4 ,a4,l4,m4 ,,introduction ,one of the oft-repeated questions for which ,i usually had a ready answer1 at the conclusion of ,sir ,ernest ,shackleton's ,expedition 7#aijg-ji7 was1 ,would you like to go to the ,antarctic again8 ,in the first flush of the welcome home and for many months1 during which the keen edge of pleasure under civilized conditions had not entirely worn away1 ,i was inclined to reply with a somewhat emphatic negative4 ,but1 once more a man in the world of men1 lulled in the easy repose of routine1 and performing the ordinary duties of a workaday world1 old emotions awakened4 ,the grand sweet days returned in irresistible glamour1 faraway voices called3 444from the wilderness1 the vast and ,godlike spaces1 ,the stark and sullen solitudes that sentinel the ,pole4 ,there always seemed to be something at the back of my mind1 stored away for future contemplation1 and it was an idea which largely matured during my first sojourn in the far ,south4 ,at times1 during the long hours of steady tramping across the trackless snow-fields1 one's thoughts flow in a clear and limpid stream1 the mind is unruffled and composed and the passion of a great venture springing suddenly before the imagination is sobered by the calmness of pure reason4 ,perchance this is true of certain moments1 but they are rare and fleeting4 ,it may have been in one such phase that ,i suddenly found myself eager for more than a glimpse of the great span of ,antarctic coast lying nearest to ,australia4 ,professor ,t4 ,w4 ,e4 ,david1 ,dr4 ,f4 ,a4 ,mackay and ,i1 when seeking the ,south ,magnetic ,pole during the summer of #aijh-ji1 had penetrated farthest into that region on land4 ,the limiting outposts had been defined by other expeditions2 at ,cape ,adare on the east and at ,gaussberg on the west4 ,between them lay my ,land of ,hope and ,glory1 of whose outline and glacial features the barest evidence had been furnished4 ,there1 bordering the ,antarctic ,circle1 was a realm far from the well-sailed highways of many of the more recent ,antarctic expeditions4 ,the idea of exploring this unknown coast took firm root in my mind while ,i was on a visit to ,europe in ,february #aiaj4 ,the prospects of an expedition operating to the west of ,cape ,adare were discussed with the late ,captain ,r4 ,f4 ,scott and ,i suggested that the activities of his expedition might be arranged to extend over the area in question4 ,finally he decided that his hands were already too full to make any definite proposition for a region so remote from his own objective4 ,sir ,ernest ,shackleton was warmly enthusiastic when the scheme was laid before him1 hoping for a time to identify himself with the undertaking4 ,it was in some measure due to his initiative that ,i felt impelled eventually to undertake the organization and leadership of an expedition4 ,for many reasons1 besides the fact that it was the country of my home and ,alma ,mater1 ,i was desirous that the ,expedition should be maintained by ,australia4 ,it seemed to me that here was an opportunity to prove that the young men of a young country could rise to those traditions which have made the history of ,british ,polar exploration one of triumphant endeavour as well as of tragic sacrifice4 ,and so ,i was privileged to rally the sons of the younger son4 ,a provisional plan was drafted and put before the ,australasian ,association for the ,advancement of ,science at their meeting held at ,sydney in ,january #aiaa1 with a request for approval and financial assistance4 ,both were unanimously granted1 a sum of ,l#ajjj was voted and committees were formed to co-operate in the arrangement of a scientific programme and to approach the ,government with a view to obtaining substantial help4 ,the three leading members of the committees were ,professor ,orme ,masson 7,president71 ,professor ,t4 ,w4 ,edgeworth ,david 7,president ,elect7 and ,professor ,g4 ,c4 ,henderson 7,president of the ,geographical ,section74 ,all were zealous and active in furthering the projects of the ,expedition4 ,meanwhile ,i had laid my scheme of work before certain prominent ,australians and some large donations9999 had been promised4 ,the sympathy and warm-hearted generosity of these gentlemen was an incentive for me to push through my plans at once to a successful issue4 9999 ,refer to ,finance ,appendix4 ,i therefore left immediately for ,london with a view to making arrangements there for a vessel suitable for polar exploration1 to secure sledging dogs from ,greenland and furs from ,norway1 and to order the construction of certain instruments and equipment4 ,it was also my intention to gain if possible the support of ,australians residing in ,london4 ,the ,council of the ,university of ,adelaide1 in a broad-minded scientific spirit1 granted me the necessary leave of absence from my post as lecturer1 to carry through what had now resolved itself into an extensive and prolonged enterprise4 ,during my absence1 a ,committee of the ,australasian ,association for the ,advancement of ,science approached the ,commonwealth ,government with an appeal for funds4 ,unfortunately it was the year 7#aiaa7 of the ,coronation of his ,majesty ,king ,george ,v1 and the leading members of the ,cabinet were in ,england1 so the final answer to the deputation was postponed4 ,i was thus in a position of some difficulty1 for many requirements had to be ordered without delay if the ,expedition were to get away from ,australia before the end of the year4 ,at length1 through the kindness of ,lord ,northcliffe1 the columns of the ,daily ,mail were opened to us and ,sir ,ernest ,shackleton made a strong appeal on our behalf4 ,the ,royal ,geographical ,society set the seal of its approval on the aims of the ,expedition and many donations were soon afterwards received4 ,at this rather critical period ,i was fortunate in securing the services of ,captain ,john ,king ,davis1 who was in future to act as ,master of the vessel and ,second in ,command of the ,expedition4 ,he joined me in ,april #aiaa1 and rendered valuable help in the preliminary arrangements4 ,under his direction the s4y4 ,aurora was purchased and refitted4 ,the few months spent in ,london were anxious and trying1 but the memory of them is pleasantly relieved by the generosity and assistance which were meted out on every hand4 ,sir ,george ,reid1 ,high ,commissioner for the ,australian ,commonwealth1 ,i shall always remember as an ever-present friend4 ,the preparations for the scientific programme received a strong impetus from well-known ,antarctic explorers1 notably ,dr4 ,w4 ,s4 ,bruce1 ,dr4 ,jean ,charcot1 ,captain ,adrian de ,gerlache1 and the late ,sir ,john ,murray and ,mr4 ,j4 ,y4 ,buchanan of the ,challenger ,expedition4 ,in the dispositions made for oceanographical work ,i was indebted for liberal support to ,h4,s4,h4 the ,prince of ,monaco4 ,in ,july #aiaa ,i was once more in ,australia1 a large proportion of my time being occupied with finance1 the purchase and concentration of stores and equipment and the appointment of the staff4 ,in this work ,i was aided by ,professors ,masson and ,david and by ,miss ,ethel ,bage1 who throughout this busy period acted in an honorary capacity as secretary in ,melbourne4 ,time was drawing on and the funds of the ,expedition were wholly inadequate to the needs of the moment1 until ,mr4 ,t4 ,h4 ,smeaton1 ,m4,p41 introduced a deputation to the ,hon4 ,john ,verran1 ,premier of ,south ,australia4 ,the deputation1 organized to approach the ,state ,government for a grant of ,l#ejjj1 was led by the ,right ,hon4 ,sir ,samuel ,way1 ,bart41 ,chief ,justice of ,south ,australia and ,chancellor of the ,adelaide ,university1 and supported by ,mr4 ,lavington ,bonython1 ,mayor of ,adelaide1 ,t4 ,ryan1 ,m4,p41 the ,presidents of several scientific societies and members of the ,university staff4 ,this sum was eventually forthcoming and it paved the way to greater things4 ,in ,sydney1 ,professor ,david approached the ,state ,government on behalf of the ,expedition for financial support1 and1 through the ,acting ,premier1 the ,hon4 ,w4 ,a4 ,holman1 ,l#gjjj was generously promised4 ,the ,state of ,victoria through the ,hon4 ,w4 ,watt1 ,premier of ,victoria1 supplemented our funds to the extent of ,l#fjjj4 ,upheld by the prestige of a large meeting convened in the ,melbourne ,town ,hall during the spring1 the objects of the ,australasian ,antarctic ,expedition were more widely published4 ,on that memorable occasion the ,governor-,general1 ,lord ,denman1 acted as chairman1 and among others who participated were the ,hon4 ,andrew ,fisher 7,prime ,minister of the ,commonwealth71 the ,hon4 ,alfred ,deakin 7,leader of the ,opposition71 ,professor ,orme ,masson 7,president ,a4,a4,a4,s4 and representative of ,victoria71 ,senator ,walker 7representing ,new ,south ,wales7 and ,professor ,g4 ,c4 ,henderson 7representing ,south ,australia74 ,soon after this meeting the ,commonwealth ,government voted ,l#ejjj1 following a grant of ,l#bjjj made by the ,british ,government at the instance of ,lord ,denman1 who from the outset had been a staunch friend of the ,expedition4 ,at the end of ,october #aiaa all immediate financial anxiety had passed1 and ,i was able to devote myself with confidence to the final preparations4 ,captain ,davis brought the ',aurora' from ,england to ,australia1 and on ,december #b1 #aiaa1 we left ,hobart for the ,south4 ,a base was established on ,macquarie ,island1 after which the ship pushed through the ice and landed a party on an undiscovered portion of the ,antarctic ,continent4 ,after a journey of fifteen hundred miles to the west of this base another party was landed and then the ,aurora returned to ,hobart to refit and to carry out oceanographical investigations1 during the year #aiab1 in the waters south of ,australia and ,new ,zealand4 ,in ,december #aiab ,captain ,davis revisited the ,antarctic to relieve the two parties who had wintered there4 ,a calamity befell my own sledging party1 ,lieut4 ,b4 ,e4 ,s4 ,ninnis and ,dr4 ,x4 ,mertz both lost their lives and my arrival back at ,winter ,quarters was delayed for so long1 that the ',aurora' was forced to leave five men for another year to prosecute a search for the missing party4 ,the remainder of the men1 ten in number1 and the party fifteen hundred miles to the west were landed safely at ,hobart in ,march #aiab4 ,thus the prearranged plans were upset by my non-return and the administration of the ,expedition in ,australia was carried out by ,professor ,david1 whose special knowledge was invaluable at such a juncture4 ,funds were once more required1 and1 during the summer of #aiab1 ,captain ,davis visited ,london and secured additional support1 while the ,australasian ,association for the ,advancement of ,science again successfully approached the ,commonwealth ,government 7,the ,right ,hon4 ,j4 ,h4 ,cook1 ,prime ,minister74 ,in all1 the sum of ,l#hjjj was raised to meet the demands of a second voyage of relief4 ,the party left on ,macquarie ,island1 who had agreed to remain at the station for another year1 ran short of food during their second winter4 ,the ,new ,zealand ,government rendered the ,expedition a great service in dispatching stores to them by the ',tutanekai' without delay4 ,finally1 in the summer of #aiac1 the ',aurora' set out on her third cruise to the far ,south1 picking up the parties at ,macquarie ,island and in the ,antarctic1 carried out observations for two months amid the ice and reached ,adelaide late in ,february #aiad4 ,throughout a period of more than three years ,professors ,david and ,masson--the fathers of the ,expedition--worked indefatigably and unselfishly in its interests4 ,unbeknown to them ,i have taken the liberty to reproduce the only photographs at hand of these gentlemen1 which action ,i hope they will view favourably4 ,that of ,professor ,david needs some explanation3 ,it is a snapshot taken at ,relief ,inlet1 ,south ,victoria ,land1 at the moment when the ,northern ,party of ,shackleton's ,expedition1 ,february #aiji1 was rescued by the ,s4,y4 ',nimrod'4 ,in shipping arrangements ,capt4 ,davis was assisted throughout by ,mr4 ,j4 ,j4 ,kinsey1 ,christchurch1 ,capt4 ,barter1 ,sydney1 and ,mr4 ,f4 ,hammond1 ,hobart4 ,such an undertaking is the work of a multitude and it is only by sympathetic support from many sources that a measure of success can be expected4 ,in this connexion there are many names which ,i recall with warm gratitude4 ,it is impossible to mention all to whom the ,expedition is indebted1 but ,i trust that none of those who have taken a prominent part will fail to find an acknowledgment somewhere in these volumes4 ,i should specially mention the friendly help afforded by the ,australasian ,press1 which has at all times given the ,expedition favourable and lengthy notices1 insisting on its national and scientific character4 ,with regard to the conduct of the work itself1 ,i was seconded by the whole-hearted co-operation of the members1 my comrades1 and what they have done can only be indicated in this narrative4 ,,contents ,,author',s ,,preface ,,foreword ,,introduction ,,chapter ,i ,,the ,,problem ,,and ,,preparations ,,chapter ,,ii ,,the ,,last ,,days ,,at ,,hobart ,,and ,,the ,,voyage ,,to ,,macquarie ,,island ,,chapter ,,iii ,,from ,,macquarie ,,island ,,to ,,adelie ,,land ,,chapter ,,iv ,,new ,,lands ,,chapter ,v ,,first ,,days ,,in ,,adelie ,,land ,,chapter ,,vi ,,autumn ,,prospects ,,chapter ,,vii ,,the ,,blizzard ,,chapter ,,viii ,,domestic ,,life ,,chapter ,,ix ,,midwinter ,,and ,,its ,,work ,,chapter ,x ,,the ,,preparation ,,of ,,sledging ,,equipment #agf ,,chapter ,,xi ,,spring ,,exploits ,,chapter ,,xii ,,across ,,king ,,george ,v ,,land ,,chapter ,,xiii ,,toil ,,and ,,tribulation ,,chapter ,,xiv ,,the ,,quest ,,of ,,the ,,south ,,magnetic ,,pole ,,chapter ,,xv ,,eastward ,,over ,,the ,,sea-,,ice ,,chapter ,,xvi ,,horn ,,bluff ,,and ,,penguin ,,point ,,volume ,,ii ,,chapter ,,xvii ,,with ,,stillwell',s ,,and ,,bickerton',s ,,parties ,,chapter ,,xviii ,,the ,,ship',s ,,story4 ,,by ,,captain ,j4 ,k4 ,,davis ,,chapter ,,xix ,,the ,,western ,,base--,,establishment ,,and ,,early ,,adventures4 ,,by ,f4 ,,wild ,,chapter ,,xx ,,the ,,western ,,base--,,winter ,,and ,,spring ,,chapter ,,xxi ,,the ,,western ,,base--,,blocked ,,on ,,the ,,shelf-,,ice4 ,,by ,f4 ,,wild ,,chapter ,,xxii ,,the ,,western ,,base--,,linking ,,up ,,with ,,kaiser ,,wilhelm ,,ii ,,land ,,chapter ,,xxiii ,a ,,second ,,winter ,,chapter ,,xxiv ,,nearing ,,the ,,end ,,chapter ,,xxv ,,life ,,on ,,macquarie ,,island4 ,,by ,g4 ,f4 ,,ainsworth ,,chapter ,,xxvi ,a ,,land ,,of ,,storm ,,and ,,mist4 ,,by ,g4 ,f4 ,,ainsworth ,,chapter ,,xxvii ,,through ,,another ,,year4 ,,by ,g4 ,f4 ,,ainsworth ,,chapter ,,xxviii ,,the ,,homeward ,,cruise ,,appendix ,i ,,the ,,staff ,,appendix ,,ii ,,scientific ,,work ,,appendix ,,iii ,,an ,,historical ,,summary ,,appendix ,,iv ,,glossary ,,appendix ,v ,,medical ,,reports3 ,,western ,,base 7,,queen ,,mary ,,land74 ,,by ,s4 ,e4 ,,jones1 ,m4,b41 ,ch4,m4 ,,main ,,base 7,,adelie ,,land74 ,,by ,a4 ,l4 ,mc,l,e,a,n1 ,m4,b41 ,ch4,m41 ,b4,a4 ,,appendix ,,vi ,,finance ,,appendix ,,vii ,,equipment ,,list ,,of ,,illustrations ,sir ,douglas ,mawson 7,photogravure7 ,in ,memoriam cross at ,cape ,denison 7,photogravure7 ,,colour ,,plates ,virgin solitudes ,a weather-worn snow-berg ,a grottoed iceberg ,the ,mertz ,glacier ,tongue1 at a point #ej miles from the land ,the ,grey ,rock ,hills at ,cape ,denison ,winter quarters1 ,adelie ,land ,the ,alpine-glow ,antarctica is a world of colour1 brilliant and intensely pure444 ,sledging in ,adelie ,land ,volume ,,ii ,islets fringing the mainland3 view looking west from ,stillwell ,island ,rafts of floe-ice ,before sunrise3 camped near the ,hippo ,nunatak ,avalanche rocks ,delay ,point ,the great ,bergschrund of the ,denman ,glacier ,tussock slopes and misty highlands ,the shack and its vicinity ,a ,victoria penguin on the nest ,a growth of lichen on red sandstone ,antarctic marine life ,brought up in the deep-sea trawl ,,plates ,professor ,t4 ,w4 ,edgeworth ,david ,professor ,orme ,masson ,captain ,john ,king ,davis ,the wall of the ,antarctic ,continent ,finner whales of the ,south ,the ',aurora' crossing the equator1 ,august #aiaa ,frank ,wild ,ginger and her family on the voyage from ,london ,queen's ,wharf1 ,hobart1 an hour before sailing1 ,december #b1 #aiaa ,the last view of ,hobart nestling below ,mt4 ,wellington ,a big1 following sea ,mc,lean walking aft in rough weather ,cruising along the west coast of ,macquarie ,island ,a ,giant ,petrel on the nest ,a ,young ,giant ,petrel on the nest4 ,caroline ,cove ,the wreck of the ,clyde ,the boat harbour--,hassleborough ,bay ,the ,north ,end of ,macquarie ,island showing ,wireless ,hill4 ,the living hut is at the north end of the isthmus1 with ,north-,east ,bay on the right and ,hassleborough ,bay on the left side ,the ',aurora' anchored in ,hassleborough ,bay4 ,in the foreground giant seaweed is swinging in the wash of the surge ,a ,wanderer ,albatross at rest on the water ,hunter tickles a sleeping baby ,sea ,elephant ,a typical ,table-,topped neve berg originating from floating ,shelf ,ice ,an ,antarctic iceberg with a reticulation of crevasses on its tilted surface4 ,this berg had no doubt taken its origin from the ice of the coastal cliffs of ,adelie ,land ,in ,pack-,ice ,a cavern in the wall 7#abj feet7 of the shelf ice of the ,mertz ,glacier-,tongue ,a glimpse from within the cavern 7shown in the preceding illustration7 ,the ',aurora' in ,commonwealth ,bay2 the rising plateau of ,adelie ,land in the distance ,the invaluable motor-launch2 left to right1 ,hamilton1 ,bickerton1 and ,blake ,the whale-boat with passengers for the shore2 ,wild at the steering oar ,first steps in the formation of the ,main ,base ,station2 landing of stores and equipment at the head of the ,boat ,harbour1 ,cape ,denison4 ,in the distance men are to be seen sledging the materials to the site selected for the erection of the hut ,a view of a rocky stretch of the ,adelie ,land ,coast west of ,commonwealth ,bay ,a panorama looking west from winter quarters4 ,on the left and in the distance are the rising slopes of the inland ice4 ,the moraine is in the foreground ,a panorama of the sea front looking eastward from winter quarters4 ,the plateau slopes are visible to a height of l#ejj feet ,in open pack-ice ,the face of the ,shackleton ,ice-,shelf #ajj miles north of the mainland4 ,each strongly-marked horizontal band on the sheer wall represents a year's snowfall ,the ',aurora' anchored to thick floe-ice #ajj miles north of the western base1 ,queen ,mary ,land4 ,in this region the annual snowfall is very heavy1 so that it is possible that the great thickness of floe is due to the accumulation of one year ,a berg with inclusions of mud and rock4 ,long4 #aj degrees ,e4 ,the ',flying-,fox' viewed from the floe-ice below the brink of the shelf ice on which the western party wintered ,summer at the boat harbour1 ,cape ,denison ,an ,adelie penguin on the nest defending her eggs ,the living-hut1 nearing completion4 ,the tents and shelter built of benzine cases used as temporary quarters are shown ,the completion of the hut--cheering the ,union ,jack as it was hoisted on the flag pole ,adelie penguins at home1 ,cape ,denison ,a view of the main base hut in ,february #aiab1 just prior to its completion4 ,within a few days of the taking of this picture the hut became so buried in packed snow that ever afterwards little beyond the roof was to be seen ,weddell seals asleep on pancake ice ,adelie penguin after weathering a severe blizzard4 observe the lumps of ice adhering to it ,a ,panoramic view looking south from near the hut4 ,in the distance are the slopes of the inland ice-sheet4 ,in the foreground is the terminal moraine4 ,between the rocks and the figure is a zone where rapid thawing takes place in the summer owing to the amount of dirt contained in the ice ,a panoramic view looking north towards the sea4 ,in the middle of the picture is ,round ,lake4 ,the hut is towards the left-hand side and the anemograph is on the hill4 ,the men are practising ski running ,an evening view from ,cape ,denison ,the head of a ,weddell seal ,a ,weddell seal scratching himself4 ,drat those fleas6 ,the meteorologist with an ice-mask ,where the plateau descends to ,commonwealth ,bay ,mac,cormick ,skua gull on the nest with egg ,chick of ,mac,cormick ,skua gull on the nest ,protection--,adelie penguin and chick ,the lower moraine1 composed of water worn boulders1 ,cape ,denison ,an ice-polished surface1 ,cape ,denison ,the boat harbour in ,march4 ,the hut is seen dimly through light drift ,race of the ,spray ,smoke's ,hurtling ,sheet ,walking against a strong wind ,picking ice for domestic purposes in a hurricane wind4 ,note the high angle at which ,webb is leaning on the wind ,leaning upon the wind2 ,madigan near the meteorological screen ,stillwell collecting geological specimens in the wind ,in the blizzard2 getting ice for domestic purposes from the glacier adjacent to the hut ,an incident in ,march soon after the completion of the hut3 ,hodgeman1 the night watchman1 returning from his rounds outside1 pushes his way into the veranda through the rapidly accumulating drift snow ,mertz in the snow tunnels on his way to the interior of the hut with a box of ice for the melters ,mertz emerging from the trap-door in the roof ,working in the hurricane wind1 ,adelie ,land ,getting ice for domestic purposes4 ,whetter picking2 ,madigan with the ice-box ,the ice-cliff coastline east of winter quarters ,madigan's frostbitten face ,correll1 ,bage1 ,mc,lean1 ,hodgeman1 ,hunter1 and ,bickerton ,a winter afternoon scene in the hut4 ,from the left3 ,mertz1 ,mc,lean1 ,madigan1 ,hunter1 ,hodgeman4 ,high on the left is the acetylene generator ,taking a turn in the kitchen department4 ,hunter1 ,hodgeman1 ,bage4 ,the doorway on the right is the entrance to the workroom ,a corner of the hut--,bage mending his sleeping bag4 ,the bunks in two tiers around the wall are almost hidden by the clothing hanging from the ceiling ,a winter evening at the hut4 ,standing up3 ,mawson1 ,madigan1 ,ninnis1 and ,correll4 ,sitting round the table from left to right3 ,stillwell1 ,close1 ,mc,lean1 ,hunter1 ,hannam1 ,hodgeman1 ,murphy1 ,lasebon1 ,bickerton1 ,mertz1 and ,bage ,a morning in the workshop4 ,from left to right3 ,hodgeman1 ,hunter1 ,lasebon1 ,correll1 and ,hannam4 ,the petrol engine part of the wireless plant on the right ,welding by thermit in the workroom1 ,adelie ,land4 ,bickerton1 ,correll1 ,hannam and ,mawson ,in the catacombs4 ,ninnis on the right ,bage and his tide gauge which was erected on the frozen bay ice ,raising the lower section of the northern wireless mast ,the weathered cliffs of a glacier sheet pushing out into the frozen sea east of ,cape ,denison ,bage at the door of his astronomical transit ,house ,webb and his magnetograph house ,at work on the air-tractor sledge in the hangar2 ,bage1 ,ninnis1 and ,bickerton ,webb adjusting the instruments in the magnetograph house a calm noon in winter1 ,cape ,denison ,the ridged surface of a lake frozen during a blizzard ,a lively scene in the vicinity of an ,antarctic ,petrel rookery1 ,cape ,hunter ,a ,weddell seal swimming below the ice-foot ,a rascally ,sea ,leopard casting a wicked eye over the broken floe at ,land's ,end4 ,main ,base ,a ,crab-,eater seal2 common amongst the pack-ice ,the rare ,ross seal ,one of ,mc,lean's cultures2 bacteria and moulds2 illustrating micro-organisms in the hut ,ice flowers on the newly formed sea-ice ,madigan visiting the anemograph screen in a high wind ,the ,puffometer1 designed to record maximum gust velocities ,an enormous cone of snow piled up by the blizzards under the coastal cliffs ,the cliffs at ,land's ,end1 ,cape ,denison4 ,on the brow of the cliff in front of the figure 7,mertz7 is a good example of a snow cornice ,on the frozen sea in a cavern eaten out by the waves under the coastal ice-cliffs ,ice stalactites draping the foreshores ,a grotto of mysteries ,the relief of ,wild's party4 ,the ,aurora approaching the floe at the western base1 ,february #aiac ,pacing the deck3 ,capt4 ,john ,king ,davis and ,capt4 ,james ,davis ,an ,adelie penguin feeding its young ,amundsen1 one of the sledge dogs sent down to us from ,amundsen's ,south ,polar ,expedition ,at the foot of a snow ramp beneath the coastal ice-cliffs1 ,commonwealth ,bay ,at ,aladdin's ,cave4 ,the vertical passage leading down into the cave itself is situated immediately behind the figure on the right ,beneath the surface of the plateau4 ,bage preparing a meal in ,aladdin's ,cave in ,august ,laseron and ,hunter using the collapsible steel handcart in preparing for dredging on the frozen sea ,greenland ,sledging ,dogs--,john ,bull and ,ginger--tethered on the rocks adjacent to the hut ,the ,mackellar islets viewed from an elevation of #hjj feet on the mainland ,snow ,petrels preparing to nest1 ,cape ,denison ,a ,snow ,petrel on the nest ,adelie penguins diving into the sea in quest of food ,adelie penguins jumping on to the floe ,mertz in an icy ravine ,mertz and ,ninnis arrive with the dogs at ,aladdin's ,cave ,mertz emerging from ,aladdin's ,cave ,a team of dogs eagerly following ,ninnis ,the dogs enjoy their work ,speeding east ,a distant view of ,aurora ,peak from the west ,lieutenant ,b4 ,e4 ,s4 ,ninnis1 ,r4,f4 ,mertz1 ,ninnis1 and ,mawson erecting the tent in a high wind ,a later stage in erection of the tent in a wind 7one man is inside7 ,dr4 ,xavier ,mertz ,pages from ,dr4 ,mertz' diary ,mawson emerging from his makeshift tent ,the half-sledge used in the last stage of ,mawson's journey 444,the long journey was at an end--a terrible chapter of my life was finished6 ,the southern supporting party on the plateau4 ,hunter1 ,murphy and ,laseron ,the southern and supporting parties building a depot on the plateau ,depot made by the southern and supporting parties at a point #fg miles south of ,commonwealth ,bay4 ,murphy1 ,laseron1 and ,hunter packing sledge in the foreground2 ,bage in the distance ,a rough sledging surface of high ,sastrugi encountered by the southern party #bjj miles ,s4,s4,e4 of the hut ,farthest south camp of southern party1 #ag minutes 7about #ej miles7 from the ,south ,magnetic ,pole4 ,bage near sledge2 ,webb taking set of magnetic observations behind snow barricade ,sastrugi furrowed by the mighty winds of the plateau1 #bej miles ,s4,s4,e4 of winter quarters1 ,adelie ,land ,under reefed sail4 ,southern party #bij miles ,s4,s4,e4 of winter quarters1 ,adelie ,land ,hurley in sledging gear ,correll on the edge of a ravine in the ice sheet ,madigan's1 ,murphy's1 and ,stillwell's parties breaking camp at ,aladdin's ,cave at the commencement of the summer journeys ,the surface of the continental ice sheet in the coastal region where it is badly crevassed ,working the sledge through broken sea ice1 #df miles off ,king ,george ,v ,land4 ,madigan1 ,correll and ,mc,lean ,the ,organ-,pipes of ,horn ,bluff 7#ajjj feet in height7 pushing out from the mainland ,madigan1 ,correll and ,mc,lean camped below the cliffs of ,horn ,bluff 7#ajjj ,,feet ,,in height74 ,columnar ,dolerite is seen surmounting a sedimentary series partly buried in the talus-slope ,an outcrop of a sedimentary formation containing bands of coal projecting through the talus slope below the columnar dolerite at ,horn ,bluff ,the face of a granite outcrop near penguin point4 ,at its base is a tide crack and ice foot ,the granite cliffs at ,penguin ,point where ,cape ,pigeon and ,silver ,petrel rookeries were found2 the site of ,new ,year's ,camp ,,volume ,,ii ,madigan ,nunatak--,close and ,laseron standing by the sledge ,a desolate camp on the plateau ,sledging rations for three men for three months ,stillwell ,island--a haunt of the ,silver-,grey petrel ,the ,bus1 the air-tractor sledge ,bickerton and his sledge with detachable wheels ,amongst the splintered ice where the ice-sheet descends to the sea near ,cape ,denison ,the big winding-drum for the deep-sea dredging cable ,fletcher with the driver loaded ready to take a sounding ,at the provision depot for castaways provided by the ,new ,zealand ,government1 ,camp ,cove1 ,carnley ,harbour1 ,auckland ,island4 ,primmer on the right ,the brick pier erected at ,port ,ross1 ,auckland ,islands1 by the magneticians of ,sir ,james ,clarke ,ross's ,expedition ,the ,aurora at anchor in ,port ,ross1 ,auckland ,islands ,the ,monagasque trawl hoisted on the derrick3 ,gray standing by ,a remarkable berg1 two cusps standing on a single basement4 ,note that it has risen considerably out of the sea1 exposing old water lines ,a portal worn through a berg by the waves ,a turreted berg ,a ,midsummer view of the hut and its neighbourhood1 looking ,s4,e4 ,forging through pack-ice ,members of the main base party homeward bound1 ,january #aiac4 ,from left to right3 back row1 ,whetter1 ,hurley1 ,webb1 ,hannam1 ,laseron1 ,close2 front row1 ,stillwell1 ,hunter1 ,correll1 ,murphy ,wireless ,corner in the workshop4 ,our link with civilization ,the ,aurora anchored to the floe off the western base ,the establishment of the western base4 ,hauling stores to the top of the ice-shelf ,the western base hut in winter4 ,note the entrance2 a vertical hole in the snow in the foreground ,the western base hut--,the ,grottoes--in summer ,an evening camp1 ,queen ,mary ,land ,a man-hauled sledge ,in the veranda of the western base hut--,the ,grottoes--looking towards the entrance dug vertically down through the snow drift ,the wind-weathered igloo built for magnetic observations--western base ,nunatak--,queen ,mary ,land3 showing remarkable moat on windward side and ramp on lee ,midwinter's dinner in ,queen ,mary ,land1 #aiab4 ,from left to right3 ,behind--,hoadley1 ,dovers1 ,watson1 ,harrisson1 ,wild4 ,in ,front--,jones1 ,moyes1 ,kennedy ,a bevy of ,emperor penguins on the floe ,a yawning crevasse ,wild's party making slow progress in dangerous country ,wild1 ,kennedy1 and ,harrisson amongst the abysses of the ,denman glacier ,the whole was the wildest1 maddest and yet the grandest thing imaginable ,wild's party working their sledges through the crushed ice at the foot of ,denman glacier ,the ,hippo ,nunatak ,dog-sledging ,where the floe-ice meets the ,shackleton ,shelf ,the hummocky floe on the southern margin of the ,davis ,sea ,view showing the young birds massed together at the ,emperor penguins' rookery at ,haswell ,island ,antarctic petrels on the nest ,a ,snow petrel chick on the nest ,a ,silver-,grey petrel on the nest ,the symmetrically domed outline of ,drygalski ,island1 low on the horizon4 ,the island is #abjj feet high and #i miles in diameter ,the main western party on their return to the ,grottoes4 from the left3 ,hoadley1 ,jones and ,dovers ,blizzard-harassed penguins1 after many days buried in the snow ,the pancake ice under the cliffs at ,land's ,end ,a wonderful canopy of ice ,sastrugi sculptured by the incessant blizzards ,the terminal moraine1 near the hut1 ,cape ,denison ,disappearing in the drift ,the hut looming through the drift ,a wall of solid gneiss near winter quarters ,an erratic on the moraine4 ,cape ,denison ,frozen spray built up by the blizzards along the shore ,a view of the mainland from the ,mackellar ,islets3 ice-capped islets in the foreground3 the rock visible on the mainland is ,cape ,denison ,a ,wilson petrel on the nest1 ,mackellar ,islets ,the ,aurora lying at anchor1 ,commonwealth ,bay2 in the distance the ice-slopes of the mainland are visible rising to a height of #cejj feet4 ,in the foreground is a striking formation originating by the freezing of spray dashed up by the hurricane wind ,the shack3 showing the natural rocky protection on the windward side ,the interior of the operating hut on ,wireless ,hill ,weka pecking on the beach ,chicks of the ,dominican gull ,macquarie ,island ,skuas feeding ,bull ,sea ,elephants fighting ,the thermometer screen1 ,macquarie ,island ,the wind-recording instruments1 ,macquarie ,island ,feather bed terrace near ,eagle ,point1 ,macquarie ,island ,a glacial lake 7,major ,lake7 on ,macquarie ,island1 #fjj feet above sea level ,victoria penguins ,view of the wireless station on the summit of ,wireless ,hill ,the wireless operating hut ,the wireless engine hut ,panoramic view of ,macquarie ,island1 as seen from ,wireless ,hill at the north extremity of the island4 ,the shack is near the bottom of the picture on the left-hand side3 the sealers' hut at the far end of the isthmus3 the distant left-hand point of the coast is the ,nuggets3 north-east bay on the left3 ,hasselborough ,bay on the right ,a view of the shore at ,the ,nuggets3 the sealers' shed on the right4 the bare patches far inland high on the hills above the shed are ,royal penguins' rookeries1 from which they travel to the beach in a long procession ,sooty albatrosses nesting ,a white ,giant ,petrel on the nest ,a ,giant ,petrel rookery ,the ,macquarie ,island party4 ,from left to right3 ,sandell1 ,ainsworth1 ,sawyer1 ,hamilton1 ,blake ,king penguins ,the head of a ,sea ,leopard1 showing fight ,a precocious ,victoria penguin ,young male ,sea ,elephants at play ,a large ,sea ,leopard on the beach ,a ,sea ,elephant ,a cormorant rookery1 ,hasselborough ,bay ,a young ,king penguin ,a ,sclater penguin ,royal penguins on the nest ,gentoo penguin and young ,a cow ,sea ,elephant and pup ,the head of a bull ,sea ,elephant ,a rookery of ,sea ,elephants near the shore at the ,nelson reef1 chiefly cows and pups ,a bull ,sea ,elephant in a fighting attitude ,a cormorant and young on nest ,the wild ,west ,coast of ,macquarie ,island ,a ,royal penguins rookery ,the wreck of the ,gratitude on the ,nuggets beach ,kerguelen ,cabbage ,flowering plant ,darby and ,joan4 ,two rare examples of penguins which visited the shack1 ,macquarie ,island4 ,on the left a ,sclater penguin1 on the right an albino ,royal penguin ,large erratics and other glacial debris on the summit of ,macquarie ,island ,pillow-form lava on the highlands of ,macquarie ,island ,waterfall ,lake1 of glacial origin ,on the plateau-like summit of ,macquarie ,island2 a panorama near the north end4 ,glacial lakes and tarns in the foreground ,the ,king penguins rookery1 ,lusitania ,bay ,the head of a bull ,sea ,elephant photographed in the act of roaring ,the rookery of ,royal penguins at the south end1 viewed from a cliff several hundred feet above it ,young ,sea ,elephants asleep amongst ,royal penguins1 south end rookery ,hamilton inspecting a good catch of fish at ,lusitania ,bay ,hamilton obtaining the blubber of a ,sea ,elephant for fuel ,an illustration of the life on the ,mackellar ,islets ,an ice mushroom amongst the ,mackellar ,islets ,view looking out of a shallow ravine at the eastern extremity of the rocks at ,cape ,denison ,hurley had before him a picture in perfect proportion4444 ,antarctic petrels resting on the snow ,silver-grey petrels making love ,looking towards the mainland from ,stillwell ,island3 ,silver-grey petrels nesting in the foreground ,antarctic petrels nesting on the rocky ledges of the cliffs near ,cape ,hunter ,icing ship in the pack north of ,termination ,ice-tongue ,emperor penguins follow the leader into the sea ,emperor penguins jumping on to the floe ,cape ,hunter1 composed of ancient sedimentary rocks 7,phyllites7 ,examples of ,antarctic marine crustaceans ,,text ,,illustrations ,antarctic discoveries preceding the year #aiaj ,plan and section of the ,s4,y4 ',aurora ,map of ,macquarie ,island by ,l4 ,r4 ,,blake ,ships' tracks in the vicinity of ,totten's ,land and ,north's ,land ,ships' tracks in the vicinity of ,knox ,land and ,budd ,land ,plan of the hut1 ,adelie ,land ,sections across the hut1 ,adelie ,land ,the vicinity of the main base1 ,adelie ,land ,a section of the coastal slope of the continental ice-sheet inland from winter quarters1 ,adelie ,land ,wind velocity and wind direction charts for a period of twenty-four hours1 ,adelie ,land ,a comparison of wind velocities and temperatures prevailing at ,cape ,royds1 ,mc,murdo ,sound1 and at winter quarters1 ,adelie ,land1 during the months of ,may and ,june ,the drift-gauge ,the wind velocity and wind direction charts for midwinter day ,the tide-gauge ,midwinter ,day menu at the main base1 ,adelie ,land1 #aiab ,section through a ,nansen sledging cooker mounted on the ,primus ,map showing the track of the southern sledging party from the main base ,,volume ,,ii ,map showing the remarkable distribution of islets fringing the coast-line of ,adelie ,land in the vicinity of ,cape ,gray ,map showing the tracks of the western sledging party1 ,adelie ,land ,plan illustrating the arrangements for deep-sea trawling on board the ,aurora ,map of the ,auckland ,islands ,the ,contents page of the first number of the ,adelie ,blizzard ,the meteorological chart for ,april #ab1 #aiac1 compiled by the ,commonwealth ,meteorological ,bureau ,a diagrammatic sketch illustrating the meteorological conditions at the main base1 noon1 ,september #f1 #aiac ,plan of the hut1 ,macquarie ,island ,map of the north end of ,macquarie ,island by ,l4 ,r4 ,blake ,a section across ,macquarie ,island through ,mt4 ,elder1 by ,l4 ,r4 ,blake ,a sketch illustrating the distribution of the ,mackellar ,islets ,a section illustrating the moat in the ,antarctic continental shelf ,signatures of members of the land parties ,a section of the ,antarctic plateau from the coast to a point #cjj miles inland1 along the route followed by the southern sledging party ,a section across a part of the ,antarctic continent through the ,south ,magnetic ,pole ,a section of the floor of the ,southern ,ocean between ,tasmania and ,king ,george ,v ,land ,a section of the floor of the ,southern ,ocean between ,western ,australia and ,queen ,mary ,land ,a map showing ,antarctic land discoveries preceding #ahch ,a map showing ,antarctic land discoveries preceding #ahif ,a map of the ,antarctic regions as known at the present day ,,folding ,,maps ,regional map showing the area covered by the ,australasian ,antarctic ,expedition1 #aiaa-aiad ,king ,george ,v ,land1 showing tracks of the eastern sledging parties from the main base ,queen ,mary ,land1 showing tracks of the sledging party from the main base ,,chapter ,i ,,the ,,problem ,,and ,,preparations ,notwithstanding the fact that it has been repeatedly stated in the public press that the ,australasian ,antarctic expedition had no intention of making the ,south ,geographical ,pole its objective1 it is evident that our aims were not properly realized by a large section of the ,british public1 considering that many references have appeared in print attributing that purpose to the undertaking4 ,with three other ,antarctic expeditions already in the field1 it appeared to many1 therefore1 that the venture was entirely superfluous4 ,the ,expedition had a problem sketched in unmistakable feature1 and the following pages will shortly set forth its historical origin and rationale4 ,the ,antarctic problem9999 assumed its modern aspect after ,captain ,cook's circumnavigation of the globe in high southern latitudes1 accomplished between #aggb and #agge4 ,fact replaced the fiction and surmise of former times1 and maps appeared showing a large blank area at the southern extremity of the earth1 where speculative cartographers had affirmed the existence of habitable land extending far towards the ,equator4 ,cook's voyage made it clear that if there were any considerable mass of ,antarctic land1 it must indubitably lie within the ,antarctic ,circle1 and be subjected to such stringent climatic conditions as to render it an unlikely habitation for man4 9999 ,dr4 ,h4 ,r4 ,mill has compiled a complete account of ,antarctic exploration in his ,siege of the ,south ,pole4 ,refer also to the ,historical ,appendix for an abridged statement4 ,cook's reports of seals on the island of ,south ,georgia initiated in the ,antarctic seas south of ,america a commercial enterprise1 which is still carried on1 and has incidentally thrown much light upon the geography of the ,south ,polar regions4 ,indeed1 almost the whole of such information1 prior to the year #ahci1 was the outcome of sealing and whaling projects4 ,about the year #ahdj1 a wave of scientific enthusiasm resulted in the dispatch of three national expeditions by ,france1 the ,united ,states1 and ,great ,britain2 part at least of whose programmes was ,antarctic exploration4 ,russia had previously sent out an expedition which had made notable discoveries4 ,the contributions to knowledge gained at this period were considerable4 ,those carried back to civilization by the ,british expedition under ,ross1 are so well known that they need not be described4 ,the ,french under ,dumont ,d',urville and the ,americans under ,wilkes visited the region to the southward of ,australia--the arena of our own efforts--and frequent references will be made to their work throughout this story4 ,what has been termed the period of averted interest now intervened1 before the modern movement set in with overpowering insistence4 ,it was not till #ahig that it had commenced in earnest4 ,since then many adventurers have gone forth2 most of the prominent civilized nations taking their share in exploration4 ,by their joint efforts some1 at least1 of the mystery of ,antarctica has been dispelled4 ,it is now a commonplace1 largely in the world of geographical concerns1 that the earth has still another continent1 unique in character1 whose ultimate bounds are merely pieced together from a fragmentary outline4 ,the ,continent itself appears to have been sighted for the first time in the year #ahbj1 but no human being actually set foot on it until #ahie4 ,the ,belgian expedition under de ,gerlache was the first to experience the ,antarctic winter1 spending the year #ahih drifting helplessly1 frozen in the pack-ice1 to the southward of ,america4 ,in the following year a ,british expedition under ,borchgrevinck1 wintering at ,cape ,adare1 passed a year upon the ,antarctic mainland4 ,the main efforts of recent years have been centred upon the two more accessible areas1 namely1 that in the ,american ,quadrant9999 which is prolonged as a tongue of land outside the ,antarctic ,circle1 being consequently less beset by ice2 secondly1 the vicinity of the ,ross ,sea in the ,australian ,quadrant4 ,it is because these two favoured domains have for special reasons attracted the stream of exploration that the major portion of ,antarctica is unknown4 ,nevertheless1 one is in a position to sketch broad features which will probably not be radically altered by any future expeditions4 9999 ,for convenience1 the ,antarctic regions may be referred to in four main divisions1 corresponding with the quadrants of the hemisphere4 ,of the several suggestions thrown out by previous writers1 the one adopted here is that based on the meridian of ,greenwich1 referring the quadrants to an adjacent continent or ocean4 ,thus the ,american ,quadrant lies between #j degrees and #ij degrees ,w41 the ,african ,quadrant between #j degrees and #ij degrees ,e41 and the ,australian ,quadrant between #ij degrees and #ahj degrees ,e4 ,the fourth division is called the ,pacific ,quadrant1 since ocean alone lies to the north of it4 ,certain it is that a continent approaching the combined areas of ,australia and ,europe lies more or less buried beneath the ,south ,polar snows2 though any statement of the precise area is insufficient for a proper appreciation of the magnitude1 unless its elevated plateau-like character be also taken into consideration4 ,it appears to be highest over a wide central crown rising to more than ten thousand feet4 ,of the remainder1 there is little doubt that the major portion stands as high as six thousand feet4 ,the average elevation must far exceed that of any other continent1 for1 with peaks nineteen thousand feet above sea-level1 its mountainous topography is remarkable4 ,along the coast of ,victoria ,land1 in the ,australian ,quadrant1 are some of the most majestic vistas of alpine scenery that the world affords4 ,rock exposures are rare1 ice appearing everywhere except in the most favoured places4 ,regarding plant and animal life upon the land there is little to say4 ,the vegetable kingdom is represented by plants of low organization such as mosses1 lichens1 diatoms and algae4 ,the animal world1 so far as true land-forms are concerned1 is limited to types like the protozoa 7lowest in the organic scale71 rotifera and minute insect-like mites which lurk hidden away amongst the tufts of moss or on the under side of loose stones4 ,bacteria1 most fundamental of all1 at the basis1 so to speak1 of animal and vegetable life1 have a manifold distribution4 ,it is a very different matter when we turn to the life of the neighbouring seas1 for that vies in abundance with the warmer waters of lower latitudes4 ,there are innumerable seals1 many sea-birds and millions of penguins4 ,as all these breed on ,antarctic shores1 the coastal margin of the continent is not so desolate4 ,in view of the fact that life1 including land-mammals1 is abundant in the ,north ,polar regions1 it may be asked why analogous forms are not better represented in corresponding southern latitudes4 ,without going too deeply into the question1 it may be briefly stated1 firstly1 that a more widespread glaciation than at present prevails invested the great southern continent and its environing seas1 within recent geological times1 effectually exterminating any pre-existing land life4 ,secondly1 since that period the continent has been isolated by a wide belt of ocean from other lands1 from which restocking might have taken place after the manner of the ,north ,polar regions4 ,finally1 climatic conditions in the ,antarctic are1 latitude for latitude1 much more severe than in the ,arctic4 ,with regard to climate in general1 ,antarctica has the lowest mean temperature and the highest wind-velocity of any land existing4 ,this naturally follows from the fact that it is a lofty expanse of ice-clad land circumscribing the ,pole1 and that the ,antarctic summer occurs when the earth is farther from the sun than is the case during the ,arctic summer4 ,there are those who would impatiently ask1 ,what is the use of it all8 ,the answer is brief4 ,,text ,,illustration ,antarctic ,land discoveries preceding the year #aiaj ,the polar regions1 like any other part of the globe1 may be said to be paved with facts1 the essence of which it is necessary to acquire before knowledge of this special zone can be brought to even a provisional exactitude4 ,on the face of it1 polar research may seem to be specific and discriminating1 but it must be remembered that an advance in any one of the departments into which1 for convenience1 science is artificially divided1 conduces to the advantage of all4 ,science is a homogeneous whole4 ,if we ignore the facts contained in one part of the world1 surely we are hampering scientific advance4 ,it is obvious to every one that1 given only a fraction of the pieces1 it is a much more difficult task to put together a jig-saw puzzle and obtain an idea of the finished pattern than were all the pieces at hand4 ,the pieces of the jig-saw puzzle are the data of science4 ,though it is not sufficiently recognized1 the advance of science is attended by a corresponding increase in the creature comforts of man4 ,again1 from an economic aspect1 the frozen ,south may not attract immediate attention4 ,but who can say what a train of enterprise the future may bring8 ,captain ,james ,cook1 on his return to ,london after the circumnavigation of ,antarctica1 held that the far-southern lands had no future4 ,yet1 a few years later1 great profits were being returned to ,great ,britain and the ,united ,states from sealing-stations established as a result of ,cook's own observations4 ,at the present day1 several whaling companies have flourishing industries in the ,antarctic waters within the ,american ,quadrant4 ,even now much can be said in regard to the possibilities offered by the ,antarctic regions for economic development1 but1 year by year1 the outlook will widen1 since man is constantly resorting to subtler and more ingenious artifice in applying ,nature's resources4 ,it will be remembered that ,charles ,darwin1 when in ,australia1 predicted a very limited commercial future for ,new ,south ,wales4 ,but the mastery of man overcame the difficulties which ,darwin's too penetrating mind foresaw4 ,what will be the role of the ,south in the progress of civilization and in the development of the arts and sciences1 is not now obvious4 ,as sure as there is here a vast mass of land with potentialities1 strictly limited at present1 so surely will it be cemented some day within the universal plinth of things4 ,an unknown coast-line lay before the door of ,australia4 ,following on the general advance of exploration1 and as a sequel to several important discoveries1 the time arrived when a complete elucidation of the ,antarctic problem was more than ever desirable4 ,in the ,australian ,quadrant1 the broad geographical features of the ,ross ,sea area were well known1 but of the remainder and greater portion of the tract only vague and imperfect reports could be supplied4 ,before submitting our plans in outline1 it will be as well to review the stage at which discovery had arrived when our ,expedition came upon the scene4 ,the coast-line of the eastern extremity of the ,australian ,quadrant1 including the outline of the ,ross ,sea and the coast west-north-west of ,cape ,adare as far as ,cape ,north1 was charted by ,ross and has been amplified by seven later expeditions4 ,in the region west of ,cape ,north1 recent explorers had done little up till #aiaa4 ,scott in the ',discovery' had disproved the existence of some of ,wilkes's land2 ,shackleton in the ',nimrod' had viewed some forty miles of high land beyond ,cape ,north2 lastly1 on the eve of our departure1 ,scott's ',terra ,nova' had met two patches of new land--,oates ,land--still farther west1 making it evident that the continent ranged at least two hundred and eighty miles in a west-north-west direction from ,cape ,adare4 ,just outside the western limit of the ,australian ,quadrant lies ,gaussberg1 discovered by a ,german expedition under ,drygalski in #aijb4 ,between the most westerly point sighted by the ',terra ,nova' and ,gaussberg1 there is a circuit of two thousand miles1 bordering the ,antarctic ,circle1 which no vessel had navigated previous to #ahdj4 ,this was the arena of our activities and1 therefore1 a synopsis of the voyages of early mariners will be enlightening4 ,balleny1 a whaling-master1 with the schooner ',eliza ,scott' of one hundred and fifty-four tons1 and a cutter1 the ',sabrina' of fifty-four tons1 was the first to meet with success in these waters4 ,proceeding southward from ,new ,zealand in #ahci1 he located the ,balleny ,islands1 a group containing active volcanoes1 lying about two hundred miles off the nearest part of the mainland and to the north-west of ,cape ,adare4 ,leaving these islands1 ,balleny sailed westward keeping a look-out for new land4 ,during a gale the vessels became separated and the ',sabrina' was lost with all hands4 ,balleny in the ',eliza ,scott' arrived safely in ,england and reported doubtful land in #abb degrees ,e4 longitude1 approximately4 ,dr4 ,h4 ,r4 ,mill says3 ,although the name of the cutter ',sabrina' has been given to an appearance of land at this point1 we cannot look upon its discovery as proved by the vague reference made by the explorers4 ,on ,january #a1 #ahdj1 ,dumont ,d',urville sailed southward from ,hobart in command of two corvettes1 the ',astrolabe' and the ',zelee'4 ,without much obstruction from floating ice1 he came within sight of the ,antarctic coast1 thenceforth known as ,adelie ,land4 ,the expedition did not set foot on the mainland1 but on an adjacent island4 ,they remained in the vicinity of the coast for a few days1 when a gale sprang up which was hazardously weathered on the windward side of the pack-ice4 ,the ships then cruised along the face of flat-topped ice-cliffs1 of the type known as barrier-ice or shelf-ice1 which were taken to be connected with land and named ,cote ,clarie4 ,as will be seen later1 ,cote ,clarie does not exist4 ,dr4 ,h4 ,r4 ,mill sums up the work done by the ,french expedition during its eleven days' sojourn in the vicinity of the ,antarctic coast3 ,d',urville's discoveries of land were of but little account4 ,he twice traced out considerable stretches of a solid barrier of ice1 and at one point saw and landed upon rocks in front of it2 but he could only give the vaguest account of what lay behind the barrier4 ,wilkes of the ,american expedition proceeded south from ,sydney at the close of #ahci4 ,his vessels were the ',vincennes'1 a sloop of war of seven hundred and eighty tons1 the ',peacock'1 another sloop of six hundred and fifty tons1 the ',porpoise'1 a gun-brig of two hundred and thirty tons and a tender1 the ',flying ,fish' of ninety-six tons4 ,the scientists of the expedition were precluded from joining in this part of the programme1 and were left behind in ,sydney4 ,wilkes himself was loud in his denunciation both of the ships and of the stores1 though they had been specially assembled by the naval department4 ,the ships were in ,antarctic waters for a period of forty-two days1 most of the time separated by gales1 during which the crews showed great skill in navigating their ill-fitted crafts and suffered great hardships4 ,land was reported almost daily1 but1 unfortunately1 subsequent exploration has shown that most of the landfalls do not exist4 ,several soundings made by ,wilkes were indicative of the approach to land1 but he must have frequently mistaken for it distant ice-masses frozen in the pack4 ,experience has proved what deceptive light-effects may be observed amid the ice and how easily a mirage may simulate reality4 ,whatever the cause of ,wilkes's errors1 the truth remains that ,ross sailed over land indicated in a rough chart which had been forwarded to him by ,wilkes1 just before the ,british expedition set out4 ,more recently1 ,captain ,scott in the ',discovery' erased many of the landfalls of ,wilkes1 and now we have still further reduced their number4 ,the ',challenger' approached within fifteen miles of the western extremity of ,wilkes's ,termination ,land1 but saw no sign of it4 ,the ',gauss' in the same waters charted ,kaiser ,wilhelm ,,ii ,land well to the south of ,termination ,land1 and the eastward continuation of the former could not have been visible from ,wilkes's ship4 ,after the voyage of the ',discovery'1 the landfalls1 the existence of which had not been disproved1 might well have been regarded as requiring confirmation before their validity could be recognised4 ,the only spot where rocks were reported in situ was in ,adelie ,land1 where the ,french had anticipated the ,americans by seven days4 ,farther west1 earth and stones had been collected by ,wilkes from material embedded in floating masses of ice off the coast of his ,knox ,land4 ,these facts lend credence to ,wilkes's claims of land in that vicinity4 ,his expedition did not once set foot on ,antarctic shores1 and1 possibly on account of the absence of the scientific staff1 his descriptions tend to be inexact and obscure4 ,the soundings made by ,wilkes were sufficient to show that he was probably in some places at no great distance from the coast1 and1 considering that his work was carried out in the days of sailing-ships1 in unsuitable craft1 under the most adverse weather conditions1 with crews scurvy-stricken and discontented1 it is wonderful how much was achieved4 ,we may amply testify that he did more than open the field for future expeditions4 ,after we had taken into account the valuable soundings of the ',challenger' 7#ahgb71 the above comprised our knowledge concerning some two thousand miles of prospective coast lying to the southward of ,australia1 at a time when the plans of the ,australasian expedition were being formulated4 ,the original plans for the expedition were somewhat modified upon my return from ,europe4 ,briefly stated1 it was decided that a party of five men should be stationed at ,macquarie ,island1 a sub-antarctic possession of the ,commonwealth4 ,they were to be provided with a hut1 stores and a complete wireless plant1 and were to prosecute general scientific investigations1 co-operating with the ,antarctic bases in meteorological and other work4 ,after disembarking the party at ,macquarie ,island1 the ',aurora' was to proceed south on a meridian of #aeh degrees ,e4 longitude1 to the westward of which the ,antarctic programme was to be conducted4 ,twelve men1 provisioned and equipped for a year's campaign and provided with wireless apparatus1 were to be landed in ,antarctica on the first possible opportunity at what would constitute a main base4 ,thereafter1 proceeding westward1 it was hoped that a second and a third party1 consisting of six and eight men respectively1 would be successively established on the continent at considerable distances apart4 ,of course we were well aware of the difficulties of landing even one party1 but1 as division of our forces would under normal conditions secure more scientific data1 it was deemed advisable to be prepared for exceptionally favourable circumstances4 ,macquarie ,island1 a busy station in the days of the early sealers1 had become almost neglected4 ,little accurate information was to be had regarding it1 and no reliable map existed4 ,a few isolated facts had been gathered of its geology1 and the anomalous fauna and flora sui generis had been but partially described4 ,its position1 eight hundred and fifty miles south-south-east of ,hobart1 gave promise of valuable meteorological data relative to the atmospheric circulation of the ,southern ,hemisphere and of vital interest to the shipping of ,australia and ,new ,zealand4 ,as to the ,antarctic sphere of work1 it has been seen that very little was known of the vast region which was our goal4 ,it is sufficient to say that almost every observation would be fresh material added to the sum of human knowledge4 ,in addition to the work to be conducted from the land bases1 it was intended that oceanographic investigations should be carried on by the ',aurora' as far as funds would allow4 ,with this object in view1 provision was made for the necessary apparatus which would enable the ship's party to make extensive investigations of the ocean and its floor over the broad belt between ,australia and the ,antarctic ,continent4 ,this was an important branch of study1 for science is just as much interested in the greatest depths of the ocean as with the corresponding elevations of the land4 ,indeed1 at the present day1 the former is perhaps the greater field4 ,the scope of our intentions was regarded by some as over-ambitious1 but knowing ,how far high failure overleaps the bound ,of low successes1 and seeing nothing impossible in these arrangements1 we continued to adhere to them as closely as possible1 with what fortune remains to be told4 ,to secure a suitable vessel was a matter of fundamental importance4 ,there was no question of having a ship built to our design1 for the requisite expenditure might well have exceeded the whole cost of our ,expedition4 ,accordingly the best obtainable vessel was purchased1 and modified to fulfil our requirements4 ,such craft are not to be had in southern waters2 they are only to be found engaged in ,arctic whaling and sealing4 ,the primary consideration in the design of a vessel built to navigate amid the ice is that the hull be very staunch1 capable of driving into the pack and of resisting lateral pressure1 if the ice should close in around it4 ,so a thick-walled timber vessel1 with adequate stiffening in the framework1 would meet the case4 ,the construction being of wood imparts a certain elasticity1 which is of great advantage in easing the shock of impacts with floating ice4 ,as has been tragically illustrated in a recent disaster1 the ordinary steel ship would be ripped on its first contact with the ice4 ,another device1 to obviate the shock and to assist in forging a way through the floe-ice1 is to have the bow cut away below the water-line4 ,thus1 instead of presenting to the ice a vertical face1 which would immediately arrest the ship and possibly cause considerable damage on account of the sudden stress of the blow1 a sloping1 overhanging bow is adopted4 ,this arrangement enables the bow to rise over the impediment1 with a gradual slackening of speed4 ,the immense weight put upon the ice crushes it and the ship settles down1 moving ahead and gathering speed to meet the next obstacle4 ,,text ,,illustration ,plan and ,section of ,s4,y4 ',aurora' ,of importance second only to a strong hull is the possession of sails in addition to engines4 ,the latter are a sine qua non in polar navigation1 whilst sails allow of economy in the consumption of coal1 and always remain as a last resort should the coal-supply be exhausted or the propeller damaged4 ,the ',aurora'1 of the ,newfoundland sealing fleet1 was ultimately purchased and underwent necessary alterations4 ,she was built in ,dundee in #ahgf1 but though by no means young was still in good condition and capable of buffeting with the pack for many a year4 ,also1 she was not without a history1 for in the earlier days she was amongst those vessels which hurried to the relief of the unfortunate ,greely expedition4 ,the hull was made of stout oak planks1 sheathed with greenheart and lined with fir4 ,the bow1 fashioned on cutaway lines1 was a mass of solid wood1 armoured with steel plates4 ,the heavy side-frames were braced and stiffened by two tiers of horizontal oak beams1 upon which were built the 'tween decks and the main deck4 ,three bulkheads isolated the fore-peak1 the main hold1 the engine-room and the after living-quarters respectively4 ,a hull of such strength would resist a heavy strain1 and1 should it be subjected to lateral pressure1 would in all probability rise out of harm's way4 ,however1 to be quite certain of this and to ensure safety in the most extreme case it is necessary that the hull be modelled after the design adopted by ,nansen in the ',fram'4 ,the principal dimensions were1 length one hundred and sixty-five feet1 breadth thirty feet1 and depth eighteen feet4 ,the registered tonnage was three hundred and eighty-six1 but the actual carrying capacity we found to be about six hundred tons4 ,the engines1 situated aft1 were compound1 supplied with steam from a single boiler4 ,the normal power registered was ninety-eight horse-power1 working a four-bladed propeller1 driving it at the rate of sixty or seventy revolutions per minute 7six to ten knots per hour74 ,steam was also laid on to a winch1 aft1 for handling cargo in the main hold1 and to a forward steam-windlass4 ,the latter was mainly used for raising the anchor and manipulating the deep-sea dredging-cable4 ,the ship was square on the foremast and schooner-rigged on the main and mizen masts4 ,between the engine-room bulkhead and the chain and sail locker was a spacious hold4 ,six large steel tanks built into the bottom of the hold served for the storage of fresh water and at any time when empty could be filled with seawater1 offering a ready means of securing emergency ballast4 ,on the deck1 just forward of the main hatch1 was a deckhouse1 comprising cook's galley1 steward's pantry and two laboratories4 ,still farther forward was a small lamp-room for the storage of kerosene1 lamps and other necessaries4 ,a lofty fo'c'sle-head gave much accommodation for carpenters'1 shipwrights' and other stores4 ,below it1 a capacious fo'c'sle served as quarters for a crew of sixteen men4 ,aft1 the chart-room1 captain's cabin and photographic dark-room formed a block leading up to the bridge1 situated immediately in front of the funnel4 ,farther aft1 behind the engine-room and below the poop deck1 was the ward-room717 a central space sixteen feet by eight feet1 filled by the dining-table and surrounded by cabins with bunks for twenty persons4 ,from the time the ',aurora' arrived in ,london to her departure from ,australia1 she was a scene of busy activity1 as alterations and replacements were necessary to fit her for future work4 ,in the meantime1 stores and gear were being assembled4 ,purchases were made and valuable donations received both in ,europe and ,australia4 ,many and varied were the requirements1 and some idea of their great multiplicity will be gained by referring to the appendices dealing with stores1 clothing and instruments4 ,finally1 reference may be made in this chapter to the staff4 ,in no department can a leader spend time more profitably than in the selection of the men who are to accomplish the work4 ,even when the expedition has a scientific basis1 academic distinction becomes secondary in the choice of men4 ,fiala1 as a result of his ,arctic experience1 truly says1 ,many a man who is a jolly good fellow in congenial surroundings will become impatient1 selfish and mean when obliged to sacrifice his comfort1 curb his desires and work hard in what seems a losing fight4 ,the first consideration in the choice of men for a polar campaign should be the moral quality4 ,next should come mental and physical powers4 ,for polar work the great desideratum is tempered youth4 ,although one man at the age of fifty may be as strong physically as another at the age of twenty1 it is certain that the exceptional man of fifty was also an exceptional man at twenty4 ,on the average1 after about thirty years of age1 the elasticity of the body to rise to the strain of emergency diminishes1 and1 when forty years is reached1 a man1 medically speaking1 reaches his acme4 ,after that1 degeneration of the fabric of the body slowly and maybe imperceptibly sets in4 ,as the difficulties of exploration in cold regions approximate to the limit of human endurance and often enough exceed it1 it is obvious that the above generalizations must receive due weight4 ,but though age and with it the whole question of physical fitness must ever receive primary regard1 yet these alone in no wise fit a man for such an undertaking4 ,the qualifications of mental ability1 acquaintance with the work and sound moral quality have to be essentially borne in mind4 ,the man of fifty might then be placed on a higher plane than his younger companion4 ,with regard to alcohol and tobacco1 it may be maintained on theoretical grounds that a man is better without them1 but1 on the other hand1 his behaviour in respect to such habits is often an index to his self-control4 ,perfection is attained when every man individually works with the determination to sacrifice all personal predispositions to the welfare of the whole4 ,ours proved to be a very happy selection4 ,the majority of the men chosen as members of the land parties were young graduates of the ,commonwealth and ,new ,zealand ,universities1 and almost all were representative of ,australasia4 ,among the exceptions was ,mr4 ,frank ,wild1 who was appointed leader of one of the ,antarctic parties4 ,wild had distinguished himself in the ,south on two previous occasions1 and now is in the unique position of being1 as it were1 the oldest resident of ,antarctica4 ,our sojourn together at ,cape ,royds with ,shackleton had acquainted me with ,wild's high merits as an explorer and leader4 ,lieutenant ,b4 ,e4 ,s4 ,ninnis of the ,royal ,fusiliers1 ,dr4 ,x4 ,mertz1 an expert ski-runner and mountaineer1 and ,mr4 ,f4 ,h4 ,bickerton in charge of the air-tractor sledge1 were appointed in ,london4 ,reference has already been made to ,captain ,davis3 to him were left all arrangements regarding the ship's complement4 ,a ,who's who of the staff appears as an appendix4 ,,chapter ,,ii ,,the ,,last ,,days ,,at ,,hobart ,,and ,,the ,,voyage ,,to ,,macquarie ,,island ,let us probe the silent places1 let us seek what luck betide us2 ,let us journey to a lonely land ,i know4 ,there's a whisper on the night-wind1 there's a star agleam to guide us4 ,and the ,wild is calling1 calling--,let us go4--,,service4 ,it will be convenient to pick up the thread of our story upon the point of the arrival of the ',aurora' in ,hobart1 after her long voyage from ,london during the latter part of the year #aiaa4 ,captain ,davis had written from ,cape ,town stating that he expected to reach ,hobart on ,november #d4 ,in company with ,mr4 ,c4 ,c4 ,eitel1 secretary of the ,expedition1 ,i proceeded to ,hobart1 arriving on ,november #b4 ,early in the morning of ,november #d the ,harbour ,board received news that a wooden vessel1 barquentine-rigged1 with a crow's-nest on the mainmast1 was steaming up the ,d',entrecasteaux ,channel4 ,this left no doubt as to her identity and so1 later in the day1 we joined ,mr4 ,martelli1 the assistant harbour-master1 and proceeded down the river1 meeting the ',aurora' below the quarantine ground4 ,we heard that they had had a very rough passage after leaving the ,cape4 ,this was expected1 for several liners1 travelling by the same route1 and arriving in ,australian waters a few days before1 had reported exceptionally heavy weather4 ,before the ship had reached ,queen's ,wharf1 the berth generously provided by the ,harbour ,board1 the ,greenland dogs were transferred to the quarantine ground1 and with them went ,dr4 ,mertz and ,lieutenant ,ninnis1 who gave up all their time during the stay in ,hobart to the care of those important animals4 ,a feeling of relief spread over the whole ship's company as the last dog passed over the side1 for travelling with a deck cargo of dogs is not the most enviable thing from a sailor's point of view4 ,especially is this the case in a sailing-vessel where room is limited1 and consequently dogs and ropes are mixed indiscriminately4 ,evening was just coming on when we reached the wharf1 and1 as we ranged alongside1 the ,premier1 ,sir ,elliot ,lewis1 came on board and bade us welcome to ,tasmania4 ,captain ,davis had much to tell1 for more than four months had elapsed since my departure from ,london1 when he had been left in charge of the ship and of the final arrangements4 ,at the docks there had been delays and difficulties in the execution of the necessary alterations to the ship1 in consequence of strikes and the ,coronation festivities4 ,it was so urgent to reach ,australia in time for the ensuing ,antarctic summer1 that the recaulking of the decks and other improvements were postponed1 to be executed on the voyage or upon arrival in ,australia4 ,captain ,davis seized the earliest possible opportunity of departure1 and the ',aurora' dropped down the ,thames at midnight on ,july #bg1 #aiaa4 ,as she threaded her way through the crowded traffic by the dim light of a thousand flickering flames gleaming through the foggy atmosphere1 the dogs entered a protest peculiar to their husky kind4 ,after a short preliminary excursion through a considerable range of the scale1 they picked up a note apparently suitable to all and settled down to many hours of incessant and monotonous howling1 as is the custom of these dogs when the fit takes them4 ,it was quite evident that they were not looking forward to another sea voyage4 ,the pandemonium made it all but impossible to hear the orders given for working the ship1 and a collision was narrowly averted4 ,during those rare lulls1 when the dogs' repertoire temporarily gave out1 innumerable sailors on neighbouring craft1 wakened from their sleep1 made the most of such opportunities to hurl imprecations in a thoroughly nautical fashion upon the ship1 her officers1 and each and every one of the crew4 ,on the way to ,cardiff1 where a full supply of coal was to be shipped1 a gale was encountered1 and much water came on board1 resulting in damage to the stores4 ,some water leaked into the living quarters and1 on the whole1 several very uncomfortable days were spent4 ,such inconvenience at the outset undoubtedly did good1 for many of the crew1 evidently not prepared for emergency conditions1 left at ,cardiff4 ,the scratch crew with which the ',aurora'journeyed to ,hobart composed for the most part of replacements made at ,cardiff1 resulted in some permanent appointments of unexpected value to the ,expedition4 ,at ,cardiff the coal strike caused delay1 but eventually some five hundred tons of the ,crown ,fuel ,company's briquettes were got on board1 and a final leave taken of ,english shores on ,august #d4 ,cape ,town1 the only intermediate port of call1 was reached on ,september #bd1 after a comparatively rapid and uneventful voyage4 ,a couple of days sufficed to load coal1 water and fresh provisions1 and the course was then laid for ,hobart4 ,rough weather soon intervened1 and ,lieutenant ,ninnis and ,dr4 ,mertz1 who travelled out by the ',aurora' in charge of the sledging-dogs1 had their time fully occupied1 for the wet conditions began to tell on their charges4 ,on leaving ,london there were forty-nine of these ,greenland1 ,esquimaux sledging-dogs of which the purchase and selection had been made through the offices of the ,danish ,geographical ,society4 ,from ,greenland they were taken to ,copenhagen1 and from thence transhipped to ,london1 where ,messrs4 ,spratt took charge of them at their dog-farm until the date of departure4 ,during the voyage they were fed on the finest dog-cakes1 but they undoubtedly felt the need of fresh meat and fish to withstand the cold and wet4 ,in the rough weather of the latter part of the voyage water broke continually over the deck1 so lowering their vitality that a number died from seizures1 not properly understood at the time4 ,in each case death was sudden1 and preceded by similar symptoms4 ,an apparently healthy dog would drop down in a fit1 dying in a few minutes1 or during another fit within a few days4 ,epidemics1 accompanied by similar symptoms1 are said to be common amongst these dogs in the ,arctic regions1 but no explanation is given as to the nature of the disease4 ,during a later stage of the ,expedition1 when nearing ,antarctica1 several more of the dogs were similarly stricken4 ,these were examined by ,drs4 ,mc,lean and ,jones1 and the results of post-mortems showed that in one case death was due to gangrenous appendicitis1 in two others to acute gastritis and colitis4 ,the dog first affected caused some consternation amongst the crew1 for1 after being prostrated on the deck by a fit1 it rose and rushed about snapping to right and left4 ,the cry of mad dog was raised4 ,not many seconds had elapsed before all the deck hands were safely in the rigging1 displaying more than ordinary agility in the act4 ,at short intervals1 other men1 roused from watch below appeared at the fo'c'sle companion-way4 ,to these the situation at first appeared comic1 and called forth jeers upon their faint-hearted shipmates4 ,the next moment1 on the dog dashing into view1 they found a common cause with their fellows and sprang aloft4 ,ere many minutes had elapsed the entire crew were in the rigging1 much to the amusement of the officers4 ,by this time the dog had disappeared beneath the fo'c'sle head1 and ,mertz and ,ninnis entered1 intending to dispatch it4 ,a shot was fired and word passed that the deed was done3 thereupon the crew descended1 pressing forward to share in the laurels4 ,then it was that ,ninnis1 in the uncertain light1 spying a dog of similar markings wedged in between some barrels1 was filled with doubt and called out to ,mertz that he had shot the wrong dog4 ,in a flash the crew had once more climbed to safety4 ,it was some time after the confirmation of the first execution that they could be prevailed upon to descend4 ,several litters of puppies were born on the voyage1 but all except one succumbed to the hardships of the passage4 ,the voyage from ,cardiff to ,hobart occupied eighty-eight days4 ,the date of departure south was fixed for #d ,p4,m4 of ,saturday1 ,december #b1 and a truly appalling amount of work had to be done before then4 ,most of the staff had been preparing themselves for special duties2 in this the ,expedition was assisted by many friends4 ,a complete1 detailed acknowledgment of all the kind help received would occupy much space4 ,we must needs pass on with the assurance that our best thanks are extended to one and all4 ,throughout the month of ,november1 the staff continued to arrive in contingents at ,hobart1 immediately busying themselves in their own departments1 and in sorting over the many thousands of packages in the great ,queen's ,wharf shed4 ,wild was placed in charge1 and all entered heartily into the work4 ,the exertion of it was just what was wanted to make us fit1 and prepared for the sudden and arduous work of discharging cargo at the various bases4 ,it also gave the opportunity of personally gauging certain qualities of the men1 which are not usually evoked by a university curriculum4 ,some five thousand two hundred packages were in the shed1 to be sorted over and checked4 ,the requirements of three ,antarctic bases1 and one at ,macquarie ,island were being provided for1 and consequently the most careful supervision was necessary to prevent mistakes1 especially as the omission of a single article might fundamentally affect the work of a whole party4 ,to assist in discriminating the impedimenta1 coloured bands were painted round the packages1 distinctive of the various bases4 ,it had been arranged that1 wherever possible1 everything should be packed in cases of a handy size1 to facilitate unloading and transportation2 each about fifty to seventy pounds in weight4 ,in addition to other distinguishing marks1 every package bore a different number1 and the detailed contents were listed in a schedule for reference4 ,concurrently with the progress of this work1 the ship was again overhauled1 repairs effected1 and many deficiencies made good4 ,the labours of the shipwrights did not interfere with the loading1 which went ahead steadily during the last fortnight in ,november4 ,the tanks in the hold not used for our supply of fresh water were packed with reserve stores for the ship4 ,the remainder of the lower hold and the bunkers were filled with coal4 ,slowly the contents of the shed diminished as they were transfered to the 'tween decks4 ,then came the overflow4 ,eventually1 every available space in the ship was flooded with a complicated assemblage of gear1 ranging from the comparatively undamageable wireless masts occupying a portion of the deck amidships1 to a selection of prime ,australian cheeses which filled one of the cabins1 and pervaded the ward-room with an odour which remained one of its permanent associations4 ,yet1 heterogeneous and ill-assorted as our cargo may have appeared to the crowds of curious onlookers1 ,captain ,davis had arranged for the stowage of everything with a nicety which did him credit4 ,the complete effects of the four bases were thus kept separate1 and available in whatever order was required4 ,furthermore1 the removal of one unit would not break the stowage of the remainder1 nor disturb the trim of the ship4 ,at a late date the air-tractor sledge arrived4 ,the body was contained in one huge case which1 though awkward1 was comparatively light1 the case weighing much more than the contents4 ,this was securely lashed above the maindeck1 resting on the fo'c'sle and two boat-skids4 ,as erroneous ideas have been circulated regarding the aeroplane sledge1 or more correctly air-tractor sledge1 a few words in explanation will not be out of place4 ,this machine was originally an ,r4,e4,p4 monoplane1 constructed by ,messrs4 ,vickers and ,co41 but supplied with a special detachable1 sledge-runner undercarriage for use in the ,antarctic1 converting it into a tractor for hauling sledges4 ,it was intended that so far as its role as a flier was concerned1 it would be chiefly exercised for the purpose of drawing public attention to the ,expedition in ,australia1 where aviation was then almost unknown4 ,with this object in view1 it arrived in ,adelaide at an early date accompanied by the aviator1 ,lieutenant ,watkins1 assisted by ,bickerton4 ,there it unfortunately came to grief1 and ,watkins and ,wild narrowly escaped death in the accident4 ,it was then decided to make no attempt to fly in the ,antarctic2 the wings were left in ,australia and ,lieutenant ,watkins returned to ,england4 ,in the meantime1 the machine was repaired and forwarded to ,hobart4 ,air-tractors are great consumers of petrol of the highest quality4 ,this demand1 in addition to the requirements of two wireless plants and a motor-launch1 made it necessary to take larger quantities than we liked of this dangerous cargo4 ,four thousand gallons of ,shell benzine and one thousand three hundred gallons of ,shell kerosene1 packed in the usual four-gallon export tins1 were carried as a deck cargo1 monopolizing the whole of the poop-deck4 ,for the transport of the requirements of the ,macquarie ,island ,base1 the s4s4 ',toroa'1 a small steam-packet of one hundred and twenty tons1 trading between ,melbourne and ,tasmanian ports1 was chartered4 ,it was arranged that this auxiliary should leave ,hobart several days after the ',aurora'1 so as to allow us time1 before her arrival1 to inspect the island1 and to select a suitable spot for the location of the base4 ,as she was well provided with passenger accommodation1 it was arranged that the majority of the land party should journey by her as far as ,macquarie ,island4 ,the ,governor of ,tasmania1 ,sir ,harry ,barron1 the ,premier1 ,sir ,elliot ,lewis1 and the citizens of ,hobart extended to us the greatest hospitality during our stay1 and1 when the time came1 gave us a hearty send-off4 ,saturday1 ,december #b arrived1 and final preparations were made4 ,all the staff were united for the space of an hour at luncheon4 ,then began the final leave-taking4 ,god speed messages were received from far and wide1 and intercessory services were held in the ,cathedrals of ,sydney and ,hobart4 ,we were greatly honoured at this time by the reception of kind wishes from ,queen ,alexandra and1 at an earlier date1 from his ,majesty the ,king4 ,proud of such universal sympathy and interest1 we felt stimulated to greater exertions4 ,on arrival on board1 ,i found ,mr4 ,martelli1 who was to pilot us down the river1 already on the bridge4 ,a vast crowd blockaded the wharf to give us a parting cheer4 ,at #d ,p4,m4 sharp1 the telegraph was rung for the engines1 and1 with a final expression of good wishes from the ,governor and ,lady ,barron1 we glided out into the channel1 where our supply of dynamite and cartridges was taken on board4 ,captain ,g4 ,s4 ,nares1 whose kindness we had previously known1 had the ,h4,m4,s4 ',fantome' dressed in our honour1 and lusty cheering reached us from across the water4 ,as we proceeded down the river to the ,quarantine ,station where the dogs were to be taken off1 ,hobart looked its best1 with the glancing sails of pleasure craft skimming near the foreshores1 and backed by the stately1 sombre mass of ,mount ,wellington4 ,the land of strawberries and cream1 as the younger members of the ,expedition had come to regard it1 was for ever to live pleasantly in our memories1 to be recalled a thousand times during the adventurous months which followed4 ,mr4 ,e4 ,joyce1 whose name is familiar in connexion with previous ,antarctic expeditions1 and who had travelled out from ,london on business of the ,expedition1 was waiting in mid-stream with thirty-eight dogs1 delivering them from a ketch4 ,these were passed over the side and secured at intervals on top of the deck cargo4 ,the engines again began to throb1 not to cease until the arrival at ,macquarie ,island4 ,a few miles lower down the channel1 the ,premier1 and a number of other friends and well-wishers who had followed in a small steamer1 bade us a final adieu4 ,behind lay a sparkling seascape and the ,tasmanian littoral2 before1 the blue southern ocean heaving with an ominous swell4 ,a glance at the barograph showed a continuous fall1 and a telegram from ,mr4 ,hunt1 ,head of the ,commonwealth ,weather ,bureau1 received a few hours previously1 informed us of a storm-centre south of ,new ,zealand1 and the expectation of fresh south-westerly winds4 ,the piles of loose gear presented an indescribable scene of chaos1 and1 even as we rolled lazily in the increasing swell1 the water commenced to run about the decks4 ,there was no time to be lost in securing movable articles and preparing the ship for heavy weather4 ,all hands set to work4 ,on the main deck the cargo was brought up flush with the top of the bulwarks1 and consisted of the wireless masts1 two huts1 a large motor-launch1 cases of dog biscuits and many other sundries4 ,butter to the extent of a couple of tons was accommodated chiefly on the roof of the main deck-house1 where it was out of the way of the dogs4 ,the roof of the chart-house1 which formed an extension of the bridge proper1 did not escape1 for the railing offered facilities for lashing sledges2 besides1 there was room for tide-gauges1 meteorological screens1 and cases of fresh eggs and apples4 ,somebody happened to think of space unoccupied in the meteorological screens1 and a few fowls were housed therein4 ,on the poop-deck there were the benzine1 sledges1 and the chief magnetic observatory4 ,an agglomeration of instruments and private gear rendered the ward-room well nigh impossible of access1 and it was some days before everything was jammed away into corners4 ,an unoccupied five-berth cabin was filled with loose instruments1 while other packages were stowed into the occupied cabins1 so as to almost defeat the purpose for which they were intended4 ,the deck was so encumbered that only at rare intervals was it visible4 ,however1 by our united efforts everything was well secured by #h ,p4,m4 ,it was dusk1 and the distant highlands were limned in silhouette against the twilight sky4 ,a tiny1 sparkling lamp glimmered from ,signal ,hill its warm farewell4 ,from the swaying poop we flashed back1 ,good-bye1 all snug on board4 ,onward with a dogged plunge our laden ship would press4 ,if ',fram' were ,forward1 she was to be hereafter our ',aurora' of ,hope--the ,dawn of undiscovered lands4 ,home and the past were effaced in the shroud of darkness1 and thought leapt to the beckoning ,south--the land of the midnight sun4 ,during the night the wind and sea rose steadily1 developing into a full gale4 ,in order to make ,macquarie ,island1 it was important not to allow the ship to drive too far to the east1 as at all times the prevailing winds in this region are from the west4 ,partly on this account1 and partly because of the extreme severity of the gale1 the ship was hove to with head to wind1 wallowing in mountainous seas4 ,such a storm1 witnessed from a large vessel1 would be an inspiring sight1 but was doubly so in a small craft1 especially where the natural buoyancy had been largely impaired by overloading4 ,with an unprecedented quantity of deck cargo1 amongst which were six thousand gallons of benzine1 kerosene and spirit1 in tins which were none too strong1 we might well have been excused a lively anxiety during those days4 ,it seemed as if no power on earth could save the loss of at least part of the deck cargo4 ,would it be the indispensable huts amidships1 or would a sea break on the benzine aft and flood us with inflammable liquid and gas8 ,by dint of strenuous efforts and good seamanship1 ,captain ,davis with his officers and crew held their own4 ,the land parties assisted in the general work1 constantly tightening up the lashings and lending beef1 a sailor's term for man-power1 wherever required4 ,for this purpose the members of the land parties were divided into watches1 so that there were always a number patrolling the decks4 ,most of us passed through a stage of sea-sickness1 but1 except in the case of two or three1 it soon passed off4 ,seas deluged all parts of the ship4 ,a quantity of ashes was carried down into the bilge-water pump and obstructed the steam-pump4 ,whilst this was being cleared1 the emergency deck pumps had to be requisitioned4 ,the latter were available for working either by hand-power or by chain-gearing from the after-winch4 ,the deck-plug of one of the fresh-water tanks was carried away and1 before it was noticed1 sea-water had entered to such an extent as to render our supply unfit for drinking4 ,thus we were1 henceforth1 on a strictly limited water ration4 ,the wind increased from bad to worse1 and great seas continued to rise until their culmination on the morning of ,december #e1 when one came aboard on the starboard quarter1 smashed half the bridge and carried it away4 ,toucher was the officer on watch1 and no doubt thought himself lucky in being1 at the time1 on the other half of the bridge4 ,the deck-rings holding the motor-launch drew1 the launch itself was sprung and its decking stove-in4 ,on the morning of ,december #h we found ourselves in latitude #di degrees #ef minutes ,s4 and longitude #aeb degrees #bh' ,e41 with the weather so far abated that we were able to steer a course for ,macquarie ,island4 ,during the heavy weather1 food had been prepared only with the greatest difficulty4 ,the galley was deluged time and again4 ,it was enough to dishearten any cook1 repeatedly finding himself amongst kitchen debris of all kinds1 including pots and pans full and empty4 ,nor did the difficulties end in the galley1 for food which survived until its arrival on the table1 though not allowed much time for further mishap1 often ended in a disagreeable mass on the floor or1 tossed by a lurch of more than usual suddenness1 entered an adjoining cabin4 ,from such localities the elusive piece de resistance was often rescued4 ,as we approached our rendezvous1 whale-birds9999 appeared4 ,during the heavy weather1 ,mother ,carey's chickens only were seen1 but1 as the wind abated1 the majestic wandering albatross1 the sooty albatross and the mollymawk followed in our wake4 9999 ,for the specific names refer to ,appendix which is a glossary of special and unfamiliar terms4 ,whales were observed spouting1 but at too great a distance to be definitely recognized4 ,at daybreak on ,december #aa land began to show up1 and by #f ,a4,m4 we were some sixteen miles off the west coast of ,macquarie ,island1 bearing on about the centre of its length4 ,in general shape it is long and narrow1 the length over all being twenty-one miles4 ,a reef runs out for several miles at both extremities of the main island1 reappearing again some miles beyond in isolated rocky islets3 the ,bishop and ,clerk nineteen miles to the southward and the ,judge and ,clerk eight miles to the north4 ,the land everywhere rises abruptly from the sea or from an exaggerated beach to an undulating plateau-like interior1 reaching a maximum elevation of one thousand four hundred and twenty-five feet4 ,nowhere is there a harbour in the proper sense of the word1 though six or seven anchorages are recognized4 ,the island is situated in about #ee degrees ,s4 latitude1 and the climate is comparatively cold1 but it is the prevalence of strong winds that is the least desirable feature of its weather4 ,sealing1 so prosperous in the early days1 is now carried on in a small way only1 by a ,new ,zealander1 who keeps a few men stationed at the island during part of the year for the purpose of rendering down sea elephant and penguin blubber4 ,their establishment was known to be at the north end of the island near the best of the anchorages4 ,captain ,davis had visited the island in the ',nimrod'1 and was acquainted with the three anchorages1 which are all on the east side and sheltered from the prevailing westerlies4 ,one of the old-time sealers had reported a cove suitable for small craft at the south-western corner1 but the information was scanty1 and recent mariners had avoided that side of the island4 ,on the morning of our approach the breeze was from the south-east1 and1 being favourable1 ,captain ,davis proposed a visit4 ,by noon1 ,caroline ,cove1 as it is called1 was abreast of us4 ,its small dimensions1 and the fact that a rocky islet for the most part blocks the entrance1 at first caused some misgivings as to its identity4 ,a boat was lowered1 and a party of us rowed in towards the entrance1 sounding at intervals to ascertain whether the ',aurora' could make use of it1 should our inspection prove it a suitable locality for the land station4 ,we passed through a channel not more than eighty yards wide1 but with deep water almost to the rocks on either side4 ,a beautiful inlet now opened to view4 ,thick tussock-grass matted the steep hillsides1 and the rocky shores1 between the tide-marks as well as in the depths below1 sprouted with a profuse growth of brown kelp4 ,leaping out of the water in scores around us were penguins of several varieties1 in their actions reminding us of nothing so much as shoals of fish chased by sharks4 ,penguins were in thousands on the uprising cliffs1 and from rookeries near and far came an incessant din4 ,at intervals along the shore sea elephants disported their ungainly masses in the sunlight4 ,circling above us in anxious haste1 sea-birds of many varieties gave warning of our near approach to their nests4 ,it was the invasion by man of an exquisite scene of primitive nature4 ,,text ,,illustration ,macquarie ,island ,after the severe weather experienced1 the relaxation made us all feel like a band of schoolboys out on a long vacation4 ,a small sandy beach barred the inlet1 and the whaleboat was directed towards it4 ,we were soon grating on the sand amidst an army of ,royal penguins2 picturesque little fellows1 with a crest and eyebrows of long golden-yellow feathers4 ,a few yards from the massed ranks of the penguins was a mottled sea-leopard1 which woke up and slid into the sea as we approached4 ,several hours were spent examining the neighbourhood4 ,webb and ,kennedy took a set of magnetic observations1 while others hoisted some cases of stores on to a rocky knob to form a provision depot1 as it was quickly decided that the northern end of the island was likely to be more suitable for a permanent station4 ,the ,royal penguins were almost as petulant as the ,adelie penguins which we were to meet further ,south4 ,they surrounded us1 pecked at our legs and chattered with an audacity which defies description4 ,it was discovered that they resented any attempt to drive them into the sea1 and it was only after long persuasion that a bevy took to the water4 ,this was a sign of a general capitulation1 and some hundreds immediately followed1 jostling each other in their haste1 squawking1 whirring their flippers1 splashing and churning the water1 reminding one of a crowd of miniature surf-bathers4 ,we followed the files of birds marching inland1 along the course of a tumbling stream1 until at an elevation of some five hundred feet1 on a flattish piece of ground1 a huge rookery opened out--acres and acres of birds and eggs4 ,in one corner of the bay were nests of giant petrels in which sat huge downy young1 about the size of a barn-door fowl1 resembling the grotesque1 fluffy toys which might be expected to hang on a ,christmas-tree4 ,here and there on the beach and on the grass wandered bright-coloured ,maori hens4 ,on the south side of the bay1 in a low1 peaty area overgrown with tussock-grass1 were scores of sea elephants1 wallowing in bog-holes or sleeping at their ease4 ,sea elephants1 at one time found in immense numbers on all sub-antarctic islands1 are now comparatively rare1 even to the degree of extinction1 in many of their old haunts4 ,this is the result of ruthless slaughter prosecuted especially b,y sealers in the early days4 ,at the present time ,macquarie ,island is more favoured by them than probably any other known locality4 ,the name by which they are popularly known refers to their elephantine proportions and to the fact that1 in the case of the old males1 the nasal regions are enormously developed1 expanding when in a state of excitement to form a short1 trunk-like appendage4 ,they have been recorded up to twenty feet in length1 and such a specimen would weigh about four tons4 ,arriving on the ',aurora' in the evening1 we learnt that the ship's company had had an adventure which might have been most serious4 ,it appeared that after dropping us at the entrance to ,caroline ,cove1 the ship was allowed to drift out to sea under the influence of the off-shore wind4 ,when about one-third of a mile north-west of the entrance1 a violent shock was felt1 and she slid over a rock which rose up out of deep water to within about fourteen feet of high-water level2 no sign of it appearing on the surface on account of the tranquil state of the sea4 ,much apprehension was felt for the hull1 but as no serious leak started1 the escape was considered a fortunate one4 ,a few soundings had been made proving a depth of four hundred fathoms within one and a half miles of the land4 ,a course was now set for the northern end of the island4 ,dangerous-looking reefs ran out from many headlands1 and cascades of water could be seen falling hundreds of feet from the highlands to the narrow coastal flats4 ,the anchorage most used is that known as ,north-,east ,bay1 lying on the eastern side of a low spit joining the main mass of the island1 to an almost isolated outpost in the form of a flat-topped hill--,wireless ,hill--some three-quarters of a mile farther north4 ,it is practically an open roadstead1 but1 as the prevailing winds blow on to the other side of the island1 quiet water can be nearly always expected4 ,however1 when we arrived at ,north-,east ,bay on the morning following our adventure2 a stiff south-east breeze was blowing1 and the wash on the beach put landing out of the question4 ,captain ,davis ran in as near the coast as he could safely venture and dropped anchor1 pending the moderation of the wind4 ,on the leeward slopes of a low ridge1 pushing itself out on to the southern extremity of the spit1 could be seen two small huts1 but no sign of human life4 ,this was not surprising as it was only seven o'clock4 ,below the huts1 upon low surf-covered rocks running out from the beach1 lay a small schooner partly broken up and evidently a recent victim4 ,a mile to the southward1 fragments of another wreck protruded from the sand4 ,we were discussing wrecks and the grisly toll which is levied by these dangerous and uncharted shores1 when a human figure appeared in front of one of the huts4 ,after surveying us for a moment1 he disappeared within to reappear shortly afterwards1 followed by a stream of others rushing hither and thither2 just as if he had disturbed a hornets' nest4 ,after such an exciting demonstration we awaited the next move with some expectancy4 ,planks and barrels were brought on to the beach and a flagstaff was hoisted4 ,then one of the party mounted on the barrel1 and told us by flag signals that the ship on the beach was the ',clyde'1 which had recently been wrecked1 and that all hands were safely on shore1 but requiring assistance4 ,besides the shipwrecked crew1 there were half a dozen men who resided on the island during the summer months for the purpose of collecting blubber4 ,the sealers tried repeatedly to come out to us1 but as often as it was launched their boat was washed up again on the beach1 capsizing them into the water4 ,at length they signalled that a landing could be made on the opposite side of the spit1 so the anchor was raised and the ship steamed round the north end of the island1 to what ,captain ,davis proposed should be named ,hasselborough ,bay1 in recognition of the discoverer of the island4 ,this proved an admirable anchorage1 for the wind remained from the east and south-east during the greater part of our stay4 ,the sealers pushed their boat across the spit1 and1 launching it in calmer water1 came out to us1 meeting the ',aurora' some three miles off the land4 ,the anchor was let go about one mile and a half from the head of the bay4 ,news was exchanged with the sealers4 ,it appeared that there had been much speculation as to what sort of a craft we were2 visits of ships1 other than those sent down specially to convey their oil to ,new ,zealand1 being practically unknown4 ,for a while they suspected the ',aurora' of being an alien sealer1 and had prepared to defend their rights to the local fishery4 ,all was well now1 however1 and information and assistance were freely volunteered4 ,they were greatly relieved to hear that our auxiliary vessel1 the ',toroa' was expected immediately1 and would be available for taking the ship-wrecked crew back to civilization4 ,owing to the loss of the ',clyde'1 a large shipment of oil in barrels lay piled upon the beach with every prospect of destruction1 just at a time when the realization of its value would be most desirable1 to make good the loss sustained by the wreck4 ,i decided1 therefore1 in view of their hospitality1 to make arrangements with the captain of the ',toroa' to take back a load of the oil1 upon terms only sufficient to recoup us for the extension of the charter4 ,in company with ,ainsworth1 ,hannam and others1 ,i went ashore to select a site for the station4 ,as strong westerly winds were to be expected during the greater part of the year1 it was necessary to erect buildings in the lee of substantial break-winds4 ,several sites for a hut convenient to a serviceable landing-place were inspected at the north end of the beach4 ,the hut was eventually erected in the lee of a large mass of rock1 rising out of the grass-covered sandy flat at the north end of the spit4 ,it would have been much handier in every way1 both in assembling the engines and masts and subsequently in operating the wireless station1 had the wireless plant been erected on the beach adjacent to the living-hut4 ,on the other hand1 a position on top of the hill had the advantage of a free outlook and of increased electrical potential1 allowing of a shorter length of mast4 ,in addition the ground in this situation proved to be peaty and sodden1 and therefore a good conductor1 thus presenting an excellent earth from the wireless standpoint4 ,in short1 the advantages of the hill-site outweighed its disadvantages4 ,of the latter the most obvious was the difficult transportation of the heavy masts1 petrol-engine1 dynamo1 induction-generator and other miscellaneous gear1 from the beach to the summit--a vertical height of three hundred feet4 ,to facilitate this latter work the sealers placed at our disposal a flying fox which ran from sea-level to the top of ,wireless ,hill1 and which they had erected for the carriage of blubber4 ,on inspecting it1 ,wild reported that it was serviceable1 but would first require to be strengthened4 ,he immediately set about effecting this with the help of a party4 ,hurley now discovered that he had accidentally left one of his cinematograph lenses on a rock where he had been working in ,caroline ,cove4 ,as it was indispensable1 and there was little prospect of the weather allowing of another visit by the ship1 it was decided that he should go on a journey overland to recover it4 ,one of the sealers1 ,hutchinson by name1 who had been to ,caroline ,cove and knew the best route to take1 kindly volunteered to accompany ,hurley4 ,the party was eventually increased by the addition of ,harrisson1 who was to keep a look-out for matters of biological interest4 ,they started off at noon on ,december #ac4 ,although the greater part of the stores for the ,macquarie ,island party were to arrive by the ,toroa there were a few tons on board the ',aurora'4 ,these and the dogs were landed as quickly as possible4 ,how glad the poor animals were to be once more on solid earth6 ,it was out of the question to let them loose1 so they were tethered at intervals along a heavy cable1 anchored at both ends amongst the tussock-grass4 ,ninnis took up his abode in the sealers' hut so that he might the better look after their wants1 which centred chiefly on sea elephant meat1 and that in large quantities4 ,webb joined ,ninnis1 as he intended to take full sets of magnetic observations at several stations in the vicinity4 ,bickerton and ,gillies got the motor-launch into good working order1 and by means of it the rest of us conveyed ashore several tons of coal briquettes1 the benzine1 kerosene1 instruments and the wireless masts1 by noon on ,december #ac4 ,everything but the requirements of the wireless station was landed on the spit1 as near the north-east corner as the surf would allow4 ,fortunately1 reefs ran out from the shore at intervals1 and calmer water could be found in their lee4 ,all gear for the wireless station was taken to a spot about half a mile to the north-west at the foot of ,wireless ,hill1 where the flying fox was situated4 ,just at that spot there was a landing-place at the head of a charming little boat harbour1 formed by numerous kelp-covered rocky reefs rising at intervals above the level of high water4 ,these broke the swell1 so that in most weathers calm water was assured at the landing-place4 ,this boat harbour was a fascinating spot4 ,the western side was peopled by a rookery of blue-eyed cormorants2 scattered nests of white gulls relieved the sombre appearance of the reefs on the opposite side3 whilst gentoo penguins in numbers were busy hatching their eggs on the sloping ground beyond4 ,skua-gulls and giant petrels were perched here and there amongst the rocks1 watching for an opportunity of marauding the nests of the non-predacious birds4 ,sea elephants raised their massive1 dripping heads in shoal and channel4 ,the dark reefs1 running out into the pellucid water1 supported a vast growth of a snake-like form of kelp1 whose octopus-like tentacles1 many yards in length1 writhed yellow and brown to the swing of the surge1 and gave the foreground an indescribable weirdness4 ,i stood looking out to sea from here one evening1 soon after sunset1 the launch lazily rolling in the swell1 and the ',aurora' in the offing1 while the rich tints of the afterglow paled in the south-west4 ,i envied ,wild and his party1 whose occupation in connexion with the flying fox kept them permanently camped at this spot4 ,the ',toroa' made her appearance on the afternoon of ,december #ac1 and came to anchor about half a mile inside the ',aurora'4 ,her departure had been delayed by the bad weather4 ,leaving ,hobart late on ,december #g1 she had anchored off ,bruni ,island awaiting the moderation of the sea4 ,the journey was resumed on the morning of the #ith1 and the passage made in fine weather4 ,she proved a handy craft for work of the kind1 and ,captain ,holliman1 the master1 was well used to the dangers of uncharted coastal waters4 ,within a few minutes of her arrival1 a five-ton motor-boat of shallow draught was launched and unloading commenced4 ,those of the staff arriving by the ',toroa' were housed ashore with the sealers1 as1 when everybody was on board1 the ',aurora' was uncomfortably congested4 ,fifty sheep were taken on shore to feed on the rank grass until our departure4 ,a large part of the cargo consisted of coal for the ',aurora'4 ,this was already partly bagged1 and in that form was loaded into the launches and whale-boats2 the former towing the latter to their destination4 ,thus a continuous stream of coal and stores was passing from ship to ship1 and from the ships to the several landing-places on shore4 ,as soon as the after-hold on the ',toroa' was cleared1 barrels of sea elephant oil were brought off in rafts and loaded aft1 simultaneously with the unloading forward4 ,we kept at the work as long as possible--about sixteen hours a day including a short interval for lunch4 ,there were twenty-five of the land party available for general work1 and with some assistance from the ship's crew the work went forward at a rapid rate4 ,on the morning of the #aeth1 after giving final instructions to ,eitel1 who had come thus far and was returning as arranged1 the ',toroa' weighed anchor and we parted with a cheer4 ,the transportation of the wireless equipment to the top of the hill had been going on simultaneously with the un-loading of the ships4 ,now1 however1 all were able to concentrate upon it1 and the work went forward very rapidly4 ,all the wireless instruments1 and much of the other paraphernalia of the ,macquarie ,island party had been packed in the barrels1 as it was expected that they would have to be rafted ashore through the surf4 ,fortunately1 the weather continued to hold from an easterly direction1 and everything was able to be landed in the comparatively calm waters of ,hasselborough ,bay2 a circumstance which the islanders assured us was quite a rare thing4 ,the wireless masts were rafted ashore4 ,these were of oregon pine1 each composed of four sections4 ,digging the pits for bedding the heavy1 wooden dead men1 and erecting the wireless masts1 the engine-hut and the operating-hut provided plenty of work for all4 ,here was as busy a scene as one could witness anywhere--some with the picks and shovels1 others with hammers and nails1 sailors splicing ropes and fitting masts1 and a stream of men hauling the loads up from the sea-shore to their destination on the summit4 ,some details of the working of the flying fox will be of interest4 ,the distance between the lower and upper terminals was some eight hundred feet4 ,this was spanned by two steel-wire carrying cables1 secured above by dead men sunk in the soil1 and below by a turn around a huge rock which outcropped amongst the tussock-grass on the flat1 some fifty yards from the head of the boat harbour4 ,for hauling up the loads1 a thin wire line1 with a pulley-block at either extremity1 rolling one on each of the carrying wires1 passed round a snatch-block at the upper station4 ,it was of such a length that when the loading end was at the lower station1 the counterpoise end was in position to descend at the other4 ,thus a freight was dispatched to the top of the hill by filling a bag1 acting as counterpoise1 with earth1 until slightly in excess of the weight of the top load2 then off it would start gathering speed as it went4 ,several devices were developed for arresting the pace as the freight neared the end of its journey1 but accidents were always liable to occur if the counterpoise were unduly loaded4 ,wild was injured by one of these brake-devices1 which consisted of a bar of iron lying on the ground about thirty yards in front of the terminus1 and attached by a rope with a loose-running noose to the down-carrying wire4 ,on the arrival of the counterpoise at that point on the wire1 its speed would be checked owing to the drag exerted4 ,on the occasion referred to1 the rope was struck with such velocity that the iron bar was jerked into the air and struck ,wild a solid blow on the thigh4 ,though incapacitated for a few days1 he continued to supervise at the lower terminal4 ,the larger sections of the wireless masts gave the greatest trouble1 as they were not only heavy but awkward4 ,a special arrangement was necessary for all loads exceeding one hundredweight1 as the single wire carrier-cables were not sufficiently strong4 ,in such cases both carrier-cables were lashed together making a single support1 the hauling being done by a straight pull on the top of the hill4 ,the hauling was carried out to the accompaniment of chanties1 and these helped to relieve the strain of the ,work4 ,it was a familiar sight to see a string of twenty men on the hauling-line scaring the skua-gulls with popular choruses like ,a' roving and ,ho1 boys1 pull her along4 ,in calm weather the parties at either terminal could communicate by shouting but were much assisted by megaphones improvised from a pair of leggings4 ,considering the heavy weights handled and the speed at which the work was done1 we were fortunate in suffering only one breakage1 and that might have been more serious than it proved4 ,the mishap in question occurred to the generator4 ,in order to lighten the load1 the rotor had been taken out4 ,when almost at the summit of the hill1 the ascending weight1 causing the carrying-wires to sag unusually low1 struck a rock1 unhitched the lashing and fell1 striking the steep rubble slope1 to go bounding in great leaps out amongst the grass to the flat below4 ,marvellous to relate1 it was found to have suffered no damage other than a double fracture of the end-plate casting1 which could be repaired4 ,and so it was decided to exchange the generators in the two equipments1 as there would be greater facilities for engineering work at the ,main ,base1 ,adelie ,land4 ,fortunately1 the other generator was almost at the top of the ship's hold1 and therefore accessible4 ,the three pieces into which the casting had been broken were found to be sprung1 and would not fit together4 ,however1 after our arrival at ,adelie ,land1 ,hannam found1 curiously enough1 that the pieces fitted into place perfectly--apparently an effect of contraction due to the cold--and with the aid of a few plates and belts the generator was made as serviceable as ever4 ,in the meantime1 ,hurley1 ,harrisson1 and the sealer1 ,hutchinson1 had returned from their trip to ,caroline ,cove1 after a most interesting though arduous journey4 ,they had camped the first evening at ,the ,nuggets1 a rocky point on the east coast some four miles to the south of ,north-,east ,bay4 ,from ,the ,nuggets1 the trail struck inland up the steep hillsides until the summit of the island was reached2 then over pebble-strewn1 undulating ground with occasional small lakes1 arriving at the west coast near its southern extremity4 ,owing to rain and fog they overshot the mark and had to spend the night close to a bay at the south-end4 ,there ,hurley obtained some good photographs of sea elephants and of the penguin rookeries4 ,the next morning1 ,december #ae1 they set off again1 this time finding ,caroline ,cove without further difficulty4 ,harrisson remained on the brow of the hill overlooking the cove1 and there captured some prions and their eggs4 ,hurley and his companion found the lost lens and returned to ,harrisson securing a fine albatross on the way4 ,this solitary bird was descried sitting on the hill side1 several hundreds of feet above sea-level4 ,its plumage was in such good condition that they could not resist the impulse to secure it for our collection1 for the moment not considering the enormous weight to be carried4 ,they had neither firearms nor an ,ancient ,mariner's cross-bow1 and no stones were to be had in the vicinity--when the resourceful ,hurley suddenly bethought himself of a small tin of meat in his haversack1 and1 with a fortunate throw1 hit the bird on the head1 killing the majestic creature on the spot4 ,shouldering their prize1 they trudged on to ,lusitania ,bay1 camping there that night in an old dilapidated hut2 a remnant of the sealing days4 ,close by there was known to be a large rookery of ,king penguins2 a variety of penguin with richly tinted plumage on the head and shoulders1 and next in size to the ,emperor--the sovereign bird of the ,antarctic ,regions4 ,the breeding season was at its height1 so ,harrisson secured and preserved a great number of their eggs4 ,hutchinson kindly volunteered to carry the albatross in addition to his original load4 ,if they had skinned the bird1 the weight would have been materially reduced1 but with the meagre appliances at hand1 it would undoubtedly have been spoiled as a specimen4 ,hurley1 very ambitiously1 had taken a heavy camera1 in addition to a blanket and other sundries4 ,during the rough and wet walking of the previous day1 his boots had worn out and caused him to twist a tendon in the right foot1 so that he was not up to his usual form1 while ,harrisson was hampered with a bulky cargo of eggs and specimens4 ,saddled with these heavy burdens1 the party found the return journey very laborious4 ,hurley's leg set the pace1 and so1 later in the day1 ,harrisson decided to push on ahead in order to give us news1 as they had orders to be back as soon as possible and were then overdue4 ,when darkness came on1 ,harrisson was near ,the ,nuggets1 where he passed the night amongst the tussock-grass4 ,hurley and ,hutchinson1 who were five miles behind1 also slept by the wayside4 ,when dawn appeared1 ,harrisson moved on1 reaching the north-end huts at about #i ,a4,m4 ,mertz and ,whetter immediately set out and came to the relief of the other two men a few hours later4 ,fatigue and the lame leg subdued ,hurley for the rest of the day1 but the next morning he was off to get pictures of the flying fox in action4 ,it was practically impossible for him to walk to the top of the hill1 but not to be baffled1 he sent the cinematograph machine up by the flying fox1 and then followed himself4 ,long before reaching the top he realized how much his integrity depended on the strength of the hauling-line and the care of those on ,wireless ,hill4 ,during the latter part of our stay at the island1 the wind veered to the north and north-north-east4 ,we took advantage of this change to steam round to the east side1 intending to increase our supply of fresh water at ,the ,nuggets1 where a stream comes down the hillside on to the beach4 ,in this1 however1 we were disappointed1 for the sea was breaking too heavily on the beach1 and so we steamed back to ,north-,east ,bay and dropped anchor4 ,wild went off in the launch to search for a landing-place but found the sea everywhere too formidable4 ,signals were made to those on shore1 instructing them to finish off the work on the wireless plant1 and to kill a dozen sheep--enough for our needs for some days4 ,the ship was now found to be drifting1 and1 as the wind was blowing inshore1 the anchor was raised1 and with the launch in tow we steamed round to the calmer waters of ,hasselborough ,bay4 ,at the north end of the island1 for several miles out to sea along the line of a submerged reef1 the northerly swell was found to be piling up in an ugly manner1 and occasioned considerable damage to the launch4 ,this happened as the ',aurora' swung around2 a sea catching the launch and rushing it forward so that it struck the stern of the ship bow-on1 notwithstanding the fact that several of the men exerted themselves to their utmost to prevent a collision4 ,on arrival at the anchorage1 the launch was noticeably settling down1 as water had entered at several seams which had been started4 ,after being partly bailed out1 it was left in the water with ,hodgeman and ,close aboard1 as we wished to run ashore as soon as the weather improved4 ,contrary to expectation the wind increased1 and it was discovered that the ',aurora' was drifting rapidly1 although ninety fathoms of chain had been paid out4 ,before a steam-winch9999 was installed1 the anchor could be raised only by means of an antiquated man-power lever-windlass4 ,in this type1 a see-saw-like lever is worked by a gang of men at each extremity1 and it takes a long time to get in any considerable length of chain4 ,the chorus and chanty came to our aid once more1 and the long hours of heaving on the fo'c'sle head were a bright if strenuous spot in our memories of ,macquarie ,island4 ,in course of time1 during which the ship steamed slowly ahead1 the end came in sight--',vast heaving6--but the anchor was missing4 ,this put us in an awkward situation1 for the stock of our other heavy anchor had already been lost4 ,there was no other course but to steam up and down waiting for the weather to moderate4 ,in the meantime1 we had been too busy to relieve ,close and ,hodgeman1 who had been doing duty in the launch1 bailing for five hours1 and were thoroughly soaked with spray4 ,all hands now helped with the tackle1 and we soon had the launch on board in its old position near the main hatch4 9999 ,fitted on return to ,sydney after the first ,antarctic cruise4 ,these operations were unusually protracted for we were short handed2 the boatswain1 some of the sailors and most of the land party being marooned on shore4 ,we were now anxious to get everybody on board and to be off4 ,the completion of their quarters was to be left to the ,macquarie ,island party1 and it was important that we should make the most of the southern season4 ,the wind blew so strongly1 however1 that there was no immediate prospect of departure4 ,the ship continued to steam up and down4 ,on the morning of ,december #bc it was found possible to lower the whale-boat1 and ,wild went off with a complement of sturdy oarsmen1 including ,madigan1 ,moyes1 ,watson and ,kennedy1 and succeeded in bringing off the dogs4 ,several trips were made with difficulty during the day1 but at last all the men1 dogs and sheep were brought off4 ,both ,wild and ,i went with the whale-boat on its last trip at dusk on the evening of ,december #bc4 ,the only possible landing-place1 with the sea then running1 was at the extreme north-eastern corner of the beach4 ,no time was lost in getting the men and the remainder of the cargo into the boat1 though in the darkness this was not easily managed4 ,the final parting with our ,macquarie ,island party took place on the beach1 their cheers echoing to ours as we breasted the surf and gave way for the ship4 ,,chapter ,,iii ,,from ,,macquarie ,,island ,,to ,,adelie ,,land ,the morning following our farewell to ,ainsworth and party at the north end of the island found us steaming down the west coast1 southward bound4 ,our supply of fresh water was scanty1 and the only resource was to touch at ,caroline ,cove4 ,as a matter of fact1 there were several suitable localities on the east coast1 but the strong easterly weather then prevailing made a landing impossible4 ,on the ship nearing the south end1 the wind subsided4 ,she then crept into the lee of the cliffs1 a boat was dropped and soundings disclosed a deep passage at the mouth of ,caroline ,cove and ample water within4 ,there was1 however1 limited space for manoeuvring the vessel if a change should occur in the direction of the wind4 ,the risk was taken2 the ',aurora' felt her way in1 and1 to provide against accident1 was anchored by ,captain ,davis with her bow toward the entrance4 ,wild then ran out a kedge anchor to secure the stern4 ,during the cruise down the coast the missing stock of our only anchor had been replaced by ,gillies and ,hannam4 ,two oregon dead men1 bolted together on the shank1 made a clumsy but efficient makeshift4 ,two large barrels were taken ashore1 repeatedly filled and towed off to the ship4 ,it was difficult at first to find good water1 for the main stream flowing down from the head of the bay was contaminated by the penguins which made it their highway to a rookery4 ,after a search1 an almost dry gulley bed was found to yield water when a pit was dug in its bed4 ,this spot was some eighty yards from the beach and to reach it one traversed an area of tussocks between which sea elephants wallowed in soft mire4 ,a cordon of men was made and buckets were interchanged1 the full ones descending and the empty ones ascending4 ,the barrels on the beach were thus speedily filled and taken off by a boat's crew4 ,at #aa ,p4,m4 darkness came1 and it was decided to complete the work on the following day4 ,as we rowed to the ship1 the water was serenely placid4 ,from the dark environing hills came the weird cries of strange birds4 ,there was a hint of wildness1 soon to be forgotten in the chorus of a ',varsity song and the hearty shouts of the rowers4 ,about #b ,a4,m4 the officer on watch came down to report to ,captain ,davis a slight change in the direction of the breeze4 ,at #c ,a4,m4 ,i was again awakened by hearing ,captain ,davis hasten on deck1 and by a gentle bumping of the ship1 undoubtedly against rock4 ,it appeared that the officer on watch had left the bridge for a few minutes1 while the wind freshened and was blowing at the time nearly broadside-on from the north4 ,this caused the ship to sag to leeward1 stretching the bow and stern cables1 until she came in contact with the kelp-covered1 steep1 rocky bank on the south side4 ,the narrow limits of the anchorage were responsible for this dangerous situation4 ,all hands were immediately called on deck and set to work hauling on the stern cable4 ,in a few minutes the propeller and rudder were out of danger4 ,the engines were then started slowly ahead1 and1 as we came up to the bower anchor1 the cable was taken in4 ,the wind was blowing across the narrow entrance to the ,cove1 so that it was advisable to get quickly under way4 ,the kedge anchor was abandoned1 and we steamed straight out to sea with the bower hanging below the bows4 ,the wind increased1 and there was no other course open but to continue the southward voyage4 ,the day so inauspiciously begun turned out beautifully sunny4 ,there was additional verve in our ,christmas celebration1 as ,macquarie ,island and the ,bishop and ,clerk1 in turn1 sank below the northern horizon4 ,during the stay at the island little attention had been given to scientific matters4 ,all our energies had been concentrated on speedily landing the party which was to carry out such special work1 so as to allow us to get away south as soon as possible4 ,enough had been seen to indicate the wide scientific possibilities of the place4 ,for some days we were favoured by exceptional weather2 a moderate breeze from the north-east and a long1 lazy swell combining to make our progress rapid4 ,the sum of the experiences of earlier expeditions had shown that the prevailing winds south of #fj degrees ,s4 latitude were mainly south-easterly1 causing a continuous streaming of the pack from east to west4 ,our obvious expedient on encountering the ice was to steam in the same direction as this drift4 ,it had been decided before setting out that we would confine ourselves to the region west of the meridian of #aeh degrees ,e4 longitude4 ,so it was intended to reach the pack1 approximately in that meridian1 and1 should we be repulsed1 to work steadily to the west in expectation of breaking through to the land4 ,regarding the ice conditions over the whole segment of the unknown tract upon which our attack was directed1 very little was known4 ,critically examined1 the reports of the ,american squadron under the command of ,wilkes were highly discouraging4 ,d',urville appeared to have reached his landfall without much hindrance by ice1 but that was a fortunate circumstance in view of the difficulties ,wilkes had met4 ,at the western limit of the area we were to explore1 the ,germans in the ',gauss' had been irrevocably trapped in the ice as early as the month of ,february4 ,at the eastern limit1 only the year before1 the ',terra ,nova' of ,scott's expedition1 making a sally into unexplored waters1 had sighted new land almost on the #aehth meridian1 but even though it was then the end of summer1 and the sea was almost free from the previous season's ice1 they were not able to reach the land on account of the dense pack4 ,in the early southern summer1 at the time of our arrival1 the ice conditions were expected to be at their worst4 ,this followed from the fact that not only would local floes be encountered1 but also a vast expanse of pack fed by the disintegrating floes of the ,ross ,sea1 since1 between ,cape ,adare and the ,balleny ,islands1 the ice drifting to the north-west under the influence of the south-east winds is arrested in an extensive sheet4 ,on the other hand1 were we to wait for the later season1 no time would remain for the accomplishment of the programme which had been arranged4 ,so we were forced to accept things as we found them1 being also prepared to make the most of any chance opportunity4 ,in planning the ,expedition1 the probability of meeting unusually heavy pack had been borne in mind1 and the three units into which the land parties and equipment were divided had been disposed so as to facilitate the landing of a base with despatch1 and1 maybe1 under difficult circumstances4 ,further1 in case the ship were frozen in1 wireless could be installed and the news immediately communicated through ,macquarie ,island to ,australia4 ,at noon on ,december #bg whales were spouting all round us1 and appeared to be travelling from west to east4 ,albatrosses of several species constantly hovered about1 and swallow-like ,wilson petrels--those nervous rangers of the high seas--would sail along the troughs and flit over the crests of the waves1 to vanish into sombre distance4 ,already we were steaming through untravelled waters1 and new discoveries might be expected at any moment4 ,a keen interest spread throughout the ship4 ,on several occasions1 fantastic clouds on the horizon gave hope of land1 only to be abandoned on further advance4 ,on ,december #bh and #bi large masses of floating kelp were seen1 and1 like the flotsam met with by ,columbus1 still further raised our hopes4 ,the possibility of undiscovered islands existing in the ,southern ,ocean1 south of ,australia and outside the ice-bound region1 kept us vigilant4 ,so few ships had ever navigated the waters south of latitude #ee degrees1 that some one and a quarter million square miles lay open to exploration4 ,as an instance of such a discovery in the seas south of ,new ,zealand may be mentioned ,scott ,island1 first observed by the ',morning'1 one of the relief ships of the ,british ,expedition of #aijb4 ,the weather remained favourable for sounding and other oceanographical work1 but as it was uncertain how long these conditions would last1 and in view of the anxiety arising from overloaded decks and the probability of gales which are chronic in these latitudes1 it was resolved to land one of the bases as soon as possible1 and thus rid the ship of superfluous cargo4 ,the interesting but time-absorbing study of the ocean-depths was therefore postponed for a while4 ,with regard to the ,antarctic land to be expected ahead1 many of ,wilkes's landfalls1 where they had been investigated by later expeditions1 had been disproved4 ,it seemed as if he had regarded the northern margin of the solid floe and shelf-ice as land2 perhaps also mistaking bergs1 frozen in the floe and distorted by mirage1 for ice-covered land4 ,nevertheless1 his soundings1 and the light thrown upon the subject by the ,scott and ,shackleton expeditions1 left no doubt in my mind that land would be found within a reasonable distance south of the position assigned by ,wilkes4 ,some authorities had held that any land existing in this region would be found to be of the nature of isolated islands4 ,those familiar with the adjacent land1 however1 were all in favour of it being continental--a continuation of the ,victoria ,land plateau4 ,the land lay to the south beyond doubt2 the problem was to reach it through the belt of ice-bound sea4 ,still1 navigable pack-ice might be ahead1 obviating the need of driving too far to the west4 ,ice on the starboard bow6 ,at #d ,p4,m4 on ,december #bi the cry was raised1 and shortly after we passed alongside a small caverned berg whose bluish-green tints called forth general admiration4 ,in the distance others could be seen4 ,one larger than the average stood almost in our path4 ,it was of the flat-topped1 sheer-walled type1 so characteristic of the ,antarctic regions2 three-quarters of a mile long and half a mile wide1 rising eighty feet above the sea4 ,it has been stated that tabular bergs are typical of the ,antarctic as opposed to the ,arctic4 ,this diversity is explained by a difference in the glacial conditions4 ,in the north1 glaciation is not so marked and1 as a rule1 coastal areas are free from ice1 except for valley-glaciers which transport ice from the high interior down to sea-level4 ,there1 the summer temperature is so warm that the lower parts of the glaciers become much decayed1 and1 reaching the sea1 break up readily into numerous irregular1 pinnacled bergs of clear ice4 ,in the south1 the tabular forms result from the fact that the average annual temperature is colder than that prevailing at the northern axis of the earth4 ,they are so formed because1 even at sea-level1 no appreciable amount of thawing takes place in midsummer4 ,the inland ice pushes out to sea in enormous masses1 and remains floating long before it calves to form bergs4 ,even though its surface has been thrown into ridges as it was creeping over the uneven land1 all are reduced to a dead level or slightly undulating plain1 in the free-floating condition1 and are still further effaced by dense drifts and repeated falls of snow descending upon them4 ,the upper portion of a table-topped berg consists1 therefore1 of consolidated snow2 neither temperature nor pressure having been sufficient to metamorphose it into clear ice4 ,such a berg in old age becomes worn into an irregular shape by the action of waves and weather1 and often completely capsizes1 exposing its corroded basement4 ,a light fog obscured the surrounding sea and distant bergs glided by like spectres4 ,a monstrous block on the starboard side had not been long adrift1 for it showed but slight signs of weathering4 ,the fog thickened over a grey swell that shimmered with an oily lustre4 ,at #g ,p4,m4 pack-ice came suddenly to view1 and towards it we steered1 vainly peering through the mists ahead in search of a passage4 ,the ice was closely packed1 the pieces being small and wellworn4 ,on the outskirts was a light brash which steadily gave place to a heavier variety1 composed of larger and more angular fragments4 ,a swishing murmur like the wind in the tree-tops came from the great expanse4 ,it was alabaster-white and through the small1 separate chips was diffused a pale lilac coloration4 ,the larger chunks1 by their motion and exposure to wind and current1 had a circle of clear water2 the deep sea-blue hovering round their water-worn niches4 ,here and there appeared the ochreous-yellow colour of adhering films of diatoms4 ,as we could not see what lay beyond1 and the pack was becoming heavier1 the ship was swung round and headed out4 ,steering to the west through open water and patches of trailing brash1 we were encouraged to find the pack trending towards the south4 ,by pushing through bars of jammed floes and dodging numerous bergs1 twenty miles were gained due southwards before the conditions had changed4 ,the fog cleared1 and right ahead massive bergs rose out of an ice-strewn sea4 ,we neared one which was a mile in length and one hundred feet in height4 ,the heaving ocean1 dashing against its mighty1 glistening walls1 rushed with a hollow boom into caverns of ethereal blue2 gothic portals to a cathedral of resplendent purity4 ,the smaller bergs and fragments of floe crowded closer together1 and the two men at the wheel had little time for reverie4 ,orders came in quick succession--,starboard6 ,steady6 and in a flash--,hard-a-port6 ,then repeated all over again1 while the rudder-chains scraped and rattled in their channels4 ,gradually the swell subsided1 smoothed by the weight of ice4 ,the tranquillity of the water heightened the superb effects of this glacial world4 ,majestic tabular bergs whose crevices exhaled a vaporous azure2 lofty spires1 radiant turrets and splendid castles2 honeycombed masses illumined by pale green light within whose fairy labyrinths the water washed and gurgled4 ,seals and penguins on magic gondolas were the silent denizens of this dreamy ,venice4 ,in the soft glamour of the midsummer midnight sun1 we were possessed by a rapturous wonder--the rare thrill of unreality4 ,the ice closed in1 and shock after shock made the ship vibrate as she struck the smaller pieces full and fair1 followed by a crunching and grinding as they scraped past the sides4 ,the dense pack had come1 and hardly a square foot of space showed amongst the blocks2 smaller ones packing in between the larger1 until the sea was covered with a continuous armour of ice4 ,the ominous sound arising from thousands of faces rubbing together as they gently oscillated in the swell was impressive4 ,it spoke of a force all-powerful1 in whose grip puny ships might be locked for years and the less fortunate receive their last embrace4 ,the pack grew heavier and the bergs more numerous1 embattled in a formidable array4 ,if an ideal picture1 from our point of view it was impenetrable4 ,no water sky showed as a distant beacon2 over all was reflected the pitiless1 white glare of the ice4 ,the ',aurora' retreated to the open sea1 and headed to the west in search of a break in the ice-front4 ,the wind blew from the south-east1 and1 with sails set to assist the engines1 rapid progress was made4 ,the southern prospect was disappointing1 for the heavy pack was ranged in a continuous bar4 ,the over-arching sky invariably shone with that yellowish-white effulgence known as ice blink1 indicative of continuous ice1 in contrast with the dark water sky1 a sign of open water1 or a mottled sky proceeding from an ice-strewn but navigable sea4 ,though progress can be made in dense pack1 provided it is not too heavy1 advance is necessarily very slow--a few miles a day1 and that at the expense of much coal4 ,without a well-defined water sky it would have been foolish to have entered4 ,further1 everything pointed to heavier ice-conditions in the south1 and1 indeed1 in several places we reconnoitred1 and such was proved to be the case4 ,large bergs were numerous1 which1 on account of being almost unaffected by surface currents because of their ponderous bulk and stupendous draught1 helped to compact the shallow surface-ice under the free influence of currents and winds4 ,in our westerly course we were sometimes able to edge a little to the south1 but were always reduced to our old position within a few hours4 ,long projecting tongues were met at intervals and1 when narrow or open1 we pushed through them4 ,whales were frequently seen1 both rorquals and killers4 ,on the pack1 sea-leopards and crab-eater seals sometimes appeared4 ,at one time as many as a hundred would be counted from the bridge and at other moments not a single one could be sighted4 ,they were not alarmed1 unless the ship happened to bump against ice-masses within a short distance of them4 ,a small sea-leopard1 shot from the fo'c'sle by a well-directed bullet from ,wild1 was taken on board as a specimen2 the meat serving as a great treat for the dogs4 ,on ,january #b1 when driving through a tongue of pack1 a halt was made to ice ship4 ,a number of men scrambled over the side on to a large piece of floe and handed up the ice4 ,it was soon discovered1 however1 that the swell was too great1 for masses of ice ten tons or more in weight swayed about under the stern1 endangering the propeller and rudder--the vulnerable parts of the vessel4 ,so we moved on1 having secured enough fresh-water ice to supply a pleasant change after the somewhat discoloured tank-water then being served out4 ,the ice still remained compact and forbidding1 but each day we hoped to discover a weak spot through which we might probe to the land itself4 ,on the evening of ,january #b we saw a high1 pinnacled berg1 a few miles within the edge of the pack1 closely resembling a rocky peak2 the transparent ice of which it was composed appeared1 in the dull light1 of a much darker hue than the surrounding bergs4 ,another adjacent block exhibited a large black patch on its northern face1 the exact nature of which could not be ascertained at a distance4 ,examples of rock debris embedded in bergs had already been observed1 and it was presumed that this was a similar case4 ,these were all hopeful signs1 for the earthy matter must1 of course1 have been picked up by the ice during its repose upon some adjacent land4 ,at this same spot1 large flocks of silver-grey petrels were seen resting on the ice and skimming the water in search of food4 ,as soon as we had entered the ice-zone1 most of our old companions1 such as the albatross1 had deserted1 while a new suite of ,antarctic birds had taken their place4 ,these included the beautiful snow petrel1 the ,antarctic petrel1 and the small1 lissome ,wilson petrel--a link with the bird-life of more temperate seas4 ,on the evening of ,january #c the wind was blowing fresh from the south-east and falling snow obscured the horizon4 ,the pack took a decided turn to the north1 which fact was particularly disappointing in view of the distance we had already traversed to the west4 ,we were now approaching the longitude of ,d',urville's landfall1 and still the pack showed no signs of slackening4 ,i was beginning to feel very anxious1 and had decided not to pass that longitude without resorting to desperate measures4 ,the change in our fortunes occurred at five o'clock next morning1 when the ,chief ,officer1 ,toucher1 came down from the bridge to report that the atmosphere was clearing and that there appeared to be land-ice near by4 ,sure enough1 on the port side1 within a quarter of a mile1 rose a massive barrier of ice extending far into the mist and separated from the ship by a little loose pack-ice4 ,the problem to be solved was1 whether it was the seaward face of an ice-covered continent1 the ice-capping of a low island or only a flat-topped iceberg of immense proportions4 ,by #g ,a4,m4 a corner was reached where the ice-wall trended southward1 limned on the horizon in a series of bays and headlands4 ,an ,el ,dorado had opened before us1 for the winds coming from the east of south had cleared the pack away from the lee of the ice-wall1 so that in the distance a comparatively clear sea was visible1 closed by a bar of ice1 a few miles in extent4 ,into this we steered1 hugging the ice-wall1 and were soon in the open1 speeding along in glorious sunshine1 bringing new sights into view every moment4 ,the wall1 along the northern face1 was low--from thirty to seventy feet in height--but the face along which we were now progressing gradually rose in altitude to the south4 ,it was obviously a shelf-ice formation 7or a glacier-tongue projection of it71 exactly similar in build1 for instance1 to the ,great ,ross ,barrier so well described by ,ross1 ,scott1 and others4 ,at the north-west corner1 at half a dozen places within a few miles of each other1 the wall was puckered up and surmounted by semi-conical eminences1 half as high as the face itself4 ,these peculiar elevations were unlike anything previously recorded and remained unexplained for a while1 until closer inspection showed them to be the result of impact with other ice-masses--a curious but conceivable cause4 ,on pieces of broken floe ,weddell seals were noted4 ,they were the first seen on the voyage and a sure indication of land1 for their habitat ranges over the coastal waters of ,antarctic lands4 ,a large1 low1 dome-topped elevation1 about one mile in diameter1 was passed on the starboard side1 at a distance of two miles from the long ice-cliff4 ,this corresponded in shape with what ,ross frequently referred to as an ice island1 uncertain whether it was a berg or ice-covered land4 ,a sounding close by gave two hundred and eight fathoms1 showing that we were on the continental shelf1 and increasing the probability that the ice island was aground4 ,birds innumerable appeared on every hand3 snow petrels1 silver petrels1 ,cape pigeons and ,antarctic petrels4 ,they fluttered in hundreds about our bows4 ,cape pigeons are well known in lower latitudes1 and it was interesting to find them so far south4 ,as they have chessboard-like markings on the back when seen in flight1 there is no mistaking them4 ,the ice-wall or glacier-tongue now took a turn to the south-east4 ,at this point it had risen to a great height1 about two hundred feet sheer4 ,a fresh wind was blowing in our teeth from the south-south-east1 and beyond this point would be driving us on to the cliffs4 ,we put the ship about1 therefore1 and made for the lee side of the ice island4 ,in isolated coveys on the inclined top of the island were several flocks1 each containing hundreds of ,antarctic petrels4 ,at intervals they would rise into the air in clouds1 shortly afterwards to settle down again on the snow4 ,captain ,davis moved the ship carefully against the lee wall of the island1 with a view of replenishing our water supply1 but it was unscalable1 and we were forced to withdraw4 ,crouched on a small projection near the water's edge was a seal1 trying to evade the eyes of a dozen large grampuses which were playing about near our stern4 ,these monsters appeared to be about twenty-five feet in length4 ,they are the most formidable predacious mammals of the ,antarctic seas1 and annually account for large numbers of seals1 penguins1 and other cetaceans4 ,the sea-leopard is its competitor1 though not nearly so ferocious as the grampus1 of whom it lives in terror4 ,the midnight hours were spent off the ice island while we wafted for a decrease in the wind4 ,bars of cirrus clouds covered the whole sky--the presage of a coming storm4 ,the wind arose1 and distant objects were blotted out by driving snow4 ,an attempt was made to keep the ship in shelter by steaming into the wind1 but as ice island and glacier-tongue were lost in clouds of snow1 we were fortunate to make the lee of the latter1 about fourteen miles to the north4 ,there we steamed up and down until the afternoon of ,january #e1 when the weather improved4 ,a sounding was taken and the course was once more set for the south4 ,the sky remained overcast1 the atmosphere foggy1 and a south-south-east wind was blowing as we came abreast of the ice island1 which1 by the way1 was discovered to have drifted several miles to the north1 thus proving itself to be a free-floating berg4 ,the glacier-tongue on the port side took a sharp turn to the east-south-east1 disappearing on the horizon4 ,as there was no pack in sight and the water was merely littered with fragments of ice1 it appeared most likely that the turn in the glacier-tongue was part of a great sweeping curve ultimately joining with the southward land4 ,on our south-south-east course we soon lost sight of the ice-cliffs in a gathering fog4 ,on the afternoon of ,january #f the wind abated and the fog began to clear4 ,at #e ,p4,m4 a line of ice confronted us and1 an hour later1 the ',aurora' was in calm water under another mighty ice face trending across our course4 ,this wall was precisely similar to the one seen on the previous evening1 and might well have been a continuation of it4 ,it is scarcely credible that when the ',aurora' came south the following year1 the glacier-tongue first discovered had entirely disappeared4 ,it was apparently nothing more than a huge iceberg measuring forty miles in length4 ,specially valuable1 as clearing up any doubt that may have remained1 was its re-discovery the following year some fifty miles to the north-west4 ,close to the face of the new ice-wall1 which proved to be a true glacier-tongue1 a mud bottom was found at a depth of three hundred and ninety-five fathoms4 ,while we were steaming in calm water to the south-west1 the massive front1 serrated by shallow bays and capes1 passed in magnificent review4 ,its height attained a maximum of one hundred and fifty feet4 ,in places the sea had eaten out enormous blue grottoes4 ,at one spot1 several of these had broken into each other to form a huge domed cavern1 the roof of which hung one hundred feet above the sea4 ,the noble portico was flanked by giant pillars4 ,the glacier-tongue bore all the characters of shelf-ice1 by which is meant a floating extension of the land-ice49999 ,a table-topped berg in the act of formation was seen1 separated from the parent body of shelf-ice by a deep fissure several yards in width4 9999 ,subsequently this shelf-ice formation was found to be a floating glacier-tongue sixty miles in length1 the seaward extension of a large glacier which we named the ,mertz ,glacier4 ,at #aa ,p4,m4 the ',aurora' entered a bay1 ten miles wide1 bounded on the east by the shelf-ice wall and on the west by a steep snow-covered promontory rising approximately two thousand feet in height1 as yet seen dimly in hazy outline through the mist4 ,no rock was visible1 but the contour of the ridge was clearly that of ice-capped land4 ,there was much jubilation among the watchers on deck at the prospect4 ,every available field-glass and telescope was brought to bear upon it4 ,it was almost certainly the ,antarctic continent1 though1 at that time1 its extension to the east1 west and south remained to be proved4 ,the shelf-ice was seen to be securely attached to it and1 near its point of junction with the undulating land-ice1 we beheld the mountains of this mysterious land haloed in ghostly mist4 ,while passing the extremity of the western promontory1 we observed an exposure of rock1 jutting out of the ice near sea-level1 in the face of a scar left by an avalanche4 ,later1 when passing within half a cable's length of several berg-like masses of ice lying off the coast1 rock was again visible in black relief against the water's edge1 forming a pedestal for the ice4 ,the ship was kept farther offshore1 after this warning1 for though she was designed to buffet with the ice1 we had no desire to test her resistance to rock4 ,the bottom was very irregular1 and as an extra precaution1 soundings were taken every few minutes4 ,through a light fog all that could be seen landwards was a steep1 sloping1 icy surface descending from the interior1 and terminating abruptly in a seaward cliff fifty to two hundred feet in height4 ,the ice-sheet terminating in this wall presented a more broken surface than the floating shelf-ice4 ,it was riven and distorted by gaping crevasses2 an indication of the rough bed over which it had travelled4 ,towards midnight another bay was entered and many rocky islets appeared on its western side4 ,the engines were stopped for a few hours1 and the voyage was resumed in clearer weather on the following morning4 ,all day we threaded our way between islands and bergs4 ,seals and penguins swam around1 the latter squawking and diving in a most amusing manner4 ,cautiously we glided by an iceberg1 at least one hundred and fifty feet high1 rising with a faceted1 perpendicular face chased with soft1 snowy traceries and ornamented with stalactites4 ,splits and rents broke into the margin1 and from each streamed the evanescent1 azure vapour4 ,each puncture and tiny grotto was filled with it1 and a sloping cap of shimmering snow spread over the summit4 ,the profile-view was an exact replica of a battleship1 grounded astern4 ,the bold contour of the bow was perfect1 and the massive flank had been torn and shattered by shell-fire in a desperate naval battle4 ,this berg had heeled over considerably1 and the original water-line ran as a definite rim1 thirty feet above the green water4 ,from this rim shelved down a smooth and polished base1 marked with fine vertical striae4 ,soundings varied from twenty to two hundred fathoms1 and1 accordingly1 the navigation was particularly anxious work4 ,extending along about fifteen miles of coast1 where the inland ice came down steeply to the sea1 was a marginal belt of sea1 about two or three miles in width1 thickly strewn with rocky islets4 ,of these some were flat and others peaked1 but all were thickly populated by penguins1 petrels and seals4 ,the rocks appeared all to be gneisses and schists4 ,later that night we lay off a possible landing-place for one of our bases1 but1 on more closely inspecting it in the morning1 we decided to proceed farther west into a wide sweeping bay which opened ahead4 ,about fifty miles ahead1 on the far side of ,commonwealth ,bay1 as we named it1 was a cape which roughly represented in position ,cape ,decouverte1 the most easterly extension of ,adelie ,land seen by ,d',urville in #ahdj4 ,though ,commonwealth ,bay and the land already seen had never before been sighted1 all was placed under the territorial name of ,adelie ,land4 ,the land was so overwhelmed with ice that1 even at sea-level1 the rock was all but entirely hidden4 ,here was an ice age in all earnestness2 a picture of ,northern ,europe during the ,great ,ice ,age some fifty thousand years ago4 ,it was evident that the glaciation of ,adelie ,land was much more severe than that in higher ,antarctic latitudes1 as exampled on the borders of the ,ross ,sea2 the arena of ,scott's1 ,shackleton's and other expeditions4 ,the temperature could not be colder1 so we were led to surmise that the snowfall must be excessive4 ,the full truth was to be ascertained by bitter experience1 after spending a year on the spot4 ,i had hoped to find the ,antarctic continent in these latitudes bounded by a rocky and attractive coast like that in the vicinity of ,cape ,adare2 the nearest well-explored region4 ,it had proved otherwise1 only too well endorsing the scanty information supplied by ,d',urville and ,wilkes of the coastline seen by them4 ,a glance at the austere plateau and the ice-fettered coast was evidence of a rigid1 inhospitable climate4 ,it was apparent1 too1 that only a short summer could be expected in these latitudes1 thus placing limitations upon our operations4 ,if three bases were to be landed it was important that they should be spread at sufficiently wide intervals4 ,if one were placed in ,adelie ,land1 the ship would probably have to break through the pack in establishing each of the other two ba ses4 ,judging by our previous experience there was no certain prospect of this being effected4 ,the successful landing of three bases in suitable positions1 sufficiently far apart for advantageous co-operation in geographical1 meteorological and other observations1 had now become problematical4 ,in addition1 one of the parties was not as strong as ,i would have liked1 considering what would be undoubtedly its strenuous future4 ,for some days the various phases of the situation had occupied my mind1 and ,i now determined to risk two bases1 combining the smallest of the three parties with the ,main ,base4 ,alterations in the personnel of the third party were also made1 by which the ,main ,base would be increased in strength for scientific work1 and the other party under the leadership of ,wild would be composed of men of specially good sledging calibre1 besides being representative of the leading branches of our scientific programme4 ,we had a splendid lot of men1 and ,i had no difficulty in choosing for ,wild seven companions who could be relied upon to give a good account of themselves4 ,it was only by assuring myself of their high efficiency that ,i could expect to rest from undue anxiety throughout the year of our separation4 ,the composition of the two parties was as follows3 ,main ,base3 ,r4 ,bage1 ,f4 ,h4 ,bickerton1 ,j4 ,h4 ,close1 ,p4 ,e4 ,correll1 ,w4 ,h4 ,hannam1 ,a4 ,j4 ,hodgeman1 ,j4 ,g4 ,hunter1 ,j4 ,f4 ,hurley1 ,c4 ,f4 ,laseron1 ,c4 ,t4 ,madigan1 ,a4 ,l4 ,mc,lean1 ,x4 ,mertz1 ,h4 ,d4 ,murphy1 ,b4 ,e4 ,s4 ,ninnis1 ,f4 ,l4 ,stillwell1 ,e4 ,n4 ,webb1 ,l4 ,h4 ,whetter and myself4 ,western ,party3 ,g4 ,dovers1 ,c4 ,t4 ,harrisson1 ,c4 ,a4 ,hoadley1 ,s4 ,e4 ,jones1 ,a4 ,l4 ,kennedy1 ,m4 ,h4 ,moyes1 ,a4 ,d4 ,watson1 and ,f4 ,wild 7leader74 ,i was now anxious to find a suitable location for our ,main ,base2 two reasons making it an urgent matter4 ,the first was1 that as we advanced to the west we were leaving the ,south ,magnetic ,pole1 and ,i was anxious to have our magnetographs running as near the latter as possible4 ,secondly1 we would be daily increasing our distance from ,macquarie ,island1 making wireless communication more uncertain4 ,at noon on ,january #h1 while ,i was weighing the pros and cons with ,captain ,davis1 ,wild came in to say that there was a rocky exposure about fifteen miles off on the port side1 and suggested altering our course to obtain a better view of it4 ,just after #d ,p4,m41 when the ship was about one mile from the nearest rocks1 the whale-boat was lowered and manned4 ,we rowed in with the object of making a closer investigation4 ,from the ship's deck1 even when within a mile1 the outcrop had appeared to project directly from under the inland ice-sheet4 ,now1 however1 we were surprised to find ourselves amongst an archipelago of islets4 ,these were named the ,mackellar ,islets1 in remembrance of one who had proved a staunch friend of the ,expedition4 ,weddell seals and ,adelie penguins in thousands rested upon the rocks2 the latter chiefly congregated upon a long1 low1 bare islet situated in the centre4 ,this was the largest of the group1 measuring about half a mile in length2 others were not above twenty yards in diameter4 ,as we came inshore1 the main body of the archipelago was found to be separated by a mile and a half from the mainland4 ,a point which struck us at the time was that the islets situated on the southern side of the group were capped by unique masses of ice2 resembling iced cakes4 ,later we were able to see them in process of formation4 ,in the violent southerly hurricanes prevalent in ,adelie ,land1 the spray breaks right over them4 ,part of it is deposited and frozen1 and by increments the icing of these monstrous cakes is built up4 ,the amount contributed in winter makes up for loss by thawing in midsummer4 ,as the islets to windward shelter those in their lee1 the latter are destitute of these natural canopies4 ,soundings were taken at frequent intervals with a hand lead-line1 manipulated by ,madigan4 ,the water was on the whole shallow1 varying from a few to twenty fathoms4 ,the bottom was clothed by dense1 luxuriant seaweed4 ,this rank growth along the littoral was unexpected1 for nothing of the kind exists on the ,ross ,sea coasts within five or six fathoms of the surface4 ,advancing towards the mainland1 we observed a small islet amongst the rocks1 and towards it the boat was directed4 ,we were soon inside a beautiful1 miniature harbour completely land-locked4 ,the sun shone gloriously in a blue sky as we stepped ashore on a charming ice-quay--the first to set foot on the ,antarctic continent between ,cape ,adare and ,gaussberg1 a distance of one thousand eight hundred miles4 ,wild and ,i proceeded to make a tour of exploration4 ,the rocky area at ,cape ,denison1 as it was named1 was found to be about one mile in length and half a mile in extreme width4 ,behind it rose the inland ice1 ascending in a regular slope and apparently free of crevasses--an outlet for our sledging parties in the event of the sea not firmly freezing over4 ,to right and left of this oasis1 as the visitor to ,adelie ,land must regard the welcome rock1 the ice was heavily crevassed and fell sheer to the sea in cliffs1 sixty to one hundred and fifty feet in height4 ,two small dark patches in the distance were the only evidences of rock to relieve the white monotony of the coast4 ,in landing cargo on ,antarctic shores1 advantage is generally taken of the floe-ice on to which the materials can be unloaded and at once sledged away to their destination4 ,here1 on the other hand1 there was open water1 too shallow for the ',aurora' to be moored alongside the ice-foot4 ,the only alternative was to anchor the ship at a distance and discharge the cargo by boats running to the ideal harbour we had discovered4 ,close to the boat harbour was suitable ground for the erection of a hut1 so that the various impedimenta would have to be carried only a short distance4 ,for supplies of fresh meat1 in the emergency of being marooned for a number of years1 there were many ,weddell seals at hand1 and on almost all the neighbouring ridges colonies of penguins were busy rearing their young4#fd ,as a station for scientific investigations1 it offered a wider field than the casual observer would have imagined4 ,so it came about that the ,main ,base was finally settled at ,cape ,denison1 ,commonwealth ,bay4 ,we arrived on board at #h ,p4,m41 taking a seal as food for the dogs4 ,without delay1 the motor-launch was dropped into the water1 and both it and the whale-boat loaded with frozen carcasses of mutton1 cases of eggs and other perishable goods4 ,while some of us went ashore in the motor-launch1 with the whale-boat in tow1 the ',aurora' steamed round the ,mackellar ,islets seeking for a good anchorage under the icy barrier1 immediately to the west of the boat harbour4 ,the day had been perfect1 vibrant with summer and life1 but towards evening a chill breeze sprang up1 and we in the motor-launch had to beat against it4 ,by the time we had reached the head of the harbour1 ,hoadley had several fingers frost-bitten and all were feeling the cold1 for we were wearing light garments in anticipation of fine weather4 ,the wind strengthened every minute1 and showers of fine snow were soon whistling down the glacier4 ,no time was lost in landing the cargo1 and1 with a rising blizzard at our backs1 we drove out to meet the ',aurora'4 ,on reaching the ship a small gale was blowing and our boats were taken in tow4 ,the first thing to be considered was the mooring of the ',aurora' under the lee of the ice-wall1 so as to give us an opportunity of getting the boats aboard4 ,in the meantime they were passed astern1 each manned by several hands to keep them bailed out2 the rest of us having scrambled up the side4 ,bringing the ship to anchor in such a wind in uncharted1 shoal water was difficult to do in a cool and methodical manner4 ,the sounding machine was kept running with rather dramatic results2 depths jumping from five to thirty fathoms in the ship's length1 and back again to the original figure in the same distance4 ,a feeling of relief passed round when1 after much manoeuvring1 the anchor was successfully bedded five hundred yards from the face of the cliff4 ,just at this time the motor-launch broke adrift4 ,away it swept before a wind of forty-five miles per hour4 ,on account of the cold1 and because the engine was drenched with sea-water1 some difficulty was found in starting the motor4 ,from the ship's deck we could see ,bickerton busily engaged with it4 ,the rudder had been unshipped1 and there was no chance of replacing it1 for the boat was bobbing about on the waves in a most extraordinary manner4 ,however1 ,whetter managed to make a jury-rudder which served the purpose1 while ,hunter1 the other occupant1 was kept laboriously active with the pump4 ,they had drifted half a mile1 and were approaching the rocks of an islet on which the sea was breaking heavily4 ,just as every one was becoming very apprehensive1 the launch began to forge ahead1 and the men had soon escaped from their dangerous predicament4 ,by the united efforts of all hands the boats were hoisted on board and everything was made as snug as possible4 ,the wind steadily increased1 and it seemed impossible for the anchor to hold4 ,the strain on the cable straightened out a steel hook two inches in diameter4 ,this caused some embarrassment1 as the hook was part of the cable attachment under the fo'c'sle-head4 ,it is remarkable1 however1 that after this was adjusted the ship did not lose her position up to the time of departure from ,adelie ,land4 ,though we were so close under the shelter of a lofty wall1 the waves around us were at least four feet in height and when the wind increased to sixty-five and seventy miles per hour1 their crests were cut off and the surface was hidden by a sheet of racing spindrift4 ,everything was securely lashed in readiness for going to sea1 in case the cable should part4 ,final arrangements were then made to discharge the cargo quickly as soon as the wind moderated4 ,two days had elapsed before the wind showed any signs of abatement4 ,it was #h ,p4,m4 on ,january #aj when the first boat ventured off with a small cargo1 but it was not till the following morning that a serious start was made4 ,in good weather1 every trip between the ship and the boat harbour1 a distance of a mile1 meant that five or six tons had been landed4 ,it was usual for the loaded launch to tow both whale-boats heavily laden and1 in addition1 a raft of hut timbers or wireless masts4 ,some of the sailors1 while engaged in building rafts alongside the ship1 were capsized into the water and after that the occupation was not a popular one4 ,ashore1 ,wild had rigged a derrick1 using for its construction two of the wireless royal masts4 ,it was thus possible to cope with the heavier packages at the landing-place4 ,of the last-named the air-tractor sledge was by far the most troublesome4 ,with plenty of manual labour1 under ,wild's skilful direction1 this heavy machine was hoisted from the motor-launch1 and then carefully swung on to the solid ice-foot4 ,captain ,davis superintended the discharging operations on the ship1 effected by the crew and some of the land party under the direction of the ship's officers4 ,wild supervised conveyance ashore1 and the landing1 classification1 and safe storage of the various boat-loads4 ,gillies and ,bickerton took alternate shifts in driving the motor-launch4 ,the launch proved invaluable1 and we were very glad that it had been included in the equipment1 for it did a remarkable amount of work in a minimum of time4 ,in view of the difficulty of embarking the boats1 if another hurricane should arise1 tents were erected ashore1 so that a party could remain there with the boats moored in a sheltered harbour4 ,everything went well until just before midnight on ,january #ab1 when the wind again swept down4 ,wild1 four of the men and ,i were forced to remain ashore4 ,we spent the time constructing a temporary hut of benzine cases1 roofed with planks2 the walls of which were made massive to resist the winds4 ,this structure was henceforth known as the ,benzine ,hut4 ,the barometer dropped to #bh4e inches and the wind remained high4 ,we were struck with the singular fact that1 even in the height of some of these hurricanes1 the sky remained serene and the sun shone brightly4 ,it had been very different when the ship was amongst the pack a few miles to the north1 for1 there1 cloudy and foggy conditions had been the rule4 ,the wind coming to us from the south was dry2 obviously an argument for the continental extension of the land in that direction4 ,at #b ,a4,m4 on ,january #ae a pre-arranged whistle was sounded from the ',aurora'1 advising those of us ashore that the sea had moderated sufficiently to continue unloading4 ,wild sped away in the launch1 but before he had reached the ship the wind renewed its activity4 ,at last1 after #b ,p4,m4 on the same day it ceased1 and we were able to carry on work until midnight1 when the wind descended on us once more4 ,this time1 eighteen men remained ashore4 ,after twelve hours there was another lull1 and unloading was then continued with only a few intermissions from #a ,p4,m4 on ,january #af until the afternoon of ,january #ai4 ,never was landing so hampered by adverse conditions1 and yet1 thanks to the assiduous application of all1 a great assortment of materials was safely embarked4 ,comprised among them were the following3 twenty-three tons of coal briquettes1 two complete living-huts1 a magnetic observatory1 the whole of the wireless equipment1 including masts1 and more than two thousand packages of general supplies containing sufficient food for two years1 utensils1 instruments1 benzine1 kerosene1 lubricating oils an air-tractor and other sledges4 ,then came the time for parting4 ,there was a great field before ,wild's party to the west1 and it was important that they should be able to make the most of the remainder of the season4 ,my great regret was that ,i could not be with them4 ,i knew that ,i had men of experience and ability in ,davis and ,wild1 and felt that the work entrusted to them was in the best of hands4 ,through the medium of wireless telegraphy ,i hoped to keep in touch with the ,macquarie ,island party1 the ,western ,base19999 and the ship itself1 when in ,australian waters4 9999 ,they were supplied with masts and a receiving set sufficiently sensitive to pick up messages from a distance of five or six hundred miles4 ,it was my idea that ,wild's party should proceed west and attempt to effect a landing and establish a western wintering station at some place not less than four hundred miles west of ,adelie ,land4 ,on the way1 whenever opportunity presented itself1 they were to cache provisions at intervals along the coast in places liable to be visited by sledging parties4 ,the location of such caches and of the ,western ,base1 it was hoped1 would be communicated to us at the ,main ,base1 through the medium of wireless telegraphy from ,hobart4 ,all members of the land parties and the ship's officers met in the ward-room4 ,there were mutual good wishes expressed all round1 and then we celebrated previous ,antarctic explorers1 more especially ,d',urville and ,wilkes4 ,the toast was drunk in excellent ,madeira presented to us by ,mr4 ,j4 ,t4 ,buchanan1 who had carried this sample round the world with him when a member of the celebrated ',challenger' expedition4 ,the motor-launch was hoisted and the anchor raised4 ,then at #h4de ,p4,m4 on ,january #ai we clambered over the side into one of the whale-boats and pushed off for ,cape ,denison1 shouting farewells back to the ',aurora'4 ,several hours later she had disappeared below the north-western horizon1 and we had set to work to carve out a home in ,adelie ,land4 ,,chapter ,,iv ,,new ,,lands ,leaving the land party under my charge at ,commonwealth ,bay on the evening of ,january #ai1 the ',aurora' set her course to round a headland visible on the north-western horizon4 ,at midnight the ship came abreast of this point and continued steaming west1 keeping within a distance of five miles of the coast4 ,a break in the icy monotony came with a short tract of islets fronting a background of dark rocky coastline similar to that at ,cape ,denison but more extensive4 ,some six miles east of ,d',urville's ,cape ,discovery1 a dangerous reef was sighted extending at right angles across the course4 ,the ship steamed along it and her soundings demonstrated a submerged ridge continuing some twelve miles out to sea4 ,captain ,davis's narrative proceeds3 ,having cleared this obstacle we followed the coastline to the west from point to point4 ,twelve miles away we could see the snow-covered slopes rising from the seaward cliffs to an elevation of one thousand five hundred feet4 ,several small islands were visible close to a shore fringed by numerous large bergs4 ,at #aj ,p4,m4 on ,january #bj1 our progress to the west was stopped by a fleet of bergs off the mainland and an extensive field of berg-laden pack-ice1 trending to the north and north-east4 ,adelie ,land could be traced continuing to the west4 ,where it disappeared from view there was the appearance of a barrier-formation1 suggestive of shelf-ice1 running in a northerly direction4 ,skirting the pack-ice on a north and north-west course1 we observed the same appearance from the crow's-nest on ,january #ba and #bb4 ,the stretch of open1 navigable1 coastal water to the north of ,adelie ,land1 barred by the ,mertz ,glacier on the east and delimited on the west by more or less compact ice1 has been named the ,d',urville ,sea4 ,we found subsequently that its freedom from obstruction by ice is due to the persistent gales which set off the land in that locality4 ,to the north1 pack-ice in variable amount is encountered before reaching the wide open ocean4 ,the existence of such a barrier-formation19999 as indicated above1 probably resting on a line of reef similar to the one near ,cape ,discovery1 would account for the presence of this ice-field in practically the same position as it was seen by ,d',urville in #ahdj4 9999 ,an analysis of the data derived from the later voyages of the ',aurora' makes it practically certain that there is a permanent obstacle to the westerly drift of the pack-ice in longitude #acg degrees ,e4 ,there is1 however1 some uncertainty as to the cause of this blockage4 ,an alternative explanation is advanced1 namely1 that within the area of comparatively shallow water1 large bergs are entrapped1 and these entangle the drifting pack-ice4 ,at a distance1 large bergs would be undistinguishable from shelf-ice1 appearances of which were reported above4 ,quoting further3 ,we were unable to see any trace of the high land reported by the ,united ,states ,squadron 7#ahdj7 as lying to the west and south beyond the compact ice4 ,at #a4cj ,a4,m4 on the #bcrd the pack-ice was seen to trend to the south-west4 ,after steaming west for twenty-five miles1 we stood south in longitude #ahb degrees #cj' ,e1 shortly afterwards passing over the charted position of ,cote ,clarie4 ,the water here was clear of pack-ice1 but studded with bergs of immense size4 ,the great barrier which the ,french ships followed in #ahdj had vanished4 ,a collection of huge bergs was the sole remnant to mark its former position4 ,at #aj ,a4,m41 having passed to the south of the charted position of ,d',urville's ,cote ,clarie1 we altered course to ,s4 #aj degrees ,e4 true4 ,good observations placed us at noon in latitude #fe degrees #b' ,s4 and #acb degrees #bf' ,e4 ,a sounding on sand and small stones was taken in one hundred and sixty fathoms4 ,we sailed over the charted position of land east of ,wilkes's ,cape ,carr in clear weather4 ,at #e4cj ,p4,m4 land was sighted to the southward--snowy highlands similar to those of ,adelie ,land but greater in elevation4 ,after sounding in one hundred and fifty-six fathoms on mud1 the ship stood directly towards the land until #i ,p4,m4 ,the distance to the nearest point was estimated at twenty miles2 heavy floe-ice extending from our position1 latitude #fe degrees #de' ,s4 and longitude #acb degrees #dj' ,e41 right up to the shore4 ,another sounding realized two hundred and thirty fathoms1 on sand and small stones4 ,some open water was seen to the south-east1 but an attempt to force a passage in that direction was frustrated4 ,at #c ,a4,m4 on the #bdth we were about twelve miles from the nearest point of the coast1 and further progress became impossible4 ,the southern slopes were seamed with numerous crevasses1 but at a distance the precise nature of the shores could not be accurately determined4 ,to this country1 which had never before been seen1 was given the name of ,wilkes's ,land2 as it is only just to commemorate the ,american ,exploring ,expedition on the ,continent which its leader believed he had discovered in these seas and which he would have found had ,fortune favoured him with a fair return for his heroic endeavours4 ,we steered round on a north-westerly course1 and at noon on ,january #bd were slightly to the north of our position at #e4cj ,a4,m4 on the #bcrd4 ,a sounding reached one hundred and seventy fathoms and a muddy bottom4 ,environing us were enormous bergs of every kind1 one hundred and eighty to two hundred feet in height4 ,during the afternoon a westerly course was maintained in clear water until #d ,p4,m41 when the course was altered to ,s4 #cj degrees ,w41 in the hope of winning through to the land visible on the southern horizon4 ,,text ,,illustration ,ship's tracks in the vicinity of ,totten's ,land and ,north's ,land ,at #h ,p4,m4 the sky was very clear to the southward1 and the land could be traced to a great distance until it faded in the south-west4 ,but the ship had come up with the solid floe-ice once more1 and had to give way and steam along its edge4 ,this floating breakwater held us off and frustrated all attempts to reach the goal which we sought4 ,the next four days was a period of violent gales and heavy seas which drove the ship some distance to the north4 ,nothing was visible through swirling clouds of snow4 ,the ',aurora' behaved admirably1 as she invariably does in heavy weather4 ,the main pack was encountered on ,january #bi1 but foggy weather prevailed4 ,it was not until noon on ,january #ca that the atmosphere was sufficiently clear to obtain good observations4 ,the ship was by this time in the midst of heavy floe in the vicinity of longitude #aai degrees ,e41 and again the course had swung round to south4 ,we had soon passed to the south of ,balleny's ,sabrina ,land without any indication of its existence4 ,considering the doubtful character of the statements justifying its appearance on the chart1 it is not surprising that we did not verify them4 ,at #aa ,a4,m4 the floes were found too heavy for further advance4 ,the ship was made fast to a big one and a large quantity of ice was taken on board to replenish the fresh-water supply4 ,a tank of two hundred gallons' capacity1 heated within by a steam coil from the engineroom1 stood on the poop deck4 ,into this ice was continuously fed1 flowing away as it melted into the main tanks in the bottom of the ship4 ,at noon the weather was clear1 but nothing could be discerned in the south except a faint blue line on the horizon4 ,it may have been a 'lead' of water1 an effect of mirage1 or even land-ice--in any case we could not approach it4 ,the position as indicated by the noon observations placed the ship within seven miles of a portion of ,totten's ,high ,land in ,wilkes's charts4 ,as high land would have been visible at a great distance1 it is clear that ,totten's ,high ,land either does not exist or is situated a considerable distance from its charted location4 ,a sounding was made in three hundred and forty fathoms4 ,,text ,,illustration ,ship's track in the vicinity of ,knox ,land and ,budd ,land ,towards evening the ',aurora' turned back to open water and cruised along the pack-ice4 ,a sounding next day showed nine hundred and twenty-seven fathoms4 ,it was about this time that a marked improvement was noted in the compass4 ,ever since the first approach to ,adelie ,land it had been found unreliable1 for1 on account of the proximity to the magnetic pole1 the directive force of the needle was so slight that very large local variations were experienced4 ,the longitude of ,wilkes's ,knox ,land was now approaching4 ,with the exception of ,adelie ,land1 the account by ,wilkes concerning ,knox ,land is more convincing than any other of his statements relating to new ,antarctic land4 ,if they had not already disembarked1 we had hoped to land the western party in that neighbourhood4 ,it was1 therefore1 most disappointing when impenetrable ice blocked the way1 before ,wilkes's farthest south in that locality had been reached4 ,three determined efforts were made to find a weak spot1 but each time the ',aurora' was forced to retreat1 and the third time was extricated only with great difficulty4 ,in latitude #fe degrees #e' ,s4 longitude #ajg degrees #bj' ,e41 a sounding of three hundred fathoms was made on a rocky bottom4 ,this sounding pointed to the probability of land within sixty miles4 ,repulsed from his attack on the pack1 ,captain ,davis set out westward towards the charted position of ,termination ,land1 and in following the trend of the ice was forced a long way to the north4 ,at #g4dj ,a4,m41 ,february #h1 in foggy weather1 the ice-cliff of floating shelf-ice was met4 ,this was disposed so as to point in a north-westerly direction and it was late in the day before the ship doubled its northern end4 ,here the sounding wire ran out for eight hundred and fifty fathoms without reaching bottom4 ,following the wall towards the south-south-east1 it was interesting at #e4cj ,p4,m4 to find a sounding of one hundred and ten fathoms in latitude #fd degrees #de'4 ,a line of large grounded bergs and massive floe-ice was observed ahead trailing away from the ice-wall towards the north-west4 ,on plotting the observations1 it became apparent that the shelf-ice was in the form of a prolonged tongue some seven miles in breadth4 ,as it occupied the position of the ,termination ,land which has appeared on some charts1 7after ,wilkes7 it was named ,termination ,ice-,tongue4 ,a blizzard sprang up1 and1 after it had been safely weathered in the lee of some grounded bergs1 the ',aurora' moved off on the afternoon of ,february #aa4 ,the horizon was obscured by mist1 as she pursued a tortuous track amongst bergs and scattered lumps of heavy floe4 ,gradually the sea became more open1 and by noon on ,february #ab the water had deepened to two hundred and thirty-five fathoms4 ,good progress was made to the south2 the vessel dodging icebergs and detached floes4 ,the discovery of a comparatively open sea southward of the main pack was a matter of some moment4 ,as later voyages and the observations of the ,western ,party showed1 this tract of sea is a permanent feature of the neighbourhood4 ,i have called it the ,davis ,sea1 after the captain of the ',aurora'1 in appreciation of the fact that he placed it on the chart4 ,at noon1 on ,february #ac1 in latitude #fe degrees #ed #a_/b' ,s4 longitude #id degrees #be' ,e41 the western face of a long1 floating ice-tongue loomed into view4 ,there were five hundred fathoms of water off its extremity1 and the cliffs rose vertically to one hundred feet4 ,soon afterwards land was clearly defined low in the south extending to east and west4 ,this was thenceforth known as ,queen ,mary ,land4 ,the sphere of operations of the ,german expedition of #aijb was near at hand1 for its vessel1 the ',gauss'1 had wintered1 frozen in the pack1 one hundred and twenty-five miles to the west4 ,it appeared probable that ,queen ,mary ,land would be found to be continuous9999 with ,kaiser ,wilhelm ,,ii ,land1 which the ,germans had reached by a sledging journey from their ship across the intervening sea-ice4 9999 ,such was eventually proved to be the case4 ,the ',aurora' followed the western side of the ice-tongue for about twenty miles in a southerly direction1 at which point there was a white expanse of floe extending right up to the land4 ,wild and ,kennedy1 walking several miles towards the land1 estimated that it was about twenty-five miles distant4 ,as the surface over which they travelled was traversed by cracks and liable to drift away to sea1 all projects of landing there had to be abandoned2 furthermore1 it was discovered that the ice-tongue1 alongside of which the ship lay1 was a huge iceberg4 ,a landing on it had been contemplated1 but was now out of question4 ,the main difficulty which arose at this juncture was the failing coal-supply4 ,it was high time to return to ,hobart1 and1 if a western base was to be formed at all1 ,wild's party would have to be landed without further delay4 ,after a consultation1 ,davis and ,wild decided that under the circumstances an attempt should be made to gain a footing on the adjacent shelf-ice1 if nothing better presented itself4 ,the night was passed anchored to the floe1 on the edge of which were numerous ,emperor penguins and ,weddell seals4 ,a fresh south-easterly wind blew on ,february #ad1 and the ship was kept in the shelter of the iceberg4 ,during the day enormous pieces were observed to be continually breaking away from the berg and drifting to leeward4 ,captain ,davis continues3 ,at midnight there was a strong swell from the north-east and the temperature went down to #ah degrees ,f4 ,at #d ,a4,m41 ,february #ae1 we reached the northern end of the berg and stood first of all to the east1 and then later to the south-east4 ,at #h4de ,a4,m41 shelf-ice was observed from aloft1 trending approximately north and south in a long wall4 ,at noon we came up with the floe-ice again1 in about the same latitude as on the western side of the long iceberg4 ,land could be seen to the southward4 ,at #a ,p4,m4 the ship stopped at the junction of the floe and the shelf-ice4 ,wild1 ,harrison and ,hoadley went to examine the shelf-ice with a view to its suitability for a wintering station4 ,the cliff was eighty to one hundred feet in height1 so that the ice in total thickness must have attained at least as much as six hundred feet4 ,assisted by snow-ramps slanting down on to the floe1 the ascent with ice-axes and alpine rope was fairly easy4 ,two hundred yards from the brink1 the shelf-ice was thrown into pressure-undulations and fissured by crevasses1 but beyond that was apparently sound and unbroken4 ,about seventeen miles to the south the rising slopes of ice-mantled land were visible1 fading away to the far east and west4 ,the ice-shelf was proved later on to extend for two hundred miles from east to west1 ostensibly fusing with the ,termination ,ice-,tongue1 whose extremity is one hundred and eighty miles to the north4 ,the whole has been called the ,shackleton ,ice-,shelf4 ,wild and his party unanimously agreed to seize upon this last opportunity1 and to winter on the floating ice4 ,the work of discharging stores was at once commenced4 ,to raise the packages from the floe to the top of the ice-shelf1 a flying-fox was rigged4 ,a kedge-anchor was buried in the sea-ice1 and from this a two-and-a-half-inch wire-hawser was led upwards over a pair of sheer-legs on top of the cliff to another anchor buried some distance back4 ,the whole was set taut by a tackle4 ,the stores were then slung to a travelling pulley on the wire1 and hauled on to the glacier by means of a rope led through a second pulley on the sheer-legs4 ,the ship's company broke stores out of the hold and sledged them three hundred yards to the foot of an aerial1 where they were hooked on to the travelling-block by which the shore party1 under ,wild1 raised them to their destination4 ,it was most important to accelerate the landing as much as possible1 not only on account of the lateness of the season--the ',gauss' had been frozen in on ,february #bb at a spot only one hundred and seventy miles away--but because the floe was gradually breaking up and floating away4 ,when the last load was hoisted1 the water was lapping within ten yards of the 'flying-fox'4 ,a fresh west-north-west wind on ,february #ag caused some trouble4 ,captain ,davis writes3 ,february #ai4 ,the floe to which we have been attached is covered by a foot of water4 ,the ship has been bumping a good deal to-day4 ,notwithstanding the keen wind and driving snow1 every one has worked well4 ,twelve tons of coal were the last item to go up the cliff4 ,in all1 thirty-six tons of stores were raised on to the shelf-ice1 one hundred feet above sea-level1 in four days4 ,february #bj4 ,the weather is very fine and quite a contrast to yesterday4 ,we did not get the coal ashore a moment too soon1 as this morning the ice marked by our sledge tracks went to sea in a north-westerly direction1 and this afternoon it is drifting back as if under the influence of a tide or current4 ,we sail at #g ,a4,m4 to-morrow4 ,i went on to the glacier with ,wild during the afternoon4 ,it is somewhat crevassed for about two hundred yards inland1 and then a flat surface stretches away as far as the eye can see4 ,i wished the party ',god-speed' this evening1 as we sail early to-morrow4 ,early on ,february #ba1 the ship's company gave their hearty farewell cheers1 and the ',aurora' sailed north1 leaving ,wild and his seven companions on the floating ice4 ,the bright weather of the immediate coastal region was soon exchanged for the foggy gloom of the pack4 ,february #ba1 #aa ,p4,m4 ,we are now passing a line of grounded bergs and some heavy floe-ice4 ,fortunately it is calm1 but in the darkness it is difficult to see an opening4 ,the weather is getting thick1 and ,i expect we shall have trouble in working through this line of bergs4 ,february #bb4 ,i cannot explain how we managed to clear some of the bergs between #aa ,p4,m4 last night and #c ,a4,m4 this morning4 ,at first stopping and lying-to was tried1 but it was soon evident that the big bergs were moving and would soon hem us in3 probably in a position from which we should be unable to extricate ourselves this season4 ,so we pushed this way and that1 endeavouring to retain freedom at any cost4 ,for instance1 about midnight ,i was 'starboarding' to clear what appeared to be the loom of a berg on the starboard bow1 when1 suddenly1 out of the haze a wall seemed to stretch across our course4 ,there was no room to turn1 so 'full speed astern' was the only alternative4 ,the engines responded immediately1 or we must have crashed right into a huge berg4 ,until daylight it was ice ahead1 to port and to starboard--ice everywhere all the time4 ,the absence of wind saved us from disaster4 ,it was a great relief when day broke1 showing clearer water to the northward4 ,on ,february #bc1 the ',aurora' left the shelter of ,termination ,ice-,tongue1 and a course was set nearly true north4 ,there was a fresh breeze from the north-east and a high sea4 ,the ship was desperately short of ballast and the coal had to be carefully husbanded4 ,all movable gear was placed in the bottom of the ship1 while the ashes were saved1 wetted and put below4 ,the ballast-tanks were found to be leaking and ,gillies had considerable trouble in making them watertight4 ,the distance from the ,western ,base in ,queen ,mary ,land to ,hobart was two thousand three hundred miles1 through the turbulent seas of the fifties and forties4 ,it was the end of a perilous voyage when the ',aurora' arrived in ,hobart with nine tons of coal4 ,on ,march #ab1 the captain's log records3 ,the ',aurora' has done splendidly1 beating all attempts of the weather to turn her over4 ,we had two heavy gales during the first week of ,march1 but reached ,hobart safely to-day1 passing on our way up the ,derwent the famous ,polar ship1 ',fram'1 at anchor in ,sandy ,bay4 ,flags were dipped and a hearty cheer given for ,captain ,amundsen and his gallant comrades who had raised the siege of the ,south ,pole4 ,,chapter ,v ,,first ,,days ,,in ,,adelie ,,land ,the overcrowded whale-boat disgorged its cargo at #aj ,p4,m4 on the ice-quay at ,cape ,denison4 ,the only shelter was a cluster of four tents and the ,benzine ,hut1 so the first consideration was the erection of a commodious living-hut4 ,while the majority retired to rest to be ready for a fresh burst of work on the morrow1 a few of us discussed the preliminary details1 and struck the first blows in the laying of the foundations4 ,a site for the living-hut was finally approved4 ,this was a nearly flat piece of rocky ground of just sufficient size1 partially sheltered on the southern side by a large upstanding rock4 ,other points to recommend it were1 proximity to the boat harbour and to a good sledging surface2 the ice of the glacier extending to the front door on the western side4 ,several large rocks had to be shifted1 and difficulty was anticipated in the firm setting of the stumps4 ,the latter were blocks of wood1 three feet in length1 embedded in the ground1 forming the foundation of the structure4 ,unfortunately1 no such thing as earth or gravel existed in which to sink these posts1 and the rock being of the variety known as gneiss1 was more than ordinarily tough4 ,since two parties had combined1 there were two huts available1 and these were to be erected so that the smaller adjoined and was in the lee of the larger4 ,the latter was to be the living-room2 the former serving as a vestibule1 a workshop and an engine-room for the wireless plant4 ,slight modifications were made in the construction of both huts1 but these did not affect the framework4 ,after the completion of the living-hut1 regular scientific observations were to commence1 and the smaller hut was then to be built as opportunity offered4 ,nothing has so far been said about the type of hut adopted by our ,antarctic stations4 ,as the subject is important1 and we had expended much thought thereon before coming to a final decision1 a few remarks will not be out of place4 ,strength to resist hurricanes1 simplicity of construction1 portability and resistance to external cold were fundamental4 ,my first idea was to have the huts in the form of pyramids on a square base1 to ensure stability in heavy winds and with a large floor-area to reduce the amount of timber used4 ,the final type was designed at the expense of floor-space1 which would have been of little use because of the low roof in the parts thus eliminated4 ,in this form1 the pyramid extended to within five feet of the ground on the three windward sides so as to include an outside veranda4 ,that veranda1 like the motor-launch1 was a wonderful convenience1 and another of the many things of which we made full use4 ,it lent stability to the structure1 assisted to keep the hut warm1 served as a store-house1 physical laboratory and a dogshelter4 ,round the outside of the three veranda walls boxes of stores were stacked1 so as to continue the roof-slope to the ground4 ,thus1 the wind striking the hut met no vertical face1 but was partly deflected2 the other force-component tending to pin the building to the ground4 ,all three huts were essentially of the same construction4 ,the largest1 on account of its breadth1 had four special supporting posts1 symmetrically placed near the centre1 stretching from the ground to the roof framework4 ,the only subdivisions inside were a small vestibule1 a photographic darkroom and my own room4 ,this rough idea ,i had handed over to ,hodgeman1 leaving him to complete the details and to draw up the plans4 ,the frame timbers he employed were stronger than usual in a building of the size1 and were all securely bolted together4 ,the walls and roof1 both inside and outside1 were of tongued and grooved pine-boards1 made extra wind-proof by two courses of tarred paper4 ,as rain was not expected1 this roofing was sufficient4 ,there were four windows in the roof1 one on each side of the pyramid4 ,we should thereby get light even though almost buried in snow4 ,,text ,,illustration ,plan of the hut1 ,adelie ,land ,the largest hut was presented by the timber merchants of ,sydney1 and proved its astonishing strength during the winter hurricanes4 ,the smallest was purchased in ,adelaide1 the third was built and presented by ,messrs4 ,anthony of ,melbourne4 ,on the morning of ,january #bj all were at work betimes4 ,as we were securely isolated from a trades hall1 our hours of labour ranged from #g ,a4,m4 till #aa ,p4,m4 ,dynamite was to be used for blasting out the holes for the reception of the stumps1 and so the steel rock-drills were unpacked and boring commenced4 ,this was easier than it appeared1 because the rock was much traversed by cracks4 ,by the end of the day a good deal of damage had been done to the rock1 at the expense of a few sore fingers and wrists caused by the sledge-hammers missing the drills4 ,the work was tedious1 for water introduced into the holes had a habit of freezing4 ,the metal drills1 too1 tended to be brittle in the cold and required to be tempered softer than usual4 ,hannam operated the forge1 and picks and drills were sent along for pointing2 an outcrop of gneiss serving as an anvil4 ,among other things it was found difficult to fire the charges1 for1 when frozen1 dynamite is not readily exploded4 ,this was overcome by carrying the sticks inside one's pocket until the last moment4 ,in the absence of earth or clay1 we had no tamping material until some one suggested guano from the penguin rookeries1 which proved a great success4 ,next day the stumps were in place2 most of them being fixed by wedges and other devices4 ,cement was tried1 but it is doubtful if any good came of it1 for the low temperature did not encourage it to set well4 ,by the evening1 the bottom plates were laid on and bolted to the tops of the stumps1 and everything was ready for the superstructure4 ,on ,january #bb1 while some were busy with the floor-joists and wall-frames1 others carried boulders from the neighbouring moraine1 filling in the whole space between the stumps4 ,these were eventually embedded in a mass of boulders1 as much as three feet deep in places4 ,by the time both huts were erected1 nearly fifty tons of stones had been used in the foundations--a circumstance we did not regret at a later date4 ,hodgeman was appointed clerk of works on the construction1 and was kept unusually busy selecting timber1 patrolling among the workmen1 and searching for his foot-rule which had an unaccountable trick of vanishing in thin air4 ,hannam had various occupations1 but one was to attend to the needs of the inner man1 until the completion of the hut4 ,there is no doubt that he was regarded at this time as the most important and popular member of the party1 for our appetites were abnormally good4 ,about an hour before meals he was to be seen rummaging amongst the cases of provisions1 selecting tins of various brands and hues from the great confusion4 ,however remote their source or diverse their colour1 experience taught us that only one preparation would emerge from the tent-kitchen4 ,it was a multifarious stew4 ,its good quality was undoubted1 for a few minutes after the dinner-bell rang there was not a particle left4 ,the dinner-bell was a lusty shout from the master cook1 which was re-echoed by the brawny mob who rushed madly to the ,benzine ,hut4 ,plates and mugs were seized and portions measured out1 while the diners distributed themselves on odd boxes lying about on the ice4 ,many who were accustomed to restaurants built tables of kerosene cases and dined al fresco4 ,after the limited stew1 the company fared on cocoa1 biscuits--hard tack--and jam1 all ad libitum4 ,on those rare summer days1 the sun blazed down on the blue ice2 skua gulls nestled in groups on the snow2 sly penguins waddled along to inspect the building operations2 seals basked in torpid slumber on the shore2 out on the sapphire bay the milk-white bergs floated in the swell4 ,we can all paint our own picture of the good times round the ,benzine ,hut4 ,we worked hard1 ate heartily and enjoyed life4 ,by the evening of ,january #bd the floor and outside walls were finished1 and the roof-frame was in position4 ,work on the roof was the coldest job of all1 for now there was rarely an hour free from a cold breeze1 at times reaching the velocity of a gale4 ,this came directly down from the plateau1 and to sit with exposed fingers handling hammer and nails was not an enviable job4 ,to add to our troubles1 the boards were all badly warped from being continually wet with sea-water on the voyage4 ,however1 by judicious gadgetting1 as the phrase went1 they were got into place4 ,,text ,,illustration ,sections across the hut1 ,adelie ,land ,the windward roof was up on ,january #be1 and several of us camped in sleeping-bags under its shelter4 ,already ,hannam had unpacked the large range and put the parts together in the kitchen4 ,henceforth the cooking operations were simplified1 for previously a sledging-cooker had been used4 ,mention of the stove recalls a very cold episode4 ,it happened that while our goods were being lifted from the boats to the landing-stage1 a case had fallen into the harbour4 ,when the parts of the stove were being assembled1 several important items were found to be missing1 and it was thought that they might compose the contents of the unknown case lying in the kelp at the bottom of the bay4 ,laseron and ,i went on board the whale-boat one day at low water1 and located the box with a pole1 but though we used several devices with hooks1 we were unable to get hold of it4 ,at last ,i went in1 and1 standing on tip-toe1 could just reach it and keep my head above water4 ,it took some time to extricate from the kelp1 following which ,i established a new record for myself in dressing4 ,the case turned out to be full of jam1 and we had to make a new search for the missing parts4 ,i do not think ,i looked very exhilarated after that bath1 but strange to say1 a few days later ,correll tried an early morning swim which was the last voluntary dip attempted by any one4 ,the enthusiasm of the builders rose to its highest pitch as the roof neared completion1 and we came in sight of a firm and solid habitation1 secure from the winds which harassed us daily4 ,a dozen hammers worked at once1 each concentrated upon a specific job4 ,the ardour with which those engaged upon the ceiling inside the hut plied their nails resulted in several minor casualties to those sitting on the roof1 deeply intent on the outer lining4 ,a climax was reached when ,mc,lean1 working on the steeply inclined roof1 lost his footing and1 in passing1 seized hold of the wire-stay of the chimney as a last hope4 ,alas1 that was the only stay1 and as he proceeded over the end of the roof into a bank of snow1 ,ninnis1 within the hut1 convinced that nothing less than a cyclone had struck the building1 gallantly held on to the lower hot section amidst a shower of soot4 ,everybody was in the best of spirits1 and things went ahead merrily4 ,on ,january #cj the main building was almost completed1 and all slept under its roof4 ,bunks had been constructed1 forming a double tier around three sides of the room4 ,for the first time since coming ashore we retired to sleep in blankets2 fur sleeping-bags had been previously used4 ,that night the sky which had been clear for a fortnight banked up with nimbus cloud1 and ,murphy1 who was sleeping under a gap in the roof1 woke up next morning to find over him a fine counterpane of snow4 ,he received hearty congratulations all round4 ,regular meteorological observations began on ,february #a4 ,the various instruments had been unpacked as soon as the outer shell of the ,hut was completed4 ,the barometer and barograph were kept running inside4 ,outside there were two large screens for the reception of a number of the instruments4 ,it was important to erect these as near the ,hut as possible4 ,the standard thermometer1 thermograph and hygrograph were to occupy one of the screens1 a convenient site for which was chosen about twenty yards to the east4 ,close by there was also a nephoscope for determining the motion of clouds4 ,the immediate vicinity of the ,hut1 being a gully-like depression1 was unsuitable for the wind and sunshine recorders4 ,a more distant site1 on a rocky ridge to the east1 was chosen for these4 ,there were set up a recording anemometer 7wind-velocity meter71 a sunshine-meter and the second screen containing the anemograph 7wind-direction recorder74 ,madigan was to take charge of the meteorological observations and he1 assisted by ,ninnis and ,mertz1 erected the two screens and mounted the instruments4 ,special care was taken to secure the screens against violent winds4 ,phosphor-bronze wire-stays1 with a breaking strength of one ton1 were used1 attached to billets of wood driven into fissures in the rock4 ,strong as these wires were1 several breakages had to be replaced during the year4 ,webb was busy with the magnetic work4 ,for this two huts were to be erected2 the first for absolute determinations1 the second for housing the recording instruments--the magnetographs4 ,distant sites1 away from the magnetic disturbances of the ,hut1 were chosen4 ,webb and ,stillwell immediately set to work as soon as they could be spared from the main building4 ,for the absolute hut there were only scrap materials available2 the magnetograph house1 alone1 had been brought complete4 ,they had a chilly job1 for as the days went by the weather steadily became worse4 ,yet in a little over a week there were only the finishing touches to make1 and the first observations were started4 ,it was now necessary to institute a routine of nightwatchmen1 cooks and messmen4 ,the night-watchman's duties included periodic meteorological observations1 attention to the fire in the range1 and other miscellaneous duties arising between the hours of #h ,p4,m4 and #h ,a4 ,m4 ,the cook prepared the meals1 and the messman of the day rendered any assistance necessary4 ,a rotation was adopted1 so arranged that those most actively engaged in scientific observations were least saddled with domestic duties4 ,thus each contributed his equivalent share of work4 ,whilst others were occupied finishing off the interior of the hut1 ,whetter and ,close sledged the cases of stores across from the landing-stage1 classified them and stacked them against the veranda walls4 ,an additional barricade was constructed of flour cases1 in the form of a wall1 which increased the breadth of the rocky break-wind on the southern side4 ,murphy1 who was in charge of all the stores1 saw that a good stock of food was accessible in the veranda4 ,here he put up shelves and unpacked cases1 so that samples of everything were at hand on the shortest notice4 ,liquids liable to freeze and burst their bottles were taken into the ,hut4 ,,text ,,illustration ,the vicinity of the main base1 ,adelie ,land ,already we had several times seized the opportunity of a calm hour to take out the whale-boat and assist ,hunter to set traps and make a few hauls with the hand-dredge4 ,even in five fathoms1 bright red and brown star-fish had been caught in the trap1 as well as numerous specimens of a common ,antarctic fish known as ',notothenia'4 ,in ten fathoms and over the results were better1 though in no case was the catch so abundant as one would expect from the amount of life in the water4 ,the luxuriant kelp probably interfered with the proper working of the traps4 ,fish of the same species as the above were caught on a hand-line4 ,hunter1 our biologist1 was very unfortunate in crushing some of his fingers while carrying a heavy case4 ,this accident came at a time when he had just recovered from a severe strain of the knee-joint which he suffered during our activities in the ,queen's ,wharf shed at ,hobart4 ,several of us were just going out to the traps one afternoon when the casualty occurred4 ,hunter was very anxious to go1 so we waited until ,mc,lean had sewn up a couple of his fingertips4 ,weddell1 and with them occasional crab-eater seals1 were at this time always to be found in numbers sleeping on the ice-foot around the boat harbour4 ,it appeared as if we would have plenty of meat throughout the year1 so ,i waited until the building was completed before laying in a stock4 ,the penguins1 however1 were diminishing in numbers fast and the young birds in the rookeries had grown very large and were beginning to migrate to warmer regions4 ,several parties1 therefore1 raided them and secured some hundreds for the winter4 ,giant petrels and skua gulls swarmed in flocks round the seals' and penguins' carcases4 ,these scavengers demolish an incredible amount of meat and blubber in a short time4 ,it is a diabolical sight to witness a group of birds tearing out the viscera of a seal1 dancing the while with wings outspread4 ,during the afternoon of ,february #aa ,webb came in with the news that a sea elephant was making its way over the rocks near the shore4 ,we rushed out in time to see it standing over ,johnson1 one of the dogs1 who1 true to his name1 did not look abashed4 ,attracted by more formidable antagonists1 the monster left ,johnson and came towards us4 ,he was a fair-sized male with a good skin1 so we shot him before he had time to get back into the sea4 ,his measurements were seventeen feet six inches in length and twelve feet in maximum circumference4 ,with the temperature well below freezing-point1 skinning is cold work in the wind1 and must be done before the animal has time to freeze stiff4 ,a number of us set to work flaying4 ,in order to move the mountain of flesh a ,westing purchase and a handy-billy 7rope and block purchase7 had to be rigged4 ,it was several hours before everything was disposed of2 the skin and skull for the biological collection and the meat and blubber for the dogs4 ,ninnis and ,mertz1 who were the wardens of the dogs1 cut up about one ton of meat and blubber1 and stored it as a winter reserve for their charges4 ,it may be mentioned that sea elephants are sub-antarctic in distribution1 and only rarely have these animals been observed on the shores of the ,antarctic continent4 ,as far as ,i am aware1 the only other occasion of such an occurrence was noted by ,captain ,scott in ,mac,murdo ,sound4 ,wilkes reported many of them on the pack-ice to the north of the ,balleny ,islands1 so possibly they have a stronghold in that vicinity4 ,the dogs1 ever since their arrival ashore1 had been chained up on the rocks below the ,hut4 ,the continuous wind worried them a good deal1 but they had a substantial offset to the cold in a plentiful supply of seal-meat4 ,on the whole1 they were in a much better condition then when they left the ',aurora'4 ,nineteen in all1 they had an odd assemblage of names1 which seemed to grow into them until nothing else was so suitable3 ,basilisk1 ,betli1 ,caruso1 ,castor1 ,franklin1 ,fusilier1 ,gadget1 ,george1 ,ginger1 ,ginger ,bitch1 ,grandmother1 ,haldane1 ,jappy1 ,john ,bull1 ,johnson1 ,mary1 ,pavlova1 ,scott and ,shackleton4 ,grandmother would have been better known as ,grandfather4 ,he was said to have a grandmotherly appearance2 that is why he received the former name4 ,the head dog was ,basilisk1 and next to him came ,shackleton4 ,early in ,february1 after having experienced nothing but a succession of gales for nearly a month1 ,i was driven to conclude that the average local weather must be much more windy than in any other part of ,antarctica4 ,the conditions were not at all favourable for sledging1 which ,i had hoped to commence as soon as the ,hut was completed4 ,now that the time had arrived and the weather was still adverse1 it seemed clear that our first duty was to see everything snug for the winter before making an attempt4 ,hannam1 assisted by ,bickerton1 ,madigan and others1 had laid heavy and firm foundations for the petrol-motor and generator4 ,the floor of the smaller room was then built around these bed-plates1 and last of all came the walls and roof4 ,murphy1 ,bage and ,hodgeman were chiefly responsible for the last-named1 which was practically completed by ,february #aj4 ,minor additions and modifications were added after that date4 ,meanwhile1 ,hannam continued to unpack and mount the instruments forming the wireless plants4 ,along one wall and portion of another1 in the outer hut1 a bench was built for mechanical work and for scientific purposes4 ,this was in future to be the work-room4 ,our home had attained to a stage of complex perfection4 ,to penetrate to the inside hut1 the stranger reverently steps through a hole in the snow to the veranda1 then by way of a vestibule with an inner and outer door he has invaded the privacy of the work-room1 from which with fear and trembling he passes by a third door into the sanctum sanctorum4 ,later1 when the snow-tunnel system came into vogue1 the place became another ,labyrinth of ,minos4 ,the three doors were fitted with springs to keep them shut unless they were jammed open for ventilation1 which was at once obtained by opening an aperture in the cooking-range flue4 ,a current of air would then circulate through the open doors4 ,the roof windows were immovable and sealed on the inside by a thick accumulation of ice4 ,an officer of public health1 unacquainted with the climate of ,adelie ,land1 would be inclined to regard the absence of more adequate ventilation as a serious omission4 ,it would enlighten him to know that much of our spare time1 for a month after the completion of the building1 was spent in plugging off draughts which found their way through most unexpected places1 urged by a wind-pressure from without of many pounds to the square foot4 ,excepting the small portion used as an entrance-porch1 the verandas were left without any better flooring than well-trodden snow4 ,in the boarded floor of the porch was a trap-door which led down into a shallow cellar extending under a portion of the work-room4 ,the cellar was a refrigerating chamber for fresh meat and contained fifteen carcases of mutton1 besides piles of seal-meat and penguins4 ,in preparation for our contemplated sledging1 masts1 spars and sails were fitted to some of the sledges1 rations were prepared and alterations made to harness and clothing4 ,soon a sledge stood packed1 ready to set out on the first fine day4 ,for several days in succession1 about the middle of ,february1 the otherwise continuous wind fell off to a calm for several hours in the evening4 ,on those occasions ,mertz gave us some fine exhibitions of skiing1 of which art he was a consummate master4 ,skis had been provided for every one1 in case we should have to traverse a country where the snow lay soft and deep4 ,from the outset1 there was little chance of that being the case in wind-scoured ,adelie ,land4 ,nevertheless1 most of the men seized the few opportunities we had to become more practiced in their use4 ,my final opinion1 however1 was that if we had all been experts like ,mertz1 we could have used them with advantage from time to time4 ,the end of ,february approached4 ,we were fully prepared for sledging1 and were looking forward to it with great expectation4 ,the wind still continued1 often rising to the force of a hurricane1 and was mostly accompanied by snow4 ,one evening1 when we were all at dinner1 there was a sudden noise which drowned the rush of the blizzard4 ,it was found that several sledges had been blown away from their position to the south of the ,hut1 striking the building as they passed4 ,they were all rescued except one1 which had already reached the sea and was travelling rapidly toward ,australia4 ,mertz1 ,bage and ,i had taken advantage of a lull to ascend the ice-slope to the south1 and to erect a flag-pole at a distance of two miles4 ,besides being a beacon for sledging parties1 it was used for ablation measurements4 ,these were determinations of the annual wasting of the ice-surface1 whether by evaporation1 melting1 or wind-abrasion4 ,webb and ,stillwell1 assisted by others1 had commenced to build the ,magnetograph ,house4 ,dr4 ,chree1 of the ,british ,national ,physical ,laboratory1 had arranged that the ,german ,antarctic ,expedition1 several observatories in low latitudes and our own ,expedition1 should take special quick runs1 synchronously1 twice each month4 ,a quick run was a continuous1 careful observation made over a period of two hours1 on a more searching time-scale then usual4 ,until the ,magnetograph ,house was established this could not be done efficiently1 and so the construction of this hut was pushed on as quickly as possible4 ,many other schemes required our attention1 and there was not a spare moment for any one4 ,though we chafed at the delay in sledging1 there was some consolation in the fact that the scientific programme was daily becoming more and more complete4 ,,chapter ,,vi ,,autumn ,,prospects ,as far as we could see1 the inland ice was an unbroken plateau with no natural landmarks4 ,from the hinterland in a vast solid stream the ice flowed1 with heavily crevassed downfalls near the coast4 ,traversing this from north to south was a narrow belt1 reasonably free from pitfalls1 running as a spur down to the sea4 ,to reach the ,hut in safety it would be necessary for sledging parties returning from the interior to descend by this highway4 ,the problem was to locate the path4 ,determinations of latitude and longitude would guide them to the neighbourhood of ,commonwealth ,bay1 but the coastline in the vicinity of ,winter ,quarters1 with the rocks and islets1 would not come into view until within two miles1 as above that point the icy slopes filled the foreground up to the distant berg-studded horizon4 ,delays in reaching the ,hut owing to the difficult descent might have serious consequences1 for provisions are usually short near the conclusion of a sledging journey4 ,the necessity of making artificial landmarks was1 therefore1 most obvious4 ,already we had a flagstaff two miles to the south4 ,it was now my intention to run a line of similar marks backwards to the plateau4 ,bage1 ,madigan and ,i were to form a reconnoitring party to plant these flags1 and to make a journey of a few days' duration into the hinterland1 to see its possibilities1 and with a view to an extended sledging campaign to commence as soon as possible after our return4 ,it was decided not to make use of the dogs until later in the year1 when they would be in better form4 ,the wind continued1 accompanied by more or less drift-snow4 ,this appeared to be the settled state of the weather4 ,we decided to move out as soon as a moderate phase should occur4 ,on the afternoon of ,february #bh the weather cleared up for several hours1 and we decided to leave on the following day4 ,the wind resumed operations once more1 but fell off late on ,february #bi1 when we made a start4 ,we intended to get the packed sledge up the first steep slope1 there to leave it until the morrow4 ,the drift was slight and low1 flowing along like a stream below our knees4 ,bickerton1 ,hurley and ,mertz assisted us with the hauling4 ,at a distance of a little more than a mile1 at an elevation of five hundred feet1 the sledge was anchored and we returned to the ,hut for the night4 ,next morning the weather cleared still more1 and we left just before noon4 ,three miles out1 a mast and flag were erected1 when our companions of the day before1 who had again assisted us1 turned back4 ,at five and a half miles the brow of the main rise was reached1 and the gradient became much flatter beyond it4 ,the elevation was found to be one thousand five hundred feet4 ,to the south nothing was visible but a great1 wan1 icy wilderness4 ,to the north a headland appeared on either hand1 each about twenty-five miles away1 and between them lay an expanse of sea dotted with many bergs4 ,the nearer portions of the coast1 together with the ,mackellar ,islets1 were lost to view on account of the curvature of the foreground4 ,during most of the day we had travelled over a surface of clear ice1 marked by occasional scars where fissuring1 now healed1 had at some time taken place4 ,beyond the three-mile flag1 however1 the ice was gashed at frequent intervals1 producing irregular crevasses1 usually a few yards in length and1 for the most part1 choked with snow4 ,at five and a half miles we were on the edge of a strip of snow1 half a mile across1 whose whiteness was thrown in dazzling contrast against the foil of transparent1 dark ice4 ,it was dusk1 and light drift commenced to scud by1 so1 as this was a suitable place to erect a flag1 we decided to camp for the night4 ,some hours later ,i woke up to hear a blizzard blowing outside1 and to find ,madigan fumbling amongst some gear at the head-end of the tent4 ,from inside my bag ,i called out to inquire if there was anything wrong1 and received a reply that he was looking for the primus-pricker4 ,then he slipped back into his sleeping-bag1 and all became quiet1 except for the snow beating against the tent4 ,so ,i presumed that he had found it4 ,revolving the incident in my mind1 and dimly wondering what use he could have for a primus-pricker in the middle of the night1 ,i again fell asleep4 ,in the morning the blizzard was still blowing1 accompanied by a good deal of drift4 ,on inquiry ,i found that ,madigan knew nothing of his midnight escapade4 ,it was a touch of somnambulism4 ,it would serve no useful purpose to go on in thick drift1 for the main object of our journey was to define the best route through the crevassed zone2 and that could only be done on a clear day4 ,i decided1 accordingly1 that if the weather did not improve by noon to leave the sledge with the gear and walk back to the ,hut1 intending to make another attempt when conditions became more settled4 ,whilst the others erected a flagstaff and froze the legs of a drift-proof box 7containing a thermograph7 into the ice1 ,i made lunch and prepared for our departure4 ,the tent was taken down and everything lashed securely on the sledge4 ,it was nearly #c ,p4,m4 when we set out in thick drift1 and in two hours we were at the ,hut2 the weather having steadily improved as we descended4 ,on comparing notes with those at home it appeared that we1 at the fifteen hundred feet level1 had experienced much more wind and drift than they at sea-level4 ,webb and his assistants were beginning to make quite a display at the ,magnetograph ,house4 ,the framework1 which had already been erected once1 to be demolished by the wind1 was now strongly rebuilt and was ready for the outside covering of boards4 ,from the night of our return to ,march #h there was a high wind accompanied by much drift2 for some hours it continued at eighty miles per hour1 the mean temperature being about #ae degrees ,f41 with a minimum of #e degrees ,f4 ,up to this date the dogs had been kept on the chain1 on account of their depredations amongst the seals and penguins4 ,the severe weather now made it necessary to release them4 ,thenceforth1 their abode for part of the day was inside the veranda1 where a section was barricaded-off for their exclusive use4 ,outside in heavy drift their habit was to take up a position in the lee of some large object1 such as the ,hut4 ,in such a position they were soon completely buried and oblivious to the outside elements4 ,thus one would sometimes tread on a dog1 hidden beneath the snow2 and the dog often showed less surprise than the offending man4 ,what the dogs detested most of all during the blizzard-spells was the drift-snow filling their eyes until they were forced to stop and brush it away frantically with their paws4 ,other inconveniences were the icy casing which formed from the thawing snow on their thick coats1 and the fact that when they lay in one position1 especially on ice1 for any length of time they become frozen down1 and only freed themselves at the expense of tufts of hair4 ,in high winds1 accompanied by a low temperature1 they were certainly very miserable1 unless in some kind of shelter4 ,several families were born at this time1 but although we did everything possible for them they all perished1 except one2 the offspring of ,gadget4 ,this puppy was called ,blizzard4 ,it was housed for a while in the veranda and1 later on1 in the ,hangar4 ,needless to say1 ,blizzard was a great favourite and much in demand as a pet4 ,on the night of ,march #g1 ,caruso1 who had been in poor condition for some time1 was found to have a gaping wound around the neck4 ,it was a clean cut1 an inch deep and almost a foot in length4 ,the cause was never satisfactorily explained1 though a piece of strong string embedded in the wound evidently made the incision4 ,caruso was brought inside1 and1 whilst ,whetter administered chloroform1 ,mc,lean sewed up the wound4 ,after careful attention for some days1 it healed fairly well1 but as the dog's general health was worse1 it was deemed advisable to shoot him4 ,the outer shell of the ,magnetograph ,house was nearly completed1 affording a protection for those who worked on the interior linings4 ,when completed1 the walls and roof consisted of two coverings of tongued and grooved pine boards and three layers of thick tarred paper4 ,while there still remained a breach in the wall1 ,hurley repaired there with his cinematograph camera and took a film showing the clouds of drift-snow whirling past4 ,in those days we were not educated in methods of progression against heavy winds2 so1 in order to get ,hurley and his bulky camera back to the ,hut1 we formed a scrum on the windward side and with a strong forward rush beat our formidable opponent4 ,on ,march #h the blizzard died away and a good day followed4 ,all hands joined in building a solid stone outside of the ,magnetograph ,house4 ,this piece of work1 in which thirty tons of rock were utilized1 was completed on the following day4 ,the wall reached almost to the roof on every side4 ,the unprotected roof was lagged with sacks and sheep-skins and1 after this had been effected1 the hut became practically windtight4 ,the external covering controlled the influx of cold from the penetrating winds1 and1 on the other hand1 the conduction of the sun's warmth in summer4 ,thus a steady temperature was maintained2 a most desirable feature in a magnetograph house4 ,webb had the instruments set up in a few days1 and they were working before the end of the month4 ,after the calm of ,march #h1 the wind steadily increased and became worse than ever4 ,madigan1 who was in charge of the whale-boat1 kept it moored in the boat-harbour under shelter of the ice-foot4 ,an excursion was made to the fish traps1 buoyed half a mile off shore1 on ,february #h1 and it was found that one had been carried away in the hurricane4 ,the other was brought in very much battered4 ,that night it was decided at the first opportunity to haul up the boat and house it for the winter4 ,alas6 the wind came down again too quickly1 increasing in force1 with dense drift4 ,it was still in full career on the #abth1 when ,madigan came in with the news that the boat had disappeared4 ,it was no fault of the rope-attachments for they were securely made and so we were left to conclude that a great mass of ice had broken away from the overhanging shelf and carried everything before it4 ,the regularity of the high-velocity winds was already recognized as one of the most remarkable features of ,adelie ,land4 ,by itself such wind would have been bad enough1 but1 accompanied by dense volumes of drifting snow1 it effectually put a stop to most outdoor occupations4 ,the roof and walls of the veranda being covered with a single layer of tongued and grooved boards1 the snow drove through every chink4 ,the cases outside were a partial protection1 but the cracks were innumerable1 and in the course of twenty-four hours the snow inside had collected in deep drifts4 ,this required to be shovelled out each day or the veranda would have been entirely blocked4 ,much time was spent endeavouring to make it drift-tight2 but as the materials at our disposal were very limited1 the result was never absolutely satisfactory4 ,the small veranda serving as an entrance-porch was deluged with snow which drove in past the canvas doorway4 ,the only way to get over this trouble was to shovel out the accumulations every morning4 ,on one occasion1 when ,close was nightwatchman1 the drift poured through in such volume that each time he wished to go outside it took him half an hour to dig his way out4 ,on account of this periodic influx1 the vestibule doorway to the workroom was moved to the other end of the wall1 where the invading snow had farther to travel and was consequently less obstructive4 ,one advantage of the deposit of snow around the ,hut was that all draughts were sealed off4 ,before this happened it was found very difficult to keep the inside temperature up to #dj deg4 ,f4 ,a temperature taken within the ,hut varied according to the specific position in reference to the walls and stove4 ,that shown by the thermometer attached to the standard barometer1 which was suspended near the centre of the room1 was taken as the hut temperature4 ,near the floor and walls it was lower1 and higher1 of course1 near the stove4 ,on one occasion1 in the early days1 ,i remember the hut temperature being #ai deg4 ,f41 notwithstanding the heat from the large range4 ,under these conditions the writing-ink and various solutions all over the place froze1 and1 when the night-watchman woke up the shivering community he had many clamorous demands to satisfy4 ,the photographer produced an interesting product from the dark room--a transparent cast of a developing-dish in which a photographic plate left overnight to wash was firmly set4 ,we arranged to maintain an inside temperature of #dj degrees ,f42 when it rose to #ej degrees ,f4 means were taken to reduce it4 ,the cooking-range1 a large one designed to burn anthracite coal1 was the general warming apparatus4 ,to raise the temperature quickly1 blocks of seal blubber1 of which there was always a supply at hand1 were used4 ,the coal consumption averaged one hundred pounds a day1 approximately1 this being reduced at a later date to seventy-five pounds by employing a special damper for the chimney4 ,the damper designed for ordinary climates allowed too much draught to be sucked through during the high winds which prevailed continually4 ,the chimney was fitted with a cowl which had to be specially secured to keep it in place4 ,during heavy drifts the cowl became choked with snow and ice1 and the ,hut would rapidly fill with smoke until some one1 hurriedly donning burberrys1 rushed out with an ice-axe to chip an outlet for the draught4 ,the chimney was very short and securely stayed1 projecting through the lee side of the roof1 where the pressure of the wind was least felt4 ,the first good display of aurora polaris was witnessed during the evening of ,march #ab1 though no doubt there had been other exhibitions obscured by the drift4 ,as the days went by and the equinox drew near1 auroral phenomena were with few exceptions visible on clear evenings4 ,in the majority of cases they showed up low in the northern sky4 ,in the midst of a torment of wind1 ,march #ae came as a beautiful1 sunny1 almost calm day4 ,i remarked in my diary that it was typical ,antarctic weather1 thinking of those halcyon days which belong to the climate of the southern shores of the ,ross ,sea4 ,in ,adelie ,land1 we were destined to find1 it was hard to number more than a dozen or two in the year4 ,a fine day6 the psychological effect was remarkable2 pessimism vanished1 and we argued that with the passing of the equinox there would be a marked change for the better4 ,not a moment was lost3 some were employed in making anchorages for the wireless masts2 others commenced to construct a ,hangar to house the air-tractor sledge4 ,in building the ,hangar1 the western wall of the ,hut was used for one side2 the low southern end and the western wall were constructed of full and empty cases1 the lee side was closed with a tarpaulin and blocks of snow and over all was nailed a roof of thick timber--part of the air-tractor's case4 ,to stiffen the whole structure1 a small amount of framework1 in the form of heavy uprights1 was set in the ground4 ,the dimensions inside were thirty-four feet by eleven feet2 the height1 eleven feet at the northern and six feet at the southern end4 ,as a break-wind a crescent-shaped wall of benzine cases was built several yards to the south4 ,as in the case of the veranda1 it was very difficult to make the ,hangar impervious to drift2 a certain quantity of snow always made its way in1 and was duly shovelled out4 ,seals had suddenly become very scarce1 no doubt disgusted with the continuous winds4 ,every one that came ashore was shot for food4 ,unfortunately1 the amount of meat necessary for the dogs throughout the winter was so great that dog-biscuits had to be used to eke it out4 ,only a few penguins remained by the middle of ,march4 ,they were all young ones1 waiting for the completion of their second moult before taking to the sea4 ,the old feathers hung in untidy tufts1 and the birds were often in a wretched plight owing to the wind and drift-snow4 ,many were added to the bleaching carcases which fill the crevices or lie in heaps on ancient rookeries among the rocky ridges4 ,none were free from the encumbrance of hard cakes of snow which often covered their eyes or dangled in pendent icicles from their bodies4 ,the result was very ludicrous4 ,hurley obtained some excellent photographs of the seals and penguins1 as of all other subjects4 ,so good were they that most of us withdrew from competition4 ,his enthusiasm and resourcefulness knew no bounds4 ,occasional days1 during which cameras that had been maltreated by the wind were patched up1 were now looked upon as inevitable4 ,one day1 when ,webb and ,hurley were both holding on to the cinematograph camera1 they were blown away1 with sundry damages all around4 ,it was later in the year when ,hurley with his whole-plate camera broke through the sea-ice--a sad affair for the camera4 ,the good conditions on the #aeth lasted only a few hours1 and back came the enemy as bad as ever4 ,on the #ahth the wind was only thirty miles per hour1 giving us an opportunity of continuing the buildings outside4 ,it was only by making the most of every odd hour when the weather was tolerable that our outdoor enterprises made any headway4 ,sometimes when it was too windy for building we were able to improve our knowledge of the neighbourhood4 ,a glance at ,stillwell's map is instruct99e as to the extent and character of the rocky area4 ,it is devoid of any forms of vegetation sufficiently prominent to meet the casual eye4 ,soil is lacking1 for all light materials and even gravel are carried away by the winds4 ,the bare rock rises up into miniature ridges1 separated by valleys largely occupied by ice-slabs and lakelets4 ,snow fills all the crevices and tails away in sloping ramps on the lee side of every obstacle4 ,in midsummer a good deal thaws1 and1 re-freezing1 is converted into ice4 ,the highest point of the rock is one hundred and forty feet4 ,the seaward margin is deeply indented1 and the islets off shore tell of a continuation of the rugged1 rocky surface below the sea4 ,on the northern faces of the ridges1 fronting the ice-foot1 large1 yellowish patches mark the sites of penguin rookeries4 ,these are formed by a superficial deposit of guano which never becomes thick1 for it blows away as fast as it accumulates4 ,standing on the shore1 one can see kelp growing amongst the rocks even in the shallowest spots1 below low-water level4 ,to the south1 the rocks are overridden by the inland ice which bears down upon and overwhelms them4 ,the ice-sheet shows a definite basal moraine1 which means that the lowest stratum1 about forty feet in thickness1 is charged with stones and earthy matter4 ,above this stratum the ice is free from foreign matter and rises steeply to several hundred feet1 after which the ascending gradient is reduced4 ,the continental glacier moves down to the sea1 regularly but slowly2 the rate of movement of some portions of the adjacent coastal ice cliffs was found to be one hundred feet per annum4 ,the rocky promontory at ,winter ,quarters1 acting as an obstacle1 reduces the motion of the ice to an annual rate measured in inches only4 ,perhaps the conditions now prevailing are those of a comparative drought1 for there is clear evidence that our small promontory was at one time completely enveloped4 ,in a broad way this is illustrated by the topography1 but the final proof came when ,stillwell and others discovered rock-faces polished and grooved by the ice4 ,whatever ice-floods there may have been in the past1 the position of the margin of the glacier must have remained for a long period in its present situation4 ,the evidence for this is found in the presence of a continuous1 terminal moraine1 at or just in advance of the present ice-front4 ,this moraine1 an accumulation of stones of all kinds brought to their present resting-place by the ice-sheet1 was in itself a veritable museum4 ,rocks1 showing every variety in colour and form1 were assembled1 transported from far and wide over the great expanse of the continent4 ,,text ,,illustration ,a section of the coastal slope of the ,continental ,ice ,sheet inland from ,winter ,quarters1 ,adelie ,land ,stillwell found these moraines a happy hunting-ground for the geologist4 ,his plane-table survey and rock collections are practical evidence of work carried out in weather which made it seldom short of an ordeal4 ,the story of the buried land to the south is in large measure revealed in the samples brought by the ice and so conveniently dumped4 ,let us swiftly review the operations leading to the deposition of this natural museum4 ,as the ice of the hinterland moves forward1 it plucks fragments from the rocky floor4 ,secure in its grip1 these are used as graving-tools to erode its bed4 ,throwing its whole weight upon them it grinds and scratches1 pulverizes and grooves4 ,the rocky basement is gradually reduced in level1 especially the softer regions4 ,the tools are faceted1 polished and furrowed1 for ever moving onwards4 ,finally1 the rock-powder or rock-flour1 as it is termed1 and the boulders1 thenceforth known as erratics1 arrive at the terminal ice-face4 ,here1 the melting due to the sun's heat keeps pace with the on-thrust and some of the erratics may remain stationary1 or else1 floating in the sea1 a berg laden with boulders breaks off and deposits its load in the depths of the ocean4 ,each summer the ice-face above the rocks at ,winter ,quarters thawed back a short distance and the water ran away in rivulets1 milky-white on account of the rock-flour in suspension4 ,the pebbles and boulders too heavy to be washed away remained behind to form the moraine4 ,the erratics comprised a great variety of metamorphic and igneous rocks1 and1 on a more limited scale1 sedimentary types4 ,amongst the latter were sandstones1 slates1 shales and limestones4 ,apart from the moraines1 the rock exposed in situ was mainly a uniform type of gneiss1 crumpled and folded1 showing all the signs of great antiquity--pre-,cambrian1 in the geological phrase4 ,relieving the grey sheen of the gneiss were dark bands of schist which tracked about in an irregular manner4 ,sporadic quartz veins here and there showed a light tint4 ,they were specially interesting1 for they carried some less common minerals such as beryl1 tourmaline1 garnet1 coarse mica and ores of iron1 copper and molybdenum4 ,the ores were present in small quantities1 but gave promise of larger bodies in the vicinity and indicated the probability of mineral wealth beneath the continental ice-cap4 ,,chapter ,,vii ,,the ,,blizzard ,the equinox arrived1 and the only indication of settled weather was a more marked regularity in the winds4 ,nothing like it had been reported from any part of the world4 ,any trace of elation we may have felt at this meteorological discovery could not compensate for the ever-present discomforts of life4 ,day after day the wind fluctuated between a gale and a hurricane4 ,overcast skies of heavy nimbus cloud were the rule and the air was continually charged with drifting snow4 ,lulls of a singular nature occasionally relieved the monotony4 ,during these visitations the sequence of events could almost be predicted2 indeed1 they would often occur at the same time on several succeeding days4 ,on ,march #ai the first well-marked lull intervened at the height of a gale4 ,on that day the wind1 which had been blowing with great force during the morning1 commenced to subside rapidly just after noon4 ,towards evening1 the air about the ,hut was quite still except for gusts from the north and rather frequent whirlies4 ,this was the name adopted for whirlwinds of a few yards to a hundred yards or more in diameter which came to be regarded as peculiar to the country4 ,similar disturbances have been observed in every part of the world1 but seldom possessed of the same violence and regularity as is the case in ,adelie ,land4 ,the whirlies tracked about in a most irregular manner and woe betide any light object which came in their path4 ,the velocity of the wind in the rotating column being very great1 a corresponding lifting power was imparted to it4 ,as an illustration of this force1 it may be mentioned that the lid of the air-tractor case had been left lying on the snow near the ,hut4 ,it weighed more than three hundredweights1 yet it was whisked into the air one morning and dropped fifty yards away in a north-easterly direction4 ,an hour afterwards it was picked up again and returned near its original position1 this time striking the rocks with such force that part of it was shivered to pieces4 ,webb and ,stillwell watched the last proceeding at a respectful distance4 ,again1 the radius of activity of these whirlies was strictly limited2 objects directly in their path only being disturbed4 ,for instance1 ,laseron one day was skinning at one end of a seal and remained in perfect calm1 while ,mc,lean1 at the other extremity1 was on the edge of a furious vortex4 ,travelling over the sea the whirlies displayed fresh capabilities4 ,columns of brash-ice1 frozen spray and water-vapour were frequently seen lifted to heights of from two hundred to four hundred feet1 simulating water spouts4 ,reverting to the afternoon of ,march #ai4 ,beyond the strange stillness of the immediate vicinity1 broken occasionally by the tumult of a passing1 wandering whirly1 an incessant1 seething roar could be heard4 ,one could not be certain from whence it came1 but it seemed to proceed either from the south or overhead4 ,away on the icy promontories to the east and west1 where the slopes were visible1 mounting to an altitude of several thousand feet1 clouds of drift-snow blotted out the details of the surface above a level of about six hundred feet4 ,it certainly appeared as if the gale1 for some reason1 had lifted and was still raging overhead4 ,at #g4cj ,p4,m4 the sound we had heard1 like the distant lashing of ocean waves1 became louder4 ,soon gusts swept the tops of the rocky ridges1 gradually descending to throw up the snow at a lower level4 ,then a volley raked the ,hut1 and within a few minutes we were once more enveloped in a sea of drifting snow1 and the wind blew stronger than ever4 ,the duration of the lulls was ordinarily from a few minutes to several hours2 that of ,march #ai was longer than usual4 ,in the course of time1 after repeated observations1 much light was thrown on this phenomenon4 ,on one occasion1 a party ascending the ice slopes to the south met the wind blowing at an elevation of four hundred feet4 ,at the same time snow could be seen pouring over the ,barrier to the west of the ,winter ,quarters1 and across a foaming turmoil of water4 ,this was evidently the main cause of the seething roar1 but it was mingled with an undernote of deeper tone from the upland plateau--like the wind in a million tree-tops4 ,in the early spring1 while we were transporting provisions to the south1 frequent journeys were made to higher elevations4 ,it was then established that even when whole days of calm prevailed at the ,hut1 the wind almost without exception blew above a level of one thousand feet4 ,on such occasions it appeared that the gale was impelled to blow straight out from the plateau slopes over a lower stratum of dead-air4 ,an explanation was thereby afforded of the movement of condensation clouds which appeared in the zenith at these times4 ,a formation of delicate1 gauzy clouds developed at a low altitude1 apparently in still air1 but doubtless at the base of a hurricane stratum4 ,whirling round rapidly in eddying flocculi1 they quickly tailed away to the north1 evaporating and disappearing4 ,the auditory sense was strangely affected by these lulls4 ,the contrast was so severe when the racking gusts of an abating wind suddenly gave way to intense1 eerie silence1 that the habitual droning of many weeks would still reverberate in the ears4 ,at night one would involuntarily wake up if the wind died away1 and be loth to sleep for the hunger of a sound4 ,in the open air the stillness conveyed to the brain an impression of audibility1 interpreted as a vibratory murmur4 ,during one hour on ,march #bb it blew eighty-six miles4 ,on the morning of that day there was not much snow in the air and the raging sea was a fearful sight4 ,even the nearest of the islands1 only half a mile off the land1 was partially hidden in the clouds of spray4 ,what an impossible coast this would be for the wintering of a ship6 ,everybody knows that the pressure exerted by a wind against an object in its path mounts up in much greater proportion than the velocity of the wind4 ,thus may be realized the stupendous force of the winds of ,adelie ,land in comparison with those of half the velocity which fall within one's ordinary experience4 ,as this subject was ever before us1 the following figures quoted from a work of reference will be instructive4 ,the classification of winds1 here stated1 is that known as the ,beaufort scale4 ,the corresponding velocities in each case are those measured by the ,robinson patent anemometer2 our instrument being of a similar pattern ,beaufort scale ,velocities,pressures ,apparent effect in miles in lbs4 per hour square foot area #j;,calm #b #j4jb ,may cause smoke to move form vertical #a,light air #d #j4jf ,moves the leaves of trees #b,light breeze #g #j4ai ,moves small branches of #c;,gentle breeze #aj #j4cg trees and blows up dust #d,moderate breeze #ad #j4fg #e;,fresh breeze #ai #a4af ,good sailing breeze and #f,strong breeze #be #a4ij makes white caps #g,moderate gale #ca #b4ha ,sways trees and breaks #h;,fresh gale #cg #c4hg small branches #i,strong gale #dd #e4bg ,dangerous for sailing #aj,whole gale #ec #g4dj vessels #aa,storm #fd #aj4dj ,prostrates exposed trees #ab;,hurricane #gg #ad4dj and frail houses ,beyond the limits of this scale1 the pressures exerted rise very rapidly4 ,a wind recorded as blowing at the rate of a hundred miles per hour exerts a pressure of about twenty-three pounds per square foot of surface exposed to it4 ,wind above eighty miles per hour is stated to prostrate everything4 ,the mileages registered by our anemometer were the mean for a whole hour1 neglecting individual gusts1 whose velocity much exceeded the average and which were always the potent factors in destructive work4 ,obviously the greatest care had to be taken to secure everything4 ,still1 articles of value were occasionally missed4 ,they were usually recovered1 caught in crevices of rock or amongst the broken ice4 ,northward from the ,hut there was a trail of miscellaneous objects scattered among the hummocks and pressure-ridges out towards ,penguin ,hill on the eastern side of the boat harbour3 tins of all kinds and sizes1 timber in small scraps1 cases and boards1 paper1 ashes1 dirt1 worn-out finnesko1 ragged mitts and all the other details of a rubbish heap4 ,one of the losses was a heavy case which formed the packing of part of the magnetometer4 ,weighted-down by stones this had stood for a long time in what was regarded as a safe place4 ,one morning it was discovered to be missing4 ,it was surmised that a hurricane had started it on an ocean voyage during the previous day4 ,boxes in which ,whetter used to carry ice for domestic requirements were as a rule short-lived4 ,his problem was to fill the boxes without losing hold of them1 and the wind often gained the ascendancy before a sufficient ballast had been added4 ,we sometimes wondered whether any of the flotsam thus cast upon the waters ever reached the civilized world4 ,whatever has been said relative to the wind-pressure exerted on inanimate objects1 the same applied1 with even more point1 to our persons2 so that progression in a hurricane became a fine art4 ,the first difficulty to be encountered was a smooth1 slippery surface offering no grip for the feet4 ,stepping out of the shelter of the ,hut1 one was apt to be immediately hurled at full length down wind4 ,no amount of exertion was of any avail unless a firm foothold had been secured4 ,the strongest man1 stepping on to ice or hard snow in plain leather or fur boots1 would start sliding away with gradually increasing velocity2 in the space of a few seconds1 or earlier1 exchanging the vertical for the horizontal position4 ,he would then either stop suddenly against a jutting point of ice1 or glide along for twenty or thirty yards till he reached a patch of rocks or some rough sastrugi4 ,of course we soon learned never to go about without crampons on the feet4 ,many experiments in the manufacture of crampons were tried with the limited materials at our disposal4 ,those designed for normal ,antarctic conditions had been found unserviceable4 ,a few detachable pairs made of wrought iron with spikes about one and a half inches in length1 purchased in ,switzerland1 gave a secure foothold4 ,some of the men covered the soles of their boots with long1 bristling spikes and these served their purpose well4 ,ice-nails1 screwed into the soles without being riveted on plates1 were liable to tear out when put to a severe test1 besides being too short4 ,spikes of less than an inch in length were inadequate in hurricanes4 ,nothing devised by us gave the grip of the ,swiss crampons1 but1 to affix them1 one had to wear leather boots1 which1 though padded to increase their warmth1 had to be tightly bound by lashings compressing the feet and increasing the liability to frost-bite4 ,shod with good spikes1 in a steady wind1 one had only to push hard to keep a sure footing4 ,it would not be true to say to keep erect1 for equilibrium was maintained by leaning against the wind4 ,in course of time1 those whose duties habitually took them out of doors became thorough masters of the art of walking in hurricanes--an accomplishment comparable to skating or skiing4 ,ensconced in the lee of a substantial break-wind1 one could leisurely observe the unnatural appearance of others walking about1 apparently in imminent peril of falling on their faces4 ,experiments were tried in the steady winds2 firmly planting the feet on the ground1 keeping the body rigid and leaning over on the invisible support4 ,this lying on the wind1 at equilibrium1 was a unique experience4 ,as a rule the velocity remained uniform2 when it fluctuated in a series of gusts1 all our experience was likely to fail1 for no sooner had the correct angle for the maximum velocity been assumed than a lull intervened--with the obvious result4 ,,text ,,illustration ,a copy of the wind-velocity 7anenometer7 and the wind direction 7anemograph7 for a period of twenty-four hours1 ,adelie ,land ,this particular record illustrates a day of constant high velocity wind4 ,in the case of the upper chart each rise of the pen from the bottom to the top of the paper indicates that another #ajj miles of wind has passed the instrument4 ,the regularity of these curves shows the steadiness of the wind4 ,it will be observed that the average velocity for twenty-four hours was #ij4a miles1 and the maximum of the average hourly velocities throughout that period was ninety-seven miles4 ,the lower chart1 the record of the direction from which the wind blew1 is marked only by a single broad bar in the position of ,south-by-,east1 the wind not having veered in the slightest degree4 ,before the art of hurricane-walking was learnt1 and in the primitive days of ice-nails and finnesko1 progression in high winds degenerated into crawling on hands and knees4 ,many of the more conservative persisted in this method1 and1 as a compensation1 became the first exponents of the popular art of board-sliding4 ,a small piece of board1 a wide ice flat and a hurricane were the three essentials for this new sport4 ,wind alone would not have been so bad2 drift snow accompanied it in overwhelming amount4 ,in the autumn overcast weather with heavy falls of snow prevailed1 with the result that the air for several months was seldom free from drift4 ,indeed1 during that time1 there were not many days when objects a hundred yards away could be seen distinctly4 ,whatever else happened1 the wind never abated1 and so1 even when the snow had ceased falling and the sky was clear1 the drift continued until all the loose accumulations on the hinterland1 for hundreds of miles back1 had been swept out to sea4 ,day after day deluges of drift streamed past the ,hut1 at times so dense as to obscure objects three feet away1 until it seemed as if the atmosphere were almost solid snow4 ,,text ,,illustration ,a comparison of wind-velocities and temperatures prevailing at ,cape ,royds1 ,mcmurdo ,sound1 and at winter quarters1 ,adelie ,land1 during the months of ,may and ,june ,at the time of plotting only the above two months were available1 but they are enough to illustrate the unusually severe winter conditions of ,adelie ,land4 ,the data for ,cape ,royds is that supplied by the ,shackleton ,expedition4 ,the solid black line refers to ,adelie ,land1 the broken line to ,cape ,royds4 ,it will be noted that whereas the average temperature conditions are closely similar at both stations1 only on three days during the period did the average wind velocity at ,cape ,royds reach that of the lowest daily value of ,adelie ,land4 ,picture drift so dense that daylight comes through dully1 though1 maybe1 the sun shines in a cloudless sky2 the drift is hurled1 screaming through space at a hundred miles an hour1 and the temperature is below zero1 ,fahrenheit49999 ,you have then the bare1 rough facts concerning the worst blizzards of ,adelie ,land4 ,the actual experience of them is another thing4 9999 ,temperatures as low as -#bh degrees ,f4 7#fj degrees below freezing-point7 were experienced in hurricane winds1 which blew at a velocity occasionally exceeding one hundred miles per hour4 ,still air and low temperatures1 or high winds and moderate temperatures1 are well enough2 but the combination of high winds and low temperatures is difficult to bear4 ,shroud the infuriated elements in the darkness of a polar night1 and the blizzard is presented in a severer aspect4 ,a plunge into the writhing storm-whirl stamps upon the senses an indelible and awful impression seldom equalled in the whole gamut of natural experience4 ,the world a void1 grisly1 fierce and appalling4 ,we stumble and struggle through the ,stygian gloom2 the merciless blast--an incubus of vengeance--stabs1 buffets and freezes2 the stinging drift blinds and chokes4 ,in a ruthless grip we realize that we are poor windlestraws ,on the great1 sullen1 roaring pool of ,time4 ,it may well be imagined that none of us went out on these occasions for the pleasure of it4 ,the scientific work required all too frequent journeys to the instruments at a distance from the ,hut1 and1 in addition1 supplies of ice and stores had to be brought in1 while the dogs needed constant attention4 ,every morning1 ,madigan visited all the meteorological instruments and changed the daily charts2 at times having to feel his way from one place to the other4 ,attending to the exposed instruments in a high wind with low temperature was bad enough1 but with suffocating drift difficulties were increased tenfold4 ,around the ,hut there was a small fraternity who chose the outside veranda as a rendezvous4 ,here the latest gossip was exchanged1 and the weather invariably discussed in forcible terms4 ,there was ,whetter1 who replenished the water-supply from the unfailing fountain-head of the glacier4 ,for cooking1 washing clothes and for photographic and other purposes1 eighteen men consumed a good deal of water1 and1 to keep up with the demand1 ,whetter piled up many hardly-won boxes of ice in the veranda4 ,close unearthed coal briquettes from the heap outside1 shovelled tons of snow from the veranda and made himself useful and amiable to every one4 ,murphy1 our stand-by in small talk1 travel1 history1 literature and what not1 was the versatile storeman4 ,the store in the veranda was continually invaded by similar snow to that which covered the provision boxes outside4 ,to keep the veranda cleared1 renew the supplies and satisfy the demands of the kitchen required no other than ,murphy4 ,ninnis and ,mertz completed the ,veranda ,club1 to which honorary members from within the ,hut were constantly being added4 ,the meteorological instruments1 carefully nursed and housed though they were1 were bound to suffer in such a climate4 ,correll1 who was well fitted out with a lathe and all the requirements for instrument-making1 attended to repairs1 doing splendid service4 ,the anemometer gave the greatest trouble1 and1 before ,correll had finished with it1 most of the working parts had been replaced in stronger metal4 ,when the recording sheets of the instruments had been successfully changed1 the meteorologist packed them in a leather bag1 strapped on his shoulders1 so that they would not be lost on the way to the ,hut4 ,as soon as he arrived indoors the bag was opened and emptied2 the papers being picked out from a small heap of snow4 ,it was a fortunate thing that no one was lost through failing to discover the ,hut during the denser drifts4 ,hodgeman on one occasion caused every one a good deal of anxiety4 ,among other things1 he regularly assisted ,madigan by relieving him of outdoor duties on the day after his nightwatch1 when the chief meteorologist was due for a watch below4 ,it was in the early autumn--few of us1 then1 were adepts at finding our way by instinct--that ,hodgeman and ,madigan set out1 one morning1 for the anemometer4 ,leaving the door of the ,hut1 they lost sight of each other at once1 but anticipated meeting at the instrument4 ,madigan reached his destination1 changed the records1 waited for a while and then returned1 expecting to see his companion at the ,hut4 ,he did not appear1 so1 after a reasonable interval1 search parties set off in different directions4 ,the wind was blowing at eighty miles per hour1 making it tedious work groping about and hallooing in the drift4 ,the sea was close at hand and we realized that1 as the wind was directly off shore1 a man without crampons was in a dangerous situation4 ,two men1 therefore1 roped together and carefully searched round the head of the boat harbour2 one anchoring himself with an ice-axe1 whilst the other1 at the end of the rope1 worked along the edge of the sea4 ,meanwhile ,hodgeman returned to the ,hut1 unaided1 having spent a very unpleasant two hours struggling from one landmark to another1 his outer garments filled with snow4 ,the fact that the wind came steadily from the same direction made it possible to steer1 otherwise outdoor operations would not have been conducted so successfully4 ,for instance1 ,webb1 who visited the ,magnetograph ,house1 a quarter of a mile distant1 at least once a day1 made his way between various beacons by preserving a definite bearing on the wind4 ,his journeys were rendered all the more difficult because they were frequently undertaken at night4 ,in struggling along through very dense drifts one would be inclined to think that the presence of the sun was a matter of small concern4 ,as a matter of fact there was1 during the day1 a good deal of reflected white light and a dark object looms up within a yard or two4 ,in darkness there was nothing to recognize4 ,so ,webb would often run by dead reckoning on to the roof of the ,hut1 and would then feel his way round it till he caught the glimmer of a hurricane lantern coming through the veranda entrance4 ,i had always the greatest admiration for the unfailing manner in which those responsible for the tidal1 magnetic and meteorological work carried out their duties4 ,as a measure of the enormous amount of drift1 we set about constructing a gauge1 which1 it was hoped1 would give us a rough estimate of the quantity passing the ,hut in a year4 ,hannam1 following the approved design1 produced a very satisfactory contrivance4 ,it consisted of a large drift-tight box1 fitted on the windward side with a long metal cone1 tapering to an aperture three-quarters of an inch in diameter4 ,the drift-laden air entered the aperture1 its speed was checked on entering the capacious body of the gauge and consequently the snow fell to the bottom of the box and the air passed out behind through a trap-door4 ,the catch was taken out periodically through a bolted lid1 the snow was melted1 the resulting water measured and its weight calculated4 ,,text ,,illustration ,the drift gauge ,in thick drifts1 one's face inside the funnel of the burberry helmet became rapidly packed with snow1 which1 by the warmth of the skin and breath1 was changed into a mask of ice4 ,this adhered firmly to the rim of the helmet and to the beard and face4 ,the mask became so complete that one had to clear away obstructions continually from the eyes4 ,it was not easy to remove the casing of ice1 outside in the wind1 because this could only be done slowly1 with bare fingers exposed4 ,an experienced man1 once inside the ,hut1 would first see that the ice was broken along the rim of the helmet2 otherwise1 when it came to be hastily dragged off1 the hairs of the beard would follow as well4 ,as soon as the helmet was off the head1 the icicles hanging on the beard and glazing the eyelashes were gradually thawed by the fingers and removed4 ,the above treatment was learned by experience4 ,the abrasion-effects produced by the impact of the snow particles were astonishing4 ,pillars of ice were cut through in a few days1 rope was frayed1 wood etched and metal polished4 ,some rusty dog-chains were exposed to it1 and1 in a few days1 they had a definite sheen4 ,a deal box1 facing the wind1 lost all its painted bands and in a fortnight was handsomely marked2 the hard1 knotty fibres being only slightly attacked1 whilst the softer1 pithy laminae were corroded to a depth of one-eighth of an inch4 ,the effect of constant abrasion upon the snow's surface is to harden it1 and1 finally1 to carve ridges known as sastrugi4 ,of these much will be said when recounting our sledging adventures1 because they increase so much the difficulties of travelling4 ,even hard1 blue ice may become channelled and pitted by the action of drift4 ,again1 both neve and ice may receive a wind-polish which makes them very slippery4 ,of the effect of wind and drift upon rock1 there was ample evidence around ,winter ,quarters4 ,regarded from the north1 the aspect of the rocks was quite different from that on the southern side4 ,the southern1 windward faces were on the whole smooth and rounded1 but there was no definite polish1 because the surface was partly attacked by the chipping and splitting action of frost4 ,the leeward faces were rougher and more disintegrated4 ,more remarkable still were the etchings of the non-homogeneous banded rocks4 ,the harder portions of these were raised in relief1 producing quite an artistic pattern4 ,in regard to the drift1 a point which struck me was the enormous amount of cold communicated to the sea by billions of tons of low-temperature snow thrown upon its surface4 ,the effect upon the water1 already at freezing-point1 would be to congeal the surface at once4 ,whilst the wind continued1 however1 there was no opportunity for a crust to form1 the uppermost layers being converted into a pea-soup-like film which streamed away to the north4 ,a description of the drifts of ,adelie ,land would not be complete without mentioning the startling electrical effects which were sometimes observed4 ,the first record of these was made by ,mc,lean1 when on night-watch on ,march #bb4 ,while taking the observations at midnight1 he noticed ,st4 ,elmo's fire1 a brush discharge of electricity1 on the points of the nephoscope4 ,as the weather became colder this curious phenomenon increased in intensity4 ,at any time in the drift1 an electroscope exposed outside became rapidly charged4 ,a spark gap in a vacuum1 connected with a free end of wire1 gave a continuous discharge4 ,at times1 when the effects were strong1 the night-watchman would find the edges and wire stays of the screen outlined in a fashion reminiscent of a pyrotechnic display or an electric street-advertisement4 ,the corners of boxes and points of rock glowed with a pale blue light4 ,the same appeared over points on the clothing1 on the mitts and round the funnel of the helmet4 ,no sensation was transmitted to the body from these points of fire1 at least nothing sufficiently acute to be felt1 with the drift and wind lashing on the body outside4 ,however1 the anemograph several times discharged a continuous stream of sparks into ,madigan's fingers while he was changing the records4 ,once these sparks reached half an inch in length1 and1 as his fingers were bared for the work1 there was no mistaking the feeling4 ,for regular observations on the subject1 ,correll fixed a pointed collector--a miniature lightning-conductor--above the flagpole on the summit of the roof4 ,a wire was led through an insulator1 so that the stream of electricity could be subjected to experiment in the ,hut4 ,here a brush of blue light radiated outwards to a distance of one inch4 ,when a conductor was held close to it1 a rattling volley of sparks immediately crossed the interval and the air was pervaded with a strong smell of ozone4 ,of course sparks were not always being emitted by the collector1 and it was important to determine the periods of activity4 ,to ensure this1 ,hurley devised an automatic arrangement1 so that an electric bell was set ringing whenever a current was passing2 the night-watchman would then note the fact in the log-book4 ,however1 the bell responded so often and so vigorously that it was soon dismantled for the benefit of sleepers4 ,it was singular that the brush discharge was sometimes most copious when the atmosphere was filled with very fine drift1 and not necessarily during dense drift4 ,after what has been said1 it will be obvious that the drift-laden hurricanes of the country were more than ordinarily formidable4 ,they scarcely seemed to provide a subject for poetic inspiration2 still the following effusion appeared by ,mc,lean1 ,editor of the ',adelie ,blizzard'3-- ,,the ,,blizzard ,a snow-hush brooding o'er the grey rock-hills6 ,a wold of silence1 ominous1 that fills ,the wide seascape of ice-roofed islands1 rolls ,to ether-zones that gird the frigid ,poles6 ,realm of purest alabaster-white1 ,wreathed in a vast infinitude of light2 ,the royal orb swings to thy summer gaze ,a glitt'ring azure world of crystal days4 ,the lorn bird-voices of an unseen land- ,no hue of forest1 gleam of ocean sand- ,rise in a ceaseless plaint of raucous din1 ,on northern tides the bergs come floating in4 ,the wind-sprites murmuring in hinter-snow- ,the pent heart-throbbings of the wan plateau- ,wing through the pulsing spell thrown o'er the sea1 ,in wild and shrieking blizzard minstrelsy4 ,swirl of the drift-cloud's shimm'ring sleet2 ,race of the spray-smoke's hurtling sheet ,swelling trail of the streaming1 sunbright foam1 ,wafting sinuous brash to an ice-field home4 ,eddy-wraiths o'er the splintered schist- ,torrent spume down the glacier hissed6 ,throbbing surge of the ebbing seaward gust1 ,raping stillness vast in its madd'ning lust4 ,lotus-floe 'neath the ,barrier brink1 ,starting sheer--a marble blink- ,pelting shafts from the show'ring arrow-blast ,strike--ill the blackened flood seethe riven past4 ,glow of the vibrant1 yellow west ,pallid fades in the dread unrest4 ,low'ring shades through the fury-stricken night ,rack the screaming void in shudd'ring might4 ,requiem peace from the hinter-snows ,soft as river music flows4 ,dawn in a flushing glamour tints the sea2 ,serene her thrill of rhythmic ecstasy4 ,sledging was out of the question4 ,indeed1 we recognized how fortunate we were not to have pushed farther south in ,march4 ,had we advanced1 it is more than likely that provisions would have been exhausted before we could have located the ,hut in the sea of drift4 ,our hopes were now centred on midwinter calms4 ,looking through my diary1 ,i notice that on ,march #bd1 we experienced a rise in spirits because of the improved weather4 ,i find the average velocity of the wind for that day to have been forty-five miles per hour1 corresponding to a strong gale on the ,beaufort scale4 ,this tells its own story4 ,when the high wind blew off shore1 there was no backswell1 on account of the pack-ice to the north quelling the sea4 ,the arrival of a true ocean swell meant that the pack had been dispersed4 ,on ,march #bd such appears to have been the case1 for then1 during the day1 a big northerly swell set in1 dashing over the ice-foot and scattering seaweed on the rocks4 ,after the equinox1 the temperatures remained in the vicinity of zero1 ,fahrenheit4 ,the penguins took to the sea1 and1 save for the glimpse of an occasional petrel on the wing1 the landscape was desolate4 ,it was high time that our programme of construction was completed1 but1 however much we tried1 it was impossible to do a great deal in winds exceeding fifty miles an hour4 ,by taking advantage of days freest from drift1 the exterior of the ,hangar was completed by ,april #f4 ,after the air-tractor sledge had been moved inside1 the snow was piled so high on the leeward face1 that the shelter became naturally blocked with a rampart of snow which served admirably in place of the wall of tarpaulin which we originally intended to use4 ,bickerton could now proceed at leisure to make any necessary alterations4 ,the ,hangar was also used as a store for many articles which had been crowded into odd corners or rescued from the snow outside4 ,to increase its size1 tunnels were afterwards driven into the bank of snow and timber was stowed in these so as to be safe from burial and loss4 ,the building was finished just in the nick of time4 ,snow came down so thickly that had the falls occurred a few days earlier1 the cases from which the place was constructed would have been effectually buried and the construction made an impossibility4 ,but for the wind1 the ,hut would have been lost to sight4 ,still1 it was completely surrounded by massive drifts1 and the snow was driven by the wind past the canvas flap and through the entrance1 until the veranda became choked4 ,close1 who was night-watchman during the early morning hours of ,april #g1 had the greatest difficulty in getting outside to attend to his duties4 ,to dig his way through the entrance1 reach the instruments and to return occupied a whole hour4 ,we were inundated with snow2 even a portion of the roof was buried4 ,the situation required immediate attention2 so it was decided to make a tunnel connecting the entrance veranda with the store veranda4 ,from the north-western end of the latter1 an out-draught had established itself1 preserving a vertical funnel-like opening in the snow bank1 always free for entrance or exit4 ,this proved a fortunate accident4 ,further1 a second tunnel1 over twenty feet in length1 was driven out from the original entrance with a view to reaching the surface at a point beyond the lee of the ,hut4 ,it was thought that the scouring effect of the wind1 there1 would keep the opening of the tunnel free of drift4 ,but when completed1 it filled rapidly with snow and had to be sealed4 ,it was then used to receive slop-water4 ,while the fever for excavation was at its height1 ,whetter drove1 as an off-shoot to the first1 another tunnel which came to be used as a nursery for the pups4 ,at this stage1 to leave the ,hut1 it was necessary to crawl through a low trap-door in the wall of the inside or entrance veranda2 the way then led to the connecting tunnel and onwards to the store veranda2 finally one climbed through a manhole in the snow into the elements without4 ,from the store veranda there was access to the ,hangar by a hinged door in the common wall1 and1 as an additional convenience1 a trap-door was made in the roof of the inner veranda to be used during spells of clear weather or in light drift4 ,the old landmarks became smothered in snow1 making the ,hut's position a matter of greater uncertainty4 ,a journey by night to the magnetic huts was an outing with a spice of adventure4 ,climbing out of the veranda1 one was immediately swallowed in the chaos of hurtling drift1 the darkness sinister and menacing4 ,the shrill wind fled by-- 444the noise of a drive of the ,dead1 ,striving before the irresistible will ,through the strange dusk of this1 the ,debatable land ,between their place and ours4 ,unseen wizard hands clutched with insane fury1 hacked and harried4 ,it was the raw-ribbed ,wild that abhors all life1 the ,wild that would crush and rend4 ,cowering blindly1 pushing fiercely through the turmoil1 one strove to keep a course to reach the rocks in which the huts were hidden--such and such a bearing on the wind--so far4 ,when the rocks came in sight1 the position of the final destination was only deduced by recognising a few surrounding objects4 ,on the return journey1 the vicinity of the ,hut would be heralded by such accidents as tripping over the wireless ground wires or kicking against a box or a heap of coal briquettes4 ,these clues1 properly followed up1 would lead to the ,hut itself1 or at least to its shelving roof4 ,in the very thick drifts it was even possible to stand on portions of the roof without any notion of the fact4 ,fossicking about1 one kept on the alert for the feel of woodwork4 ,when found and proved to be too extensive to be a partially buried box1 it might safely be concluded to be some part of the roof1 and only required to be skirted in order to reach the vertical entrance4 ,the lost man often discovered this pitfall by dropping suddenly through into the veranda4 ,at the entrance to the tunnel1 the roar of the tempest died away into a rumble1 the trap-door opened and perhaps the strains of the gramophone would come in a kind of flippant defiance from the interior4 ,passing through the vestibule and work-room one beheld a scene in utter variance with the outer hell4 ,here were warm bunks1 rest1 food1 light and companionship--for the time being1 heaven6 ,outside1 the crude and naked elements of a primitive and desolate world flowed in writhing torrents4 ,the night-watchman's duty of taking the meteorological observations at the screen adjacent to the ,hut was a small matter compared with the foregoing4 ,first of all1 it was necessary for him to don a complete outfit of protective clothing4 ,dressing and undressing were tedious1 and absorbed a good deal of time4 ,at the screen1 he would spend a lively few minutes wrestling in order to hold his ground1 forcing the door back against the pressure of wind1 endeavouring to make the light shine on the instruments1 and1 finally1 clearing them of snow and reading them4 ,for illumination a hurricane lantern wrapped in a calico wind-shield was first used1 to be displaced later by an electrical signalling-lamp and1 while the batteries lasted1 by a light permanently fixed by ,hannam in the screen itself4 ,to assist in finding the manhole on his return1 the night-watchman was in the habit of leaving a light burning in the outer veranda4 ,i remember waking up early one morning to find the ,hut unusually cold4 ,on rising1 ,i discovered ,hurley also awake1 busy lighting the fire which had died out4 ,there was no sign of ,correll1 the night-watchman1 and we found that the last entry in the log-book had been made several hours previously4 ,hurley dressed in full burberrys and went out to make a search1 in which he was soon successful4 ,it appeared that ,correll1 running short of coal during the early morning hours1 had gone out to procure some from the stack4 ,while he was returning to the entrance1 the wind rolled him over a few times1 causing him to lose his bearings4 ,it was blowing a hurricane1 the temperature was -#gj ,f41 and the drift-snow was so thick as to be wall-like in opacity4 ,he abandoned his load of coal1 and1 after searching about fruitlessly for some time in the darkness1 he decided to wait for dawn4 ,hurley found him about twenty yards from the back of the ,hut4 ,the suppression of outdoor occupations reacted in an outburst of indoor work4 ,the smaller room had been well fitted up as a workshop1 and all kinds of schemes were in progress for adapting our sledging-gear and instruments to the severe conditions4 ,correll worked long hours to keep up with the demands made upon him4 ,nobody was idle during the day1 for1 when there was nothing else to be done1 there always remained the manufacture and alteration of garments and crampons4 ,as soon as the wind abated to a reasonable velocity1 there was a rush to the outside jobs4 ,lulls would come unexpectedly1 activity inside ceased1 and the ,hut1 as seen by a spectator1 resembled an ants' nest upon which a strange foot had trodden3 eighteen men swarming through the manhole in rapid succession1 hurrying hither and thither4 ,the neighbouring sea still remained free from an ice-crust4 ,this1 of course1 did not mean that freezing was not going on continuously4 ,on the contrary1 the chilling was no doubt accelerated1 but the bulk of the ice was carried off to the north as fast as it was formed4 ,quantities1 however1 remained as ground-ice1 anchored to the kelp and stones on the bottom4 ,gazing down through the clear waters one saw a white1 mamillated sheath covering the jungle of giant seaweed1 recalling a forest after a heavy snowfall4 ,the ice1 instead of being a dead weight bearing down the branches1 tended to float1 and1 when accumulated in large masses1 sometimes succeeded in rising to the surface1 uprooting and lifting great lengths of seaweed with it4 ,one branching stem1 found floating in the harbour1 measured eighteen feet in length4 ,whenever a temporary calm intervened1 a skin of ice quickly appeared over the whole surface of the water4 ,in the early stages1 this formation consisted of loose1 blade-like crystals1 previously floating freely below the surface and rising by their own buoyancy4 ,at the surface1 if undisturbed1 they soon became cemented together4 ,for example1 during a calm interval on ,april #f1 within the interval of an hour1 an even crust1 one inch thick1 covered the sea4 ,but the wind returned before the ice was sufficiently strong to resist it1 and it all broke up and drifted away to the north1 except a piece which remained wedged firmly between the sides of the boat harbour4 ,in the calm weather1 abundant worms freely swimming1 jelly-fish1 pteropods and small fish were observed4 ,traps were lowered along the edge of the harbour-ice and dredgings were made in every possible situation4 ,the bulk of the biological collecting was effected under circumstances in which ,hunter and ,laseron might well have given up work in disgust4 ,for instance1 ,i noted in my diary that on ,may #af1 with an off shore wind of forty-three miles per hour1 they and several others were dredging from the edge of the slippery bay-ice4 ,the temperature at the time was -#b degrees ,f4 ,during ,april the head of the boat harbour froze over permanently1 the ice reaching a thickness of eighteen inches in ten days4 ,by that time it was strong enough to be suitable for a tide-gauge4 ,this was one of ,bage's charges1 destined to take him out for many months in fair and foul weather4 ,there were several occasions in ,april when the velocity of the wind exceeded ninety miles an hour4 ,on the evening of the #bfth1 the wind slackened1 and for part of the #bgth had almost fallen to a calm4 ,this brought the optimists to the fore1 once again1 with the theory that the worst was over4 ,the prediction was far from being fulfilled1 for1 as the days passed1 the average velocity steadily rose4 ,on ,may #aa the average for the twenty-four hours was eighty miles per hour4 ,by that time the ,hut had been further protected by a crescent of cases1 erected behind the first break-wind4 ,in height this erection stood above the ,hangar1 and1 when the snow became piled in a solid ramp on the leeward side1 it was more compact than ever4 ,inside the ,hut extra struts were introduced1 stiffening the principal rafters on the southern side4 ,it was reassuring to know that these precautions had been taken1 for1 on ,may #ae1 the wind blew at an average velocity of ninety miles per hour throughout the whole twenty-four hours4 ,having failed to demolish us by dogged persistence1 the hurricane tried new tactics on the evening of ,may #bd1 in the form of a terrific series of ,herculean gusts4 ,as we learned afterwards1 the momentary velocity of these doubtless approached two hundred miles per hour4 ,at #aa4cj ,p4,m4 the situation was cheerfully discussed1 though every one was tuned up to a nervous pitch as the ,hut creaked and shuddered under successive blows4 ,it seemed very doubtful whether the roof would resist the gusts1 and the feasibility of the meat cellar as a last haven of refuge was discussed4 ,after the passage of each gust1 the barometer dropped1 rising again immediately afterwards4 ,similar pulsations of the barometer were observed many times later in the year4 ,the maximum sudden movement noted was one-fifth inch4 ,had the interior of the ,hut been more freely in communication with the outside air1 instead of resembling a hermetically sealed box1 the kicks would undoubtedly have been much greater4 ,cyclonic gusts were repeated a few days after1 when the upper tiers of boxes composing the break-wind were thrown down and pebbles from the moraine were hurled on the roof4 ,the average velocity of the wind for each of the three autumn months was as follows3 ,march1 #di miles per hour2 ,april1 #ea4e miles per hour1 and ,may #fj4g miles per hour4 ,on ,may #a the temperatures became lower1 so that it was difficult to move about in the gales without the face getting frost-bitten4 ,our usual remedy when this occurred was to hold a mitt over the part affected2 thus sheltered1 its circulation of blood was soon re-established1 unless the cold were very intense4 ,in the extremities--the fingers and toes--warmth was not so easily restored4 ,returning from attending the instruments at noon on ,may #bb1 ,madigan1 according to the usual habit1 before taking off his wind-proof clothes1 commenced clearing away the ice adhering to his helmet and face4 ,one white patch refused to leave the side of his face1 until some one observed that it was a frost-bite1 and acquainted him of the fact4 ,frost-bites that day were excusable enough1 for the wind was blowing between ninety-five and hundred miles per hour1 there was dense drifting snow and a temperature of -#bh degrees ,f4 ,we had found an accursed country4 ,on the fringe of an unspanned continent along whose gelid coast our comrades had made their home--we knew not where--we dwelt where the chill breath of a vast1 ,polar wilderness1 quickening to the rushing might of eternal blizzards1 surged to the northern seas4 ,already1 and for long months we were beneath frost-fettered ,winter's frown4 ,,chapter ,,viii ,,domestic ,,life ,our hearth and home was the living ,hut and its focus was the stove4 ,kitchen and stove were indissolubly linked1 and beyond their pale was a wilderness of hanging clothes1 boots1 finnesko1 mitts and what not1 bounded by tiers of bunks and blankets1 more hanging clothes and dim photographs between the frost-rimed cracks of the wooden walls4 ,one might see as much in the first flicker of the acetylene through a maze of hurrying figures1 but as his eyes grew accustomed to the light1 the plot would thicken3 books orderly and disorderly1 on bracketed shelves1 cameras great and small in motley confusion1 guns and a gramophone-horn1 serpentine yards of gas-tubing1 sewing machines1 a microscope1 rows of pint-mugs1 until--thud6 he has obstructed a wild-eyed messman staggering into the kitchen with a box of ice4 ,the wilderness was always inhabited1 so much so that it often became a bear-garden in which raucous good humour prevailed over everything4 ,noise was a necessary evil1 and it commenced at #g4cj ,a4,m41 with the subdued melodies of the gramophone1 mingled with the stirring of the porridge-pot and the clang of plates deposited none too gently on the table4 ,at #g4ej ,a4,m4 came the stentorian3 ,rise and shine6 of the night-watchman1 and a curious assortment of cat-calls1 beating on pots and pans and fragmentary chaff4 ,at the background1 so to speak1 of all these sounds was the swishing rush of the wind and the creaking strain of the roof1 but these had become neglected4 ,in fact1 if there were a calm1 every one was restless and uneasy4 ,the seasoned sleeper who survived the ten minutes' bombardment before #h o'clock was an unusual person1 and he was often the ,astronomer ,royal4 ,besides his dignified name he possessed a wrist-watch1 and there was never a movement in his mountain of blankets until #g4ei ,a4,m41 unless the jocular night-watchman chose to make a heap of them on the floor4 ,to calls like ,breakfast all ready6 ,porridge on the table getting cold6 seventeen persons in varying stages of wakefulness responded4 ,no one was guilty of an elaborate toilet1 water being a scarce commodity4 ,there were adherents of the snow-wash theory1 but these belonged to an earlier and warmer epoch of our history4 ,for downright1 tantalizing cheerfulness there was no one to equal the night-watchman4 ,while others strove to collect their befuddled senses1 this individual prated of wind eighty miles per hour with moderate drift and brilliant ,st4 ,elmo's fire4 ,he boasted of the number of garments he had washed1 expanded vigorously on bread making--his brown1 appetizing specimens in full public view--told of the latest escapade among the dogs1 spoke of the fitful gleams of the aurora between #a4cj and #b ,a4,m41 of his many adventures on the way to the meteorological screen and so forth2 until from being a mere night-watchman he had raised himself to the status of a public hero4 ,for a time he was most objectionable1 but under the solid influence of porridge1 tinned fruit1 fresh bread1 butter and tea and the soothing aroma of innumerable pipes1 other public heroes arose and ousted this upstart of the night4 ,meanwhile1 the latter began to show signs of abating energy after twelve hours' work4 ,soon some wag had caught him having a private nap1 a whispered signal was passed round and the unfortunate hero was startled into life with a rousing ,rise and shine6 in which all past scores were paid off4 ,every one was at last awake and the day began in earnest4 ,the first hint of this came from the messman and cook who commenced to make a ,herculean sweep of the pint-mugs and tin plates4 ,the former deferentially proceeded to scrape the plates1 the master-cook presiding over a tub of boiling water in which he vigorously scoured knives1 forks and spoons1 transferring them in dripping handfuls to the cleanest part of the kitchen-table4 ,cooks of lyric inclination would enliven the company with the score of the latest gramophone opera1 and the messman and company would often feel impelled to join in the choruses4 ,the night-watchman had sunk into log-like slumber1 and the meteorologist and his merry men were making preparations to go abroad4 ,the merry men included the ice-carrier1 the magnetician1 the two wardens of the dogs1 the snow-shoveller and coal-carrier and the storeman4 ,the rest subdivided themselves between the living ,hut at #de degrees ,f4 and the outer ,hut below freezing-point1 taking up their endless series of jobs4 ,the merry men began to make an organized raid on the kitchen4 ,around and above the stove hung oddments like wolf-skin mitts1 finnesko1 socks1 stockings and helmets1 which had passed from icy rigidity through sodden limpness to a state of parchment dryness4 ,the problem was to recover one's own property and at the same time to avoid the cook scraping the porridge saucepan and the messman scrubbing the table4 ,the urbane storeman saved the situation by inquiring of the cook3 ,what will you have for lunch8 ,then followed a heated colloquy1 the former1 like a ,cingalese vendor1 having previously made up his mind4 ,the argument finally crystallized down to lambs' tongues and beetroot1 through herrings and tomato sauce1 fresh herrings1 kippered herrings1 sardines and corn beef4 ,the second question was a preliminary to more serious business2 ,what would you like for dinner8 ,although much trouble might have been saved by reference to the regulation programme1 which was composed to provide variety in diet and to eliminate any remote chance of scurvy1 most cooks adopted an attitude of surly independence1 counting it no mean thing to have wheedled from the storeman a few more ounces of glaxo1 another tin of peas or an extra ration of penguin meat4 ,all this chaffering took place in the open market-place1 so to speak1 and there was no lack of frank criticism from bystanders1 onlookers and distant eavesdroppers4 ,in case the cook was worsted1 the messman sturdily upheld his opinions1 and in case the weight of public opinion was too much for the storeman1 he slipped on his felt mitts1 shouldered a ,venesta box and made for the tunnel which led to the store4 ,he reaches an overhead vent admitting a cool torrent of snow1 and with the inseparable box plunges ahead into darkness4 ,an hour later his ruddy face reappears in the ,hut1 and a load of frosted tins is soon unceremoniously dumped on to the kitchen table4 ,the cook in a swift survey notes the absence of penguin meat4 ,that'll take two hours to dig out6 is the storeman's rejoinder1 and to make good his word1 proceeds to pull off blouse and helmet4 ,by careful inquiry in the outer ,hut he finds an ice-axe1 crowbar and hurricane lantern4 ,the next move is to the outer veranda1 where a few loose boards are soon removed1 and the storeman1 with a lithe twist1 is out of sight4 ,we have pushed the tools down and1 following the storeman1 painfully squeezed into an ,arcadia of starry mounds of snow and glistening plaques of ice1 through which project a few boulders and several carcases of mutton4 ,the storeman rummages in the snow and discloses a pile of penguins1 crusted hard together in a homogeneous lump4 ,dislodging a couple of penguins appears an easy proposition1 but we are soon disillusioned4 ,the storeman seizes the head of one bird1 wrenches hard1 and off it breaks as brittle as a stalactite4 ,the same distracting thing happens to both legs1 and the only remedy is to chip laboriously an icy channel around it4 ,in a crouching or lying posture1 within a confined space1 this means the expenditure of much patience1 not to mention the exhaustion of all invective4 ,a crowbar decides the question4 ,one part of the channel is undermined1 into this the end of the crowbar is thrust and the penguin shoots up and hits the floor of the ,hut4 ,the storeman1 plastered with snow1 reappears hot and triumphant before the cook1 but this dignitary is awkwardly kneading the dough of wholemeal scones1 and the messman is feeding the fire with seal-blubber to ensure a quick oven4 ,every one is too busy to notice the storeman1 for1 like the night-watchman1 his day is over and he must find another job4 ,jobs in the ,hut were the elixir of life1 and a day's cooking was no exception to the rule4 ,it began at #g ,a4,m41 and1 with a brief intermission between lunch and afternoon tea1 continued strenuously till #h4cj ,p4,m4 ,cooks were broadly classified as ,crook ,cooks and ,unconventional ,cooks by the eating public4 ,such flattering titles as ,assistant ,grand ,past ,master of the ,crook ,cooks' ,association or ,associate of the ,society of ,muddling ,messmen were not empty inanities2 they were founded on solid fact--on actual achievement4 ,if there were no constitutional affiliation1 strong sympathy undoubtedly existed between the ,crook ,cooks' ,association and ,the ,society of ,muddling ,messmen4 ,both contained members who had committed championships4 ,championship was a term evolved from the local dialect1 applying to a slight mishap1 careless accident or unintentional disaster in any department of ,hut life4 ,the fall of a dozen plates from the shelf to the floor1 the fracture of a table-knife in frozen honey1 the burning of the porridge or the explosion of a tin thawing in the oven brought down on the unfortunate cook a storm of derisive applause and shouts of ,championship6 ,championship6 ,thawing-out tinned foods by the heroic aid of a red-hot stove was a common practice4 ,one day a tin of baked beans was shattered in the port oven1 and fragments of dried beans were visible on the walls and door for weeks4 ,our military cook would often facetiously refer to platoon-firing in the starboard oven4 ,one junior member of the ,crook ,cooks' ,association had the hardihood to omit baking powder in a loaf of soda-bread1 trusting that prolonged baking would repair the omission4 ,the result was a championship of a very superior order4 ,being somewhat modest1 he committed it through the trap-door to the mercy of the wind1 and for a time it was lost in the straggling rubbish which tailed away to the north4 ,even the prowling dogs in their wolfish hunger could not overcome a certain prejudice4 ,of course some one found it1 and the public hailed it with delight4 ,a searching inquiry was made1 but the perpetrator was never discovered4 ,that loaf1 however1 like the proverbial bad penny1 turned up for months4 ,when the intricate system of snow-tunnels was being perfected1 it was excavated4 ,in the early summer1 when the aeroplane was dug out of the ,hangar1 that loaf appeared once more1 and almost the last thing we saw when leaving the ,hut1 nearly two years after1 was this petrifaction on an icy pedestal near the ,boat ,harbour4 ,no one ever forgot the roly-poly pudding made without suet2 synthetic rubber was its scientific name4 ,and the muddling messman could never be surpassed who lost the cutter of the sausage machine and put salt-water ice in the melting-pots4 ,there appeared in the columns of ',the ,adelie ,blizzard' an article by the meteorologist descriptive of an occasion when two members of the ,crook ,cooks' ,association officiated in the kitchen3 ,,terebus ,,and ,,error ,,in ,,eruption ,an ',orrible ,affair in ,one ,act ,,by ,a ,,survivor ,dramatis ,personae ,,terebus ,crook ,cooks ,,error ,other ,expedition ,members ,scene3 ,kitchen1 ,winter ,quarters4 ,time3 #e4cj ,p4,m4 ,,error4 ,now1 ,terebus1 just bring me a nice clean pot1 will you8 ,,terebus from his bunk4 ,go on1 do something yourself6 ,,error4 ,do something8 ,i've done everything that has been done this afternoon4 ,,terebus4 ,well1 you ought to feel pretty fresh4 ,,error4 ,and all the melting-pots are empty and ,i'm not going to fill them4 ,besides1 it's not in the regulations4 ,voices4 ,who's going crook8 ,error6 ,,terebus climbs from his bunk and exit for ice4 ,,error attempts to extricate a pot from the nails in the shelves4 ,loud alarums4 ,voices4 ,champ-ion-ship6 ,alarums without4 ,loud cries of ,door6 ,enter ,,terebus with box of ice2 fills all the pots on the stove4 ,,error4 ,good heavens1 man1 you've filled up the tea water with ice4 ,,terebus with hoarse laugh4 ,never mind1 they won't want so much glaxo to cool it4 ,,error who has meanwhile been mixing bread4 ,what shall we bake the bread in8 ,i believe it is considered that a square tin is more suitable for ordinary ovens1 but1 on the other hand1 ,nansen in his ',farthest ,north' used flat dishes4 ,,terebus4 ,use a tin4 ,there'll be less surface exposed to the cold oven4 ,,error4 ,what's all this water on the floor8 ,i thought my feet seemed cold4 ,some one must have upset a bucket4 ,,terebus4 ,oh1 it's one of the taps turned on4 ,never mind1 there's plenty more ice where that came from4 ,get your sea-boots4 ,enter ,,meteorological ,,staff and others with snow-covered burberrys1 mitts1 etc41 crowd kitchen and hang impedimenta round the stove4 ,great tumult4 ,,terebus4 ,here1 out of the kitchen4 ,this isn't the time to worry the cooks4 ,,error4 ,take those burberrys away1 please1 old man4 ,they're dripping into the soup4 ,,terebus4 ,give it some flavour at least4 ,great activity in the crater of ,,error while ,,terebus clears the kitchen4 ,,error continues stirring ,soup and tapioca custard on the stove4 ,strong smell of burning4 ,,voices in peculiarly joyful chorus4 ,something burning6 ,,error aside to ,,terebus4 ,it's all right4 ,it will taste all right4 ,say it's cloth on the stove4 ,,terebus4 ,somebody's burberrys burning against the stove66 ,general rush to the stove4 ,,terebus4 ,it's all right1 ,i've taken them away4 ,interval1 during which much sotto voce discussion is heard in the kitchen4 ,,error4 ,we haven't put the spinach on to thaw and it's after six o'clock4 ,,terebus4 ,warm it up and put it on the table with the tin-openers4 ,,error4 ,i'm afraid that's against the regulations4 ,put it in the oven and shut the door4 ,,terebus does so4 ,later1 terrific explosion1 followed by strong smell of spinach4 ,,voices4 ,what's the matter8 ,terebus in eruption6 ,,terebus wiping spinach off his face4 ,nothing wrong4 ,only a tin of spinach opened automatically4 ,,error4 ,it's plastered all over the oven and on everything4 ,,terebus4 ,don't worry1 it will be served up with the baked penguin4 ,period of partial quiescence of ,,terebus and ,,error1 which is regarded as an evil omen4 ,,error in persuasive tone4 ,have you made the tea1 old boy8 ,it's nearly half-past six4 ,,terebus takes off the lid of the tea-boiler1 peers inside1 making a scoop with his hand4 ,,error4 ,here1 don't do that4 ,mind your hands4 ,,terebus4 ,it's all right1 it's not hot4 ,,error4 ,what shall we do1 then8 ,we'll never keep them quiet if we are late with the tea4 ,,terebus4 ,put the tea in now4 ,it will be warmed up by the second course4 ,,terebus puts the infusers in the pot and stirs them round4 ,,error4 ,taste it4 ,,both taste with a dirty spoon4 ,,terebus4 ,tastes like your soup--'orrible6 ,,error4 ,there's nothing wrong with the soup4 ,you attend to the tea4 ,,terebus4 ,i think we'll have coffee4 ,pass the coffee and ,i'll put that in and bring it to the boil4 ,the coffee will kill the taste of the tea4 ,,error4 ,hope you make it stronger than that4 ,during quiescent stage while each is thinking of a retort1 #f4cj ,p4,m4 arrives1 and the soup is put on the table4 ,interval elapses during which the victims are expected to eat the soup4 ,,voices in loud chant from the table4 ,how did you do it1 ,error8 ,,terebus after a suitable period4 ,any one like any more soup8 ,a ,,voice4 ,couldn't risk it1 ,governor4 ,,terebus4 ,bowls up6 ,lick spoons6 ,bowls are cleared away and baked penguin is put on the table4 ,,error4 ,cooks have got their penguin1 gentlemen4 ,suspicious glances exchanged at table4 ,later1 monotonous chant goes up1 preceded by a soft ,one1 two1 three4 ,didn't scrape the blubber off1 ,error4 ,plates cleared away and scraped into dogs' bucket4 ,,error takes tapioca custard from oven in two dishes4 ,,error aside to ,,terebus4 ,take some out of this one for us and don't forget to put that dish in front of the ,doctor1 because ,i spilled soda in the other4 ,,terebus takes two large helpings out and puts rest on table as directed4 ,,terebus4 ,you need not remember the cooks1 gentlemen4 ,a ,,voice4 ,don't want to1 if ,i can manage it4 ,,error aside to ,,terebus4 ,put on the ,algerian sweets1 and then we can have ours4 ,,terebus taking several handfuls4 ,we'll put these aside for perks4 ,the sweets on the table1 ,,terebus and ,,error retire to kitchen to have their dinner4 ,,error4 ,is this my pudding8 ,it's only an ordinary share4 ,,terebus is too busy to reply1 and further eruption is prevented by the temporary plugging of ,,error4 ,cooking1 under the inspiration of ,mrs4 ,beeton1 became a fine art3 ,on bones we leave no meat on1 ,for we study ,mrs4 ,beeton4 ,so said the song4 ,on birthdays and other auspicious occasions dishes appeared which would tempt a gourmet4 ,puff-pastry1 steam-puddings1 jellies and blancmanges1 original potages and consommes1 seal curried and spiced1 penguin delicately fried1 vegetables reflavoured1 trimmed and adorned were received without comment as the culinary standard rose4 ,birthdays were always greeted with special enthusiasm4 ,speeches were made1 toasts were drunk1 the supple boards of the table creaked with good things1 cook and messman vied with each other in lavish hospitality1 the ,hut was ornate with flags1 every man was spruce in his snowiest cardigan and neck-cloth1 the gramophone sang of music-hall days1 the wind roared its appreciation through the stove-pipe1 and rollicking merriment was supreme4 ,on such occasions the photographer and the biologist made a genial combination4 ,the dark-room was the nursery of the topical song4 ,there1 by lantern or candle-stump1 wit ,rabelaisian1 ,aristophanic or ,antarctic was cradled into rhyme4 ,from there1 behind the scenes1 the comedian in full dress could step before the footlights into salvoes of savage applause4 ,a ,pair of ,unconventional ,cooks are we1 are we1 and the famous refrain1 ,there he is1 that's him1 were long unrivalled in our musical annals4 ,celebrations were carried on into the night1 but no one forgot the cook and the messman4 ,the table was cleared by many willing hands1 some brought in ice and coal or swept the floor1 others scraped plates or rinsed out mugs and bowls4 ,soon1 everything had passed through the cauldron of water1 soap and soda to the drying-towels and on to the shelves4 ,the main crowd then repaired with pipes and cigars to ,hyde ,park ,corner1 where the storeman1 our raconteur par excellence1 entertained the smokers' club4 ,a mixed concert brought the evening to the grand finale--,auld ,lang ,syne4 ,after events of this character1 the higher shelves of the kitchen1 in the interstices between thermographs1 photographic plates ink bottles1 and ,russian stout1 abounded with titbits of pie crust1 blancmange1 jelly1 ,vienna rusks1 preserved figs1 and other perks4 ,such perks1 or perquisites1 were the property of the presiding cook or night-watchman and rarely survived for more than a day4 ,the mania for celebration became so great that reference was frequently made to the almanac4 ,during one featureless interval1 the anniversary of the ,first ,lighting of ,london by ,gas was observed with extraordinary eclat4 ,the great medium of monetary exchange in the ,hut was chocolate4 ,a ration of thirty squares was distributed by the storeman every ,saturday night1 and for purposes of betting1 games of chance1 ,calcutta sweeps on the monthly wind-velocity and general barter1 chocolate held the premier place4 ,at the sweeps1 the meteorologist stood with a wooden hammer behind the table1 and the gaming public swarmed on the other side4 ,numbers ranging from low field and forty-five to sixty-five and high field were sold by auction to the highest bidder4 ,excitement was intense while the cartographer in clerical glasses worked out the unknown number4 ,as a consequence of wild speculation1 there were several cases of bankruptcy1 which was redeemed in the ordinary way by a sale of the debtor's effects4 ,two financiers1 indifferent to the charms of chocolate1 established a corner or ,bank in the commodity4 ,the ,bank1 by barter and usurious methods1 amassed a great heap of well-thumbed squares1 and1 when accused of rapacity1 invented a scheme for the common good known as ,huntoylette4 ,this was a game of chance similar to roulette1 and for a while it completely gulfed the trusting public4 ,in the reaction which followed1 there was a rush on ,the ,bank1 and the concern was wound up1 but the promoters escaped with a large profit in candles and chocolate4 ,throughout the winter months1 work went on steadily even after dinner1 and hours of leisure were easy to fill4 ,some wrote up their diaries1 played games1 or smoked and yarned2 others read1 developed photos1 or imitated the weary cook and went to bed4 ,the ,mac,kellar ,library1 so called after the donor1 was a boon to all1 and the literature of polar exploration was keenly followed and discussed4 ,taste in literature varied1 but among a throng of eighteen1 the majority of whom were given to expressing their opinions in no uncertain terms--there were no rigid conventions in ,adelie ,land--every book had a value in accordance with a common standard4 ,there was not a dissenting voice to the charm of ',lady ,betty across the ,water'1 and the reason for this was a special one4 ,the sudden breath of a world of warmth and colour1 richness and vivacity and astute1 ,american freshness amid the somewhat grim attractions of an ,antarctic winter was too much for every one4 ,lady ,betty1 in the realm of bright images1 had a host of devoted admirers4 ,her influence spread beyond the ,hut to the plateau itself4 ,three men went sledging1 and to shelter themselves from the rude wind fashioned an ice-cavern1 which1 on account of its magical hues and rare lustre1 could be none other than ,aladdin's ,cave4 ,lady ,betty found her hero in a fairy grotto of the same name4 ',lorna ,doone'1 on the other hand1 was liked by many4 ,still there were those who thought that ,john ,ridd was a fool1 a slow1 obtuse rustic1 and so on1 while ,lorna was too divine and angelic for this life4 ',the ,war of the ,carolinas' took the ,hut by storm1 but it was a nine days' wonder and left no permanent impression on the thinking community4 ,mostly1 the story was voted delightfully funny1 but very foolish and farcical after all4 ,a few exclusive critics predicted for it a future4 ,then there was ',the ,trail of '#ih'4 ,for power and blunt realism there was nothing like it1 but the character of the hero was torn in the shreds of debate4 ,there was general agreement on two points3 that the portrayal of the desolate ,alaskan wild had a touch of home1 and that the heroine was a true sport4 ,all those who had ever hauled on the main braces1 sung the topsail-halliard chanty1 learned the intricate ,matty ,walker1 the bowline-and-a-bite and a crowd of kindred knots1 had a warm spot for any yarn by ,jacobs4 ,night after night1 the storeman held the audience with the humorous escapades of ',ginger ,dick'1 ',sam' and ',peter ,russet'4 ,and lastly1 there was a more serious1 if divided interest in ',virginibus ,puerisque'1 ',marcus ,aurelius'1 ',the ,unveiling of ,lhassa'--but the list is rather interminable4 ,the whole world is asleep except the night-watchman1 and he1 having made the bread1 washed a tubful of clothes1 kept the fire going1 observed and made notes on the aurora every fifteen minutes and the weather every half-hour1 and1 finally1 having had a bath1 indulges in buttered toast and a cup of coffee4 ,the ,hut is dark1 and a shaded burner hangs by a canvas chair in the kitchen4 ,the wind is booming in gusts1 the dogs howl occasionally in the veranda1 but the night-watchman and his pipe are at peace with all men4 ,he has discarded a heavy folio for a light romance1 while the hours scud by1 broken only by the observations4 ,the romance is closed1 and he steals to his bunk with a hurricane lamp and finds a bundle of letters4 ,he knows them well1 but he reads them--again6 ,pearly light rises in the north-east through the lessening drift1 and another day has come4 ,,chapter ,,ix ,,midwinter ,,and ,,its ,,work2 ,with the advent of the fateful ,ides of ,march1 winter ii had practically set in1 and work outside had a chequered career4 ,when a few calm hours intervened between two blizzards a general rush was made to continue some long-standing job4 ,often all that could be done was to clear the field for action1 that is1 dig away large accumulations of snow4 ,then the furies would break loose again1 and once more we would play the waiting game1 meanwhile concerning ourselves with more sedentary occupations4 ,there was a familiar cry when1 for some meteorological reason1 the wind would relapse into fierce gusts and then suddenly stop1 to be succeeded by intense stillness4 ,dead calm1 up with the wireless masts6 ,every one hastily dashed for his burberrys1 and soon a crowd of muffled figures would emerge through the veranda exit1 dragging ropes1 blocks1 picks1 and shovels4 ,there was no time to be lost4 ,so the erection of the wireless masts began in earnest on ,april #d1 continued feverishly till the end of the month1 suffered a long period of partial cessation during ,may and ,june1 was revived in ,july and ,august1 and1 by ,september #a1 two masts1 each consisting of a lower-mast and top-mast1 had been raised and stayed1 while between them stretched the aerial4 ,for four weeks messages were sent out1 and many of them were caught by ,macquarie ,island4 ,nothing was heard in ,adelie ,land1 although1 between certain hours1 regular watches were kept at the receiver4 ,the aerial was about sixty-five feet from the ground1 and it was resolved to increase its height by erecting the top-gallant masts2 but before anything considerable could be done1 a terrific gust of wind on ,october #ac broke three wire-stays1 and down came the mast1 broken and splintered by the fall4 ,that is a brief resume of the fortunes of the wireless during the first year4 ,during ,february and ,march there were various other operations of more immediate importance which prevented concentration of our workers on the erection of the masts4 ,there were many odd jobs to finish about the ,hut1 the ,magnetograph ,house and ,absolute ,hut were under way1 the air-tractor sledge had to be efficiently housed1 and all these and many other things could be done in weather during which it was out of question to hoist a mast into position4 ,at first we were fastidious and waited for a calm1 but later1 as we grew more impatient1 a top-mast was actually hauled up in a wind of thirty miles per hour1 with gusts of higher velocity4 ,such work would sometimes be interrupted by a more furious outbreak1 when all ropes would be secured and everything made as ship-shape as possible4 ,on ,march #ae the following note was made3 ,the wind was on the cool side just after breakfast4 ,a few loads of wireless equipment were sledged up to the rocks at the back of the ,hut1 and by the time several masts were carried to the same place we began to warm to the work4 ,one of ,hannam's coils of frozen rope 7one hundred and twenty fathoms7 had become kinked and tangled1 so we dragged it up the ice-slope1 straightened it out and coiled it up again4 ,several 'dead men' to hold the stays were sunk into ice-holes1 and1 during the afternoon1 one mast was dragged into position by a willing crowd4 ,rocks were sledged to and packed around the 'dead men' in the holes to make them compact4 ,towards sundown snow clouds filled the northern sky and a blizzard sprang up which is now doing sixty miles per hour4 ,we philosophically expect another week cooped up in the ,hut4 ,it took a long time to establish the twenty good anchorages necessary for the masts4 ,within a radius of eighty yards from the centre1 ice-holes were dug1 cairns of heavy boulders were built and rocky prominences dynamited off to secure an efficient holding for the stout strops of rope4 ,april #bd was a typical day3 ,we spent the morning fixing up 'strops' for the wireless masts4 ,the wind was blowing strongly in fifty- to sixty-mile gusts with drift1 but most of the fellows 'stuck at it' all day4 ,it was cold work on the hands and feet4 ,handling picks and shovels predisposes to frost-bite4 ,several charges of dynamite were fired in one hole wherein a mast will be stepped4 ,each mast1 of oregon timber1 was in four sections4 ,the lowest section was ten inches square and tapered upwards to the small royal mast at a prospective height of one hundred and twenty feet4 ,at an early stage it was realized that we could not expect to erect more than three sections4 ,round the steel caps at each doubling a good deal of fitting had to be done1 and ,bickerton1 in such occupation1 spent many hours aloft throughout the year4 ,fumbling with bulky mitts1 handling hammers and spanners1 and manipulating nuts and bolts with bare hands1 while suspended in a boatswain's chair in the wind1 the man up the mast had a difficult and miserable task4 ,bickerton was the hero of all such endeavours4 ,hannam directed the other workers who steadied the stays1 cleared or made fast the ropes1 pulled and stood by the hauling tackle and so forth4 ,one day the man on the top-mast dislodged a heavy engineering hammer which he thought secure4 ,no warning was given1 as he did not notice that it had fallen4 ,it whizzed down and buried itself in the snow1 just grazing the heads of ,close and ,hodgeman4 ,the ropes securing the aerial and running through various blocks were in constant danger of chafing during the frequent hurricanes1 from their proximity to the mast and stays1 or from friction on the sharp edges of the blocks4 ,unknown to us1 this had happened to a strong1 new manilla rope by which ,murphy was being hauled to the top of the lower-mast4 ,it gave way1 and1 but for another rope close by1 which he seized to break his fall1 an accident might have ensued4 ,frost-bites were common4 ,there were so many occasions when one had to stand for a long time gripping a rope1 pulling or maintaining a steady strain1 that fingers would promptly become numb and feet unbearably cold4 ,the usual restorative was to stamp about and beat the chest with the hands--an old sailor's trick4 ,attempting to climb to a block on the top-gallant mast one day1 ,mc,lean had all his fingers frost-bitten at the same time4 ,in ,may the weather was atrocious1 and in ,june building the ,astronomical ,hut and digging ice-shafts on the glacier absorbed a good many hands4 ,in ,july1 despite the enthusiasm and preparation for sledging1 much was done4 ,on ,august #aj the long looked-for top-mast of the southern mast became a reality3 ,we were early astir--about #g ,a4,m4--while the pink coloration of dawn was stealing over the peaceful ,barrier4 ,for once1 after months1 it was perfectly still4 ,we hurried about making preparations--hauled ,bickerton up to the cross-trees and awaited the moment when we should raise the top-mast4 ,we pulled it up half-way and ,bickerton affixed a pin in its centre1 above which two stays were to be attached4 ,suddenly1 down came the wind in terrific gusts and1 after securing the stays1 the job had to be given up4444 ,we were just about to have lunch when the wind ceased as suddenly as it had begun4 ,we all sallied out once more1 and1 this time1 completed the job1 though for a while the top-mast was in imminent peril of being blown away by a sharp northerly gust4 ,next day the aerial was hoisted in a wind of sixty miles per hour1 but the strain was so severe on the block1 upwind1 that it carried away4 ,fortunately the insulators of the aerial were entangled by the stays in their fall to ground1 otherwise some one may have been hurt1 as there were a dozen men almost directly below4 ,six days after this accident1 ,august #ag1 the top-mast halliard of the down-wind mast frayed through1 and as a stronger block was to be affixed for the aerial1 some one had to climb up to wire it in position4 ,bickerton improvized a pair of climbing irons1 and1 after some preliminary practice1 ascended in fine style4 ,finally1 by ,september #cj1 the aerial was at such a height as to give hope that long-distance messages might be despatched4 ,there was a certain amount of suppressed excitement on the evening of that day when the engine started and gradually got up speed in the dynamo4 ,the sharp note of the spark rose in accompanying crescendo and1 when it had reached its highest pitch1 ,hannam struck off a message to the world at large4 ,no response came after several nights of signalling1 and1 since sledging had usurped every other interest1 the novelty soon wore off4 ,atmospherics--discharges of atmospheric electricity--and discharges from the drift-snow were heard in the wireless receiver4 ,while messages were being sent1 induction effects were noted in metallic objects around the ,hut4 ,a cook at the stove was the first to discover this phenomenon1 and then every one conceived a mania for drawing sparks4 ,a rather stimulating experience--the more so as it usually happened unexpectedly and accidentally--was to brush one's head against one of the numerous coils of flexible metal gas-piping festooned about the place4 ,sparks immediately jumped the interval with startling effect4 ,october #ac1 the day when the mast blew down1 was known in wireless circles as ,black ,sunday4 ,all had worked keenly to make the wireless a success1 and the final event was considered to be a public misfortune4 ,however1 the honours were to be retrieved during the following year4 ,it fell to the lot of most of the ,staff that they developed an interest in terrestrial magnetism4 ,for one thing every man had carried boulders to the great stockade surrounding the ,magnetograph ,house4 ,then1 too1 recorders were regularly needed to assist the magnetician in the absolute ,hut4 ,there1 if the temperature were not too low and the observations not too lengthy1 the recorder stepped out into the blizzard with the conviction that he had learned something of value1 and1 when he sat down to dinner that night1 it was with a genial sense of his own altruism4 ,in his diary he would write it all up for his own edification4 ,it would be on this wise3 ,the ,earth's magnetic force1 which is the active agent in maintaining the compass-needle in the magnetic meridian9999 at any particular spot1 acts1 not as is popularly supposed1 in a horizontal plane1 but at a certain angle of inclination with the ,earth's surface4 ,the nearer the magnetic poles the more nearly vertical does the freely suspended needle become4 ,at the ,south ,magnetic ,pole it assumes a vertical position with the south end downwards2 at the ,north ,magnetic ,pole it stands on its other end4 ,at the intermediate positions near the equator the whole force is exerted1 swinging the needle in the horizontal plane1 and in such regions ordinary ships' compasses pivoted to move freely only in a horizontal plane give the greatest satisfaction4 ,on approaching the magnetic poles1 compasses become sluggish1 for the horizontal deflecting force falls off rapidly4 ,the force1 acting in a vertical direction1 tending to make the needle dip1 correspondingly increases1 but is of no value for navigation purposes4 ,however1 in the scientific discussion of terrestrial magnetism1 both the horizontal and vertical components as well as the absolute value of the total force are important1 and the determination of these elements is the work of the magnetician4 ,affecting the average values of the magnetic elements at any one spot on the ,earth's surface are regular diurnal oscillations1 apparent only by the application of very delicate methods of observation3 also there are sudden large irregular movements referred to as magnetic storms2 the latter are always specially noticeable when unusually bright auroral phenomena are in progress4 9999 ,the magnetic meridian is the straight line joining the ,north and ,south ,magnetic ,poles and passing through the spot in question4 ,the observations made in the ,absolute ,hut1 carried out at frequent intervals and on each occasion occupying two men for several hours together1 are necessary to obtain standard values as a check upon the graphic record of the self-recording instruments which run day and night in the ,magnetograph ,house4 ,but this is another story4 ,three hours1 sitting writing figures in a temperature of -#ae degrees ,f41 is no joke4 ,the magnetician is not so badly off1 because he is moving about1 though he often has to stop and warm his fingers1 handling the cold metal4 ,the ,magnetograph ,house had by far the most formidable name4 ,the ,hut1 though it symbolized our all in all1 sounded very insignificant unless it were repeated with just the right intonation4 ,the ,absolute ,hut had a superadded dignity4 ,the ,hangar1 in passing1 scarcely seemed to have a right to a capital ,h4 ,the ,transit ,house1 on the and other hand1 was the only dangerous rival to the first mentioned4 ,but what's in a name8 ,if the ,magnetograph ,house had been advertised1 it would have been described as two minutes from the ,hut4 ,this can easily be understood1 for the magnetician after leaving home is speedily blown over a few hillocks and sastrugi1 and1 coming to an ice-flat about one hundred and fifty yards wide1 swiftly slides over it1 alighting at the snow-packed door of his house4 ,the outside porch is just roomy enough for a man to slip off burberrys and crampons4 ,the latter are full of steel spikes1 and being capable of upsetting magnetic equilibrium1 are left outside4 ,walking in soft finnesko1 the magnetician opens an inner door1 to be at once accosted by darkness1 made more intense after the white glare of the snow4 ,his eyes grow accustomed to the blackness1 and he gropes his way to a large box almost concealing the feeble glimmer of a lamp4 ,the lamp is the source of the light1 projected on to small mirrors attached to the magnetic needles of three variometers4 ,a ray of light is reflected from the mirrors for several feet on to a slit1 past which revolves sensitized photographic paper folded on a drum moving by clockwork4 ,the slightest movements of the suspended needles are greatly magnified1 and1 when the paper is removed and developed in a dark-room1 a series of intricate curves denoting declination1 horizontal intensity and vertical force1 are exquisitely traced4 ,every day the magnetician attends to the lamp and changes papers2 also at prearranged times he tests his scale values or takes a quick run4 ,to obtain results as free as possible from the local attraction of the rocks in the neighbourhood1 ,webb resolved to take several sets of observations on the ice-sheet4 ,in order to make the determinations it was necessary to excavate a cave in the glacier4 ,this was done about three-quarters of a mile south of the ,hut in working shifts of two men4 ,a fine cavern was hewn out1 and there full sets of magnetic observations were taken under ideal conditions4 ,on sledging journeys the dip and declination were both ascertained at many stations1 around and up to within less than half a degree of the ,south ,magnetic ,pole4 ,while the wind rushed by at a maddening pace and stars flashed like jewels in a black sky1 a glow of pale yellow light overspread the north-east horizon--the aurora4 ,a rim of dark1 stratus cloud was often visible below the light which brightened and diffused till it curved as a low arc across the sky4 ,it was eerie to watch the contour of the arc break1 die away into a delicate pallor and reillumine in a travelling riband4 ,soon a long ray1 as from a searchlight1 flashed above one end1 and then a row of vertical streamers ran out from the arc1 probing upwards into the outer darkness4 ,the streamers waxed and waned1 died away to be replaced and then faded into the starlight4 ,the arc lost its radiance1 divided in patchy fragments1 and all was dark once more4 ,this would be repeated again in a few hours and irregularly throughout the night1 but with scenic changes behind the great sombre pall of the sky4 ,north-west1 northeast1 and south-east it would elusively appear in nebulous blotches1 flitting about to end finally in long bright strands in the zenith1 crossing the path of the milky way4 ,by the observer1 who wrote down his exact observations in the meteorological log1 this was called a quiet night4 ,at times the light was nimble1 flinging itself about in rich waves1 warming to dazzling yellow-green and rose4 ,these were the nights when curtains hung festooned in the heavens1 alive1 rippling1 dancing to the lilt of lightning music4 ,up from the horizon they would mount1 forming a vortex overhead1 soundless within the silence of the ether4 ,a brilliant display1 we would say1 and the observer would be kept busy following the track of the evanescent rays4 ,powerless1 one was in the spell of an all-enfolding wonder4 ,the vast1 solitary snow-land1 cold-white under the sparkling star-gems2 lustrous in the radiance of the southern lights2 furrowed beneath the icy sweep of the wind4 ,we had come to probe its mystery1 we had hoped to reduce it to terms of science1 but there was always the indefinable which held aloof1 yet riveted our souls4 ,the aurora was always with us1 and almost without exception could be seen on a dark1 driftless night4 ,the nature of the aurora polaris has not yet been finally demonstrated1 though it is generally agreed to be a discharge of electricity occurring in the upper1 more rarefied atmosphere4 ,the luminous phenomena are very similar to those seen when a current of electricity is passed through a vacuum tube4 ,one receives a distinct impression of nearness1 watching the shimmering edges of the curtains in the zenith1 but all measurements indicate that they never descend nearer than a few miles above the land-surface4 ,careful records were taken to establish a relation between magnetic storms and aurorae1 and a good deal of evidence was amassed to support the fact that auroral exhibitions correspond with periods of great magnetic disturbance4 ,the displays in ,adelie ,land were found to be more active than those which occur in higher latitudes in the ,ross ,sea4 ,an occupation which helped to introduce variety in our life was the digging of ice-shafts4 ,for the purpose of making observations upon its structure and temperature various excavations were made in the sea-ice1 in the ice of the glacier1 and in that of the freshwater lakes4 ,the work was always popular4 ,even a whole day's labour with a pick and shovel at the bottom of an ice-hole never seemed laborious4 ,it was all so novel4 ,a calm morning in ,june1 the sky is clear and the north ablaze with the colours of sunrise--or is it sunset8 ,the air is delicious1 and a cool waft comes down the glacier4 ,a deep ultramarine1 shading up into a soft purple hue1 blends in a colour-scheme with the lilac plateau4 ,two men crunch along in spiked boots over snow mounds and polished sastrugi to the harbour-ice4 ,the sea to the north is glazed with freezing spicules1 and over it sweep the petrels--our only living companions of the winter4 ,it is all an inspiration2 while hewing out chunks of ice and shovelling them away is the acute pleasure of movement1 exercise4 ,the men measure out an area six feet by three feet1 and take a preliminary temperature of the surface-ice by inserting a thermometer in a drilled hole4 ,then the ice begins to fly1 and it is not long before they are down one foot4 ,nevertheless it would surprise those acquainted only with fresh water ice to find how tough1 sticky and intractable is sea-ice4 ,it is always well to work on a definite plan1 channelling in various directions1 and then removing the intervening lumps by a few rough sweeps of the pick4 ,at a depth of one foot1 another temperature is taken1 and some large samples of the ice laid by for the examination of their crystalline structure4 ,this is repeated at two feet1 and so on1 until the whole thickness is pierced to the sea-water beneath4 ,at three feet brine may begin to trickle into the hole1 and this increases in amount until the worker is in a puddle4 ,the leakage takes place1 if not along cracks1 through capillary channels1 which are everywhere present in sea-ice4 ,it is interesting to note the temperature gradually rise during the descent4 ,at the surface the ice is chilled to the air-temperature1 say -#aj degrees ,f41 and it rises in a steep gradient to approximately #bh degrees ,f42 close to the freezing-point of sea water4 ,the sea-ice in the boat-harbour varied in thickness during the winter between five and seven feet4 ,in contrast with sea-ice1 the ice of a glacier is a marvel of prismatic colour and glassy brilliance4 ,this is more noticeable near the surface when the sun is shining4 ,deep down in a shaft1 or in an ice-cavern1 the sapphire reflection gives to the human face quite a ghastly pallor4 ,during the high winds it was always easy to dispose of the fragments of ice in the earlier stages of sinking a shaft4 ,to be rid of them1 all that was necessary was to throw a shovelful vertically upwards towards the lee-side of the hole1 the wind then did the rest4 ,away the chips would scatter1 tinkling over the surface of the glacier4 ,of course1 when two men were at work1 each took it in turns to go below1 and the one above1 to keep warm1 would impatiently pace up and down4 ,nevertheless1 so cold would he become at times that a heated colloquy would arise between them on the subject of working overtime4 ,when the shaft had attained depth1 both were kept busy4 ,the man at the pit's mouth lowered a bucket on a rope to receive the ice and1 in hauling it up1 handicapped with clumsy mitts1 he had to be careful not to drop it on his companion's head4 ,the structural composition of ice is a study in itself4 ,to the cursory glance a piece of glacier-ice appears homogeneous1 but when dissected in detail it is found to be formed of many crystalline1 interlocking grains1 ranging in size from a fraction of an inch to several inches in diameter4 ,a grain-size of a half to one inch is perhaps commonest in ,antarctic glacier-ice4 ,the history of ,antarctic glacier-ice commences with the showers of snow that fall upon the plateau4 ,the snow particles may be blown for hundreds of miles before they finally come to rest and consolidate4 ,the consolidated snow is called neve1 the grains of which are one-twenty-fifth to one hundredth of an inch in diameter1 and1 en masse1 present a dazzling white appearance on account of the air spaces which occupy one-third to one-half of the whole4 ,in time1 under the influence of a heavy load of accumulated layers of neve1 the grains run together and the air spaces are eliminated4 ,the final result is clear1 transparent ice1 of a more or less sapphire-blue colour when seen in large blocks4 ,it contains only occasional air-bubbles1 and the size of the grains is much increased4 ,lake-ice1 freezing from the surface downwards1 is built up of long parallel prisms1 like the cells of a honey-comb on a large scale4 ,in a lakelet near the ,hut this was beautifully demonstrated4 ,in some places cracks and fissures filled with snow-dust traversed the body of the ice1 and in other places long strings of beaded air-bubbles had become entangled in the process of freezing4 ,to lie down on the clear surface and gaze through the looking-glass to the rocky bottom1 twenty feet below1 was a glimpse into ,wonderland4 ,in the case of sea-ice1 the simple prismatic structure is complicated owing to the presence of saline matter dissolved in the sea water4 ,the saline tracts between the prisms produce a milky or opalescent appearance4 ,the prisms are of fresh water ice1 for in freezing the brine is rejected and forced to occupy the interstices of the prisms4 ,water of good drinking quality can be obtained by allowing sea water ice to thaw partially4 ,the brine1 of lower freezing-point1 flows away1 leaving only fresh water ice behind4 ,in this way blocks of sea-ice exposed to the sun's rays are relieved of their salty constituents1 and crumble into pellucid gravel when disturbed4 ,a popular subject commanding general interest1 apart from the devoted attention of specialists1 was zoological collecting4 ,seals and birds were made the prey of every one1 and dredging through the sea-ice in winter and spring was always a possible diversion4 ,it was a splendid sight to watch the birds sailing in the high winds of ,adelie ,land4 ,in winds of fifty to seventy miles per hour1 when with good crampons one had to stagger warily along the ice-foot1 the snow petrels and ,antarctic petrels were in their element4 ,wheeling1 swinging1 sinking1 planing and soaring1 they were radiant with life--the wild spirits of the tempest4 ,even in moderate drift1 when through swirling snow the vistas of sea whitened under the flail of the wind1 one suddenly caught the silver flash of wings and a snow petrel glided past4 ,but most memorable of all were certain winter mornings of unexpected calm1 when ruddy clouds tessellated the northern sky and were mirrored in the freezing sea4 ,then the petrels would be en fete1 flying over from the east following the line of the ,barrier1 winding round the icy coves1 darting across the jutting points and ever onward in their long migration4 ,in the summer they flew for weeks from the west--a never-ending string of snow1 silver-grey and ,antarctic petrels1 and ,cape pigeons4 ,the silver-grey petrels and ,cape pigeons were only abroad during that season and were accompanied by skua gulls1 giant petrels1 ,wilson petrels1 and penguins4 ,the penguins remained in ,adelie ,land for the longest period--almost six months1 the skua gulls and giant petrels for five months1 and the rest for a shorter period--the tolerable season of midsummer4 ,birds that haunt the wide oceans all make use of the soaring principle in flight1 some much more than others4 ,the beautiful sliding sweep of the albatross is the most familiar example4 ,with wings outspread1 it is a miniature aeroplane requiring no engines1 for the wind itself supplies the power4 ,a slight movement of the tail-feathers and wing-tips controls its balance with nice precision4 ,birds employing this method of flight find their home in the zone of continuous steady winds which blow across the broad wastes of the southern seas4 ,many petrels on the wing were shot during the winter4 ,laseron1 who prepared the skins of our ,adelie ,land collection1 determined1 in the case of a number of specimens1 the ratio of weight to horizontal area exposed to the wind4 ,this subject is one which has lately exercised the curiosity of aviators4 ,the ratios are those evolved by nature1 and1 as such1 should be wellnigh perfect4 ,below is appended a table of the results obtained4 ,,weight ,,of ,,certain ,,antarctic ,,birds ,,in ,,relation ,,to ,,wing ,,areas 7,stated in pounds per square foot of wing surface7 ,each is the mean of several determinations by ,laseron ,giant petrel44444444444 #c4e ,albatross 44444444444 #b4d ,antarctic petrel444444444 #b4a ,skua gull 44444444444 #a4f ,snow petrel 44444444444 #a4a ,wilson petrel44444444444 #j4f ,values from a book of reference quoted for comparison ,bat 44444444444 #j4a ,sparrow 44444444444 #j4d ,wild goose 44444444444 #a4g ,during the winter1 for a long period1 no seals ventured ashore1 though a few were seen swimming in the bay4 ,the force of the wind was so formidable that even a heavy seal1 exposed in the open1 broadside-on1 would be literally blown into the water4 ,this fact was actually observed out on the harbour-ice4 ,a ,weddell seal made twelve attempts to land on a low projecting shelf--an easy feat under ordinary circumstances4 ,the wind was in the region of eighty-five miles per hour1 and every time the clumsy1 ponderous creature secured its first hold1 back it would be tumbled4 ,once it managed to raise itself on to the flat surface1 and1 after a breathing spell1 commenced to shuffle towards the shelter of some pinnacles on one side of the harbour4 ,immediately its broad flank was turned to the wind it was rolled over1 hung for a few seconds on the brink1 and then splashed into the sea4 ,on the other hand1 during the spring1 a few more ambitious seals won their way ashore in high winds2 but they did not remain long in the piercing cold1 moving uneasily from place to place in search of protecting hummocks and finally taking to the water in despair4 ,often a few hours of calm weather was the signal for half a dozen animals to land4 ,the wind sooner or later sprang up and drove them back to their warmer element4 ,under the generic name1 seal1 are included the true or hair seals and the sea-bears or fur seals4 ,of these the fur seals are sub-polar in distribution1 inhabiting the cold temperate waters of both hemispheres1 but never living amongst the polar ice4 ,the southern coast of ,australia and the sub-antarctic islands were their favourite haunts1 but the ruthless slaughter of the early days practically exterminated them4 ,from ,macquarie ,island1 for example1 several hundred thousand skins were taken in a few years1 and of late not a single specimen has been seen4 ,closely related to the fur seals are the much larger animals popularly known as sea-lions4 ,these still exist in great numbers in south temperate waters4 ,both are distinguished from the hair seals by one obvious characteristic3 their method of propulsion on land is by a lolloping motion1 in which the front and hind flippers are used alternately4 ,the hair seals move by a caterpillar-like shuffle1 making little or no use of their flippers2 and so1 the terminal parts of their flippers are not bent outwards as they are in the fur seals and sea-lions4 ,of the hair seals there are five varieties to be recognized in the far ,south4 ,the ,weddell seals1 with their mottled-grey coats1 are the commonest4 ,they haunt the coasts of ,antarctica and are seldom found at any distance from them4 ,large specimens of this species reach nine and a half feet in length4 ,the crab-eater seal1 a smaller animal1 lives mostly on the pack-ice4 ,lying on a piece of floe in the sunshine it has a glistening1 silver-grey skin--another distinguishing mark being its small1 handsome head and short1 thin neck4 ,small crustaceans form its principal food4 ,the ,ross seal1 another inhabitant of the pack-ice1 is short and bulky1 varying from a pale yellowish-green on the under side to a dark greenish-brown on the back4 ,its neck is ample and bloated1 and when distended in excitement reminds one of a pouter-pigeon4 ,this rare seal appears to subsist mainly on squid and jelly-fish4 ,the sea-leopard1 the only predacious member of the seal family1 has an elongated agile body and a large head with massive jaws4 ,in general it has a mottled skin1 darker towards the back4 ,it lives on fish1 penguins and seals4 ,early in ,april1 ,hurley and ,mc,lean were the first to obtain proof that the sea-leopard preyed on other seals4 ,among the broken floe-ice close beneath the ice-cliffs to the west of ,winter ,quarters1 the wind was driving the dead body of a ,weddell seal which swept past them1 a few yards distant1 to the open water4 ,then it was that a sea-leopard was observed tearing off and swallowing great pieces of flesh and blubber from the carcase4 ,the last variety of hair seal1 the sea elephant1 varies considerably from the preceding4 ,reference has already been made to the species earlier in the narrative4 ,the habitat of these monstrous animals ranges over the cold1 south-temperate seas2 sea elephants are but occasional visitors to the ice-bound regions4 ,although they have been exterminated in many other places1 one of their most populous resorts at the present day is ,macquarie ,island4 ,in the case of all the hair seals a layer of blubber several inches in thickness invests the body beneath the skin and acts as a conserver of warmth4 ,they are largely of value for the oil produced by rendering down the blubber4 ,the pelts are used for leather4 ,the operation of skinning seals for specimens1 in low temperatures and in the inevitable wind1 was never unduly protracted4 ,we were satisfied merely to strip off the skin1 leaving much blubber still adhering to it4 ,in this rough condition it was taken into the work-room of the ,hut to be cleaned4 ,the blubber froze1 and then had the consistency of hard soap and was readily severed from the pelt4 ,it was found that there exuded amongst the frozen blubber a thin oil which remained liquid when collected and exposed to low temperatures4 ,this oil was used to lubricate the anemometer and other instruments exposed outside4 ,the main part of the biological work lay in the marine collections4 ,hunter with the small hand-dredge brought up abundant samples of life from depths ranging to fifty fathoms4 ,in water shallower than ten fathoms the variety of specimens was not great1 including seaweeds up to eighteen or more feet in length1 a couple of forms of starfish1 various small mollusca1 two or three varieties of fish1 several sea-spiders1 hydroids and lace corals1 and1 in great profusion1 worms and small crustaceans4 ,in deeper waters the life became much richer1 so that examples of almost every known class of marine animals were represented4 ,early in ,june the sea bottom in depths less than ten fathoms had become so coated with ice that dredging in shallow water was suspended4 ,floating or swimming freely were examples of pteropods1 worms1 crustaceans1 ostracods1 and jelly-fish4 ,these were easily taken in the hand-net4 ,in those regions where ice and water are intermingled1 the temperature of the water varies very slightly in summer and winter1 remaining approximately at freezing-point4 ,in summer the tendency to heating is neutralized by a solution of some of the ice1 and in winter the cold is absorbed in the production of a surface layer of ice4 ,this constancy of the sea's temperature is favourable to organic life4 ,on land there is a wide range in temperature1 and only the meagre mosses and lichens1 and the forms of insect life which live among them can exist1 because they have developed the capacity of suspending animation during the winter4 ,the fresh-water lakelets were found to be inhabited by low forms of life1 mainly microscopic4 ,among these were diatoms1 algae1 protozoa1 rotifera1 and bacteria4 ,the last-named were investigated by ,mc,lean and were found to be manifold in distribution4 ,besides those from the intestines of animals and birds1 cultures were successfully made from the following natural sources3 lichen soil1 moss soil1 morainic mud1 guano1 ice and snow4 ,the results may open some new problems in bacteriology4 ,of recent years much attention has been given to the study of parasites--parasitology4 ,parasites may be external1 on the skin2 internal1 in the alimentary canal2 or resident1 in the corpuscles of the blood4 ,in tropical countries1 where there is great promiscuity of life1 one is led to expect their almost universal presence4 ,but in polar regions1 where infection and intimate co-habitation for long periods are not the rule1 while the climate is not favourable to organic existence1 one would be surprised to find them in any great number4 ,the fact remains that internal parasites were found in the intestine of every animal and fish examined1 and in all the birds except the ,wilson petrel4 ,external parasites were present on every species of bird and seal1 though individuals were often free of them4 ,this was so in the case of the ,adelie penguins4 ,it is a demonstration of the protective warmth of the feathers that ,emperor penguins may harbour insect parasites in great numbers4 ,it is only less wonderful than the fact that they are able to rear their young during the ,antarctic winter4 ,a large number of blood-slides were prepared and stained for examination for blood-parasites4 ,searching for fleas amongst the feathers of birds and the hair of seals1 or examining the viscera for worms is neither of them a pleasant occupation4 ,to be really successful1 the enthusiasm of the specialist is necessary4 ,hunter allowed no opportunities to pass and secured a fine collection of parasites4 ,amongst other work1 ,mc,lean carried out monthly observations on six men1 determining the colour-index and haemoglobin value of their blood over a period of ten months4 ,the results showed a distinct and upward rise above the normal4 ,among societies privileged to see the daily paper and to whom diversity and change are as the breath of life1 the weather is apt to be tabooed as a subject of conversation4 ,but even the most versatile may suddenly find themselves stripped of ideas1 ignominiously reduced to the obvious topic4 ,to us1 instead of being a mere prelude to more serious matters1 or the last resort of a feeble intellect1 it was the all-engrossing theme4 ,the man with the latest hare-brained theory of the causation of the wind was accorded a full hearing4 ,the lightning calculator who estimated the annual tonnage of drift-snow sweeping off ,adelie ,land was received as a futurist and thinker4 ,discussion was always free1 and the subject was never thrashed out4 ,evidence on the great topic accumulated day by day and month by month2 yet there was no one without an innate hope that winter would bring calm weather or that spring-time1 at least1 must be propitious4 ,meanwhile the meteorologist accepted things as he found them1 supplied the daily facts of wind-mileage and direction1 amount of drift1 temperature and so forth1 which were immediately seized by more vivacious minds and made the basis of daring speculations4 ,the daily facts were increased by the construction of a new instrument known as the puffometer4 ,it was entirely a home-made contrivance1 designed to measure the speed of heavy gusts of wind4 ,a small aluminium sphere was arranged to blow out at the end of a light cord exerting tension on a calibrated spring4 ,the pull was transferred to a lever carrying a pencil1 which travelled across a disk of carbonized paper4 ,the disk1 moving by clockwork1 made a complete revolution every hour4 ,the recording parts of the instrument were enclosed in a snow-proof box in which there was a small aperture on the leeward side1 through which ran the cord attachment of the sphere4 ,this may give a rough idea of the apparatus employed to measure the momentary velocity of the cyclonic gusts4 ,the idea is not an original one1 having been previously applied for use on kites4 ,it was not always possible to use the puffometer in the strongest gusts because these were often transient1 occurring unexpectedly or during the night2 while it took a little time to get the instrument into running order4 ,even in daylight1 with the landscape clear of drift1 it was a time-absorbing and difficult task to secure a record4 ,two men start from the ,hut with iron crampons and a full complement of clothes and mitts4 ,outside they find themselves in a rushing torrent of air1 pulsating with mighty gust-waves4 ,lowered from the estate of upright manhood1 they humbly crawl1 or make a series of crouching sprints between the gusts4 ,over the scattered boulders to the east of the ,hut1 across a patch of polished snow they push to the first low ridge1 and there they stop for breath4 ,up on the side of ,annie ,hill1 in the local phrase1 the tide sweeps by with fiendish strength1 and among the jagged rocks the man clutching the puffometer-box has a few desperate falls4 ,at last both clamber slowly to an eminence where a long steel pipe has been erected4 ,to the top of this the puffometer is hauled by means of a pulley and line4 ,at the same time the aluminium sphere is released1 and out it floats in the wind tugging at the spring4 ,the puffometer was left out for an hour at a time1 and separate gusts up to one hundred and fifty and one hundred and eighty miles per hour were commonly indicated4 ,i remember the final fate of this invention4 ,while helping to mount it one day1 the wind picked me up clear of the ground and dashed myself and the instrument on some rocks several yards away4 ,the latter was badly damaged1 but thick clothing saved me from serious injury4 ,,text ,,illustration ,the wind velocity and wind direction charts for ,midwinter's ,day1 when the steady south-by-east gale was broken after noon by a welcome lull--the wind veering the while all round the compass4 ,the average velocity for the day #ff4i miles per hour1 and the maximum of the average hourly velocities1 ninety-six miles4 ,the steadiness of the temperature was a subject for debate4 ,the stronger the wind blew1 the less variation did the thermometer show4 ,over a period of several days there might be a range of only four or five degrees4 ,ordinarily1 this might be expected of an insular climate1 but in our case it depended upon the fact that the wind remained steady from the interior of the vast frigid continent4 ,the air which flowed over the ,hut had all passed through the same temperature-cycle4 ,the atmosphere of the interior1 where the plateau stood at an elevation of1 say1 eight thousand feet1 might have a temperature -#de degrees ,f4 ,as the air flowed northwards over ,adelie ,land to the sea1 it would rise slowly in temperature owing to the increased barometric pressure consequent on the descending gradient of the plateau4 ,at sea-level the temperature of the river of air would be1 approximately1 -#bj degrees ,f4 ,such a rise in temperature due to compression is a well-known phenomenon1 referred to as the ,foehn effect4 ,the compression of the atmosphere during the gusts affected the air temperature so considerably that1 coincident with their passage1 the mercury column could often be seen rising and falling through several degrees4 ,the uniform conditions experienced during steady high winds were not only expressed by the slight variation in the temperature1 but often in a remarkably even barometric curve4 ,thus on ,july #aa the wind-velocity for twenty-four hours was1 throughout1 seventy miles per hour2 the temperature remaining within a few degrees of-#ba degrees ,f41 and the barometric curve did not show as much range as one-twentieth of an inch4 ,in attending to the many instruments and in gathering the voluminous meteorological data1 ,madigan had his hands very full4 ,throughout two years he carried on the work capably and thoroughly4 ,it was difficult to keep the instruments free from the penetrating snow and in good running order4 ,the ,robinson anemometer was perhaps the greatest source of worry4 ,repairs and readjustments were unavoidable1 as the instrument was constantly working at high pressure4 ,in order that these might be carried out efficiently1 the whole apparatus had to be carried down to the ,hut4 ,here1 ,bickerton and ,correll were continually in consultation with the meteorologist on the latest breakdown4 ,cups were blown off several times1 and one was lost and replaced with difficulty4 ,most aggravating of all was a habit the clocks developed of stopping during the colder spells4 ,the old-fashioned method of boiling them was found of assistance1 but it was discovered that the best treatment was to put them through successive baths of benzene and alcohol4 ,the most chronic sufferer throughout the vicissitudes of temperature was the clock belonging to ,bage's tide-gauge4 ,every sleeper in the ,hut who was sensitive to ticking knew and reviled that clock4 ,so often was it subjected to warm1 curative treatment in various resting-places that it was hunted from pillar to post4 ,a radical operation by ,correll--the insertion of an extra spring--became necessary at last4 ,correll1 when not engaged designing electroscopes1 improving sledge-meters and perfecting theodolites1 was something of a specialist in clocks4 ,his advice on the subject of refractory time-pieces was freely asked and cheerfully given4 ,by perseverance and unlimited patience1 the tide-gauge down on the harbour-ice was induced to supply a good series of unbroken records4 ,,text ,,illustration ,the tide-gauge ,the rise and fall of the tide is coincident with the movements of a perpendicular wire to which the ,float is attached4 ,the ,wheel is revolved1 and through wire connections 7indicated above7 displaces vertically the ,pen4 ,this traces a record on paper folded on the drum which is driven by clockwork4 ,in all weathers1 the box was enveloped in drift-proof canvas4 ,antarctica is a world of colour1 brilliant and intensely pure4 ,the chaste whiteness of the snow and the velvet blackness of the rocks belong to days of snowy nimbus enshrouding the horizon4 ,when the sky has broken into cloudlets of fleece1 their edges are painted pale orange1 fading or richly glowing if the sun is low4 ,in the high sun they are rainbow-rimmed4 ,the clouds have opened into rifts and the sun is setting in the north-west4 ,the widening spaces in the zenith are azure1 and low in the north they are emerald4 ,scenic changes are swift4 ,above the mounting plateau a lofty arch of clear sky has risen1 flanked by roseate clouds4 ,far down in the south it is tinged with indigo and ultramarine1 washed with royal purple paling onwards into cold violet and greyish-blue4 ,soon the north is unveiled4 ,the liquid globe of sun has departed1 but his glory still remains4 ,down from the zenith his colours descend through greenish-blue1 yellowish-green1 straw-yellow1 light terra-cotta to a diffuse brick-red2 each reflected in the dull sheen of freezing sea4 ,out on the infinite horizon float icebergs in a mirage of mobile gold4 ,the ,barrier1 curving to east and west1 is a wall of delicate pink overlaid with a wondrous mauve--the rising plateau4 ,a cold picture--yet it awakens the throb of inborn divinity4 ,despite contrary predictions1 there were some enjoyable days in ,june4 ,occupation had to be strenuous1 making the blood run hot1 otherwise the wind was apt to be chill4 ,so the ,transit ,house was founded1 and there were many volunteers to assist ,bage in carrying the tons of stones which formed its permanent base4 ,the nearest large collection of boulders was twenty yards away1 on the edge of a moraine1 but these after a while became exhausted4 ,plenty of rocks actually showed above the surface1 but the majority were frozen-in1 and1 when of suitable size1 could only be moved by a heavy crowbar4 ,some of the men1 therefore1 dislodged the rocks1 while others carried them4 ,when ,bage was wondering how long the supply would last1 ,ninnis and ,mertz came to the rescue with sledges and dog-teams4 ,boxes were piled on to the sledges and away the teams went1 careering across the ice-flat towards the ,magnetograph ,house close to which there were many heaps of stones1 wind-swept and easily displaced4 ,soon a regular service was plying to the foundations1 and1 at the same time1 the dogs were being trained4 ,this occupation was continued1 weather permitting1 for several weeks before ,midwinter's ,day4 ,thus the drivers gained experience1 while the animals1 with a wholesome dread of the whip1 became more responsive to commands4 ,eagerly the huskies strained at their traces with excited yelps4 ,the heavily laden sledges would break out and start off with increasing speed over the rough ice4 ,the drivers1 running at full speed1 jumped on the racing loads--,mertz in the lead shouting some quaint yodel song2 ,ninnis1 perhaps1 just behind upbraiding a laggard dog4 ,midwinter's ,day6 ,for once1 the weather rose to the occasion and calmed during the few hours of the twilight-day4 ,it was a jovial occasion1 and we celebrated it with the uproarious delight of a community of eighteen young men unfettered by small conventions4 ,the sun was returning1 and we were glad of it4 ,already we were dreaming of spring and sledging1 summer and sledging1 the ship and home4 ,it was the turn of the tide1 and the future seemed to be sketched in firm1 sure outline4 ,while the rest explored all the ice-caves and the whole extent of our small rocky selection1 ,hannam and ,bickerton shouldered the domestic responsibilities4 ,their menu du diner to us was a marvel of gorgeous delicacies4 ,after the toasts and speeches came a musical and dramatic programme1 punctuated by choice gramophone records and rowdy student choruses4 ,the washing-up was completed by all hands at midnight4 ,outside1 the wind was not to be outdone2 it surpassed itself with an unusual burst of ninety-five miles per hour4 ,menu du ,diner ,escoffier potage a la ,reine ,noisettes de ,phoque ,claret ,haricot ,verts ,tintara ,champignons en ,sauce ,antarctique ,pingouin a la ,terre ,adelie ,burgundy ,petits ,pois a la ,menthe ,chauvenet ,pommes ,nouvelle #ahih ,asperges au ,beurre ,fondu ,plum ,pudding ,union ,jack ,port ,pate de ,groseilles ,kopke ,desserts ,cafe ---------------#j------------ ,during dinner the ,blizzard will render the usual accompaniment--the ,tempest4 ,for ,ever and ,ever etc4 ,,text ,,illustration ,,midwinter',s ,,day ,,menu ,,at ,,the ,,main ,,base1 ,,adelie ,,land1 #aiab ,,chapter ,x ,,the ,,preparation ,,of ,,sledging ,,equipment ,the world of fashion insists on its minute vagaries in dress not always with an eye to utility and an explorer in the polar regions is a very fastidious person1 expending a vast amount of care on his attire1 but with the sole idea of comfort1 warmth1 and usefulness4 ,the clothes he wears are many and often cumbersome1 but they have gradually been perfected to meet the demands of the local weather conditions4 ,after a sojourn in the ice-lands1 he returns to civilization with a new concept of the value of dress4 ,at last he can stand still without being reminded that his feet are chilly2 he experiences the peculiar sensation of walking about in an airily light suit1 in glove-tight boots1 without helmet or mitts4 ,it gives him such a delicious feeling of freedom that his energy is unbounded and life is a very pleasant and easy thing4 ,then it is that he can turn in retrospect to the time in exile1 appreciate his altered circumstances and recall the many ingenuities which were evolved to make him master of his environment4 ,it is sufficient to say that we found the proposition of clothing one of unusual interest4 ,any one who was not a practised needleman and machinist was handicapped for a time1 until he fell into the ways of the through-and-through and blanket-stitch1 thimbles1 shuttles1 spools and many other things he had once affected to despise as belonging to the sphere of women's work4 ,it was not long before he was an enthusiast in many arts attaining to a stage of independence1 in which he patented new ideas and maintained them in hot opposition to the whole community of the ,hut4 ,on some fundamental points all were in agreement1 and one of them was that ,adelie ,land was the country par excellence for the wind-proof1 drift-tight burberry4 ,outside all other garments the burberry gabardine was worn4 ,the material was light and loosely fitting1 but in wind and drift it had to be hermetically sealed1 so to speak1 for the snow crept in wherever there was an aperture4 ,the trousers were of double thickness1 as they were exposed to the greatest wear4 ,attached by large buttons1 toggles or lampwick braces1 they reached as high as the lower part of the chest4 ,below1 they had lamp-wick lashings which were securely bound round the uppers of boots or finnesko4 ,in walking1 the trousers would often work off the leather boots1 especially if they were cut to a tailor's length1 and snow would then pour up the leg and down into the boots in a remarkably short time4 ,to counteract this1 ,ninnis initiated the very satisfactory plan of sewing a short length of canvas on to the boots to increase the length of the upper4 ,the burberry helmet and blouse were either in one piece or separate4 ,for use round the ,hut1 in thick drifts1 the combination of helmet and blouse was handy and time-saving4 ,for sledging1 when low temperatures and strong winds might be expected all the time1 it met the conditions well2 there being no necessity to worry about keeping the neck drift-tight4 ,under ordinary circumstances it was very convenient to have a blouse and helmet detached1 as one so often could wear the former with a well-padded woollen helmet and be reduced only as a last resource to wearing the burberry helmet4 ,the blouse was roomy1 giving great freedom of movement4 ,around the neck was a draw-string1 which bunched in the jacket tightly over the lower part of the helmet4 ,there was also a draw-string round the waist4 ,it was here that we had the greatest difficulty in making the garment fit snow-tight4 ,if simply tied1 the blouse would soon slip up from below1 especially if one were working with pick and shovel1 carrying cases or blocks of ice4 ,to obviate this1 some of the men sewed loops or tags of lamp-wick on to the sides of the trousers1 to connect with corresponding attachments on the blouse4 ,as an additional security1 others wore an outside belt which was1 even if the blouse slipped up for some distance1 a line of defence against the drift-snow4 ,the burberry helmet completely enclosed the head except for the face1 which remained uncovered at the bottom of a funnel stiffened by several rings of copper-wire4 ,lampwick1 the universal polar cord1 was sewn in short strips in front of the ears and tied at the back of the head1 firmly securing the helmet4 ,since the voyage of the ',discovery' 7#aija-aijd7 lamp-wick had been used widely in sledging on account of its width1 softness1 comparative warmth and because of the fact that ordinary cord is not so easy to manipulate in cold weather4 ,large buttons of leather or bone were not nearly so popular as small1 smooth lengths of stick engaging cross-wise with loops of cord--known as toggles1 which became quite a mania with some members of the ,expedition4 ,whetter1 for instance1 was known as the ,toggle ,king1 because of the multitude of these stick-and-cord appendages which hung from every part of his clothing4 ,under the burberrys thick1 but light1 suits of ,jaeger fleece were worn4 ,they combined trousers and a sleeveless coat1 over which a woollen jersey was worn4 ,in calm weather these with underclothing were all-sufficient1 but in the average fifty-mile wind at any temperature in the neighbourhood of zero ,fahrenheit1 they felt distinctly porous4 ,in less windy weather the luxury of discarding burberrys1 either partly or wholly1 was an indulgence which gave great satisfaction4 ,finnesko were the favourite foot-gear--soft and commodious reindeer-skin fur boots4 ,once these were stuffed with ,lapp saennegras or manilla fibre1 and the feet covered with several pairs of socks1 cold could be despised unless one were stationary for some time or the socks or padding became damp4 ,even though the padding were wet1 violent exercise kept the temperature balance in the warm direction1 especially if one were also under the stimulus of a recent hot meal4 ,of course1 on smooth ice or polished snow in even moderate winds it was useless to try and keep one's feet in finnesko1 although practice gave great agility in calmer weather4 ,as already indicated1 spiked crampons on approved models1 tested on the glacier-slopes in a hurricane wind1 were almost always worn encasing the finnesko4 ,with so many coverings the feet often became uncomfortably hot1 and for odd jobs about the ,hut and not far abroad spiked leather boots gave most satisfaction4 ,there were various coverings for the hands3 felt mitts1 mittens1 instrument-gloves and wolfskin mitts4 ,the first were used in conjunction with fingerless mittens4 ,the wear and tear on these was greater than on any other item of clothing4 ,it was a common sight to see them ragged1 canvas-covered1 patched1 repatched and again repatched1 to be at last reluctantly thrown away4 ,there were two compartments in a single glove1 one for the thumb and the other for the fingers4 ,it is much easier to keep the fingers warm when in contact with one another than by having them in separate stalls4 ,instrument-gloves of wool were used for delicate manipulations1 as a partial protection1 since they reduced the stinging chill of cold metal at low temperatures4 ,wolfskin mitts are unexcelled for use in cold windy weather4 ,their shaggy external hair entangles the drift-snow1 which thaws1 soaks the skin and refreezes until the mitt is stiff as buckram4 ,this is their main disadvantage4 ,these mitts or rather gauntlets were made longer in the arms than usual so as to overlap the burberry sleeves and keep the wrists warm4 ,lambskin mitts with the wool facing inwards were very useful and wore well for occupations like hauling on ropes and lifting cases4 ,like every other movable thing1 mitts had to be made fast to prevent them blowing away4 ,so they were slung round the neck by a yoke of lamp-wick4 ,the mittened hand could then be removed with the assurance that the outer mitt would not be far away when it was wanted1 no matter how hard the wind blew4 ,there has been much discussion as to the relative merits of fur and woollen clothing4 ,after all the question has resolved itself into one of personal predilection4 ,it has been claimed that furs are warmer and lighter4 ,the warmth follows from the wind-proof quality of the hide which1 unfortunately1 also tends to retain moist exhalations from the body4 ,in ,adelie ,land1 the only furs we used were finnesko1 wolfskin mitts and sleeping-bags of reindeer skins4 ,as in every part of the equipment1 modifications had to be made in the circular ,willesden-drill tents4 ,to facilitate their erection in the perpetual winds they were sewn permanently on to the five bamboo poles1 instead of being thrown over the latter previously set in position4 ,thus the tents opened like large conical umbrellas4 ,a rawhide loop was fixed to the middle one of the three windward legs and1 when raising a tent during a high wind1 it was the usual thing for a man to be inside gripping the loop to pin down the windward legs and at the same time1 kicking out the two leeward legs4 ,on hard surfaces1 holes were dug to receive the ends of the poles2 at other times they were pressed home into the snow by the man inside the tent4 ,when pitched1 the tent was held down by blocks of snow or ice1 helped by spare food-bags1 which were all piled round on a broad flounce4 ,ventilators1 originally supplied with the tents1 had to be dispensed with on account of the incessant drift4 ,the door of the tent was an oval funnel of burberry material just large enough to admit a man and secured by a draw-string4 ,strips of calico and webbing were sewn over the insides of the light tents to strengthen them for sledging in the summer4 ,for heavy weather we also had japara sail-cloth tents with ,willesden canvas flounces4 ,these gave one a feeling of greater security and were much more wind-proof1 but unfortunately twice as heavy as the first-mentioned4 ,a floor-cloth of light ,willesden canvas covered the surface of snow or ice in the interior of the tent2 performing when sledging the alternative office of a sail4 ,in order to cut snow1 neve or ice to pile on the flounce1 a pick and spade had to be included in the sledging equip meet4 ,as a rule1 a strong1 pointed shovel weighing about six pounds answers very well2 but in ,adelie ,land1 the surface was so often wind-swept ice1 polished porcelain-snow1 or hard neve that a pick was necessary to make any impression upon it4 ,it was found that a four-pound spade1 carefully handled1 and a four-pound miner's pick provided against all emergencies4 ,our sledges were similar to those of other ,british ,antarctic expeditions2 of eleven- and twelve-foot lengths4 ,the best were ,norwegian1 made of ash and hickory4 ,others built in ,sydney1 of ,australian woods1 were admirably suited for special work4 ,those made of mountain-ash had the advantage of being extremely light1 but the runners wore out quickly on ice and hard neve4 ,sledges of powellized spotted gum were very strong and stood plenty of rough usage1 but were heavier than those procured in ,norway4 ,a decking of bamboo slats secured by copper-wire to the crossbars was usually employed4 ,a light bamboo mast and spar were fitted to each sledge4 ,immediately in front of the mast came the cooker-box1 containing in respective compartments the primus and a bottle of spirit for lighting it1 as well as spare prickers1 openers and fillers for the kerosene tins1 repair outfits and other odd articles4 ,the cooker-boxes were of ,venesta board1 with hinged lids secured by chocks and overlapped by japara cloth to exclude as much drift-snow as possible4 ,an instrument-box was secured to the sledge near the rear and just forward of a ,venesta or aluminium tray on which the kerosene contained in one-gallon tins was carried4 ,in several cases the tray was widened to receive as well a case containing a dip-circle4 ,rearmost of all was a wooden crosspiece to which the shaft of the sledge-meter was attached through a universal joint4 ,on the middle section of the sledge between the cooker-box and instrument-box1 sleeping-bags1 food-bags1 clothes-bags1 tent1 alpine rope1 theodolite legs1 and other articles1 were arranged1 packed and immovably stiffened by buckled straps passing from side to side4 ,sledging harness for both men and dogs was constructed of canvas4 ,in the former case1 a wide belt of triple thickness encircled the body at the hips1 sewn to braces of narrower strips passing over the shoulders1 while hauling-rope was attached to the belt behind4 ,the strength of the whole depended on the care bestowed in sewing the parts together1 and1 since his life might depend upon it1 no one made anything else but a thorough job of his harness4 ,ninnis and ,mertz ran a tailoring business for the dogs1 who were brought one by one into the outer ,hut to be measured for harness4 ,after many lengths had been cut with scissors the canvas bands were put through and sewn together on the large sewing-machine and then each dog was fitted and the final alterations were made4 ,the huskies looked quite smart in their suits4 ,upon the primus heater1 alone1 did we rely for cooking the meals on sledging journeys4 ,first used for purposes of sledging by ,dr4 ,nansen in his journey across ,greenland1 the primus is only economically managed after some practice4 ,to light a primus in a draughty tent at a low temperature calls for some forbearance before one is a thorough master of the art4 ,a sledging cook will often make a disagreeable faux pas by extinguishing the primus in the preparation of hoosh4 ,this is most readily done by lowering too quickly the outside cover over the rest of the cooker4 ,fumes of vaporizing kerosene soon fill the tent and when matches are found1 the cooker pulled to pieces1 the primus relighted and the choking vapours have cleared1 one is apt to think that all is well4 ,the hoosh is quite as successful as usual1 but the cocoa1 made from water in the annulus1 has a tincture of kerosene which cannot be concealed4 ,in the ,nansen ,cooker1 which we used1 a maximum result is secured from the heat of the primus4 ,the hot gases from the combustion of the kerosene1 before they escape into the outside air1 have to circulate along a tortuous path1 passing from the hot interior to the colder exterior compartments1 losing heat all the time4 ,thus a hot hoosh is preparing in the central vessel side by side with the melting of snow for cocoa or tea in the annulus4 ,by the combination of ,nansen ,cooker and primus stove one gallon of kerosene oil properly husbanded is made to last for twelve days in the preparation of the ordinary ration for three men4 ,,text ,,illustration ,section through a ,nansen ,sledging ,cooker mounted on the primus ,the subject of food is one which requires peculiar consideration and study4 ,it is assumed that a polar expedition must carry all its food-stuffs in that variety and quantity which may approximately satisfy normal demands4 ,fortunately1 the advance of science has been such that necessaries like vegetables1 fruit1 meats and milk are now preserved so that the chances of bacterial contamination are reduced to a minimum4 ,a cold climate is an additional security towards the same end4 ,speaking generally1 while living for months in an ,antarctic hut1 it is a splendid thing to have more than the mere necessaries of life4 ,since one is cut off from the ordinary amenities of social existence1 it is particularly necessary that equipment and food should be of the very best2 in some measure to replace a lack which sooner or later makes itself keenly felt4 ,explorers1 after all1 are only mortal4 ,luxuries1 then1 are good in moderation1 and mainly for their psychological effect4 ,after a spell of routine1 a celebration is the natural sequel1 and if there are delicacies which in civilization are more palatable than usual1 why not take them to where they will receive a still fuller and heartier appreciation8 ,there is a corresponding rise in the tide of life and the ennui of the same task1 in the same place1 in the same wind1 is not so noticeable4 ,so we did not forget our asparagus and jugged hare4 ,in the matter of sledging foods1 one comes down to a solid basis of dietetics4 ,but even dietetics as a science has to stand aside when actual experience speaks4 ,dietetics deals with proteins1 carbohydrates1 fats1 and calories3 all terms which need definition and comprehension before the value of a sledging ration can be fundamentally understood4 ,when the subject was first introduced into table conversation at the ,hut1 it was regarded somewhat suspiciously as shop4 ,but it gradually won interest simply because it was of such vital concern4 ,in sledging there is undoubtedly a critical allowance which will yield the best results4 ,circumstances alter cases1 and the correct ration under one set of conditions cannot be expected to coincide with that in another situation4 ,thus1 the journey may be conducted under conditions of great cold or of comparative warmth1 by man-hauling or auxiliary power1 at sea-level or on an altitude1 through regions where there is a reasonable hope of securing additions of meat by the way1 or across barren tracts devoid of game4 ,in each instance particular demands must be supplied4 ,in selecting the articles of diet1 idiosyncrasies of individuals should be consulted in reason1 and under no consideration should anything be taken which bears the slightest stigma of contamination4 ,it remains1 then1 to discriminate those foods which contribute the greatest amount of nutriment for a given weight1 and which1 inter se1 preserve a proper dietetic balance4 ,variety is very desirable1 provided that there is no important sacrifice in nutrient value4 ,the proof of a wisely selected ration is to find at the end of a long sledge journey that the sole craving is for an increase in the ration4 ,of course1 such would be the ideal result of a perfect ration1 which does not exist4 ,considering that an ordinary individual in civilization may only satisfy the choice demands of his appetite by selecting from the multifarious bill of fare of a modern restaurant1 it will be evident that the same person1 though already on the restricted diet of an explorer1 cannot be suddenly subjected to a sledging ration for any considerable period without a certain exercise of discipline4 ,for example1 the ,eastern ,coastal ,party1 sledging at fairly high temperatures over the sea-ice1 noted that the full ration of hoosh produced at times a mild indigestion1 they drank much liquid to satisfy an intense thirst and on returning to the ,hut found their appetites inclined to tinned fruit and penguins' eggs4 ,bickerton's and ,bage's parties1 though working at a much higher altitude1 had a similar experience4 ,the former1 for instance1 could not at first drink the whole allowance of thick1 rich cocoa without a slight nausea4 ,the latter saved rations during the first two weeks of their journey1 and only when they rose to greater heights and were in fine condition did they appreciate the ration to the full4 ,again1 even when one becomes used to the ration1 the sensation of full satisfaction does not last for more than an hour4 ,the imagination reaches forward to the next meal1 perhaps partly on account of the fact that marching is often monotonous and the scenery uninspiring4 ,still1 even after a good evening hoosh1 the subconscious self may assert itself in food-dreams4 ,the reaction from even a short sledging trip1 where food has been plentiful1 is to eat a good deal1 astonishing in amount to those who for the time being have lived at the ,hut4 ,it may appear that a serious case is being made against the polar sledging ration4 ,on the whole1 it was found to be excellent and the best that experience had been able to devise4 ,entering the polar zones1 one must not be over-fastidious1 but take it as a matter of course that there will be self-denial and deprivation of small luxuries4 ,the energy exerted by man1 and the requirements of tissue-building are derived from the organic compounds known as proteins19999 fats and carbohydrates1 though in a slight degree from other substances1 most important of which are minute quantities of mineral matter4 ,a calorie as used in dietetics is the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of one kilogramme of water at #j degrees ,c4 to #a degree ,c4 ,the heat-value of food-stuffs1 stated in calories1 can be quickly reckoned when chemical analyses stating their protein1 fat and carbohydrate contents are available4 ,it has been ascertained that one gramme of protein or carbohydrate yields #d4a calories1 whilst the same amount of fat produces #i4c calories4 ,thus the value of fat-containing foods in a sledging ration is at once apparent4 9999 ,the proteins are complex nitrogenous compounds which are preeminent in fulfilling the two functions of a food3 to form tissue and to produce work and heat4 ,as examples may be quoted1 myosin the chief protein of ordinary meat or muscle1 ovalbumin one of the proteins of egg-white1 casein belonging to milk and cheese1 and gluten a protein-mixture in flour4 ,fats are organic non-nitrogenous substances obtained from both animal and vegetable sources1 e4g4 butter and olive oil4 ,the carbohydrates are compounds of carbon with hydrogen and oxygen in a certain proportion1 e4g4 cane-sugar and starch4 ,mineral matters are inorganic1 being chlorides1 carbonates or phosphates of calcium1 sodium and potassium4 ,theoretically1 any of the three classes of foods mentioned might be thought to supply adequate energy1 if taken in sufficient amount4 ,practically1 however1 protein and carbohydrate are essential1 and it is better to have a mixture of all three4 ,so1 in concentrating foods for sledging1 the largest possible proportion of fat1 compatible with other considerations1 is included4 ,ordinarily1 a normal man consumes some four or five pounds weight of solid food per diem1 of which #ej per cent41 it is rather surprising to learn1 is water4 ,when sledging1 one has the satisfaction of knowing that all but the smallest quantity of the food dragged is solid nutriment4 ,the water is added when the meals are cooked4 ,it is just in this artificial addition that the sledging ration is not perfect1 though as a synthesis it satisfies the demands of dietetics4 ,food containing water1 as cooked meat oozing with its own gravy is a more palatable thing than dried meat-powder to which boiling water has been added4 ,in the same way1 a dry1 hard biscuit plus liquid is a different thing from a spongy loaf of yeast bread with its high percentage of water4 ,one must reckon with the psychic factor in eating4 ,when sledging1 one does not look for food well served as long as the food is hot1 nourishing and filling4 ,so the usage of weeks and a wolfish appetite make hoosh a most delicious preparation2 but when the days of an enforced ration are over1 the desire for appetizing well-served food reasserts itself4 ,the body refuses to be treated merely as an engine4 ,the daily polar sledging ration for one man has been concentrated to a figure just above two pounds in weight1 ,for instance1 in recent ,antarctic expeditions1 ,scott1 in #aijc1 used #cd4g ozs41 ,shackleton in #aijh used #cd4hb ozs4 and our own amounted to #cd4be ozs4 ,exclusive of tea1 pepper and salt1 ,shackleton's ration and that adopted by ,wild at the ,western ,base and ourselves in ,adelie ,land were identical--#cd ozs4 ,reverting to earlier explorers1 for the sake of comparisons1 ,mc,clintock in #ahej brought his minimum down to #db ozs41 ,nares in #ahge to #dj ozs41 ,greely in #ahhb to #da4ge ozs41 and ,abruzzi in #aijj to #dc4e ozs4 ,our allowance was made up as follows1 the relative amounts in the daily sledging ration for one man being stated3 plasmon biscuit1 #ab ozs42 pemmican1 #h ozs42 butter1 #b ozs42 plasmon chocolate1 #b ozs42 glaxo 7dried milk71 #e ozs42 sugar1 #d ozs42 cocoa1 #a oz42 tea14#be oz4 ,it will be instructive to make a short note on each item4 ,plasmon biscuit was made of the best flour mixed with #cj per cent4 of plasmon powder4 ,each biscuit weighed #b4be ozs41 and was made specially thick and hard to resist shaking and bumping in transit as well as the rough usage of a sledging journey4 ,the effect of the high percentage of plasmon1 apart from its nutritive value1 was to impart additional toughness to the biscuit1 which tested our teeth so severely that we should have preferred something less like a geological specimen and more like ordinary hard tack1 ,the favourite method of dealing with these biscuits was to smash them with an ice-axe or nibble them into small pieces and treat the fragments for a while to the solvent action of hot cocoa4 ,two important proteins were present in this food3 plasmon1 a trade-name for casein1 the chief protein of milk1 and gluten1 a mixture of proteins in flour4 ,the pemmican we used consisted of powdered dried beef 7containing the important protein1 myosin7 and #ej per cent4 of pure fat in the form of lard4 ,the large content of fat contributes to its high caloric value1 so that it is regularly included in sledging diets4 ,hoosh is a stodgy1 porridge-like mixture of pemmican1 dried biscuit and water1 brought to the boil and served hot4 ,some men prefer it cooler and more dilute1 and to this end dig up snow from the floor of the tent with their spoons1 and mix it in until the hoosh is to taste1 ,eating hoosh is a heightened form of bliss which no sledger can ever forget4 ,glaxo is a proprietary food preparation of dried milk1 manufactured in ,new ,zealand4 ,it is without doubt an ideal food for any climate where concentration is desirable and asepsis cannot be neglected4 ,the value of milk as an all-round food is well known4 ,it contains protein as casein1 fat as cream and in fine globules1 carbohydrate as lactose 7milk sugar7 and mineral substances whose importance is becoming more recognized4 ,at the ,western ,base1 ,wild's party invented glaxo biscuits2 an unbaked mixture of flour and dried milk1 which were in themselves a big inducement to go sledging4 ,at the ,hut1 making milk from the dried powder required some little experience4 ,cold water was added to the dried powder1 a paste was made and warm or hot water poured in until the milk was at the required strength4 ,one of the professional touches was to aerate the milk1 after mixing1 by pouring it from jug to jug4 ,butter1 although it contains nearly #bj per cent4 of water is a food of high heat-value and is certainly more easily digested than fat1 such as dripping1 with a higher melting-point4 ,ours was fresh ,victorian butter1 packed in the ordinary export boxes1 and carried to the ,antarctic on the open bridge of the ,aurora4 ,with a sheath-knife1 the sledging cook cut off three small chunks of two ounces each from the frozen butter every day at lunch4 ,to show how the appetite is affected by extreme cold1 one feels that butter is a wholesome thing just in itself1 being more inclined to eat a pound than two ounces4 ,sugar--the carbohydrate1 sucrose--has special qualities as a food since it is quickly assimilated1 imparting within a few minutes fresh energy for muscular exertion4 ,athletes will support this2 in fact1 a strong solution of sugar in water is used as a stimulant in long-distance running and other feats of endurance4 ,wild1 for instance1 found as a matter of experience that chocolate was preferable to cheese as a sledging food1 even though similar weights had approximately the same food-value4 ,cocoa and tea were the two sledging beverages4 ,the cocoa was used for two meals1 the first and the last in the day1 and the tea for lunch4 ,both contain stimulating alkaloids1 theobromine and caffeine1 and fat is a notable constituent of cocoa4 ,of course1 their chief nourishing value1 as far as we were concerned1 lay in the glaxo and sugar added4 ,lastly1 plasmon chocolate is a preparation of pure chocolate 7a mixture of ground cocoa1 white sugar and starch7 with the addition of #aj per cent4 of plasmon4 ,as food for the dogs1 there was nothing better than dried seal-steaks with the addition of a little blubber4 ,ordinary pemmican is readily eaten1 but not appreciated by the dogs in the same way as seal meat4 ,to save weight1 the meat was dried over the stove without heating it sufficiently to cook it4 ,by this measure1 almost #ej per cent4 in weight was saved4 ,the ,hut was all agog with movement and bustle on the days when rations were being made up and packed4 ,starting from the earliest stage in the process1 there would be two men in the outer ,hut grinding plasmon biscuit into powder4 ,one would turn away for dear life and the other smash the biscuit with a hammer on a metal slab and feed continuously into the grinder4 ,the atmosphere would be full of the nauseous vapours of blubber arising from dishes on the stove where seal meat was drying for the dogs4 ,ninnis and ,mertz superintended in this department1 in careless moments allowing the blubber to frizzle and diffuse its aroma through the ,hut4 ,inside1 spread along the eighteen-foot table would be the weighers1 the bag-makers or machinists1 and the packers4 ,the first made up a compound of cocoa1 glaxo and sugar--cocoa compound2 mixed glaxo and sugar and stirred together1 pemmican and biscuit--pemmican compound4 ,these were weighed and run into calico bags1 rapidly supplied by several machinists farther along the table4 ,in spare moments the weighers stowed chocolate1 whole biscuits1 butter and tea into #aij sacks of various sizes4 ,lastly1 the packers had strong canvas tanks1 as they were called1 designed to hold food for a week and a fortnight respectively4 ,into these the rations were carefully distributed1 butter in the centre1 whole biscuits near the top4 ,then the tanks were tightly closed1 and one man operated with palm and sail-needle1 sewing them up with twine4 ,at the same time1 a side-line was run in pemmican which was removed semi-frozen from the air-tight tins1 and shaved into small pieces with a strong sheath-knife4 ,butter1 too1 arrived from the refrigerator-store and was subdivided into two-ounce or pound lumps4 ,meanwhile1 other occupations were in full swing4 ,an amateur cobbler1 his crampon on a last1 studded its spiked surface with clouts1 hammering away in complete disregard of the night-watchman's uneasy slumbers4 ,the big sewing-machine raced at top-speed round the flounce of a tent1 and in odd corners among the bunks were groups mending mitts1 strengthening sleeping-bags and patching burberrys4 ,the cartographer at his table beneath a shaded acetylene light drew maps and sketched1 the magnetician was busy on calculations close by4 ,the cook and messman often made their presence felt and heard4 ,in the outer ,hut1 the lathe spun round1 its whirr and click drowned in the noisy rasp of the grinder and the blast of the big blow-lamp4 ,the last-named1 ,bickerton1 bus-driver and air-tractor expert1 had converted1 with the aid of a few pieces of covering tin1 into a forge4 ,a piece of red-hot metal was lifted out and thrust into the vice2 ,hannam was striker and ,bickerton holder4 ,general conversation was conducted in shouts1 ,hannam's being easily predominant4 ,the sum total of sounds was sufficient for a while to make every one oblivious to the clamour of the restless wind4 ,,chapter ,,xi ,,spring ,,exploits ,if the winter calms were a delusion1 there were at least several beautifully clear1 moderately calm days in ,june4 ,the expectation of colder weather had been realized1 and by the end of the month it was a perceptible fact that the sun had definitely turned1 describing a longer arc when skimming the distant fleets of bergs along the northern horizon4 ,thus on ,june #bh the refracted image of the sun rose into visibility about eleven o'clock1 heralded by a vivid green sky and damask cloud and by one o'clock had disappeared4 ,on the same day every one was abroad1 advancing the wireless masts another stage and digging ice-shafts4 ,stillwell commenced a contoured plane-table survey of the neighbourhood of ,winter ,quarters4 ,he continued this with many breaks during the next few months and eventually completed an accurate and valuable map1 undeterred by the usual series of frost-bites4 ,there was much anticipated of ,july1 but the wind soughed on and the temperature decreased4 ,just to demonstrate its resource1 the wind maintained ninety-seven miles per hour for six hours on ,july #ai1 while the puff-anemometer indicated several breaks of one hundred and fifty miles per hour4 ,july #ba was cold1 calm and clear4 ,for the first time after many weeks the sun was mildly warm1 and all felt with a spring of optimism that a new era had begun4 ,the sea which had been kept open by the wind was immediately overspread with thin1 dark ice1 which in a few hours was dotted with many ice-flowers aggregates of fern-like1 sprouting fronds similar to small bouquets or rosettes4 ,soon the surface had whitened and thickened and by next morning was firm enough to hold a man out beyond the nearest island4 ,the wind did not allow this state of affairs to last for long1 for by lunch-time it had hurried away the wide floes and raged across a foaming sea4 ,we still considered the question of sledging1 and ,i decided that if there were the slightest prospect of accomplishing anything1 several of us would start before the end of ,july on a short journey4 ,the month1 however1 closed with nothing to commend it4 ,the night-watchman for ,july #bi says3 ,the moon was wonderfully bright to-night1 encircled by a complete halo4 ,it appeared to hang suspended like a silver globe in the dark blue sky4 ,the stars flash and sparkle and seem much nearer here than in ,australia4 ,at midnight the wind blew at ninety miles per hour1 so that it was no easy job getting to the screen in slippery finnesko4 ,away in the north there was a dense cloud of spray and sea-smoke1 and the wind screamed past the ,hut4 ,the ',st4 ,elmoscope' was buzzing merrily in the roof all the time4 ,ninnis and ,mertz with a team of dogs managed1 on the morning of the #bith1 to get several loads of forty pounds over the first steep rise of the glacier to ,webb's magnetic ice-cave against a blow of seventy miles per hour4 ,august #a was marked by a hurricane1 and the celebration in the evening of ,swiss ,confederation ,day4 ,mertz was the hero of the occasion as well as cook and master of ceremonies4 ,from a mysterious box he produced all kinds of quaint conserves1 and the menu soared to unknown delicacies like ,potage a la ,suisse1 ,choucroute garnie aux saucission de ,berne1 ,puree de foie gras trufee1 and ,leckerley de ,bale4 ,hanging above the buoyant assembly were the ,cross of ,helvetia and the ,jack of ,britannia4 ,it was not till ,august #h that there was any indication of improvement4 ,the sun was bright1 the barometer was steady1 the wind fell to forty miles an hour and a fine radiant of cirrus cloud spread out fan-like from the north2 the first from that direction for months4 ,on the afternoon of ,august #i1 ,ninnis1 ,madigan and ,i set off with a team of dogs against a forty-mile wind in an attempt to push to the south4 ,darkness was coming on when we sighted a bamboo pole1 three and a quarter miles south of the ,hut1 and camped4 ,the dogs pulled well up the steep slopes1 but the feet of several were cut by the sharp edges of the wind-worn ice4 ,very heavy gusts swept by in the early morning hours of the #ajth4 and when the time came to get out of our sleeping-bags it fell calm for a short space4 ,we had taken down the tent and had started to move away1 when back rushed the wind1 strong and steady4 ,still we pushed on with our willing team and by a piece of good fortune reached the sledge which had been abandoned in the autumn1 five and a half miles from the ,hut1 and of whose fate in the winter's hurricanes we had made all kind of conjectures4 ,on its leeward side there was a ramp of very hard snow slanting down from the top of the sledge4 ,to windward the low pedestal of ice on which the runners stood was hollowed out1 and the wood of the rails and cross-bars1 the leather straps1 tent1 floor-cloth and canvas food-tanks were all bleached and worn4 ,the aluminium cooker1 strapped on its box1 was brightly polished on the weather side by the dry1 drifting snow impelled by the furious winds4 ,a thermograph1 left behind in the autumn1 was found to be intact and indicated a temperature of -#ce degrees ,f4--the lowest for the eight days during which it had run4 ,the remains of ,madigan's plum-pudding of the autumn were unearthed and found in splendid condition4 ,that evening it was thawed out over the primus and we demolished it1 after a pause of over five months since having the first cut4 ,at this spot the steepest grades of the ascent to the plateau were left behind1 and it appeared to be a strategic point from which to extend our sledging efforts4 ,the main difficulty was that of pitching camp in the prevailing winds on a surface of ice4 ,to obviate this1 the only expedient was to excavate a shelter beneath the ice itself2 and there was the further consideration that all sledging parties would be able to make use of such a haven and save extra wear on their tents4 ,on the morning of ,august #aa ,madigan and ,ninnis commenced to sink a deep vertical trench1 at one end of which a room was hewn out large enough to accommodate three men4 ,the job was finished on the following day1 and we struck the tent and moved to our new abode4 ,the tent was spread over the vertical shaft which served as the entrance4 ,it was a great relief to be in a strong room1 with solid walls of ice1 in place of the cramped tent flapping violently in the wind4 ,inside1 the silence was profound2 the blizzard was banished4 ,aladdin's ,cave it was dubbed--a truly magical world of glassy facets and scintillating crystals4 ,shelves were chipped out at a moment's notice for primus stove1 spirit bottle1 matches1 kerosene and other oddments4 ,at one side a small hole was cut to communicate with a narrow fissure which provided ventilation without allowing the entrance of drift snow4 ,whatever daylight there was filtered through the roof and walls without hindrance4 ,a small crevasse opened near at hand and was a natural receptacle for rubbish4 ,the purest ice for cooking could be immediately hacked from the walls without the inconvenience of having to don one's burberrys and go outside for it4 ,finally1 one neatly disposed of spare clothes by moistening the corner of each garment and pressing it against the wall for a few seconds1 where it would remain hanging until required4 ,the place1 in fact1 was simply replete with conveniences4 ,we thoroughly enjoyed the night's rest in ,aladdin's ,cave1 notwithstanding alarming cracks proceeding occasionally from the crevasses around4 ,madigan and ,ninnis dug a shelter for the dogs1 which spent their time curled up so as to expose as little surface as possible to the biting wind4 ,their thick coats did not adhere to a snow surface1 but readily became frozen down to ice1 so that an ice-axe would have to be used to chip them free4 ,on ,august #ac1 though there was a steady1 strong wind blowing1 we continued our advance to the south4 ,the dogs hated to face wind1 but1 on the whole1 did better than expected4 ,in the afternoon1 when only eight miles south of ,winter ,quarters and at an altitude of two thousand feet1 dark and lowering clouds formed overhead1 and ,i decided to give up any idea of going farther out1 for the time being4 ,we had provisions for a few days only1 and there was every indication of thick1 drifting weather1 during which1 in the crevassed ice of that vicinity1 it would not be advisable to travel4 ,after depoting a pick1 shovel and some pemmican1 we started back1 thinking it might be possible to reach the ,hut the same night4 ,however1 driven by a strong wind over a polished1 slippery surface split into small crevasses1 down a grade which steepened quickly1 we required to have all our senses vigilant4 ,two of the dogs remained in harness and the rest were allowed to run loose ahead4 ,these two strained every effort to catch up to their companions4 ,we retarded the sledge as much as possible and all went well for a few minutes4 ,then the wind slewed the sledge1 the runners struck an irregularity in the surface and the whole capsized4 ,this happened repeatedly1 until there was nothing to do but loose the two remaining dogs and drag the sledge ourselves4 ,the dogs were soon lost to sight1 except ,pavlova1 who remained with us all the time4 ,as the hours of light were short in ,august1 darkness had come before ,aladdin's ,cave was reached1 and it was with some relief that we saw the sledge1 flag-pole and the expectant dogs suddenly loom up in front4 ,the sleeping-bags and other gear were passed down into the ,cave and the dogs were fed4 ,when the doorway was opened in the morning1 ,august #ad1 a blizzard with dense drifting snow was in full progress4 ,as it was not possible to see any distance1 and as our quarters were very comfortable1 we decided to wait for another day4 ,madigan and ,ninnis went out and fed the dogs1 who were all snugly curled up in beds of snow4 ,the weather was no better on the #aeth1 but1 as we were only five and a half miles from the ,hut1 which was more comfortable and where there was much work to be done1 it seemed a shame to remain cooped up in idleness4 ,madigan and ,ninnis were both strongly in favour of making a dash for the ,hut1 so we set off4 ,the sledge having been dug out1 one man went in front to keep the course and two men brought up the rear1 holding back the load4 ,with long-spiked ,swiss crampons we could hold up very well on the ice4 ,in dense drift it was not a simple matter to steer a correct course for the ,hut and it was essential not to deviate1 as the rocky foreshores near which it stood extended only for a mile east and west2 on either side abutting on vertical ice-cliffs4 ,with a compelling force like a prance at our backs1 it was not a nice thing to contemplate finding ourselves on the brink of a precipice4 ,the wind1 however1 was steady1 and we knew at what angle to steer to keep a rough course2 and we were also helped by a number of small crevasses between three and five and a half miles which ran approximately north and south4 ,half a mile had been covered before we remarked the absence of the dogs which had been left to follow4 ,we had taken for granted that they would follow us1 and were so fully occupied after starting that their absence had passed unnoticed4 ,it would be difficult to locate them if we returned2 the weather would improve in a few days2 if they felt hungry they would come down of their own accord4 ,so we decided to go on without them4 ,at two miles from the ,hut the drift thinned out and the wind became more gusty4 ,between the gusts the view ahead opened out for a considerable distance1 and the rocks soon showed black below the last steep fall4 ,back at the ,hut it was arranged that if the dogs did not return in a reasonable time1 ,bage1 ,mertz and ,hurley should go up to ,aladdin's ,cave in search of them4 ,they made a great effort to get away next morning4 ,the sledge was hauled for one thousand one hundred yards up to the magnetic ice-cave against a bitter torrent of air rushing by at eighty-two miles an hour4 ,here they retreated exhausted4 ,on the #agth the wind was gauged at eighty-four miles an hour1 and nothing could be done4 ,dense drift and ferocious wind continued until the morning of ,august #ba1 and still none of the dogs had come home4 ,bage1 ,hurley and ,mertz took advantage of a slight lull to start off at #f4cj ,a4,m4 ,as they did not return that night we presumed they were making good headway4 ,the drift was thick and the wind high for four days1 and it was not until the morning of the #beth that the weather showed clearer and more promising4 ,at #b ,p4,m4 ,bage and his companions arrived at the ,hut bringing all the dogs except ,grandmother1 who had died of exhaustion4 ,aladdin's ,cave had been difficult to find in the driving snow1 which had thickened after the first few miles4 ,they actually passed close to it when ,mertz1 between the gusts1 sighted ,castor jumping about1 fully alive to the approaching relief4 ,the other dogs were found curled up in the snow1 in a listless1 apathetic state2 apparently in the same positions when left seven days before4 ,they had made no attempt to break into several bags of provisions lying close at hand1 preferring to starve rather than expose their faces to the pelting drift4 ,all were frozen down except ,basilisk and ,castor4 ,pavlova was in the best condition1 possibly because her last meal had been an extra full one2 a reward for remaining with us when the others had bolted4 ,grandmother was in the worst condition1 and1 despite all efforts at revival1 died four hours after4 ,as the poor brutes were very weak after their long fast and exposure1 they were taken into the ,cave and fed on warm hoosh4 ,everything possible was done for them1 and in return the party passed a very miserable time cramped in such a small space with six dogs4 ,the accommodation was slightly increased by enlarging the ,cave4 ,five days of calm weather6 ,it could scarcely be credited1 yet ,september came with such a spell4 ,they gave us great opportunities1 and1 for once1 a vision of what perfect ,antarctic days might be4 ,the sea speedily froze over and extended our territory to the north4 ,every day we dredged among the tide-cracks1 until ,hunter and ,laseron had material enough to sort and bottle for weeks4 ,seals came up everywhere1 and the dogs gorged on much-needed meat and blubber4 ,three large ,weddells were shot near the ,eastern ,barrier on ,september #a1 and hauled up an ice-cliff eighty feet high to the rocks above4 ,work on the wireless masts went on apace1 and the geologist was abroad with his plane-table every day4 ,webb and ,bage1 after a protracted interval1 were able to take star observations for time1 in order to check the chronometers4 ,mertz1 ,ninnis1 ,whetter and ,laseron1 with a team of dogs sledged a big load of food-stuffs to ,aladdin's ,cave on ,september #a4 ,at the ,cave the dogs were let loose1 but instead of running back to the ,hut1 lingered about and finally had to be led down the slope4 ,on being loosed again1 several rushed back to the ,cave and were only brought along by force4 ,that night1 ,scott and ,franklin1 two kindred spirits1 were not present at roll-call4 ,on ,september #c1 ,mc,lean1 ,whetter and ,close took more provisions to ,aladdin's ,cave4 ,they reported light drift and wind on the highlands1 while at sea-level it was clear and calm4 ,the sea-ice was by then thick and safe4 ,about half a mile off shore a very successful dredging was made in fifty fathoms2 the bottom at this depth simply teemed with life4 ,at first1 the dredge1 rope-coils1 tub1 picks and other necessary implements were dragged about on a sledge1 but the sledge was hauled only with great difficulty and much exertion over the sticky1 new sea-ice4 ,as a substitute a portable1 steel handcart was advantageously employed1 although1 owing to its weight1 tide-cracks and rotten areas had to be crossed at a run4 ,on one occasion a flimsy surface collapsed under it1 and ,hunter had a wetting before it was hauled on to firmer ice4 ,on ,september #d there was a cloud radiant from the northwest1 indicative of a change in the weather4 ,ninnis1 ,mertz and ,murphy transported more food-bags and kerosene to ,aladdin's ,cave4 ,they found ,franklin one and a half miles south of the ,hut lying on the ice quite well1 but there was no sign of ,scott4 ,both dogs were seen on the #ast of the month1 when they were in a locality south-east of the ,hut1 where crevasses were numerous4 ,it seemed most probable that ,scott had lost his life in one of them4 ,the party visiting the ,cave reported a considerable amount of snow drifting above a level of one thousand feet4 ,there was another day of successful dredging1 and1 about four o'clock1 while several men were still out on the ice1 whirlies with great columns of drift came steadily down the glacier1 pouring over the seaward cliffs4 ,in a few minutes the snow-clouds were round the ,hut and the wind was not long in working up to eighty miles per hour4 ,the dredging party reached the land just in time2 and the sea-ice drifted away to the north4 ,thus ended one of the most remarkable periods of fine weather experienced by us in ,adelie ,land1 only to be excelled in the height of summer4 ,the possibility of such a spell being repeated fired us with the hope that after all a reasonable amount of sledging could be accomplished in the spring4 ,three parties were chosen to reconnoitre in different directions and to test the sledging gear4 ,as we were far from being confident in the weather1 ,i made it clear that no party should penetrate farther than fifty miles from the ,hut1 nor remain away longer than a fortnight4 ,webb1 ,mc,lean and ,stillwell1 the southern reconnoitring party1 were the first to set off1 leaving on ,september #g against a wind of fifty-six miles per hour4 ,between them they had only one pair of good spiked crampons1 and it was a hard1 five hours' drag up to ,aladdin's ,cave4 ,a tent which had been spread over the entrance to keep out snow was picked up here4 ,it had suffered punctures and small tears from crampons1 and1 as the next day was one of boisterous wind1 the party spent it repairing the tent and endeavouring to take magnetic observations4 ,the latter had to be abandoned owing to the instrument becoming iced up4 ,next afternoon the wind fell to the forties1 and the party struggled on to the south for three miles two hundred yards and camped1 as it was necessary to make a search for a small depot of pemmican tins1 a pick and a shovel left by us in the vicinity in ,august4 ,the drift cleared at noon on the #aath1 and the bamboo pole marking the depot appeared a quarter of a mile away on the right4 ,the pick1 shovel and flag were secured and another afternoon's march against a fifty-mile wind with a temperature at -#bj degrees ,f4 brought the party three and a quarter miles further1 to a point eleven and three-quarter miles south of the ,hut4 ,the wind rose to the eighties during the night1 and there were many small holes in the tent which provided more ventilation than was agreeable4 ,as the wind was too strong for travelling on the #abth1 it was decided to make a cave in case of accident to the tent4 ,a tunnel was driven into the sloping surface of the ice towards a crevasse about a foot wide4 ,it was a good ten hours' job in tough ice before the crevasse was reached4 ,into the fissure all the hewn ice was thrown instead of being laboriously shovelled up through the tunnel4 ,the ,cathedral ,grotto was soon finished1 the tent was struck and the party made themselves comfortable inside4 ,the cavern was found to be a very draughty place with a crevasse along one wall1 and it was difficult to keep warm in one-man sleeping-bags4 ,the crevasse was accordingly closed with ice and snow4 ,that evening and on several subsequent occasions ,mc,lean took blood-pressure observations4 ,during the next three days the wind was so strong that ,webb's were the only crampons in which any efficient marching could be done4 ,the time was spent in building a high break-wind of ice-blocks1 a pit being excavated on the windward side in which ,webb took a full set of magnetic observations4 ,within the ,grotto the instrument rapidly became coated with ice-crystals2 in the open air this difficulty did not arise1 but others had to be overcome4 ,it was exceedingly cold work at -#bj degrees ,f4 in a sixty-mile wind1 both for ,webb and his recorder ,stillwell4 ,there seemed no hope of going forward1 so the depot flag was hoisted and a fortnight's provisions and kerosene stowed in the lee of the break-wind4 ,it was a furious race back to the ,hut via ,aladdin's ,cave with a gusty1 seventy-five-mile wind in the rear4 ,mc,lean and ,stillwell actually skied along on their short blunt crampons1 while ,webb did his best to brake behind4 ,the second party comprised ,ninnis1 ,mertz1 and ,murphy1 who went to the south-east1 leaving on ,september #aa4 ,after a hard fight to ,aladdin's ,cave1 the wind approaching fifty miles an hour1 they diverged to the south-east4 ,on the #abth they made steady progress up the slope of the glacier1 delayed by many small crevasses4 ,the surface was so rough that the nuts on the sledge-meter soon became loose and it was necessary to stop every quarter of a mile to adjust them4 ,the day's march was a solid five and three quarter miles against a fifty-mile wind4 ,on the #acth ,ninnis's record proceeds as follows3 ,the sky was still clear but the wind had increased to sixty-five miles per hour1 the temperature standing at -#ag degrees ,f4 ,we kept on the same course2 the glacier's slope being steeper4 ,mertz was as usual wearing leather boots and mountaineering crampons1 otherwise progress would have been practically impossible2 the finnesko crampons worn by ,murphy and myself giving very little foothold4 ,travelling was very slow indeed1 and when we camped at #d ,p4,m41 two and a half miles was all that had been covered4 ,at #i4ae ,a4,m4 7,september #ad7 the wind practically dropped1 and we advanced under perfect conditions4 ,they had not gone far1 however1 before the wind suddenly increased so that only about four and a half miles were completed in the day4 ,that evening1 curiously enough1 it fell calm for a time2 then there was a period of alternating violent winds and calm4 ,on ,sunday1 ,september #ae1 it was impossible for them to move1 as a hurricane raged outside4 ,the tent was very much damaged by the wind1 but in that state it managed to stand up till next morning4 ,in the meantime all three fully dressed themselves and lay in their three-man sleeping-bag ready to take to the road at a moment's notice4 ,the next morning1 at a distance of eighteen miles southeast of the ,hut1 there was nothing for it but to make for ,aladdin's ,cave1 which was safely reached by a forced march of twelve and three-quarter miles1 with a furious wind partly abeam4 ,on the way the sledge was blown sideways on to the lids of many wide crevasses1 which1 fortunately for the party1 were strong at that season of the year4 ,from the realistic reports of the two parties which had returned it was evident that ,madigan and his companions1 ,close and ,whetter who had set out on the #abth to the west were having a bad time4 ,but it was not till the #bcrd1 after a week of clear skies1 low temperatures and unceasing drift-free wind that we began to feel apprehensive about them4 ,september #bd and #be were punctuated by several intervals of calm during which it was judged the party would have been able to travel4 ,on the morning of ,september #bf ,ninnis and ,mertz1 with a team of dogs1 set off up the hill to ,aladdin's ,cave to deposit some provisions and to scan the horizon for any sign of the sledgers4 ,on the way they fell in with them descending the slopes1 very worn and frost-bitten4 ,they had a thrilling story to tell1 and1 when it was known that the party had reached fifty miles to the west1 everybody crowded round to listen4 ,the wind average at the ,hut during their fortnight of absence was fifty-eight miles per hour1 implying worse conditions on the plateau4 ,madigan gave the facts3 ,after leaving ,aladdin's ,cave on the #abth we continued due south1 lunching at #b ,p4,m4 on the site of ,webb's first camp4 ,our troubles had already begun2 the wind averaging sixty miles an hour all day with a temperature at noon of -#ad degrees ,f4 ,as a few tears appeared in the tent during the night1 we saw that it would not be advisable to put it up next day for lunch1 so we had a cold meal1 crouched in the lee of the sledge4 ,this custom was found to economize time1 as we became so cold eating our fare of biscuit1 chocolate and butter that we got moving again as soon as possible4 ,the great disadvantage was that there was nothing to drink between the morning and evening meals4 ,we sewed up the rents in the tent during the halt1 having to use bare fingers in the open4 ,about four stitches at a time were as much as one man could manage1 and then the other two took their turns4 ,the next day was the only comparatively calm period of the two weeks of travelling4 ,the wind was in the vicinity of thirty miles per hour1 and1 going west1 we reached a spot1 twenty miles 'out1' on a snow-covered surface1 by nightfall4 ,a steady seventy-five-mile wind blew all day on the #aeth at right angles to our course1 accompanied by a thick1 low drift4 ,the surface was partially consolidated snow1 very hard and smooth4 ,sometimes the sledge would grip and we could pull straight ahead4 ,then1 suddenly1 it would slide away sideways down wind and often pull us off our feet with a sudden vicious jerk4 ,most of the time we were dragging in a south-westerly direction to make the sledge run west1 stumbling through the drift with the sledge now behind us1 now sliding away to leeward1 often capsizing and requiring to be laboriously righted and sometimes repacked4 ,after many experiments1 we found the best device was to have two men on the bow-rope1 about twenty feet long1 and one with about ten feet of rope attached to the rear of the sledge4 ,the man on the tail-rope1 usually ,whetter1 found it very difficult to keep his feet1 and1 after a score of falls in stinging drift with incidental frost-bites on fingers and cheeks1 he did not feel exactly cheerful4 ,by #d ,p4,m4 on the #aeth we had reached twenty-five miles and were exhausted4 ,we pitched camp at an early hour1 partly influenced by the fact that it was a special occasion--,close's birthday6 ,some port wine had been slipped in to provide against that 'emergency4' ,on taking the precious bottle from the instrument-box1 ,i found that the cork was out1 and1 for one awful moment1 thought the bottle was empty4 ,then ,i realized that the wine had frozen solid and had pushed the cork out by its expansion on solidification4 ,at last1 the tent safely pitched and hoosh and cocoa finished1 the moment came to drink to ,close's health and happiness4 ,the bottle had stood on the top of the cooker while the meal was being prepared1 but the wine was still as solid as ever4 ,after being shaken and held over the primus for a good half-hour it began to issue in lumps4 ,once the lumps were secured in mugs the rest of the thawing was easy4 ,finally1 we toasted ,close and his wife 7in far ,australia7 in what we voted to be the finest draught it had ever been our good fortune to drink4 ,in the morning a cairn was made of the snow-blocks which were taken from the tent-skirt1 and it was surmounted with the bottle1 being called ',birthday ,camp4' ,during ,september #af my right eyelid became frostbitten4 ,i noticed that it was hard and refused to shut1 so ,i rubbed vigorously to bring it round4 ,however1 it swelled and blistered badly and the eye remained closed for two days4 ,from twenty to fifty miles 'out'1 the surface was neve with areas of sastrugi up to three feet in height4 ,no crevasses were noticed4 ,at twenty-eight miles out1 we lost sight of the sea1 and at forty miles an altitude of four thousand five hundred feet was reached4 ,we turned out at #f ,a4,m4 every morning and were on the move by #i ,a4,m4 ,lunch only took half an hour and was a most uncomfortable meal4 ,as we sat in the lee of the sledge1 the surface-drift swirled up in our faces like fine sand4 ,we never camped before #f ,p4,m4 and were obliged to consider five miles a good day's run4 ,pitching camp took nearly an hour4 ,blocks of snow were cut and arranged in a semicircle1 within which the tent was laid with its peak upwind4 ,it sounds simple enough1 but1 as we had to take off crampons so as not to tread on the tent1 our difficulties were enormously increased by having to move about wearing finnesko on a smooth surface in a high wind4 ,one man crawled into the tent1 and1 at a given signal1 the other two raised the peak while the former held on to the upwind leg and kicked the other legs into place with his feet4 ,the others then quickly piled food-tanks and blocks of snow on to the skirt1 calling out as soon as there was enough to hold it down1 as the man gripping the bamboo leg inside would soon have 'deadly cold' fingers4 ,it was always a great relief when the tent was up4 ,almost every night there was some sewing to do1 and it was not long before every one's fingers were in a bad state4 ,they became1 especially near the tips1 as hard as wood and devoid of sensation4 ,manipulating toggles and buttons on one's clothing gave an immense amount of trouble1 and it always seemed an interminable time before we got away in the morning4 ,our lowest temperature was -#ce degrees ,f41 early on ,september #ah4 ,we were fifty miles 'out' on ,september #ai on a white1 featureless plain4 ,through low drift we had seen very little of our surroundings on the march4 ,a bamboo pole with a black flag was raised1 a mound was built1 and a week's provisions for three men and two gallons of kerosene were cached4 ,in the morning there was a howling eighty-mile blizzard with dense drift1 and our hopes of an early start homeward were dispelled4 ,we feared for the safety of the tent1 knowing that if it had gone during that 'blow' our hopes of getting back to the ,hut would have been small4 ,the wind continued all day and the next night1 but1 to our joy1 abated on the #bast to fifty miles an hour1 permitting us to travel4 ,through a seventy-five-miler on the #bbnd and a quieter day on the #bcrd1 we picked up our half-way mound at ,birthday ,camp on ,september #bd4 ,on the same night the long-suffering sledge-meter1 much battered1 gave up recording4 ,at #c ,a4,m4 ,i was awakened by something striking me on the head4 ,i looked out of the sleeping-bag and found that the tent had fallen in on us4 ,the lashing at the apex had carried away and the poles upwind were almost flat4 ,the cap was gone1 and one side of the tent was split from top to bottom4 ,i awakened the others1 and ,whetter and ,i got out1 leaving ,close inside to hang on to the bag4 ,luckily we had kept on our burberrys in case of accidents4 ,for once the entrance had not to be unfastened1 as there was a ready-made exit4 ,the poles were roughly bound together with an alpine rope and anchored to a pick on the windward side4 ,it was blowing about eighty miles an hour1 but fortunately there was no drift4 ,when daylight came the tent was found to be hopelessly ruined1 and to light the primus was impossible1 though the wind had abated to thirty-five miles an hour4 ,we ate some frozen food and pushed on1 hoping to find ,aladdin's ,cave before dark1 so that we should not have to spend a night without a tent4 ,after a struggle of thirteen miles over rough ice we came1 footsore and worn out1 to ,aladdin's ,cave4 ,close's feet were badly blistered1 and both my big toes had become frost-bitten at the fifty-mile camp1 giving me a good deal of trouble on the way back4 ,never was the ,cave a more luxurious place4 ,the cooker was kept busy far into the night1 while we drank and smoked and felt happy4 ,the successful conclusion of this journey in the face of the most adverse weather conditions was something upon which ,madigan1 ,whetter and ,close could well feel proud1 for in its way it must be a record in the sledging world4 ,they were indeed badly frost-bitten2 ,madigan's great toes having suffered most of all4 ,whetter's chief injury was a wound under the chin occasioned by a pair of scissors handled by ,madigan to free ,whetter's helmet on an occasion when it was firmly frozen to his face4 ,on ,october #a1 ,mertz1 ,hurley and ,ninnis made a gallant attempt to rescue two dogs1 ,basilisk and ,franklin1 which had remained at ,aladdin's ,cave on ,september #bf1 after accompanying them there with a load of provisions4 ,at the ,hut there was no drift1 but during the ascent it became thicker1 and the wind stronger1 forcing them at last to turn back4 ,two days later another attempt was made by ,ninnis and ,mertz1 and1 in dense drift1 after wandering about for a long time they happened on the ,cave1 to find that the dogs were not there1 though spots were discovered where they had evidently been sleeping in the snow4 ,coming back disconsolately1 they found that the dogs had reached the ,hut not long before them4 ,apparently the two vagrants1 hearing ,ninnis and ,mertz blundering about in the drift in search of the depot1 had decided that it was time to return home4 ,we concluded that the ways of these ,greenland dogs were past finding out4 ,october came with a deluge of snow and transient hours of bright sunlight1 during which the seals would make a temporary landing and retire again to the water when their endurance was exhausted4 ,snow petrels flew in great numbers about the rocks in the evening1 seeking out their old nest-crevices4 ,seeing these signs of returning life1 every one was in great expectation of the arrival of the penguins4 ,on the night of the #aath1 ,hurley1 ,laseron1 ,hunter and ,correll made an innovation by presenting a small farce to an audience which had been starved of dramatic entertainment for a long time1 and consequently showed tremendous appreciation4 ,the first penguin came waddling up the ice-foot against a seventy-mile wind late on the afternoon of ,october #ab4 ,mc,lean brought the bird back to the ,hut and the newcomer received a great ovation4 ,stimulated by their success on the previous night and the appearance of the first penguin1 the theatrical company added to their number1 and1 dispensing with a rehearsal1 produced an opera1 ,the ,washerwoman's ,secret 7,laseron74 ,part of the ,hut was curtained off as a combined green-room and dressing-room2 the kitchen was the stage2 footlights twinkled on the floor2 the acetylene limelight beamed down from the rafters1 while the audience crowded on a form behind the dining-table1 making tactless remarks and steadily eating chocolate4 ,the typed programmes advertised the following3 ,,the ,,washerwoman',s ,,secret 7,opera in ,five ,acts7 ,,dramatis ,,personae ,,dr4 ,,stakanhoiser 7,tenor7 ,hoyle ,hurley ,,chevalier ,,de ,,tintail 7,fiver7 ,johnny ,hunter ,,baron ,,de ,,brent 7,basso7 ,joe ,laseron ,,count ,,hoopenkoff 7,barrowtone7 ,little ,willie ,correll ,,madam ,,fuclose 7,don't ,sing7 ,also ,joe ,laseron ,,jemima ,,fuclose 7,soprano7 ,dad ,mc,lean ,,dr4 ,,stakanhoiser',s ,dog ,monkey ,greenland ,pup ,,village ,,idiot ,bick ,bickerton ,,orchestra ,stillwater ,willie ,still,well ,,act ,i ,,scene3 ,room in poorer part of ,berlin3 ,,madam ,,fuclose in bed dying3 ,,jemima at table washing clothes ,song ,when ,sparrows ,build ,,jemima ,knock at door4 ,enter ,dr4 ,,stakanhoiser4 ,song3 ,i vas a ,doctor ,attends ,,madam ,,fuclose1 who1 when dying1 tells him that ,,jemima is not her daughter1 but the ,princess of ,adeliana1 whom she has rescued in ,paris during the ,revolution4 ,death ,scene and ,chorus3 ,who ,killed my ,mother8 ,,act ,,ii ,,scene3 ,beneath ,,jemima',s window ,enter ,dr4 ,,stakanhoiser disguised as organ grinder4 ,song3 ,vurds der ,likum ,dr4 ,s4 ,,jemima opens window and throws flour on ,,doctor4 ,enter ,,baron ,,de ,,brent1 kicks ,,doctor out4 ,song3 ,baron of ,brent ,,baron makes love to ,,jemima1 who laughs at him4 ,duet3 ,wilt love me ,,jemima and ,,baron ,enter ,,chevalier ,,de ,,tintail1 who denounces the ,,baron as already having four wives4 ,the ,,baron goes off1 muttering revenge4 ,song3 ,i'm in love with a wonderful lady ,,chevalier ,the ,,chevalier makes love to ,,jemima1 who loves him in return4 ,chorus3 ,jemima ,,act ,,iii ,,scene3 ,conspirators' ,chamber ,enter ,,doctor1 who hides behind a barrel4 ,enter ,,count ,,hoopenkoff1 who amuses himself playing a piccolo4 ,enter ,,baron4 ,they discuss plot to kidnap ,princess1 which is overheard by ,,doctor4 ,enter ,ghost1 who frightens conspirators away4 ,chorus3 ,little ,willie ,smith ,,act ,,iv ,,scene3 ,,jemima's room ,the ,,chevalier ,,de ,,tintail is waiting4 ,song3 ,i want you to see my ,girl ,,chevalier ,enter ,,jemima4 ,love scene4 ,enter ,,doctor1 who discloses the plot he has heard and tells ,,jemima of her high descent4 ,the ,,chevalier and the ,,doctor hide1 and the two villains1 by means of a ladder1 enter the room4 ,the heroes spring from their hiding-place and the villains are ejected4 ,chorus3 ,there is a ,wash-,house ,,act ,v ,,scene3 ,conspirators' ,chamber ,the ,,baron and ,,count enter by different doors4 ,they accuse each other of having betrayed the plot4 ,duel follows in which both are killed4 ,duet3 ,mort de ,botheo ,,count and ,,baron ,all the others rush in4 ,the two lovers come together and the ,,doctor says1 ,god bless you1 my children4 ,chorus3 ,auld ,lang ,syne ,,company and ,,audience ,and ,,god ,,save ,,the ,,king ,played by the ,society for the ,prevention of the ,blues4 ,saturday1 ,october #ab1 #aiab4 ,,adelie ,,hall ,admission ,free4 ,children ,half ,price4 ,october #ac was known as ,black ,sunday4 ,we were all seated at dinner and the ,hut was quivering in the tornado-like gusts which followed a heavy blow reaching a maximum hourly average of ninety-one miles4 ,one mighty blast was followed by a crack and the sound of a heavy falling body4 ,for a moment it was thought that something had happened to the ,hut4 ,then the messman ran out to the trap-door and saw that the northern wireless mast had disappeared4 ,the weather showed but meagre signs of improvement1 but the penguins came up in great numbers4 ,they were in groups all along the ice-foot in the lee of rocks and icy pinnacles4 ,they climbed up to their old resorts1 and in a few days commenced to build nests of small pebbles4 ,skua gulls mysteriously appeared1 snow petrels hovered along the rocky ridges and odd seals landed on the wind-raked harbour ice4 ,silver-grey and ,antarctic petrels flew along the shore with occasional ,cape pigeons4 ,if the weather were indifferent to the fact1 the birds did not forget that spring had come4 ,a ,weddell seal calved on the bay-ice on ,october #ah4 ,for a week the pup had a miserable time in winds ranging mostly about the seventies1 with the temperature below zero ,fahrenheit4 ,at last it became so weak that it thawed a hole in the soft1 sludgy ice and could not extricate itself4 ,both it and the mother were killed and skinned for the biological collection4 ,on all but the worst days a gang of men worked with picks and shovels digging out the ,hangar1 so that ,bickerton could test the air-tractor sledge4 ,the attack was concentrated upon a solid bank of snow and ice into which heaps of tins and rubbish had been compactly frozen4 ,in soft snow enormous headway can be made in a short space of time1 but in that species of conglomerate1 progress is slow4 ,eventually1 a cutting was made by which the machine could pass out4 ,the rampart of snow was broken through at the northern end of the ,hangar1 and the sledge with its long curved runners was hauled forth triumphantly on the #beth4 ,from that time onwards ,bickerton continued to experiment and to improve the contrivance4 ,on ,october #ba there was a marked thaw inside the ,hut4 ,the frost along all the cracks dissolved into water and ran down the walls over pictures1 on to book-shelves and bunks4 ,the thick caking of ice on the windows dripped continually1 coming away in layers at lunch-time and scattering among the diners at both ends of the table4 ,every available bucket and tub was in use1 and small tin-gutters hooked under each window had to be emptied at frequent intervals4 ,stillwell came in during the afternoon bearing an albino penguin with a prettily mottled head2 a curious freak of which the biologists immediately took possession4 ,the penguins now swarmed along the foreshores1 those not settling down in the rookeries wandering about in small crowds1 occasionally visiting the ,hut and exploring among the rocks or up the slippery glacier4 ,murphy was heard1 at this time1 to advance a theory accounting for the fact that ,adelie penguins never made their nests on a scale more elaborate than a collection of stones4 ,he submitted that anything else would be blown away4 ,to support the contention1 he stated that as soon as the female lays her egg1 she places a stone on top to weight it down4 ,the biologists kept a dignified silence during the discussion4 ,on the #bast an ,emperor penguin landed on the harbour ice1 and1 early in ,november1 two more were captured4 ,these imperial birds are very rare on the coasts of ,adelie ,land1 owing to the fact that their winter breeding-grounds in ,antarctica are selected in spots where climatic conditions are comparatively good4 ,october closed with an average wind velocity of #ef4i miles per hour4 ,yet the possibility of summer sledging was no longer remote4 ,the sun was high1 spells of calm were longer and more frequent1 and1 with the certain knowledge that we should be on the plateau in ,november1 the sledging parties were chosen1 schemes of exploration were discussed1 and the last details for an extensive campaign completed4 ,,chapter ,,xii ,,across ,,king ,,george ,v ,,land ,we yearned beyond the skyline4--,kipling ,october had passed without offering any opportunities for sledging1 and we resolved that in defiance of all but the worst weather a start would be made in ,november4 ,the ',aurora' was due to arrive early in ,january #aiac and the time at our disposal for exploration was slipping away rapidly4 ,the investigation by sledging journeys of the coastline to the eastward was regarded as of prime importance1 for our experience in the ',aurora' when in those longitudes during the previous year was such as to give little promise of its ever being accomplished from the sea4 ,westward1 the coast was accessible from the sea2 at least for some distance in that direction4 ,madigan's journey in the springtime had demonstrated that1 if anything1 the land to the west was steeper1 and consequently more windy conditions might be expected there4 ,further1 it was judged that information concerning this region would be forthcoming from the ship1 which had cruised westward after leaving ,adelie ,land in ,january #aiab4 ,the field in that direction was therefore not so promising as that to the east4 ,on this account the air-tractor sledge1 of somewhat doubtful utility1 was detailed for use to the westward of ,winter ,quarters1 and1 as it was obvious that the engine could only be operated in moderately good weather1 its final departure was postponed until ,december4 ,the following is a list of the parties which had been arranged and which1 now fully equipped1 were on the tiptoe of expectation to depart4 7#a7 ,a ,southern ,party composed of ,bage 7leader71 ,webb and ,hurley4 ,the special feature of their work was to be magnetic observations in the vicinity of the ,south ,magnetic ,pole4 7#b7 ,a ,southern ,supporting ,party1 including ,murphy 7leader71 ,hunter and ,laseron1 who were to accompany the ,southern ,party as far as possible1 returning to ,winter ,quarters by the end of ,november4 7#c7 ,a ,western ,party of three men--,bickerton 7leader71 ,hodgeman and ,whetter--who were to traverse the coastal highlands west of the ,hut4 ,their intention was to make use of the air-tractor sledge and the departure of the party was fixed for early ,december4 7#d7 ,stillwell1 in charge of a ,near ,eastern ,party1 was to map the coastline between ,cape ,denison and the ,mertz ,glacier-,tongue1 dividing the work into two stages4 ,in the first instance1 ,close and ,hodgeman were to assist him2 all three acting partly as supports to the other eastern parties working further afield4 ,after returning to the ,hut at the end of ,november for a further supply of stores1 he was to set out again with ,close and ,laseron in order to complete the work4 7#e7 ,an ,eastern ,coastal ,party composed of ,madigan 7leader71 ,mc,lean and ,correll was to start in early ,november with the object of investigating the coastline beyond the ,mertz ,glacier4 7#f7 ,finally1 a ,far-,eastern ,party1 assisted by the dogs1 was to push out rapidly overland to the southward of ,madigan's party1 mapping more distant sections of the coastline1 beyond the limit to which the latter party would be likely to reach4 ,as the plans for the execution of such a journey had of necessity to be more provisional than in the case of the others1 ,i determined to undertake it1 accompanied by ,ninnis and ,mertz1 both of whom had so ably acquitted themselves throughout the ,expedition and1 moreover1 had always been in charge of the dogs4 ,november opened with more moderate weather1 auguring still better conditions for midsummer4 ,accordingly ,november #f was fixed as the date of final departure for several of the parties4 ,the evening of ,november #e was made a special occasion3 a farewell dinner1 into which everybody entered very heartily4 ,on the morning of the #fth1 however1 we found a strong blizzard raging and the landscape blotted out by drift-snow1 which did not clear until the afternoon of the following day4 ,at the first opportunity1 ,murphy1 ,hunter and ,laseron 7supporting the ,southern ,party7 got away1 but found the wind so strong at a level of one thousand feet on the glacier that they anchored their sledge and returned to the ,hut for the night4 ,the next morning saw them off finally and1 later in the day1 the ,near-,eastern ,party 7,stillwell1 ,close and ,hodgeman7 and the ,eastern ,coastal ,party 7,madigan1 ,mc,lean and ,correll7 got under way1 though there was still considerable wind4 ,my own party was to leave on the #ith for1 assisted by the dogs1 we could easily catch up to the other eastern parties1 and it was our intention not to part company with them until all were some distance out on the road together4 ,the wind increased on the #ith and the air became charged with drift1 so we felt sure that those who preceded us would still be camped at ,aladdin's ,cave1 and that the best course was to wait4 ,at this date the penguin rookeries were full of new-laid eggs1 and the popular taste inclined towards omelettes1 in the production of which ,mertz was a past master4 ,i can recall the clamouring throng who pressed round for the final omelette as ,mertz officiated at the stove just before we left on the #ajth4 ,it was a beautiful calm afternoon as the sledge mounted up the long icy slopes4 ,the ,southern ,party 7,bage1 ,webb and ,hurley7 were a short distance in advance1 but by the help of the dogs we were soon abreast of them4 ,then ,bickerton1 who had given ,bage's party a pull as far as the three-mile post1 bade us good-bye and returned to the ,hut where he was to remain in charge with ,whetter and ,hannam until the return of ,murphy's party4 ,at ,aladdin's ,cave1 while some prepared supper1 others selected tanks of food from the depot and packed the sledges4 ,after the meal1 the ,southern ,party bade us farewell and set off at a rapid rate1 intending to overhaul their supporting party on the same evening at the ,cathedral ,grotto1 eleven and three-quarter miles from the ,hut4 ,many finishing touches had to be put to our three sledges and two teams of dogs1 so that the departure was delayed till next morning4 ,we were up betimes and a good start was made before anything came of the overcast sky which had formed during the night4 ,the rendezvous appointed for meeting the others1 in case we had not previously caught them up1 was eighteen miles south-east of ,aladdin's ,cave4 ,but1 with a view to avoiding crevasses as much as possible1 a southerly course was followed for several miles1 after which it was directed well to the east4 ,in the meantime the wind had arisen and snow commenced to fall soon after noon4 ,in such weather it was impossible to locate the other parties1 so a halt was made and the tent pitched after eight miles4 ,five days of wind and drift followed1 and for the next two days we remained in camp4 ,then1 on the afternoon of the #acth1 the drift became less dense1 enabling us to move forward on an approximate course to what was judged to be the vicinity of the rendezvous1 where we camped again for three days4 ,comfortably ensconced in the sleeping-bags1 we ate only a small ration of food2 the savings being carefully put away for a future rainy day4 ,outside1 the dogs had at first an unpleasant time until they were buried in snow which sheltered them from the stinging wind4 ,ninnis and ,mertz took turns day by day attending to their needs4 ,the monotony and disappointment of delay were just becoming acute when the wind fell off1 and the afternoon of ,november #af turned out gloriously fine4 ,several excursions were immediately made in the neighbourhood to seek for the whereabouts of the other parties1 but all were unsuccessful4 ,at length it occurred to us that something serious might have happened1 so we left our loads and started back at a gallop for ,aladdin's ,cave with two empty sledges1 ,mertz careering ahead on skis over the sastrugi field4 ,shortly afterwards two black specks were seen away in the north2 a glance with the binoculars leaving no doubt as to the identity of the parties4 ,we returned to the loads1 and1 having picked them up1 made a course to the east to intercept the other men4 ,it was a happy camp that evening6with the three tents pitched together1 while we compared our experiences of the previous six days and made plans for the outward journey4 ,our sledge-meter had already suffered through bumping over rough ice and sastrugi1 and an exchange was made with the stronger one on ,stillwell's sledge4 ,a quantity of food was also taken over from him and the loads were finally adjusted4 ,the details and weights of the equipment on the three sledges belonging to my party are sufficiently interesting to be set out at length below4 ,most of the items were included in the impedimenta of all our parties1 but slight variations were necessary to meet particular stances or to satisfy the whim of an individual4 ,,total ,,load ,the ,principal ,sledge1 #aa;ft4 long1 #de lb4 ,fittings for ,same3 ,instrument-box #g lb4 #e oz42 cooker-box1 #g lb4 #f oz42 kerosene-tray1 #c lb42 mast-attachment1 #b lb4 #h oz42 mast1 #a lb4 #af oz42 spar1 #a lb4 #h oz42 decking 7canvas and bamboo71 #c lb4 #e oz42 rigging1 #g4e oz42 #e leather straps1 #e lb44444 #gg lb4 #f4e oz4 ,drill ,tent1 strengthened and attached to poles1 also floor-cloth1 #cc lb4 ,spare drill cover1 #aa lb4 #h oz44444444 #dd lb4 #h oz4 ,sleeping-bags1 #c one-man bags444444444444 #cj lb4 #j oz4 ,cooking gear3 ,nansen cooker1 #aa lb4 #c oz42 #c mugs1 #a lb4 #h oz41 #b tins1 #aj oz42 scales1 #j4e oz42 #c spoons1 #a4e oz42 matches1 #ac4e oz41 and damp-proof tin to hold same1 #c4g oz42 ,primus heater1 full1 #c lb4 #aj oz42 ,primus prickers1 #b4e oz42 ,primus repair outfit1 #b oz42 kerosene tin openers and pourers1 #d4e oz42 spirit for ,primus in tin1 #e lb4 #ad oz41 also a ready bottle1 full1 #a lb4 #e oz4 444444444444444444444444444 #be lb4 #ad4b oz4 ,repair ,outfit3 ,spare copper wire1 rivets1 needles1 thread1 etc41 #a lb4 #ad4e oz42 set of #ab tools1 #ae4e oz42 requirements for repairing dog-harness and medically treating the dogs1 #c lb4 #h oz 444444444444444444444444 #f lb4 #f oz4 ,medical ,outfit3 #f ,burroughs ,wellcome first field dressings2 absorbent cotton wool2 boric wool2 pleated lint2 pleated bandages1 roll bandages2 adhesive tape2 liquid collodion2 tabloid ophthalmic drugs for treating snow-blindness2 an assortment of tabloid drugs for general treatment2 canvas case containing scissors1 forceps1 artery-forceps1 scalpel1 surgical needles and silk1 etc4 444444444444444444444444444 #b lb4 #ab4c oz4 ,photographic outfit3 ,a #a_/d-plate1 long1 extension-camera in a case1 with special stiffening board and #cf cut films1 #d lb4 #d4e oz42 adaptor to accommodate camera to theodolite legs1 #b oz42 a water-tight tin with #ad packets1 each containing #ab cut films1 #c lb4#aj oz4 4444444444444444444444444444#h lb4 #j4e oz4 ,surveying ,requirements3 ,a #c transit theodolite in case1 #e lb4 #ad oz42 legs for the same1 #c lb4 #f oz42 sledge-meter1 #h lb42 ,tables from ,nautical ,almanack and book of ,logarithmic ,tables1 #a lb4 #c oz42 #b note books1 #a lb4 #f oz42 angle-books1 #e oz42 map-tube1 #aj oz42 maps1 #f4e oz42 pencils1 #a4e oz42 dividers and rubber1 #a4e oz42 protractor and set-square1 #j4e oz42 prismatic compass and clinometer1 #h4e oz42 sun-compass 7,bage's71 #a4e oz444444444 #bb lb4 #j oz4 ,other ,instruments3 ,zeiss prismatic binoculars ,x4#ab1 #a lb4 #ac4e oz42 hypsometer1 #b lb4 #a oz42 #b ordinary and #b small minimum thermometers1 #aj oz42 specimen labels1 l oz4444444444444 #d lb4 #i4e oz4 ,rifle1 #bb-;bore with cover and cleaner1 #c lb4 #c4g oz42 ammunition1 #a lb4 #f oz42 sheath knife1 #e4e oz42 sharpening stone1 #a4e oz42 fishing line and hooks1 #c4e oz4444444444444 #d lb4 #ad4g oz4 ,waterproof ,clothe-bag1 #d lb4 #h oz41 containing #i pairs of finnesko stuffed with saennegrass1 #ba lb42 extra saennegrass1 #c lb42 #c private kit-bags containing spare clothing1 etc41 #ci lb42 #d extra rolls of lampwick for lashings1 #a lb4 #c4e oz4444444444 #fd lb4 #c4e oz4 ,odd gear3 ,pick1 #d lb4 #e oz42 #b spades1 #h lb4 #d oz42 ice-axe1 #b lb4 #d oz42 alpine rope 7#bj metros7 #c lb42 skis 7#a pair71 #aa lb42 ski-stick1 #a lb4 #a oz42 ski-boots 7#b pairs71 #f lb42 attachable crampons for the same1 #d lb42 finnesko-crampons 7#c pairs71 #i lb42 #c man-harnesses1 #f lb4 #h oz42 man-hauling tow-rope1 #a lb4 #a oz42 flags1 #i4e oz42 a water-proof bag to hold oddments1 #d lb4 #h oz4 4444444444444444444444444444 #fa lb4 #h4e oz4 ,beacons3 ,a depot-flag and bamboo pole1 #e lb42 a special metal depot-beacon1 mast1 flag and stays1 #af lb42 #b damp-proof tins for depositing records at depots1 #g4e oz4444444444 #ba lb4 #g4e oz4 ,other ,sledges3 ,a second sledge decked with ,venesta boarding and fitted with straps444444444444444444 #ee lb4 #j oz4 ,a third sledge1 #ab ft4 long and strong rope lashings 7spare spars mentioned elsewhere acting as decking744444444 #fj lb4 #j oz4 ,fuel3 ,kerosene1 #f gallons in one-gallon tins44444 #fj lb4 #j oz4 ,food3 ,man ,food3 #i weeks' supplies for #c men on the ration scale2 also #be lb4 weight of special foods--'perks'44444 #dge lb4 #j oz4 ,dog ,food3 ,dried seal meat1 blubber and pemmican2 also the weight of the tin and bag-containers44444444444444 #gjj lb4 #j oz4 ,total444444444444444444444444 #agbc lb4 #aa4c oz4 ,madigan's and ,stillwell's parties broke trail to the east on the morning of the #agth while we were still attending to the sledges and dogs preparatory to departure4 ,it was decided that ,gadget1 a rather miserable animal1 who had shown herself useless as a puller thus far1 should be killed4 ,the following dogs then remained3--,basilisk1 ,shackleton1 ,ginger ,bitch1 ,franklin1 ,john ,bull1 ,mary1 ,haldane1 ,pavlova1 ,fusilier1 ,jappy1 ,ginger1 ,george1 ,johnson1 ,castor1 ,betli and ,blizzard4 ,we went in pursuit of the other six men over a surface of rough sastrugi4 ,the dogs1 who were in fine fettle1 rushed the sledges along1 making frantic efforts to catch up to the parties ahead1 who showed as black specks across the white undulating plain4 ,at noon all lunched together1 after which we separated1 shaking hands warmly all round and interchanging the sledgers' ,good luck6 ,our dogs drew away rapidly to the east1 travelling on a slight down grade2 the other two parties with their man-hauled sledges following in the same direction4 ,the surface was splendid1 the weather conditions were ideal1 the pace1 if anything1 too rapid1 for capsizes were apt to occur in racing over high sastrugi4 ,any doubts as to the capability of the dogs to pull the loads were dispelled2 in fact1 on this and on many subsequent occasions1 two of us were able to sit1 each one on a sledge1 while the third broke trail ahead4 ,in sledging over wide1 monotonous wastes with dogs as the motive power1 it is necessary to have a forerunner1 that is1 somebody to go ahead and point the way1 otherwise the dogs will run aimlessly about4 ,returning over old tracks1 they will pull along steadily and keep a course4 ,in ,adelie ,land we had no opportunity of verifying this1 as the continuous winds soon obliterated the impression of the runners4 ,if the weather is reasonably good and food is ample1 sledging dogs enjoy their work4 ,their desire to pull is doubtless inborn1 implanted in a long line of ancestors who have faithfully served the ,esquimaux4 ,we found that the dogs were glad to get their harnesses on and to be led away to the sledge4 ,really1 it was often a case of the dog leading the man1 for1 as soon as its harness was in place1 the impatient animal strained to drag whatever might be attached to the other end of the rope4 ,before attaching a team of dogs to a sledge1 it was necessary to anchor the latter firmly1 otherwise in their ardour they would make off with it before everything was ready4 ,there can be no question as to the value of dogs as a means of traction in the ,polar regions1 except when travelling continuously over very rugged country1 over heavily crevassed areas1 or during unusually bad weather4 ,it is in such special stances that the superiority of man-hauling has been proved4 ,further1 in an enterprise where human life is always at stake1 it is only fair to put forward the consideration that the dogs represent a reserve of food in case of extreme emergency4 ,we continued due eastwards until five o'clock on the afternoon of the #agth at an altitude of two thousand six hundred feet4 ,on the crest of a ridge1 which bore away in distinct outline1 on our left1 a fine panorama of coastal scenery was visible4 ,far off on the eastern horizon the ,mertz ,glacier ,tongue discovered itself in a long wall touched in luminous bands by the south-western sun4 ,a wide valley fell away in front1 and beyond it was a deep indentation of the coastline1 which would make it necessary for us to follow a more southerly course in order to round its head4 ,i determined to convey to the other parties my intentions1 which had become more defined on seeing this view2 and1 in the meantime1 we halted and treated ourselves to afternoon tea4 ,this innovation in the ordinary routine was extended to a custom by saving a portion of the lunch ration for a snack at #e ,p4,m4 on all days when the weather was moderately good4 ,as latitude sights were required at midday and longitude shots at #e ,p4,m41 the arrangement was very convenient1 for1 while one of us made tea1 the other two took the observations4 ,about #f ,p4,m4 the two man-hauled sledges came up with us1 our plans for the future were reviewed and the final instructions were given4 ,we bade our comrades adieu and1 turning to the south-east1 descended quickly down a long slope leading into the valley4 ,the sky was overcast and it was almost impossible to see the irregularities of the surface4 ,only a dull-white glare met the eyes1 and the first indication of a hillock was to stub one's toes against it1 or of a depression to fall into it4 ,we pulled up the dogs at #g4cj ,p4,m4 after covering thirteen and a quarter miles in the day4 ,at #i4de ,a4,m4 on ,november #ah everything was ready for a fresh start4 ,the other parties could be seen rapidly bearing down on us under full sail1 but our willing teams had soon dragged the three sledges over an eminence and out of their sight4 ,it was a lovely day2 almost like a dream after the lengthy months of harassing blizzards4 ,a venturesome skua gull appeared at lunch time1 just as an observation for latitude was being taken4 ,by the time ,ninnis had unpacked the rifle the bird had flown away4 ,the direction of the sastrugi was found to vary from that which obtained farther west1 owing to a slight swing in the direction of the prevailing wind4 ,the irregularities in the coastline account for this2 the wind tending to flow down to sea-level by the nearest route4 ,to the north-west1 behind us1 a projecting ridge of rock--,madigan ,nunatak--came into sight4 ,from the camp of the previous evening it had evidently been hidden from view by an undulation in the surface4 ,during the afternoon it was noted that the surface had become very deeply eroded by the wind1 troughs three feet in depth being common1 into which the sledges frequently capsized4 ,each of us took it in turn to run ahead1 jumping from one sastruga to another4 ,as these were firm and polished by the constant wind1 one often slipped with a sudden shock to the ground4 ,our bodies were well padded with clothing and we were beginning to get into good form1 so that these habitual tumbles were taken with the best grace we could muster4 ,i surprised myself during the afternoon1 when my turn came as forerunner1 by covering two and a half miles at a jog-trot without a break4 ,the grade was slightly downhill and the sledges moved along of their own accord1 accelerated by jerks from the dogs1 gliding at right angles to the knife-edge crests of the snow-waves4 ,the roughness of the surface was not without its effect on the sledge-meter1 which had to be repaired temporarily4 ,it was a matter of some inconvenience that after this date its records were erroneous and approximate distances were only obtained by checking the readings against absolute observations made for latitude and longitude4 ,at #e4cj ,p4,m4 a dark object stood in salient relief above the white contour of the snowy sky-line on the right4 ,suppressing our excitement1 we pressed on eagerly1 changing course so as to approach it4 ,at nine o'clock it resolved itself into the summit of an imposing mountain rising up from a mysterious valley4 ,aurora ,peak1 as it was named1 was to be a prominent landmark for several days to come4 ,all were ready to be on the move at #h4de ,a4,m4 on ,november #ai4 ,while ,mertz and ,ninnis built a cairn of snow1 ,i wrote a note to be left on it in a tin1 containing instructions to ,stillwell in case he should happen on the locality4 ,the weather was good and the temperatures were high1 ranging at this time 7one month from midsummer7 between zero and #ah degrees ,f4 ,when we camped for lunch the air was quite calm and the sun's rays were extremely warm4 ,the surface became softer and smoother as the afternoon lengthened until ,mertz was tempted to put on his skis4 ,he then became forerunner for the remainder of the day4 ,mertz1 who was skilled in the use of skis1 found them of great service on this and on many future occasions4 ,at such times he would relieve ,ninnis and myself in the van4 ,on the other hand1 over deeply furrowed sastrugi or blue ice1 or during a strong wind1 unless it were at our backs1 skiing was impossible4 ,owing to a steeper down grade1 the sledges were now commencing to run more freely and improvised brakes were tried1 all of which were ineffectual in restraining the dogs4 ,the pace became so hot that a small obstacle would capsize the sledge1 causing it to roll over and over down the slope4 ,the dogs1 frantically pulling in various directions to keep ahead of the load1 became hopelessly entangled in their traces and were dragged along unresistingly until the sledge stopped of its own accord or was arrested by one of us4 ,at length1 most of the dogs were allowed to run loose1 and1 with a man holding on behind and a couple of dogs pulling ahead1 the loads were piloted down a steep slope for several miles4 ,the evening camp was situated at the crest of the last but steepest fall into a wide glacial valley which was clearly seen to sweep northwards past the eastern side of ,aurora ,peak4 ,looking back we could define our track winding down in the bed of a long shallow valley1 while1 uprising on either hand near the rim of the plateau were crevassed bluffs where the ice of the tableland streamed abruptly over the underlying crags4 ,ninnis had a touch of snow-blindness which rapidly improved under treatment4 ,the stock cure for this very irritating and painful affection is to place first of all tiny tabloids of zinc sulphate and cocaine hydrochloride under the eyelids where they quickly dissolve in the tears1 alleviating the smarting1 gritty sensation which is usually described by the sufferer4 ,he then bandages the eyes and escapes1 if he is lucky1 into the darkness of his sleeping-bag4 ,in certain lights one is sure to be attacked more or less severely1 and coloured glasses should be worn continually4 ,unfortunately1 goggles are sometimes impracticable on account of the moisture from the breath covering the glasses with an icy film or driving snow clogging them and obscuring the view4 ,for such contingencies narrow slots of various shapes are cut in plates or discs of wood or bone in the ,esquimaux fashion4 ,the amount of light reaching the eye can thus be reduced to the limit of moderately clear vision4 ,the morning of the #bjth broke with wind and drift which persisted until after noon4 ,already everything had been packed up1 but1 as there was a steep fall in front and crevasses were not far distant1 we decided not to start until the air was clear of snow4 ,when at last a move was possible1 it became evident that the dogs could not be trusted to pull the sledges down to the edge of the glacier4 ,so they were tethered to ice-axes while we lowered the sledges one by one1 all three checking their speed1 assisted by rope brakes round the runners4 ,finally1 the impatient dogs were brought down and harnessed in their accustomed places4 ,rapid travelling now commenced over a perfectly smooth surface1 sloping gently to the bed of the glacier4 ,mertz shot ahead on skis1 and our column of dogs and sledges followed quickly in his trail4 ,from this day forward our order of procession was as follows3--,behind the forerunner came a team of dogs dragging two sledges joined together by a short length of alpine rope4 ,bringing up the rear were the rest of the dogs dragging the third sledge4 ,each team pulled approximately equal weights2 the front load being divided between two sledges4 ,except when taking my turn ahead1 ,i looked after the leading team1 ,ninnis or ,mertz1 as the case might be1 driving the one behind4 ,we skirted ,aurora ,peak on its south-eastern side4 ,the mountain rose to a height of about seventeen hundred feet on our left1 its steep sides being almost completely snow-clad4 ,the wide depression of the ,mertz ,glacier lay ahead1 and on its far side the dim outline of uprising icy slopes was visible1 though at the time we could not be certain as to their precise nature4 ,as the sledges passed ,aurora ,peak1 ,blizzard and ,ginger ,bitch ran alongside4 ,the former had hurt one of her forefeet on the previous day during the rough-and-tumble descending into the valley4 ,ginger ,bitch was allowed to go free because she was daily expected to give birth to pups4 ,as she was such a good sledge-dog we could not have afforded to leave her behind at the ,hut1 and later events proved that the work seemed actually to benefit her1 for she was at all times the best puller and the strongest of the pack4 ,however1 in permitting both dogs to run loose that afternoon1 there was an element of danger which we had not sufficiently appreciated4 ,suddenly1 without any warning1 half of my dogs dropped out of sight1 swinging on their harness ropes in a crevasse4 ,next moment ,i realized that the sledges were in the centre of a bridge covering a crevasse1 twenty-five feet wide1 along the edge of which part of the team had broken through4 ,we spent many anxious moments before they were all hauled to the daylight and the sledge rested on solid ground4 ,there were other crevasses about and almost immediately afterwards ,ginger ,bitch and ,blizzard had broken through into a fissure and were frantically struggling to maintain their hold on the edge4 ,they were speedily rescued2 following which ,ginger ,bitch gave birth to the first of a large litter of pups4 ,after this second accident we decided to camp4 ,during the morning of ,november #ba there was a good deal of wind and drift which made travelling rather miserable4 ,occasionally open crevasses would break the surface of the snow4 ,when the light at last improved1 a nunatak was observed some fifteen miles or more to the south rising out of the glacier--,correll ,nunatak4 ,ahead of us was a glittering line of broken ice1 stretching at right angles to our path4 ,studded about on the icy plain were immense cauldrons1 like small craters in appearance4 ,then an area dotted over with ice mounds approached and crevasses became correspondingly more numerous4 ,the dogs frequently broke through them but were easily extricated in every instance4 ,camp was pitched for lunch in the vicinity of many gaping holes leading down into darkness1 places where the bridges over large crevasses had fallen in4 ,mertz prepared the lunch and ,ninnis and ,i went to photograph an open crevasse near by4 ,returning1 we diverged on reaching the back of the tent1 he passing round on one side and ,i on the other4 ,the next instant ,i heard a bang on the ice and1 swinging round1 could see nothing of my companion but his head and arms4 ,he had broken through the lid of a crevasse fifteen feet wide and was hanging on to its edge close to where the camera lay damaged on the ice4 ,he was soon dragged into safety4 ,looking down into the black depths we realized how narrowly he had escaped4 ,as the tent was found to encroach partly on the same crevasse1 it may be imagined that we did not dally long over the meal4 ,in the afternoon the weather became clear and fine1 but1 as if to offset this1 the broken surface became impassable4 ,the region was one of serac where the glacier was puckered up1 folded and crushed4 ,after several repulses in what seemed to be promising directions1 we were finally forced to camp1 having ten miles to our credit4 ,whilst ,mertz fed the dogs and prepared hoosh1 ,ninnis and ,i roped up and went off to search for a passage4 ,all around1 the glacier was pressed up into great folds1 two hundred feet in height and between one quarter and a third of a mile from crest to crest4 ,the ridges of the folds were either domes or open rifts partly choked with snow4 ,precipitous ice-falls and deep cauldrons were encountered everywhere4 ,to the north the glacier flattened out2 to the south it was more rugged4 ,in this chaos we wandered for some miles until a favourable line of advance had been discovered for the march on the following day4 ,the first three miles1 on the #bbnd1 were over a piece of very dangerous country1 after which our prospects improved and we came to the border of a level plain4 ,there ,mertz slipped on his skis1 went ahead and set a good pace4 ,although the sky had become overcast and snow fell fitfully1 our progress was rapid towards the rising slopes of the land on the eastern side of the glacier4 ,over the last three miles of the day's journey the surface was raised in large1 pimply masses surrounded by wide fissures4 ,into one of the fissures1 bridged by snow1 ,ninnis's sledge fell1 but fortunately jammed itself just below the surface4 ,as it was1 we had a long job getting it up again1 having to unpack the sledge in the crevasse until it was light enough to be easily manipulated4 ,despite the delay1 our day's run was sixteen and a half miles4 ,at #h ,a4,m4 on the #bcrd everything was in readiness for a fresh start4 ,moderate drift and wind descended from the hills and there were yet three miles of hidden perils to be passed4 ,with the object of making our advance less dangerous1 various devices were employed4 ,first of all the towing rope of the rear sledge was secured to the back of the preceding sledge4 ,this arrangement had to be abandoned because the dogs of ,ninnis's team persisted in entangling themselves and working independently of the dogs in front4 ,next1 all the sledges were joined together with all the dogs pulling in front4 ,the procession was then so long that it was quite unmanageable on account of the tortuous nature of our track through the labyrinth4 ,in the long run1 it was decided that our original method was the best1 provided that special precautions were taken over the more hazardous crossings4 ,the usual procedure was1 that the forerunner selected the best crossing of a crevasse1 testing it with a ski-stick4 ,the dog teams were then brought up to the spot and the forerunner went over the snow-bridge and stood on the other side1 sufficiently far away to allow the first team to cross to him and to clear the crevasse4 ,then the second team was piloted to safety before the forerunner had resumed his position in front4 ,this precaution was very necessary1 for otherwise the dogs in the rear would make a course direct for wherever the front dogs happened to be1 cutting across corners and most probably dragging their sledge sideways into a crevasse2 the likeliest way to lose it altogether4 ,often enough the dogs broke through the snow-bridges on the morning of the #bcrd1 but only once were matters serious1 when ,ninnis's sledge1 doubtless on account of its extra weight1 again broke through a lid of snow and was securely jammed in a crevasse just below the surface4 ,on this occasion we were in a serious predicament1 for the sledge was in such a position that an unskilful movement would have sent it hurling into the chasm below4 ,so the unpacking of the load was a tedious and delicate operation4 ,the freight consisted chiefly of large1 soldered tins1 packed tightly with dried seal meat4 ,each of these weighed about ninety pounds and all were most securely roped to the sledge4 ,the sledge was got up and reloaded without the loss of a single tin1 and once more we breathed freely4 ,a valley almost free of crevasses was chosen as the upward track to the plateau4 ,we threw in our weight hauling with the dogs1 and had a long1 steep drag over furrowed neve1 pitching the tent after a day's journey of twelve miles4 ,on waking up on ,november #bd ,i found that my watch had stopped4 ,i had been so tired on the previous evening that ,i had fallen asleep without remembering to wind it4 ,the penalty of this accident was paid in my being forced to take an extra set of observations in order to start the watch again at correct time relative to the ,hut4 ,besides the observations for position1 necessary for navigation1 sets of angles were taken from time to time to fix the positions of objects of interest appearing within the field of view1 while the magnetic variation was obtained at intervals4 ,in this work ,ninnis always assisted me4 ,mertz boiled the hypsometer when necessary to ascertain our elevation above sea-level4 ,the meteorological conditions were carefully noted several times each day for future comparison with those of other parties and of ,winter ,quarters4 ,the day's work on ,november #bd brought us high up on the slopes4 ,away to the north-west ,aurora ,peak was still visible1 standing up like a mighty beacon pointing the way back to the ,hut4 ,below lay the ,mertz ,glacier extending out to sea as a floating tongue beyond the horizon4 ,inland1 some twenty miles to the south1 it mounted up in seamed and riven cataracts to a smooth1 broad and shallow groove which wound into the ice-cap4 ,ahead1 on our south-east course1 the ground still rose1 but to the north-east the ice-sheet fell away in long wide valleys1 at the extremity of some of which icebergs were visible frozen into distant sea-ice4 ,the tent was raised at #aj ,p4,m4 in a forty-mile wind with light drift2 temperature #aj degrees ,f4 ,the altitude of this camp was two thousand three hundred and fifty feet4 ,one of the worst features of drift overnight is that sledges and dogs become buried in snow and have to be dug out in the morning4 ,thus on the #beth it was #aj ,a4,m4 before we got away in a strong wind1 with flying snow1 across fields of sastrugi4 ,the dogs detested the wind and1 as their heads were so near the ground1 they must have found the incessant stream of thick drift very tantalizing4 ,the snow became caked over their eyes so that every few minutes they had to scrape it away with their paws or rub their faces on the ground4 ,we stopped at #f ,p4,m4 after a miserable day1 covering sixteen miles in all4 ,november #bf broke overcast1 the light being bad for travelling and the wind still strong4 ,nevertheless we set out at #aj ,a4,m4 through falling snow4 ,as the day progressed the wind subsided and ,mertz was able to put on his skis over a surface which sloped gradually away to the east4 ,the light was diffused uniformly over the irregularities of snow and ice so that depressions only a few feet away were invisible4 ,black objects1 on the other hand1 stood out with startling distinctness1 and our attention was soon arrested by a hazy1 dark patch which appeared in front and to the left4 ,at first there was much doubt as to its nature1 but it was soon clear that it must be a group of rocks1 apparently situated at a considerable distance4 ,they were subsequently found to be sixty miles away 7,organ ,pipe ,cliffs1 near ,cape ,blake74 ,presently our course ended abruptly at the edge of a precipitous fall4 ,we skirted round this for a while1 but were ultimately forced to camp owing to the uncertainty of the light and the proximity of several large crevasses4 ,at #aa ,p4,m4 the sky cleared and a better idea could be gained of what lay ahead4 ,in a line between our elevated position and the distant rocky outcrops the ice fell in a steep descent to a broad1 glacial valley1 undulating and in places traversed by torn masses of serac-ice4 ,we examined the country to the east very carefully with a view to selecting a track for the journey next day and finally resolved to pass to the south of a large ice-capped island--,dixson ,island1 which was only about ten miles to the north-east1 set within ,ninnis ,glacier near its western border ,on the #bgth ,mertz and ,i roped up1 reconnoitred for a while and returned to the sledges4 ,we then spent several hours in advancing a mile over badly broken ground1 arriving at a slope covered with sastrugi and descending steeply for one thousand feet into the bed of the glacier4 ,in order the more safely to negotiate this1 the dogs were all let loose excepting two in each sledge4 ,even then the sledges were often uncontrollable1 rolling over and over many times before the bottom was reached4 ,when the dogs were re-harnessed it was found that ,betli was missing and was not to be seen when we scanned the slopes in our rear with binoculars4 ,it was expected that unless she had fallen into a crevasse she would turn up at the camp that night4 ,however1 she did not reappear1 and we saw no more of her4 ,two other dogs1 ,jappy and ,fusilier1 had been previously killed1 as neither was of any use as a puller4 ,blizzard1 who had been always a great favourite with us1 had to be shot next day4 ,when it had reached the edge of the glacier1 our path led over a solid ocean rising and faring in billows1 two hundred and fifty feet in height2 no doubt caused by the glacier in its northward movement being compressed against the southern side of ,dixson ,island4 ,still1 the caravan made considerable progress1 ending with a day's journey of sixteen miles4 ,during the small hours of ,november #bh the wind rose to a velocity of sixty miles per hour1 but gradually diminished to a twenty-knot breeze as the day advanced4 ,light snow fell from a sky which was densely clouded4 ,we still pursued a devious track amid rolling waves of ice1 encountering beds of soft snow through which the sledges moved slowly4 ,by #f ,p4,m4 pinnacles and hummocks stood around on every side1 and the light was such that one could not distinguish crevasses until he was on top of them4 ,we had to camp and be satisfied with seven miles to the good4 ,by this time the dogs were in good training and grew noticeably ravenous4 ,in the evening1 before they were properly tethered1 ,shackleton seized a one-week provision bag1 ripped it open and ate a block of butter weighing more than two and a half pounds4 ,this was a loss to us1 as butter was regarded as a particular delicacy4 ,the sun was shining brightly next day and it was at once evident that we were in a zone of tumbled and disrupted ice4 ,for many hours a way was won through a mighty turmoil of serac and over innumerable crevasses with varied fortune4 ,just before lunch my two sledges were nearly lost through the dogs swinging sharply to one side before the second sledge had cleared a rather rotten snow-bridge4 ,i was up with the dogs at the time1 and the first intimation ,i received of an accident was on seeing the dogs and front sledge being dragged backwards2 the rear sledge was hanging vertically in a crevasse4 ,exerting all my strength ,i held back the front sledge1 and in a few moments was joined by ,ninnis and ,mertz1 who soon drove a pick and ice-axe down between the runners and ran out an anchoring rope4 ,it was a ticklish business recovering the sledge which hung suspended in the crevasse4 ,it could not be lifted vertically as its bow was caught in a ,v-shaped cornice formed by an overhanging mass of snow4 ,to add to our troubles the ground all about the place was precarious and unsafe4 ,mertz and ,ninnis therefore lowered me down and ,i attached a rope to the tail-end of the sledge4 ,the bow-rope and tail-rope were then manipulated alternately until the bow of the sledge was manoeuvred slowly through the gaping hole in the snow-lid and was finally hauled up on to level ground4 ,no more remarkable test of the efficiency of the sledge straps and the compactness of the load could have been made4 ,after lunch ,mertz ascended a high point and was able to trace out a route which conducted us in a few hours to a better surface4 ,we were now at an elevation of from four hundred to five hundred feet above sea-level1 running across a beam-wind on our right which increased during the afternoon4 ,a rising blizzard made it necessary to camp after a day's run of ten and one-third miles4 ,the wind blew up to seventy miles an hour during the night1 but eased in strength early on ,november #cj4 ,at #aj ,a4,m4 we tried to make a start1 but the dogs refused to face the drift4 ,on the wind becoming gusty in the afternoon1 it was once more possible to travel1 and we set out4 ,dense drift was still to be seen pouring over the highlands to the south-east4 ,above the glacier ahead whirlies1 out-lined in high revolving columns of snow1 stalked about in their wayward courses4 ,the sledges ran through a sea of crevassed1 blue ice1 over ridges and past open chasms4 ,seven miles brought us to the foot-hills on the eastern border of the ,ninnis ,glacier1 where we pitched camp4 ,the first day of ,december was still and hot1 with brilliant sunshine4 ,the shade temperature reached #cd degrees ,f4 and the snow became so sticky that it was as much as we and the dogs could do to move the sledges up the slopes4 ,as the evening lengthened and the sun sank lower the surface froze hard and our toil was lightened4 ,at midnight we reached an altitude of nine hundred feet4 ,december #b was another warm1 bright day4 ,the surface was atrociously bad2 hard1 sharp sastrugi1 never less than two feet high and in many instances three feet six inches from crest to trough4 ,the dogs were not able to exert a united pull for there were never more than half of them in action at a time4 ,once more we were at a comparatively high altitude and a fine view presented itself to the north4 ,one could look back to the mainland slopes descending on the western side of the ,ninnis ,glacier4 ,then the glacier1 tumultuous and broken1 was seen to extend far out into the frozen sea and1 sweeping round to the north-east1 the eye ranged over a great expanse of floe-ice dotted with bergs4 ,to the east there was a precipitous coastline of dark rock which for a while we thought of visiting4 ,but then it seemed likely that ,madigan's party would reach as far east1 so we set our faces once more to the rising plateau in the south-east4 ,at midnight the sun was peering over the southern sky-line1 and we halted at an elevation of one thousand five hundred and fifty feet1 having covered eight and a half miles in the day4 ,the temperature was #e degrees ,f4 ,december #c4--,we were not long on the way before the sky became overcast and light snow fell4 ,the surface was becoming flatter4 ,camp was pitched at #aa ,p4,m4 after eleven and two-thirds miles4 ,december #d4--;,another day of bad light but the surface improved and good headway was made on an easterly course at an elevation of between two thousand and two thousand eight hundred feet4 ,the crevasses were practically past4 ,the day's march was fifteen miles4 ,december #e4--;,a bad day2 overcast1 snowing and a gale of wind from the east-south-east4 ,however1 we plugged on blindly into it until #g4cj ,p4,m4 and then camped1 having done eleven and a half miles4 ,december #f1 #g and #h4--;,during these days a dense blizzard raged1 the wind reaching seventy miles per hour4 ,there was nothing to do but lie in our bags and think out plans for the future4 ,each morning ,ninnis and ,mertz took it in turns to go out and feed their charges1 who were snugly buried in the deep snow4 ,one day in the sleeping-bag does not come amiss after long marches1 but three days on end is enough to bore any one thoroughly4 ,ninnis was not so badly off with a volume of ,thackeray1 but ,mertz had come to the end of a small edition of ',sherlock ,holmes' when blizzard-bound near ,aladdin's ,cave1 and his only diversion on these days was to recite passages from memory for our mutual benefit4 ,i was troubled with an inflammation in the face just at this time1 while ,ninnis suffered pain owing to a whitlow on one of his fingers4 ,as usual the food ration was reduced4 ,this caused us to have more than ordinarily vivid dreams4 ,i happened to be awake one night when ,ninnis was sledging in imagination1 vociferously shouting1 ,hike1 hike1 to the dogs2 our equivalent of the usual ,mush1 mush4 ,despite considerable wind and drift we got away at #h ,a4,m4 on ,december #i4 ,the sky was overcast and there was nothing to be seen except a soft carpet of newly fallen snow into which we sank half-way to the knees4 ,the sledges ran deeply and heavily so that the dogs had to be assisted4 ,ahead ,mertz glided along triumphant1 for it was on such occasions that skis were of the greatest assistance to him4 ,during the day a snow petrel circled above us for a while and then returned to the north4 ,the course was due east at an elevation of two thousand three hundred feet and the total distance we threw behind during the day was sixteen and a half miles4 ,on the #ajth light wind and low drift were the order of things4 ,our spirits rose when the sky cleared and a slight down grade commenced4 ,during the morning ,ninnis drew our attention to what appeared to be small ice-capped islets fringing the coast1 but the distance was too great for us to be sure of their exact nature4 ,out near the verge of the horizon a tract of frozen sea with scattered bergs could be seen4 ,next day more features were distinguishable4 ,the coast was seen to run in a north-easterly direction as a long peninsula ending in a sharp cape--,cape ,freshfield4 ,the north appeared to be filled with frozen sea though we could not be certain that it was not dense pack-ice4 ,little did we know that ,madigan's party1 about a week later1 would be marching over the frozen sea towards ,cape ,freshfield in the north-east4 ,at #aj ,p4,m4 on the #aath1 at an altitude of one thousand eight hundred feet1 the highland we were traversing fell away rapidly and sea-ice opened up directly in front of us4 ,the coastal downfalls to the south-east fell in rugged masses to a vertical barrier1 off the seaward face of which large1 tabular bergs were grouped within environing floe4 ,throughout ,december #ab a somewhat irregular course was made to the south-east and south to avoid the broken area ahead4 ,we had had enough of crevasses and wished to be clear of serac-ice in the future4 ,for some days ,ninnis had been enduring the throbbing pain of a whitlow and had not been having sufficient sleep4 ,he always did his share of the work and had undoubtedly borne a great deal of pain without showing it4 ,on several nights ,i noticed that he sat up in his sleeping-bag for hours puffing away at a pipe or reading4 ,at last the pain became so acute that he asked me to lance his finger4 ,this was successfully accomplished after breakfast on the #acth and during the day he had much relief4 ,while ,ninnis rested before we made a start1 ,mertz and ,i re-arranged the sledges and their loads4 ,a third sledge was no longer necessary1 so the one usually driven by ,ninnis1 which had been damaged1 was discarded and all the gear was divided between the other two sledges in nearly equal amounts4 ,when the work was completed1 the rear sledge carried an extra weight of fifty pounds4 ,as1 however1 both food for men and dogs were to come from it1 we reckoned that this superadded load would soon diminish4 ,on we went1 during the afternoon1 up a steep ascent4 ,crevasses were so numerous that we took measures to vent them4 ,some were as much as a hundred feet in width1 filled with snow2 others were great open holes or like huge cauldrons4 ,close to the windward edge of some of the latter high ramps of neve with bluff faces on the windward side stood up like monoliths reaching twenty-five feet in maximum height4 ,in the evening a field of neve was reached and we felt more placid after the anxiety of the preceding hours4 ,during the passage of a snow-filled valley a dull1 booming sound like the noise of far-distant cannon was heard4 ,it was evidently connected with the subsidence of large areas of the surface crust4 ,apparently large cavities had formed beneath the snow and the weight of ourselves and the sledges caused the crust to sink and the air to be expelled4 ,the sun appeared late in the day and1 as it was almost calm1 the last few hours of marching were very pleasant4 ,at midnight we camped at an altitude of one thousand nine hundred feet4 ,a light east-south-east wind was blowing as the sledges started away eastward on the morning of ,december #ad4 ,the weather was sunny and the temperature registered #ba degrees ,f4 ,mertz and ,i were happy to know that ,ninnis had slept well and was feeling much better4 ,our march was interrupted at noon by a latitude observation1 after which ,mertz went ahead on skis singing his student songs4 ,the dogs rose to the occasion and pulled eagerly and well4 ,everything was for once in harmony and the time was at hand when we should turn our faces homewards4 ,mertz was well in advance of us when ,i noticed him hold up his ski-stick and then go on4 ,this was a signal for something unusual so1 as ,i approached the vicinity1 ,i looked out for crevasses or some other explanation of his action4 ,as a matter of fact crevasses were not expected1 since we were on a smooth surface of neve well to the southward of the broken coastal slopes4 ,on reaching the spot where ,mertz had signalled and seeing no sign of any irregularity1 ,i jumped on to the sledge1 got out the book of tables and commenced to figure out the latitude observation taken on that day4 ,glancing at the ground a moment after1 ,i noticed the faint indication of a crevasse4 ,it was but one of many hundred similar ones we had crossed and had no specially dangerous appearance1 but still ,i turned quickly round1 called out a warning word to ,ninnis and then dismissed it from my thoughts4 ,ninnis1 who was walking along by the side of his sledge1 close behind my own1 heard the warning1 for in my backward glance ,i noticed that he immediately swung the leading dogs so as to cross the crevasse squarely instead of diagonally as ,i had done4 ,i then went on with my work4 ,there was no sound from behind except a faint1 plaintive whine from one of the dogs which ,i imagined was in reply to a touch from ,ninnis's whip4 ,i remember addressing myself to ,george1 the laziest dog in my own team1 saying1 ,you will be getting a little of that1 too1 ,george1 if you are not careful4 ,when ,i next looked back1 it was in response to the anxious gaze of ,mertz who had turned round and halted in his tracks4 ,behind me1 nothing met the eye but my own sledge tracks running back in the distance4 ,where were ,ninnis and his sledge8 ,i hastened back along the trail thinking that a rise in the ground obscured the view4 ,there was no such good fortune1 however1 for ,i came to a gaping hole in the surface about eleven feet wide4 ,the lid of a crevasse had broken in2 two sledge tracks led up to it on the far side but only one continued on the other side4 ,frantically waving to ,mertz to bring up my sledge1 upon which there was some alpine rope1 ,i leaned over and shouted into the dark depths below4 ,no sound came back but the moaning of a dog1 caught on a shelf just visible one hundred and fifty feet below4 ,the poor creature appeared to have broken its back1 for it was attempting to sit up with the front part of its body while the hinder portion lay limp4 ,another dog lay motionless by its side4 ,close by was what appeared in the gloom to be the remains of the tent and a canvas tank containing food for three men for a fortnight4 ,we broke back the edge of the neve lid and took turns leaning over secured by a rope1 calling into the darkness in the hope that our companion might be still alive4 ,for three hours we called unceasingly but no answering sound came back4 ,the dog had ceased to moan and lay without a movement4 ,a chill draught was blowing out of the abyss4 ,we felt that there was little hope4 ,why had the first sledge escaped the crevasse8 ,it seemed that ,i had been fortunate1 because my sledge had crossed diagonally1 with a greater chance of breaking the snow-lid4 ,the sledges were within thirty pounds of the same weight4 ,the explanation appeared to be that ,ninnis had walked by the side of his sledge1 whereas ,i had crossed it sitting on the sledge4 ,the whole weight of a man's body bearing on his foot is a formidable load and no doubt was sufficient to smash the arch of the roof4 ,by means of a fishing line we ascertained that it was one hundred and fifty feet sheer to the ledge on which the remains were seen2 on either side the crevasse descended into blackness4 ,it seemed so very far down there and the dogs looked so small that we got out the field glasses1 but could make out nothing more by their aid4 ,all our available rope was tied together but the total length was insufficient to reach the ledge and any idea of going below to investigate and to secure some of the food had to be abandoned4 ,stunned by the unexpectedness of it all and having exhausted the few appliances we carried for such a contingency1 we felt helpless4 ,in such moments action is the only tolerable thing1 and if there had been any expedient however hazardous which might have been tried1 we should have taken all and more than the risk4 ,stricken dumb with the pity of it and heavy at heart1 we turned our minds mechanically to what lay nearest at hand4 ,there were rations on the other sledge1 and we found that there was a bare one and a half weeks' food for ourselves and nothing at all for the dogs4 ,part of the provisions consisted of raisins and almonds which had been taken as extras or perks1 as they were usually called4 ,among other losses there were both spade and ice-axe1 but fortunately a spare tent-cover was saved4 ,mertz's burberry trousers had gone down with the sledge and the best substitute he could get was a pair of thick ,jaeger woollen under-trousers from the spare clothing we possessed4 ,later in the afternoon ,mertz and ,i went ahead to a higher point in order to obtain a better view of our surroundings4 ,at a point two thousand four hundred feet above sea-level and three hundred and fifteen and three-quarter miles eastward from the ,hut1 a complete observation for position and magnetic azimuth was taken4 ,the coastal slopes were fearfully broken and scaured in their descent to the sea1 which was frozen out to the horizon4 ,no islands were observed or anything which could correspond with the land marked by ,wilkes as existing so much farther to the north4 ,patches of water sky were visible in two places in the far distance4 ,as we stood looking north a ,wilson petrel suddenly appeared and after flitting about for a short time departed4 ,we returned to the crevasse and packed the remaining sledge1 discarding everything unnecessary so as to reduce the weight of the load4 ,a thin soup was made by boiling up all the old food-bags which could be found4 ,the dogs were given some worn-out fur mitts1 finnesko and several spare raw hide straps1 all of which they devoured4 ,we still continued to call down into the crevasse at regular intervals in case our companion might not have been killed outright and1 in the meantime1 have become conscious4 ,there was no reply4 ,a weight was lowered on the fishing line as far as the dog which had earlier shown some signs of life1 but there was no response4 ,all were dead1 swallowed up in an instant4 ,when comrades tramp the road to anywhere through a lonely blizzard-ridden land in hunger1 want and weariness the interests1 ties and fates of each are interwoven in a wondrous fabric of friendship and affection4 ,the shock of ,ninnis's death struck home and deeply stirred us4 ,he was a fine fellow and a born soldier--and the end3-- ,life--give me life until the end1 ,that at the very top of being1 ,the battle spirit shouting in my blood1 ,out of very reddest hell of the fight ,i may be snatched and flung ,into the everlasting lull1 ,the ,immortal1 ,incommunicable ,dream4 ,at #i ,p4,m4 we stood by the side of the crevasse and ,i read the burial service4 ,then ,mertz shook me by the hand with a short ,thank you6 and we turned away to harness up the dogs4 ,,chapter ,,xiii ,,toil ,,and ,,tribulation ,the homeward track6 ,a few days ago--only few hours ago-our hearts had beat hopefully at the prospect and there was no hint of this1 the overwhelming tragedy4 ,our fellow1 comrade1 chum1 in a woeful instant1 buried in the bowels of the awful glacier4 ,we could not think of it2 we strove to forget it in the necessity of work1 but we knew that the truth would assuredly enter our souls in the lonely days to come4 ,it was to be a fight with ,death and the great ,providence would decide the issue4 ,on the outward journey we had left no depots of provisions en route1 for it was our bad fortune to meet such impossible country that we had decided to make a circuit on our return to ,winter ,quarters sufficiently far inland to avoid the coastal irregularities4 ,as a matter of fact1 on the very day of the calamity1 preparations had been made to cache most of the food within twenty-four hours1 as during the last few days of the journey we were to make a dash to our farthest east point4 ,such were the plans1 and now we were ranged against unexpected odds4 ,with regard to the dogs1 there were six very miserable animals left4 ,the best of them had been drafted into the rear team1 as it was expected that if an accident happened through the collapse of a snow-bridge the first sledge would most probably suffer4 ,for the same reason most of the food and other indispensable articles had been carried on the rear sledge4 ,all the dogs which had perished were big and powerful2 ,basilisk1 ,ginger ,bitch1 ,shackleton1 ,castor1 ,franklin and ,john ,bull4 ,we had fully anticipated that those at least would come back alive1 at the expense of the six dogs in my sledge4 ,a silent farewell6--and we started back1 aiming to reach our camping-ground on ,december #ab before a snowstorm intervened1 as several things had been left there which would be of use to us in our straitened stances4 ,the weather still held good and there were no signs of approaching snow or wind4 ,so ,mertz went ahead on skis1 while we plodded slowly up the hills and dashed recklessly down them4 ,during the descents ,i sat on the sledge and we slid over long crevassed slopes in a wild fashion1 almost with a languid feeling that the next one would probably swallow us up4 ,but we did not much care then1 as it was too soon after losing our friend4 ,at #b4cj ,a4,m4 on ,december #ae the discarded sledge and broken spade came into sight4 ,on reaching them1 ,mertz cut a runner of the broken sledge into two pieces which were used in conjunction with his skis as a framework on which to pitch the spare tent-cover2 our only tent and poles having been lost4 ,each time the makeshift shelter was erected1 these props had to be carefully lashed together at the apex1 which stood four feet from the ground4 ,inside1 there was just room for two one-man sleeping-bags on the floor4 ,however1 only one man at a time could move about and neither of us could ever rise above a sitting posture4 ,still1 it was a shelter which protected us from the bad weather1 and1 with plenty of snow blocks piled around it1 was wonderfully resistant to the wind4 ,when we retired to rest1 it was not to sleep but to think out the best plan for the return journey4 ,it was obvious that a descent to the frozen sea would be dangerous on account of the heavily crevassed nature of the falling glacier1 delay would undoubtedly be caused and our distance from the ,hut would be increased4 ,to decide definitely for the sea-ice would be to take other risks as well1 since1 from the altitude at which we were placed1 we could not be sure that the floe-ice which covered the sea would provide a good travelling surface4 ,in any case it was likely to be on the point of breaking up1 for the season was nearing midsummer4 ,on the other hand1 there was on the sea-ice a chance of obtaining seals for food4 ,after due consideration we resolved to follow the shorter route1 returning inland over the plateau1 for it was reckoned that if the weather were reasonable we might win through to ,winter ,quarters with one and a half weeks' rations and the six dogs which still remained1 provided we ate the dogs to eke out our provisions4 ,fortunately neither the cooker nor the kerosene had been lost4 ,george1 the poorest of the dogs1 was killed and partly fed to the others1 partly kept for ourselves4 ,the meat was roughly fried on the lid of the aluminium cooker1 an operation which resulted in little more than scorching the surface4 ,on the whole it was voted good though it had a strong1 musty taste and was so stringy that it could not be properly chewed4 ,as both mugs and spoons had been lost1 ,i made two pannikins out of tins in which cartridges and matches had been packed1 and ,mertz carved wooden spoons out of a portion of the broken sledge4 ,at this camp he also spliced the handle of the broken shovel which had been picked up1 so as to make it temporarily serviceable4 ,it was midsummer1 and therefore we found it easier to drag the sledge over the snow at night when the surface was frozen hard4 ,camp was not finally broken until #f ,p4,m41 when the long and painful return journey commenced4 ,for fourteen miles the way led up rising snow slopes to the north-west until an elevation of two thousand five hundred feet had been reached4 ,after that1 variable grades and flat country were met4 ,though the sledge was light1 the dogs required helping and progress was slow4 ,the midnight sun shone low in the south1 and we tramped on through the morning hours1 anxious to reduce the miles which lay ahead4 ,early on ,december #af the sky became rapidly overcast4 ,the snowy land and the snowy sky merged to form an enclosed trap1 as it seemed to us1 while showers of snow fell4 ,there were no shadows to create contrast2 it was impossible to distinguish even the detail of the ground underfoot4 ,we stumbled over unseen ridges of the hard neve1 our gaze straining forward4 ,the air was so still that advantage was taken of the calm to light the primus and melt some snow in the lee of the sledge4 ,the water1 to which were added a few drops of primus alcohol1 helped to assuage our thirst4 ,the erection of the makeshift tent was a long and tedious operation1 and so1 on our return marches1 we never again took any refreshment during the day's work excepting on this occasion4 ,at #f ,a4,m41 having done twenty miles and ascended to an elevation of about two thousand five hundred feet1 we pitched camp4 ,there was very little sleep for me that day for ,i had an unusually bad attack of snow-blindness4 ,during the time that we rested in the bags ,mertz treated one of my eyes three times1 the other twice with zinc sulphate and cocaine4 ,on account of the smallness of the tent a great deal of time was absorbed in preparations for turning in and for getting away from each camp4 ,thus1 although we rose before #f ,p4,m4 on ,december #af1 the start was not made until #h4cj ,p4,m41 notwithstanding the fact that the meal was of the sketchiest character4 ,on that night ours was a mournful procession2 the sky thickly clouded1 snow falling1 ,i with one eye bandaged and the dog ,johnson broken down and strapped on top of the load on the sledge4 ,there was scarcely a sound2 only the rustle of the thick1 soft snow as we pushed on1 weary but full of hope4 ,the dogs dumbly pressed forward in their harness1 forlorn but eager to follow4 ,their weight now told little upon the sledge1 the work mainly falling upon ourselves4 ,mertz was tempted to try hauling on skis1 but came to the conclusion that it did not pay and thenceforth never again used them4 ,close to the ,magnetic ,pole as we were1 the compass was of little use1 and to steer a straight course to the west without ever seeing anything of the surroundings was a difficult task4 ,the only check upon the correctness of the bearing was the direction in which trended the old hard winter sastrugi1 channelled out along a line running almost north and south4 ,the newly fallen snow obliterated these1 and frequent halts had to be called in order to investigate the buried surface4 ,at #b ,a4,m4 on the #agth we had only covered eleven miles when we stopped to camp4 ,then ,mertz shot and cut up ,johnson while ,i prepared the supper4 ,johnson had always been a very faithful1 hard-working and willing beast1 with rather droll ways of his own1 and we were sorry that his end should come so soon4 ,he could never be accused of being a handsome dog1 in fact he was generally disreputable and dirty4 ,all the dogs were miserable and thin when they reached the stage of extreme exhaustion4 ,their meat was tough1 stringy and without a vestige of fat4 ,for a change we sometimes chopped it up finely1 mixed it with a little pemmican1 and brought all to the boil in a large pot of water4 ,we were exceedingly hungry1 but there was nothing to satisfy our appetites4 ,only a few ounces were used of the stock of ordinary food1 to which was added a portion of dog's meat1 never large1 for each animal yielded so very little1 and the major part was fed to the surviving dogs4 ,they crunched the bones and ate the skin1 until nothing remained4 ,a fresh start was made at #g4cj ,p4,m4 and a wretched1 trying night was spent1 when we marched without a break for twelve and a half hours4 ,overhead there was a dense pall of nimbus from which snow fell at intervals4 ,none of the dogs except ,ginger gave any help with the load1 and ,mary was so worn out that she had to be carried on the sledge4 ,poor ,mary had been a splendid dog1 but we had to kill her at the camp in the morning4 ,after a run of eighteen and a half miles we halted at #h ,a4,m4 on ,december #ah4 ,at #e4cj ,p4,m4 a light south-easter blew and snow fell from an overcast sky4 ,soon after a start was made1 it became apparent that a descent was commencing4 ,in this locality the country had been swept by wind1 for none of the recent snow settled on the surface4 ,the sastrugi were high and hard1 and over them we bumped1 slipping and falling in the uncertain light4 ,we could not endure this kind of travelling for long and resolved to camp shortly after midnight1 intending to go on when the day had advanced further and the light was stronger4 ,december #ai4--,up at noon and tried a few more miles in the snow-glare4 ,later in the afternoon the sky began to break and we picked our way with less difficulty4 ,camped at #e ,p4,m41 having done only twelve miles one thousand and fifty yards since the morning of ,december #ah4 ,up at #h ,p4,m4 again1 almost calm and sun shining4 ,still continuing a westerly course we dropped several hundred feet1 marching over rough1 slippery fields of sastrugi4 ,in the early morning hours of the #bjth the surface changed to ice and occasional crevasses appeared4 ,it was clear that we had arrived at the head of the ,ninnis ,glacier above the zone of serac we had traversed on the outward journey4 ,it was very satisfactory to know this2 to be certain that some landmark had been seen and recognized4 ,soon after this discovery we came near losing ,haldane1 the big grey wolf1 in a crevasse4 ,miserably thin from starvation the wretched dogs no longer filled their harness4 ,as we pulled up ,haldane1 after he had broken into a deep1 sheer-walled crevasse1 his harness slipped off just as he reached the top4 ,it was just possible to seize hold of his hair at that moment and to land him safely1 otherwise we should have lost many days' rations4 ,he took to the harness once more but soon became uncertain in his footsteps1 staggered along and then tottered and fell4 ,poor brutes6 that was the way they all gave in--pulling till they dropped4 ,we camped at #d ,a4,m41 thinking that a rest would revive ,haldane4 ,inside the tent some snow was thawed1 and we drank the water with an addition of a little primus spirit4 ,a temperature reading showed-#a degree ,f4 ,outside1 the hungry huskies moaned unceasingly until we could bear to hear them no longer4 ,the tent was struck and we set off once more4 ,haldane was strapped on the sledge as he could not walk4 ,he had not eaten the food we had given him1 because his jaws seemed too weak to bite4 ,he had just nursed it between his paws and licked it4 ,before the dogs became as weak as this1 great care had to be taken in tethering them at each camp so as to prevent them from gnawing the wood of the sledge1 the straps or1 in fact1 anything at all4 ,every time we were ready for a fresh start they seemed to regain their old strength1 for they struggled and fought to seize any scraps1 however useless1 left on the ground4 ,the day's march was completed at #aj4cj ,a4,m4 and fourteen and a half miles lay behind4 ,we were up again at #aa4bj ,p4,m4 ,sky clear2 fifteen-mile breeze from the south-south-east and the temperature #c degrees ,f4 ,by midnight there was a thirty-mile wind and low1 flying drift4 ,december #ba4--,the night-march was a miserable one4 ,the only thing which helped to relieve it was that for a moment ,dixson ,island was miraged up in the north1 and we felt that we had met an old friend1 which means a lot in this icy desolation4 ,the surface was furrowed by hard1 sharp sastrugi4 ,we camped at #i ,a4,m4 after only eleven miles4 ,haldane was finished off before we retired4 ,we were up again at #i ,p4,m41 and when a start was made at #aa ,p4,m4 there was a strong south-south-east wind blowing1 with low drift2 temperature1 zero ,fahr4 ,december #bb4--,the surface of hard1 polished sastrugi caused many falls4 ,the track was undulating1 rising in one case several hundred feet and finally falling in a long slope4 ,pavlova gave in late in the march and was taken on the sledge4 ,camped at #f4dj ,a4,m4 in a forty-mile wind with low drift4 ,distance marched was twelve miles one thousand four hundred yards4 ,before turning in1 we effected sundry repairs4 ,mertz re-spliced the handle of the shovel which had broken apart and ,i riveted the broken spindle of the sledge-meter4 ,the mechanism of the latter had frozen during the previous day's halt1 and1 on being started1 its spindle had broken off short4 ,it was a long and tedious job tapping at the steed with a toy hammer1 but the rivet held miraculously for the rest of the journey4 ,up at #aa4cj ,p4,m41 a moderate breeze blowing1 overcast sky1 light snow falling4 ,on ,december #bh an uphill march commenced which was rendered very heavy by the depth of the soft snow4 ,pavlova had to be carried on the sledge4 ,suddenly1 gaping crevasses appeared dimly through the falling snow which surrounded us like a blanket4 ,there was nothing to do but camp1 though it was only #d4cj ,a4,m41 and we had covered but five miles one thousand two hundred and thirty yards4 ,pavlova was killed and we made a very acceptable soup from her bones4 ,in view of the dark outlook1 our ration of food had to be still further cut down4 ,we had no proper sleep1 hunger gnawing at us all the time1 and the question of food was for ever in our thoughts4 ,dozing in the fur bags1 we dreamed of gorgeous spreads and dinner-parties at home4 ,tramping along through the snow1 we racked our brains thinking of how to make the most of the meagre quantity of dogs' meat at hand4 ,the supply of kerosene for the primus stove promised to be ample1 for none of it had been lost in the accident4 ,we found that it was worth while spending some time in boiling the dogs' meat thoroughly4 ,thus a tasty soup was prepared as well as a supply of edible meat in which the muscular tissue and the gristle were reduced to the consistency of a jelly4 ,the paws took longest of all to cook1 but1 treated to lengthy stewing1 they became quite digestible4 ,on ,december #bd we were up at #h ,a4,m4 just as the sun commenced to gleam through clouds4 ,the light was rather bad1 and snow fell as the track zigzagged about among many crevasses2 but suddenly the sun broke forth4 ,the sledge was crossing a surface of deep snow which soon became so sticky that the load would scarcely move4 ,at last a halt was made after four miles1 and we waited for the evening1 when the surface was expected to harden4 ,a small prion visited us but went off in a moment4 ,it is very remarkable how far some ,antarctic sea-birds may wander inland1 apparently at such a great distance from anything which should interest them4 ,we were then more than one hundred miles south of the open sea4 ,as the bird flew away1 we watched it until it disappeared in the north1 wishing that we too had wings to cross the interminable plateau ahead4 ,lying in the sleeping-bag that day ,i dreamt that ,i visited a confectioner's shop4 ,all the wares that were displayed measured feet in diameter4 ,i purchased an enormous delicacy just as one would buy a bun under ordinary stances4 ,i remember paying the money over the counter1 but something happened before ,i received what ,i had chosen4 ,when ,i realized the omission ,i was out in the street1 and1 being greatly disappointed1 went back to the shop1 but found the door shut and early closing written on it4 ,though a good daily average had been maintained on the march whenever conditions were at all favourable1 the continuance of bad weather and the undoubtedly weaker state in which we found ourselves made it imperative to dispense with all but the barest necessities4 ,thus the theodolite was the only instrument retained1 and the camera1 photographic films 7exposed and unexposed71 hypsometer1 thermometers1 rifle1 ammunition and other sundries were all thrown away4 ,the frame of the tent was made lighter by constructing two poles1 each four feet high1 from the telescopic theodolite legs1 the heavier pieces of sledge-runner being discarded4 ,we were up at #aa ,p4,m4 on ,december #bd1 but so much time was absorbed in making a dog-stew for ,christmas that it was not till #b4hj ,a4,m4 that we got under way4 ,we wished each other happier ,christmases in the future1 and divided two scraps of biscuit which ,i found in my spare kit-bag2 relics of better days4 ,the surface was a moderately good one of undulating1 hard sastrugi1 and1 as the course had been altered to north-west1 the southerly wind helped us along4 ,the sun shone brightly1 and only for the wind and the low drift we might have felt tolerably comfortable4 ,on our right1 down within the shallow depression of the ,ninnis ,glacier1 the low outline of ,dixson ,island1 forty miles to the north1 could be seen miraged up on the horizon4 ,the tent was raised at #i4cj ,a4,m4 after a run of eleven miles one hundred and seventy-six yards4 ,an ounce each of butter was served out from our small stock to give a festive touch to the dog-stew4 ,at noon ,i took an observation for latitude1 and1 after taking a bearing on to ,dixson ,island1 computed that the distance in an air-line to ,winter ,quarters was one hundred and sixty miles4 ,december #bf4--;,got away at #b ,a4,m42 the surface undulating and hummocky with occasional beds of soft snow4 ,sun shining1 wind ranged between thirty and forty miles per hour with much low drift2 cold2 camped about noon having done ten miles five hundred and twenty-eight yards4 ,we have reached the western side of the ,ninnis ,glacier4 ,ahead are rising slopes1 but we look forward to assistance from the wind in the ascent4 ,i was again troubled with a touch of snow-blindness1 but it responded to the usual treatment4 ,at #aa ,p4,m4 we were at it again1but what with preparing dog-stew1 packing up within the limited area of the tent and experimenting with a sail1 it was five hours before the march commenced4 ,the sail was the tent-cover1 attached to the top of one ski lashed vertically as a mast and secured below to the other ski1 lashed across the sledge as a boom4 ,a start was made at #d ,a4,m4 on the #bgth in a thirty-mile wind accompanied by low drift4 ,the surface was smooth but grew unexpectedly soft at intervals1 while the ascent soon began to tell on us4 ,though the work was laborious1 notwithstanding some aid from the sail1 the bright sunlight kept up our spirits1 and1 whenever a halt was called for a few minutes' spell1 the conversation invariably turned upon the subject of food and what we should do on arrival on board the ',aurora'4 ,at noon the sledge-meter showed nine miles one thousand four hundred yards1 and we agreed to halt and pitch camp4 ,the wind had fallen off considerably1 and in the brilliant sunshine it was comparatively warm in the tent4 ,the addition of the heat from the primus stove1 kept burning for an unusually long time during the preparation of the meat1 caused a thaw of drift-snow which became lodged on the lee side of the tent4 ,thus we had frequently to put up with an unwelcome drip4 ,moisture came from the floor also1 as there was no floor-cloth1 and the sleeping-bags were soon very wet and soggy4 ,as soon as the cooking was finished1 the tent cooled off and the wet walls froze and became stiff with icy cakes4 ,at this time we were eating largely of the dogs' meat1 to which was added one or two ounces of chocolate or raisins1 three or four ounces of pemmican and biscuit mixed together1 and1 as a beverage1 very dilute cocoa4 ,the total weight of solid food consumed by each man per day was approximately fourteen ounces4 ,our small supply of butter and glaxo was saved for emergency1 while a few tea-bags which remained were boiled over and over again4 ,the march commenced on ,december #bh at #c ,a4,m4 in a thirty-mile wind accompanied by light drift4 ,overhead there was a wild sky which augured badly for the next few days4 ,it was cold work raising the sail1 and we were glad to be marching4 ,our faithful retainer ,ginger could walk no longer and was strapped on the sledge4 ,she was the last of the dogs and had been some sort of a help until a few days before4 ,we were sad when it came to finishing her off4 ,on account of the steep up grade and the weight of ,ginger on the sledge1 we camped at #g4ae ,a4,m4 after only four miles one thousand two hundred and thirty yards4 ,we had breakfast off ,ginger's skull and brain4 ,i can never forget the occasion4 ,as there was nothing available to divide it1 the skull was boiled whole4 ,then the right and left halves were drawn for by the old and well-established sledging practice of shut-eye1 after which we took it in turns eating to the middle line1 passing the skull from one to the other4 ,the brain was afterwards scooped out with a wooden spoon4 ,on sledging journeys it is usual to apportion all food-stuffs in as nearly even halves as possible4 ,then one man turns away and another1 pointing to a heap1 asks ,whose8 ,the reply from the one not looking is ,yours or ,mine as the case may be4 ,thus an impartial and satisfactory division of the rations is made4 ,after the meal ,i went on cooking more meat so as to have a supply in readiness for eating4 ,it was not till #b ,p4,m4 that the second lot was finished4 ,the task was very trying1 for ,i had to sit up on the floor of the tent for hours in a cramped position1 continually attending to the cooker1 while ,mertz in his ,sleeping-bag was just accommodated within the limited space which remained4 ,the tent was too small either to lie down during the operation or to sit up comfortably on a sleeping-bag4 ,at #i4cj ,p4,m4 ,mertz rose to take a turn at the cooking1 and at #aa ,p4,m4 ,i joined him at breakfast4 ,at this time a kind of daily cycle was noted in the weather4 ,it was always calmest between #d ,p4,m4 and #f ,p4,m4 ,during the evening hours the wind increased until it reached a maximum between four and six o'clock next morning1 after which it fell off gradually4 ,we were away at #b4cj ,a4,m4 on the #bith in a thirty-mile wind which raised a light drift4 ,the sail was found to be of great assistance over a surface which rose in terraces of fifty to one hundred feet in height1 occurring every one to one and a half miles4 ,this march lasted for six hours1 during which we covered seven miles five hundred and twenty-eight yards4 ,on ,december #cj the ascent continued and the wind was still in the thirties4 ,after several hours we overtopped the last terrace and stood on flat ground--the crest of a ridge4 ,tramping over the plateau1 where reigns the desolation of the outer worlds1 in solitude at once ominous and weird1 one is free to roam in imagination through the wide realm of human experience to the bounds of the great ,beyond4 ,one is in the midst of infinities--the infinity of the dazzling white plateau1 the infinity of the dome above1 the infinity of the time past since these things had birth1 and the infinity of the time to come before they shall have fulfilled the ,purpose for which they were created4 ,we1 in the midst of the illimitable1 could feel with ,marcus ,aurelius that ,of life1 the time is a point4 ,by #i ,a4,m4 we had accomplished a splendid march of fifteen miles three hundred and fifty yards1 but the satisfaction we should have felt at making such an inroad on the huge task before us was damped by the fact that ,i suddenly became aware that ,mertz was not as cheerful as usual4 ,i was at a loss to know the reason1 for he was always such a bright and companionable fellow4 ,at #aj4ae ,p4,m4 the sky had become overcast1 snow was falling and a strong wind was blowing4 ,we decided to wait for better conditions4 ,on ,new ,year's ,eve at #e4cj ,a4,m4 the wind was not so strong1 so we got up and prepared for the start4 ,mertz said that he felt the dogs' meat was not doing him much good and suggested that we should give it up for a time and eat a small ration of the ordinary sledging food1 of which we had still some days' supply carefully husbanded4 ,i agreed to do this and we made our first experiment on that day4 ,the ration tasted very sweet compared with dogs' meat and was so scanty in amount that it left one painfully empty4 ,the light was so atrocious for marching that1 after stumbling along for two and a half miles1 we were obliged to give up the attempt and camp1 spending the day in sleeping-bags4 ,in the evening at #i4cj ,p4,m4 the sun appeared for a brief moment and the wind subsided4 ,another stage was therefore attempted but at considerable cost1 for we staggered along in the bewildering light1 continually falling over unseen sastrugi4 ,the surface was undulating with a tendency to down grades4 ,two sets of sastrugi were found crossing one another1 and1 in the absence of the sun1 we could not be sure of the course1 so the camp was pitched niter five miles4 ,january #a1 #aiac4--,outside1 an overcast sky and falling snow4 ,mertz was not up to his usual form and we decided not to attempt blundering along in the bad light1 believing that the rest would be advantageous to him4 ,he did not complain at all except of the dampness of his sleeping-bag1 though when ,i questioned him particularly he admitted that he had pains in the abdomen4 ,as ,i had a continuous gnawing sensation in the stomach1 ,i took it that he had the same1 possibly more acute4 ,after ,new ,year's ,day he expressed a dislike to biscuit1 which seemed rather strange4 ,then he suddenly had a desire for glaxo and our small store was made over to him1 ,i taking a considerable ration of the dogs' meat in exchange4 ,it was no use1 however1 for when we tried to cover a few more miles the exertion told very heavily on him1 and it was plain that he was in a more serious condition than myself4 ,january #b4--,the same abominable weather4 ,we eat only a few ounces of chocolate each day4 ,january #c4--;,in the evening the sky broke and the sun looked through the clouds4 ,we were not long in packing up and getting on the way4 ,the night was chilly and ,mertz got frost-bitten fingers1 so camp was pitched after four miles one thousand two hundred and thirty yards4 ,january #d4--,the sun was shining and we had intended rising at #aj ,a4,m41 but ,mertz was not well and thought that the rest would be good for him4 ,i spent the time improving some of the gear1 mending ,mertz's clothing and cooking a quantity of the meat4 ,january #e4--,the sky was overcast1 snow was falling1 and there was a strong wind4 ,mertz suggested that as the conditions were so bad we should delay another day4 ,lying in the damp bags was wretched and was not doing either of us any good1 but what was to be done8 ,outside1 the conditions were abominable4 ,my companion was evidently weaker than ,i1 and it was apparently quite true that he was not making much of the dogs' meat4 ,january #f4--;,a better day but the sky remained overcast4 ,mertz agreed to try another stage4 ,the grade was slightly downhill and the wind well behind4 ,unfortunately the surface was slippery and irregular and falls were frequent4 ,these told very much upon my companion until1 after consistently demurring1 he at last consented to ride on the sledge4 ,with the wind blowing behind us1 it required no great exertion to bring the load along1 though it would often pull up suddenly against sastrugi4 ,after we had covered two and a half miles1 ,mertz became so cold through inaction in the wind that there was nothing to do but pitch the tent4 ,mertz appeared to be depressed and1 after the short meal1 sank back into his bag without saying much4 ,occasionally1 during the day1 ,i would ask him how he felt1 or we would return to the old subject of food4 ,it was agreed that on our arrival on board the ',aurora' ,mertz was to make penguin omelettes1 for we had never forgotten the excellence of those we had eaten just before leaving the ,hut4 ,reviewing the situation1 ,i found that we were one hundred miles south-east of ,winter ,quarters where food and plenty awaited us4 ,at the time we had still ordinary rations for several days4 ,how short a distance it would seem to the vigorous1 but what a lengthy journey for the weak and famished6 ,the skin was peeling off our bodies and a very poor substitute remained which burst readily and rubbed raw in many places4 ,one day1 ,i remember1 ,mertz ejaculated1 ,just a moment1 and1 reaching over1 lifted from my ear a perfect skin-cast4 ,i was able to do the same for him4 ,as we never took off our clothes1 the peelings of hair and skin from our bodies worked down into our under-trousers and socks1 and regular clearances were made4 ,during the evening of the #fth ,i made the following note in my diary3 ,a long and wearisome night4 ,if only ,i could get on2 but ,i must stop with ,xavier4 ,he does not appear to be improving and both our chances are going now4 ,january #g4--,up at #h ,a4,m41 it having been arranged last night that we would go on to-day at all costs1 sledge-sailing1 with ,xavier in his bag on the sledge4 ,it was a sad blow to me to find that ,mertz was in a weak state and required helping in and out of his bag4 ,he needed rest for a few hours at least before he could think of travelling4 ,i have to turn in again to kill time and also to keep warm1 for ,i feel the cold very much now4 ,at #aj ,a4,m4 ,i get up to dress ,xavier and prepare food1 but find him in a kind of fit4 ,coming round a few minutes later1 he exchanged a few words and did not seem to realize that anything had happened4 444 ,obviously we can't go on to-day4 ,it is a good day though the light is bad1 the sun just gleaming through the clouds4 ,this is terrible2 ,i don't mind for myself but for others4 ,i pray to ,god to help us4 ,i cook some thick cocoa for ,xavier and give him beef-tea2 he is better after noon1 but very low--,i have to lift him up to drink4 ,during the afternoon he had several more fits1 then became delirious and talked incoherently until midnight1 when he appeared to fall off into a peaceful slumber4 ,so ,i toggled up the sleeping-bag and retired worn out into my own4 ,after a couple of hours1 having felt no movement from my companion1 ,i stretched out an arm and found that he was stiff4 ,my comrade had been accepted into the peace that passeth all understanding4 ,it was my fervent hope that he had been received where sterling qualities and a high mind reap their due reward4 ,in his life we loved him2 he was a man of character1 generous and of noble parts4 ,for hours ,i lay in the bag1 rolling over in my mind all that lay behind and the chance of the future4 ,i seemed to stand alone on the wide shores of the world--and what a short step to enter the unknown future6 ,my physical condition was such that ,i felt ,i might collapse in a moment4 ,the gnawing in the stomach had developed there a permanent weakness1 so that it was not possible to hold myself up in certain positions4 ,several of my toes commenced to blacken and fester near the tips and the nails worked loose4 ,outside1 the bowl of chaos was brimming with drift-snow and ,i wondered how ,i would manage to break and pitch camp single-handed4 ,there appeared to be little hope of reaching the ,hut4 ,it was easy to sleep on in the bag1 and the weather was cruel outside4 ,but inaction is hard to brook1 and ,i thought of ,service's lines3 ,buck up1 do your damndest and fight1 ,it's the plugging away that will win you the day4 ,if ,i failed to reach the ,hut it would be something done to reach some prominent point likely to catch the eye of a search party1 where a cairn might be erected and our diaries cached4 ,and so ,i commenced to modify the sledge and camping gear to meet fresh requirements4 ,the sky remained clouded1 but the wind fell off to a calm which lasted for several hours4 ,i took the opportunity to set to work on the sledge1 sawing it in halves with a pocket tool4 ,a mast was made out of one of the rails of the discarded half of the sledge and a spar was cut from the other rail4 ,the sledge-meter1 very much battered1 was still serviceable4 ,lastly1 the load was cut down to a minimum by the elimination of all but the barest necessities4 ,late on the evening of the #hth ,i took the body of ,mertz1 wrapped up in his sleeping-bag1 outside the tent1 piled snow blocks around it and raised a rough cross made of the two half-runners of the sledge4 ,on ,january #i the weather was overcast and fairly thick drift was flying in a wind reaching about fifty miles an hour4 ,as certain matters still required attention and my chances of re-erecting the tent were rather doubtful1 if ,i had decided to move on1 the start was delayed4 ,i read the ,burial ,service over ,xavier this afternoon4 ,as there is little chance of my reaching human aid alive4 ,i greatly regret inability at the moment to set out the detail of coastline met with for three hundred miles travelled and observations of glacier and ice-formations1 etc42 the most of which latter are1 of course1 committed to my head4 ,the approximate location of the camp is latitude #fh degrees #b' ,s41 longitude #ade degrees #i' ,e4 ,this is dead reckoning1 as the theodolite legs have been out of action for some time1 splinted together to form tent-props4 ,i believe the truth lies nearer latitude #fg degrees #eg' ,s41 longitude #ade degrees #bj' ,e41 as the wind must have drifted us to the north4 ,during the afternoon ,i cut up ,mertz's burberry jacket and roughly sewed it to a large canvas clothes-bag1 making a sail which could be readily set or furled1 so as to save delay in starting out or in camping4 ,january #aj was an impossible day for travelling on account of thick drift and high wind4 ,i spent part of the time in reckoning up the amount of food remaining and in cooking the rest of the dogs' meat2 the last device enabling me to leave behind some of the kerosene1 of which there was still a good supply4 ,late in the afternoon the wind fell and the sun peered amongst the clouds just as ,i was in the middle of a long job riveting and lashing the broken shovel4 ,it was on ,january #aa--;a beautiful1 calm day of sunshine--that ,i set out over a good surface with a slight down grade4 ,from the start my feet felt lumpy and sore4 ,they had become so painful after a mile of walking that ,i decided to make an examination of them on the spot1 sitting in the sun on the sledge4 ,the sight of my feet gave me quite a shock1 for the thickened skin of the soles had separated in each case as a complete layer1 and abundant watery fluid had escaped into the socks4 ,the new skin underneath was very much abraded and raw4 ,i did what appeared to be the best thing under the stances3 smeared the new skin with lanoline1 of which there was a good store1 and with bandages bound the skin soles back in place1 as they were comfortable and soft in contact with the raw surfaces4 ,outside the bandages ,i wore six pairs of thick woollen socks1 fur boots and a crampon over-shoe of soft leather4 ,then ,i removed most of my clothing and bathed in the glorious heat of the sun4 ,a tingling sensation seemed to spread throughout my whole body1 and ,i felt stronger and better4 ,when the day commenced with ideal weather ,i thought ,i would cover a long distance1 but at #e4cj ,p4,m41 after six and a quarter miles1 ,i felt nerve-worn and had to camp1 so worn that had it not been a delightful evening1 ,i should not have found strength to erect the tent4 ,though the medical outfit was limited1 there were a fair number of bandages and on camping ,i devoted much time to tending raw patches all over the body1 festering fingers and inflamed nostrils4 ,high wind and much drift put travelling out of the question on ,january #ab1 and in any case my feet needed a rest4 ,january #ac4--,the wind subsided and the snow cleared off at noon4 ,the afternoon was beautifully fine4 ,descended hard ice-slopes over many crevasses--almost all descent--but surface cut my feet up2 at #h ,p4,m4 camped1 having done five and three-quarter miles--painful feet--on camping find feet worse than ever2 things look bad but shall persevere4 ,it is now #aa ,p4,m4 and the glacier is firing off like artillery--appears to send up great jets of imprisoned air4 ,during the march ,aurora ,peak showed up to the west1 about twenty miles away1 across the ,mertz ,glacier4 ,i felt happy at thus fixing my position1 and at the sight of the far plateau which led onwards to ,winter ,quarters4 ,the glacier was the next obstacle to advance4 ,to the south-west it descended from the plateau in immense broken folds4 ,pressing northward it was torn into the jumbled crush of serac-ice1 sparkling beneath an unclouded sun4 ,the idea of diverging to the west and rounding the ice-falls occurred to me1 but the detours involved other difficulties1 so ,i strove to pick out the best track across the valley4 ,a high wind which blew on the morning of the #adth diminished in strength by noon and allowed me to get away4 ,the sun was so warm that the puckered ice underfoot was covered with a film of water and in some places small trickles ran away to disappear into crevasses4 ,though the course was downhill to the ,mertz ,glacier1 the sledge required a good deal of pulling owing to the wet runners4 ,at #i ,p4,m41 after travelling five miles1 ,i pitched camp in the bed of the glacier4 ,between #i4cj ,p4,m4 and #aa ,p4,m4 the cannonading heard on the previous night recommenced4 ,the sounds1 resembling the explosions of heavy guns1 usually started higher up the glacier and ended down towards the sea4 ,when ,i first heard them1 ,i put my head outside the tent to see what was going on4 ,the reports came at random from every direction1 but there was no visible evidence as to how they were produced4 ,without a doubt they had something to do with the re-freezing and splitting of the ice owing to the evening chill2 but the sounds seemed far too loud to be explained by this cause alone4 ,january #ae--the date on which all the summer sledging parties were due at the ,hut6 ,it was overcast and snowing early in the day1 and in a few hours the sun broke out and shone warmly4 ,the travelling was so heavy over a soft snowy surface1 partly melting1 that ,i gave up1 after one mile1 and camped4 ,at #g ,p4,m4 the surface had not improved1 the sky was thickly obscured and snow fell4 ,at #aj ,p4,m4 the snow was coming down heavily1 and1 since there were many crevasses in the vicinity1 ,i resolved to wait4 ,on the #afth at #b ,a4,m4 the snow was as thick as ever1 but at #e ,a4,m4 the atmosphere lightened and the sun appeared4 ,without delay ,i broke camp4 ,a favourable breeze sprang up1 and with sail set ,i managed to proceed through the snowy deluge in short stages4 ,the snow clung in lumps to the runners1 which had to be scraped frequently4 ,i passed some broken ridges and sank into several holes leading down to crevasses out of which it was possible to scramble easily4 ,after laboriously toiling up one long slope1 ,i was just catching my breath at the top and the sledge was running easily when ,i noticed that the surface beneath my feet fell away steeply in front4 ,i suddenly realized that ,i was on the brink of a great blue hole like a quarry4 ,the sledge was following of its own accord and was rapidly gaining speed1 so ,i turned and1 exerting every effort1 was just able to hold it back by means of the hauling-line from the edge of the abyss4 ,i should think that there must have been an interval of quite a minute during which ,i held my ground without being able to make it budge4 ,then it slowly came my way1 and the imminent danger was past4 ,the day's march was an extremely hard five miles4 ,before turning in ,i had an extra supper of jelly soup1 made by boiling down some of the dogs' sinews1 strengthened with a little pemmican4 ,the acute enjoyment of eating under these circumstances compensates in a slight measure for the suffering of starvation4 ,january #ag was another day of overcast weather and falling snow4 ,delay meant a reduction in the ration which was low enough already1 so there was nothing to do but go on4 ,when ,i got away at #h ,a4,m4 ,i found that the pulling was easier than it had been on the previous day4 ,nevertheless ,i covered only two miles and had to consider myself fortunate in not winding up the whole story then and there4 ,this is what happened1 following the account in my diary4 ,going up a long1 fairly steep slope1 deeply covered with soft snow1 broke through lid of crevasse but caught myself at thighs1 got out1 turned fifty yards to the north1 then attempted to cross trend of crevasse1 there being no indication of it2 a few moments later found myself dangling fourteen feet below on end of rope in crevasse--sledge creeping to mouth--had time to say to myself1 'so this is the end1' expecting the sledge every moment to crash on my head and all to go to the unseen bottom--then thought of the food uneaten on the sledge2 but as the sledge pulled up without letting me down1 thought of ,providence giving me another chance4 ,the chance was very small considering my weak condition4 ,the width of the crevasse was about six feet1 so ,i hung freely in space1 turning slowly round4 ,a great effort brought a knot in the rope within my grasp1 and1 after a moment's rest1 ,i was able to draw myself up and reach another1 and1 at length1 hauled myself on to the overhanging snow-lid into which the rope had cut4 ,then1 when ,i was carefully climbing out on to the surface1 a further section of the lid gave way1 precipitating me once more to the full length of the rope4 ,exhausted1 weak and chilled 7for my hands were bare and pounds of snow had got inside my clothing7 ,i hung with the firm conviction that all was over except the passing4 ,below was a black chasm2 it would be but the work of a moment to slip from the harness1 then all the pain and toil would be over4 ,it was a rare situation1 a rare temptation--a chance to quit small things for great--to pass from the petty exploration of a planet to the contemplation of vaster worlds beyond4 ,but there was all eternity for the last and1 at its longest1 the present would be but short4 ,i felt better for the thought4 ,my strength was fast ebbing2 in a few minutes it would be too late4 ,it was the occasion for a supreme attempt4 ,new power seemed to come as ,i addressed myself to one last tremendous effort4 ,the struggle occupied some time1 but by a miracle ,i rose slowly to the surface4 ,this time ,i emerged feet first1 still holding on to the rope1 and pushed myself out1 extended at full length1 on the snow--on solid ground4 ,then came the reaction1 and ,i could do nothing for quite an hour4 ,the tent was erected in slow stages and ,i then had a little food4 ,later on ,i lay in the sleeping-bag1 thinking things over4 ,it was a time when the mood of the ,persian philosopher appealed to me3 ,unborn ,to-morrow and dead ,yesterday1 ,why fret about them if ,to-day be sweet8 ,i was confronted with this problem3 whether it was better to enjoy life for a few days1 sleeping and eating my fill until the provisions gave out1 or to plug on again in hunger with the prospect of plunging at any moment into eternity without the great luxury and pleasure of food4 ,and then an idea presented itself which greatly improved my prospects4 ,it was to construct a ladder from alpine rope2 one end of which was to be secured to the bow of the sledge and the other to be carried over my left shoulder and loosely attached to the sledge harness4 ,thus1 if ,i fell into a crevasse again1 it would be easy for me1 even though weakened by starvation1 to scramble out again by the ladder1 provided the sledge was not also engulphed4 ,notwithstanding the possibilities of the rope ladder1 ,i could not sleep properly at all2 my nerves had been so overtaxed4 ,all night considerable wind and drift continued4 ,on the #aith it was overcast and light snow was falling4 ,i resolved to go ahead and leave the rest to ,providence4 ,as they wallowed through the deep snow my feet and legs kept breaking through into space4 ,then ,i went right under1 but the sledge was held back and the ladder proved trumps4 ,a few minutes later ,i was down again1 but ,i emerged again without much exertion1 half-smothered with snow4 ,faintness overcame me and ,i stopped to camp1 though only a short distance had been covered4 ,all around me was a leaden glare1 the snow clouds corralling me in4 ,the sun had not shown up for some days and ,i was eager to see it once more1 not only that it might show up the landscape1 but for its cheerful influence and life-giving energy4 ,a few days previously my condition had been improving1 but now it was going back4 ,during the night of the #ahth loud booming noises1 sharp cracks and muffled growls issued form the neighbouring crevasses and kept waking me up4 ,at times one could feel a vibration accompanying the growling sounds1 and ,i concluded that the ice was in rapid motion4 ,the sun at last appeared on the #aith1 and ,i was off by #h4cj ,a4,m4 ,the whole surface was a network of crevasses1 some very wide4 ,along one after another of these ,i dragged the sledge until a spot was reached where the snow-bridge looked to be firm4 ,here ,i plunged across1 risking the consequences4 ,after three hours' marching nothing serious had happened and ,i found myself on safer ground with a pimply surface visible ahead1 close under the slopes of the highlands4 ,once on this ,i became over-reliant1 and in consequence sank several times into narrow fissures4 ,at #a ,p4,m4 the ,mertz ,glacier was at last crossed and ,i had reached the rising hills on its western side4 ,overlooking the camp1 five hundred feet above the glacier1 were beetling1 crevassed crags1 but ,i could trace out a good road1 free from pitfalls1 leading to the plateau1 at an elevation of three thousand feet4 ,to lighten my load for the climb ,i threw away alpine rope1 finnesko crampons1 sundry pairs of worn crampons and socks1 while ,i rubbed a composition on the sledge-runners which prevented them from sticking to wet snow4 ,january #bj was a wretched day2 overcast1 with wind and light drift4 ,in desperation ,i got away at #b ,p4,m4 in a wind which proved to be of considerable assistance4 ,i could see nothing of my surroundings2 one thing was certain1 and that was that the ascent had commenced and every foot took me upward4 ,the day's work amounted to about two and a half miles4 ,on the #bast the sun shone brightly and there was a good following wind4 ,through deep snow ,i zigzagged up for three miles before deciding to camp4 ,wind and drift prevailed early on the #bbnd but fell away towards noon1 and ,i was then favoured with a glorious sunny day4 ,away to the north was a splendid view of the open sea2 it looked so beautiful and friendly that ,i longed to be down near it4 ,six miles had been covered during the day1 but ,i felt very weak towards the end on account of the heavy pulling4 ,during the early hours of the #bcrd the sun was visible1 but about #h ,a4,m4 the clouds sagged low1 the wind rose and everything became blotted out in a swirl of driving snow4 ,i wandered on through it for several hours1 the sledge capsizing at times owing to the strength of the wind4 ,it was not possible to keep an accurate course1 for even the wind changed direction as the day wore on4 ,underfoot there was soft snow which ,i found comfortable for my sore feet1 but which made the sledge drag heavily at times4 ,when camp was pitched at #d ,p4,m4 ,i reckoned that the distance covered in a straight line had been three and a half miles4 ,erecting the tent single-handed in the high wind was a task which required much patience and some skill4 ,the poles were erected first and then the tent was gathered up in the proper form and taken to the windward side of the legs where it was weighted down4 ,the flounce on the windward side was got into position and piled up with snow blocks4 ,other blocks of snow had previously been placed in a ring round the legs in readiness to be tumbled on to the rest of the flounce when the tent was quickly slipped over the apex of the poles4 ,in very windy weather it was often as much as two hours after halting before ,i would be cosy within the shelter of the tent4 ,high wind and dense driving snow persisted throughout the #bdth and ,i made five and a half miles1 sitting on the sledge most of the time with the sail up4 ,the blizzard continued on the #beth1 but after the trying experience of the previous two days1 ,i did not feel well enough to go on4 ,outside1 the snow fell in torrents1 piled up round the tent and pressed in until it was no bigger than a coffin1 of which it reminded me4 ,i passed most of the day doctoring myself1 attending to raw and inflamed places4 ,tufts of my beard and hair came out1 and the snowy floor of the tent was strewn with it at every camp4 ,january #bf4--;,i went on again in dense1 driving snow4 ,there was no need of the sail4 ,the wind1 which was behind1 caught the sledge and bundled it along so that1 though over a soft surface of snow1 the travelling was rapid4 ,the snow was in large1 rounded grains1 and beat on the tent like hail4 ,altogether nine miles were covered4 ,january #bg4--;,blizzard-bound again4 ,the previous day's exertions were too much for me to undertake the same again without a long rest4 ,january #bh1--;,in the morning the wind had moderated very much but the sky remained overcast and snow continued to fall4 ,it was a long job digging the tent out4 ,soon after the start the sun gleamed and the weather improved4 ,the three-thousand-foot crest of the plateau had been crossed and ,i was bearing down rapidly on ,commonwealth ,bay1 the vicinity of which showed up as a darker patch on the clouds of the north-west horizon4 ,the evening was fine and ,i really began to feel that ,winter ,quarters were approaching4 ,to increase my excitement ,madigan ,nunatak came into view for a time in the clear1 evening light4 ,distance covered1 over eight miles4 ,the calm of the previous evening was broken again1 and ,i started on the morning of ,january #bi in considerable drift and a fairly strong wind4 ,after going five miles ,i had miraculous good fortune4 ,i was travelling along on an even down grade and was wondering how long the two pounds of food which remained would last1 when something dark loomed through the drift a short distance away to the right4 ,all sorts of possibilities fled through my mind as ,i headed the sledge for it4 ,the unexpected happened--it was a cairn of snow erected by ,mc,lean1 ,hodgeman and ,hurley1 who had been out searching for us4 ,on the top of the mound was a bag of food1 left on the chance that it might be picked up1 while in a tin was a note stating the bearing and distance of the mound from ,aladdin's ,cave 7,e4 #cj degrees ,s41 distance twenty-three miles71 that the ,ship had arrived at the ,hut and was waiting1 that ,amundsen had reached the ,pole1 and that ,scott was remaining another year in ,antarctica4 ,it was rather a singular fact that the search party only left this mound at eight o'clock on the morning of that very day 7,january #bi74 ,it was about #b ,p4,m4 when ,i found it4 ,thus1 during the night of the #bhth1 our camps had been only about five miles apart4 ,with plenty of food1 ,i speedily felt stimulated and revived1 and anticipated reaching the ,hut in a day or two1 for there was then not more than twenty-three miles to cover4 ,alas1 however1 there was to be another delay4 ,i was without crampons--they had been thrown away on the western side of ,mertz ,glacier--and in the strong wind was not able to stand up on the slippery ice of the coastal slopes4 ,the result was that ,i sat on the sledge and ran along with the wind1 nibbling at the food as ,i went4 ,the sledge made so much leeway that near the end of the day1 after fourteen miles1 ,i reckoned that ,i had been carried to the east of ,aladdin's ,cave4 ,the course was therefore changed to the west1 but the wind came down almost broadside-on to the sledge1 and it was swept away4 ,the only thing to do was to camp4 ,on the #cjth ,i cut up the box of the theodolite and into two pieces of wood stuck as many screws and tacks as ,i could procure from the sledge-meter4 ,in the repair-bag there were still a few ice-nails which at this time were of great use4 ,late in the day the wind fell off1 and ,i started westward over the ice-slopes with the pieces of nail-studded wood lashed to my feet4 ,after six miles these improvised crampons broke up1 and the increasing wind got me into difficulties4 ,finally1 the sledge slipped sideways into a narrow crevasse and was caught by the boom 7which crossed from side to side at the lower part of the mast74 ,i was not strong enough for the job of extricating it straight away1 and by the time ,i had got it safely on the ice1 the wind had increased still more4 ,so ,i pitched camp4 ,the blizzard was in full career on ,january #ca and ,i spent all day and until late at night trying to make the crampons serviceable1 but without success4 ,on ,february #a the wind and drift subsided late in the afternoon1 and ,i clearly saw to the west the beacon which marked ,aladdin's ,cave4 ,at #g ,p4,m4 ,i reached this haven within the ice1 and never again was ,i to have the ordeal of pitching the tent4 ,inside the cave were three oranges and a pineapple which had been brought from the ,ship4 ,it was wonderful once more to be in the land of such things6 ,i waited to mend one of the crampons and then started off for the ,hut2 but a blizzard had commenced4 ,to descend the five miles of steep icy slopes with my miserable crampons1 in the weak state in which ,i found myself1 would only have been as a last resort4 ,so ,i camped in the comfortable cave and hoped for better weather next day4 ,the high wind1 rising to a hurricane at times1 continued for a whole week with dense drift until the #hth4 ,i spent the long hours making crampons of a new pattern1 eating and sleeping4 ,eventually ,i became so anxious that ,i used to sit outside the cave for long spells1 watching for a lull in the wind4 ,at length ,i resolved to go down in the blizzard1 sitting on the sledge as long as possible1 blown along by the wind4 ,i was making preparations for a start when the wind suddenly decreased and my opportunity had come4 ,in a couple of hours ,i was within one mile and a half of the ,hut4 ,there was no sign of the ,ship lying in the offing1 but ,i comforted myself with the thought that she might be still at the anchorage and have swung inshore so as to be hidden by the ice-cliffs1 or on the other hand that ,captain ,davis might have been along the coast to the east searching there4 ,but even as ,i gazed about seeking for a clue1 a speck on the north-west horizon caught my eye and my hopes went down4 ,it looked like a distant ship2 it might well have been the ',aurora'4 ,well1 what matter6 the long journey was at an end-a terrible chapter of my life was finished6 ,then the rocks around ,winter ,quarters began to come into view1 part of the basin of the boat harbour appeared1 and lo6 there were human figures6 ,they almost seemed unreal--,i was in a dream--but after a brief moment one of them saw me and waved an arm1 ,i replied1 there was a commotion and they all ran towards the ,hut4 ,then they were lost1 for the crest of the first steep slope hid them4 ,it almost seemed to me that they had run away to hide4 ,minutes passed1 and ,i slowly went along with the sledge4 ,then a head rose over the brow of the hill and there was ,bickerton1 breathless after a long run4 ,i expect he considered for a while which one of us it was4 ,soon we had shaken hands and he knew all in a few brief words1 and ,i learned that the ,ship had left earlier in the day4 ,madigan1 ,mc,lean1 ,bage and ,hodgeman arrived1 and then a new-comer--,jeffryes4 ,five men had remained behind to make a search for our party1 and ,jeffryes was a new wireless operator brought down by ,captain ,davis4 ,we were soon at the ,hut where ,i found that full preparations had been made for wintering a second year4 ,the weather was calm and the ,ship was no distance away so ,i decided to recall her by wireless4 ,the masts at the ,hut had been re-erected during the summer1 and on board the ',aurora' ,hannam was provided with a wireless receiving set4 ,jeffryes had arranged with ,hannam to call up at #h1 #i and #aj ,p4,m4 for several evenings while the ',aurora' was within range in case there were any news of my party4 ,a message recalling the ,ship was therefore sent off and repeated at frequent intervals till past midnight4 ,next morning there was a forty-mile wind when we went outside1 but away across ,commonwealth ,bay to the west the ',aurora' could be seen close to the face of the ice-cliffs4 ,she had returned in response to the call and was steaming up and down1 waiting for the wind to moderate4 ,we immediately set to work getting all the records1 instruments and personal gear ready to be taken down to the boat harbour in anticipation of calm weather during the day4 ,the wind chose to continue and towards evening was in the sixties1 while the barometer fell4 ,during the afternoon ,hodgeman went across to the western ridge and saw that the ,ship was still in the ,bay4 ,the sea was so heavy that the motor-boat could never have lived through it4 ,that night ,jeffryes sent another message1 which we learned afterwards was not received1 in which ,captain ,davis was given the option of remaining until calm weather supervened or of leaving at once for the ,western ,base4 ,i felt that the decision should be left to him1 as he could appreciate exactly the situation of the ,western ,base and what the ,ship could be expected to do amid the ice at that season of the year4 ,the time was already past when1 according to my written instructions left for him on arrival at ,commonwealth ,bay1 the ',aurora' should sail west to relieve ,wild and his party4 ,on the morning of the #ajth there was no sign of the ,ship and evidently ,captain ,davis had decided to wait no longer1 knowing that further delay would endanger the chances of picking up the eight men who had elected to winter on the shelf-ice one thousand five hundred miles to the west4 ,at such a critical moment determination1 fearless and swift1 was necessary1 and1 in coming to his momentous decision1 ,captain ,davis acted well and for the best interests of the ,expedition4 ,a long voyage lay before the ',aurora' through many miles of ice-strewn sea1 swept by intermittent blizzards and shrouded now in midnight darkness4 ,we still fostered the hope that the vessel's coal-supply would be sufficient for her to return to ,adelie ,land and make an attempt to pick us up4 ,but it was not to be4 ,the long ,antarctic winter was fast approaching and we turned to meet it with resolution1 knowing that if the ',aurora' failed us in early ,march1 that the early summer of the same year would bring relief4 ,,chapter ,,xiv ,,the ,,quest ,,of ,,the ,,south ,,magnetic ,,pole ,dr4 ,r4 ,,bage ,send me your strongest1 those who never fail4 ,i'm the ,blizzard1 ,king of the ,southern ,trail6 ,sledging song4 ,on the afternoon of ,november #aj1 at ,aladdin's ,cave1 after a convivial hoosh1 ,webb1 ,hurley and ,i said good-bye to ,dr4 ,mawson's party and made off south for the eleven and three-quarter mile cave where our ,supporting ,party1 ,murphy1 ,hunter and ,laseron1 were waiting for us4 ,at #g ,p4,m4 we started almost at a run over the smooth ice1 to the accompaniment of hearty cheers from ,dr4 ,mawson1 ,ninnis1 and ,mertz2 two of whom we were never to see again4 ,half a mile of this easy going1 and we were on snow for the first time with a loaded sledge4 ,uphill snow1 too1 and the wind rising1 so it was no small relief when we finally made the ,cathedral ,grotto at #aa4cj ,p4,m41 and found ,murphy's tent pitched alongside it4 ,the wind by this time was about forty-five miles per hour and1 it being nearly dusk1 the crevasses--a five-mile belt--had been fairly difficult to negotiate4 ,we soon had the cave clear of snow1 had a good meal and then slept the sleep of the just1 feeling well content with the first day's work--eleven and a half miles from home at an altitude of one thousand nine hundred feet4 ,we were off at last on a search for the ,magnetic ,pole4 ,on the morrow some time was spent in rearranging the loads4 ,finally1 both parties moved off south into heavy wind and fairly thick drift4 ,what with the ground rising steadily1 the pressure of the wind and our lack of condition1 two and a quarter hours of solid work realized only two and a quarter miles2 so we decided to camp4 ,all the night it blew hard1 between seventy and eighty miles per hour1 and next day it was still blowing and drifting heavily4 ,our tent was a good deal smaller than ,murphy's1 and1 as ,webb and ,hurley are both six-footers1 we always had to put all gear outside when the sleeping-bags were down4 ,this is really a good thing when the weather is bad1 as one is not tempted to stay in the bag all the time4 ,early in the afternoon as we were all feeling hungry and had been in bags long enough to feel cold1 although the weather was quite warm 7#aj degrees ,f471 we rolled bags1 and1 when our frozen burberrys were once fairly on1 quite enjoyed ourselves4 ,after a boil-up and a few minutes' run round in the drift and wind1 we did some stitching on our light drill tent1 which was making very heavy weather of it1 although pitched close under the lee of ,murphy's strong japara tent4 ,a little reading1 some shouted unintelligible conversation with the other tent1 another boil-up1 and1 last but not least1 a smoke1 found us quite ready for another sleep4 ,next day 7,november #ac71 the wind having dropped to thirty-five miles per hour1 we set out about #aa ,a4,m4 in light drift4 ,the sky was still overcast1 so the light was very trying4 ,in the worst fogs at home one can at any rate see something of the ground on which one is treading2 in ,adelie ,land1 even when the air was clear of snow1 it was easy to bump against a four-foot sastruga without seeing it4 ,it always reminded me most of a fog at sea3 a ship creeping o'er the hueless1 viewless deep4 ,when #f ,p4,m4 arrived we had only covered five and a half miles1 but were all thoroughly exhausted and glad to camp4 ,lunch had been rather barbarously served in the lee of the sledge4 ,first came plasmon biscuit1 broken with the ice-axe into pieces small enough to go into the mouth through the funnel of a burberry helmet2 then followed two ounces of chocolate1 frozen rather too hard to have a definite taste2 and finally a luscious morsel--two ounces of butter1 lovingly thawed-out in the mouth to get the full flavour4 ,lunches like these in wind and drift are uncomfortable enough for every one to be eager to start again as soon as possible4 ,by nine o'clock that night the wind had increased to a full gale4 ,we were in camp all the #adth and the #aeth1 the wind rising to eighty-five miles per hour with very heavy drift during the small hours of the #aeth4 ,this was its maximum1 and by the afternoon it was down to about seventy miles per hour with a clear sky and light drift4 ,we donned our burberrys 7,i should like to give ,hurley's ,ode to a ,frozen ,burberry7 and dug out our sledges1 both of which were completely buried in a ramp forty yards long2 the shovel projecting nine inches above the surface4 ,while we were engaged on this work1 ,i overheard the following conversation being shouted in the ,supporting ,party's tent3 ,,first ,,voice4 ,i'm hungry4 ,who will go out and get the food-bag8 ,,sleepy ,,voice4 ,the food-weights 9999 are in the cooker4 ,,first ,,voice4 ,no they're not4 ,,sleepy ,,voice4 ,saw them there yesterday1 must be somewhere in the tent4 ,,first ,,voice4 ,no they're not444 ,i ate them last night4 9999 ,until amounts were known by experience1 rations were weighed by a small balance whose various weights were small calico bags filled with chocolate4 ,the exercise1 a good hoosh and above all the clear sky made us take a less morbid view of the fact that we were six days out from the ,hut and only nineteen and a half miles away4 ,early on the #afth we could hear above the roar of the wind the drift still hissing against the tent1 but it had diminished by nine o'clock breakfast4 ,by common consent it was agreed that our loads were too heavy for the conditions under which we were working4 ,i accordingly decided to drop one hundred-pound bag4 ,we had already saved nearly one week's food for three men and had not yet worked up our full sledging appetites4 ,the bag was raised to the top of a six-foot snow mound1 a thermograph being placed alongside4 ,as we now seemed to be on plateau snow1 ,i thought it wise to leave behind my heavy boots and ,swiss crampons4 ,by #d ,p4,m4 the wind had decreased to a light breeze4 ,work was very slow on a steeper up grade1 and at six o'clock clouds came up quickly from the south-east and snow began to fall1 so we camped at #g4cj ,p4,m4 thoroughly tired out4 ,at twenty-four and a half miles the altitude was three thousand two hundred feet4 ,the snow was a false alarm4 ,it ceased at #i ,p4,m4 and the wind subsided to a dead calm66 ,good headway was being made against a strong breeze next day1 when it was noticed that two gallons of kerosene were missing off the supporters' sledge4 ,while ,murphy and ,laseron went back two miles to recover them1 ,webb secured a magnetic declination and ,i took sun observations for time and azimuth4 ,we were off early on the #ahth and for the first time were able to appreciate the scenery4 ,glorious sunshine overhead and all around brilliant snow1 dappled by livid shadows2 very different from the smooth1 soft1 white mantle usually attributed to the surface of ,antarctica by those in the homeland4 ,here and there1 indeed1 were smooth patches which we called bowling-greens1 but hard and slippery as polished marble1 with much the same translucent appearance4 ,practically all the country1 however1 was a jumbled mass of small1 hard sastrugi1 averaging perhaps a foot in height1 with an occasional gnarled old veteran twice as high4 ,to either side the snow rolled away for miles4 ,in front1 we made our first acquaintance with the accursed next ridge1 which is always ahead of you on the plateau4 ,generally we passed from one ridge to another so gradually that we could never say for certain just when we had topped one2 still the next ridge was always there4 ,the weather had lately been colder with the increased altitude4 ,the temperature in daily range varied from -#aj degrees ,f4 to #i degrees ,f4 ,it was so hot in the sun1 on the #ahth1 that lunching inside the tent was unbearable4 ,we preferred its shadow outside in the breeze4 ,wearing a minimum of clothes1 we marched along gaily during the afternoon4 ,the country changed in a wonderful manner1 the sastrugi gradually becoming smaller and finally disappearing4 ,the surface was so soft that a bamboo would easily penetrate it for a foot4 ,evidently it was fairly old and laid down in calm weather1 for excavations showed that it became more compact without any hard wind-swept layers marking successive snowfalls4 ,it was proved that we were commencing a descent of one thousand five hundred feet down the north side of a valley feeding the ,mertz ,glacier4 ,in order to explain the surface1 smooth and unruffled by any wind1 the question arose as to whether it is possible that there is a cushion of dead air more or less permanently over the north side of this depression4 ,on the soft surface we were able to dispense with crampons4 ,hitherto1 it had been impossible to haul over a slippery surface in finnesko4 ,now we felt as light as air and were vastly cheered when some one calculated that the six of us were saving ,i don't know how many thousand foot-pounds of work every mile4 ,with a run of twelve miles we were forty-two miles from ,winter ,quarters4 ,another splendid day on the #aith4 ,we had lunch in a curious cup-shaped hollow1 estimated to be two miles wide and one hundred and fifty feet deep4 ,webb obtained here an approximate dip of #hh degrees #dd'19999 a very promising increase from the ,hut 7#hg degrees #bg'74 9999 ,at the ,south ,magnetic ,pole the dip is #ij degrees4 ,,text ,,illustration ,map showing track of the southern sledging party from the ,main ,base ,snow-blindness had now begun to make itself felt for the first time4 ,i for one had my first experience of it that afternoon4 ,during the halt at lunch ,i put on yellow goggles in place of the smoked ones ,i had been wearing1 and in a quarter of an hour the change of colour had 'settled' my eyes for the time being4 ,the afternoon was very hot4 ,the thermometer stood at #aj degrees ,f4 at #d ,p4,m41 but the still air made it almost insupportable4 ,by the time the load was hauled up out of the basin1 we were streaming with perspiration4 ,before halting1 we sighted a dark1 distant ridge1 thirty miles away1 and the course was corrected by its bearing4 ,our extravagant hopes of finding a permanently calm region had been dwindling for the last few miles1 as a hard bottom1 a few inches under the surface1 had become evident4 ,they were finally dispelled by a south-west wind springing up during the night4 ,as every one was beginning to feel the hard work after another oppressive afternoon on the #bjth1 we decided to have an easy march next day and to build our first depot4 ,of course we had hoped to have been farther out before sending back the supporting party1 but the weather had settled the question4 ,on the #bast1 taking things as easily as a thirty-five mile wind would permit1 we pulled on1 up and down small undulations till #d ,p4,m4 when we encountered a small rise1 with the next ridge a considerable distance ahead4 ,the depot was to be built here4 ,webb at once proceeded to take full magnetic declination1 time and azimuth observations1 ,laseron recording for him4 ,murphy put in a miserable hour over the primus melting snow4 ,he was rather snow-blind and his eyes must have contributed a good deal of water to the pot4 ,the water was poured into food-bags filled with snow1 which were buried1 encircled by wire slings1 in holes4 ,here they froze1 making excellent holdfasts for the depot flag4 ,depot flags had been exercising our ingenuity for months before the start1 ordinary forms being destroyed by the wind in a few hours4 ,webb had finally built the perfect flag of the wind-vane type3 a ,v of pieces of blackened ,venesta board with light struts at the back and a piece of aeroplane tubing at the apex which slipped over the bamboo pole4 ,the pole1 of two bamboos1 stood sixteen feet from the ground and was provided with two sets of flexible steel stays4 ,close by1 ,hurley and ,hunter had built a snow mound ten feet in diameter and ten feet in height1 finished off with a capping of snow blocks wrapped in black bunting4 ,next day it was blowing a little harder and the sky was overcast1 snow falling all day4 ,what bad light means can be gathered from the fact that ,laseron on crawling out of the tent in the morning raised an alarm that our tent had been blown away in the night4 ,it turned out that our tent was hidden by a mound which he could not see1 though only about ten yards from it4 ,i had been given the option of relieving the supporting party of any of their gear ,i coveted and ,i used it freely4 ,the sledgemeter was the first thing commandeered1 ours1 made by ,correll1 having developed some slight complaint in its interior4 ,their cooker1 being in good condition1 was also taken4 ,we all cast longing eyes at the roomy wind-proof tent but finally decided that it was too heavy--forty pounds as against our own of twenty-six pounds1 including tent and poles4 ,at #g ,p4,m4 we said good-bye to our supporters1 ,hurley exposed the last plate of his big reflex camera1 which they carried back to the ,hut1 and a few minutes later ,webb1 ,hurley1 and ,i were standing alone watching three black specks disappearing in the drift2 a stiff wind helping them along in great style4 ,we were left to our own resources now1 for better or for worse4 ,weird is how ,i described my feelings in the diary4 ,the same night it blew a hurricane and only dropped to sixty miles per hour during the #bcrd1 compelling us to remain in camp4 ,not an ideal birthday for ,webb1 but we made the most of it4 ,i quote from my diary3 ,turned out and rolled bags at #c ,p4,m4 for lunch1 for which we opened a wee tin of bacon ration brought for the occasion4 ,had some extra lumps of sugar 7collared from the eleven-mile cave7 in our tea4 ,after the wine had been round 7i4e4 after a special second cup of tea71 ,i gave ,eric a pair of stockings from ,murphy1 and then ',hoyle' and ,i smoked a cigar each which ,webb produced4 ,dinner at #g was also a special affair as we had the remains of the bacon ration in the hoosh1 with great effect4 ,also an extra strong brew of cocoa boiled quite smooth4 ,burberrys on and a stroll outside in the wind for a yard or two to get up a circulation2 then into bag where ,i am smoking a plebeian pipe which is very tame after the glories of the day1 especially as ,i suspect my tobacco of being a bit damp4 ,such was the first of the two auspicious occasions we had on the journey4 ,after going carefully through the gear1 we discarded a pickaxe1 one pair of big spiked boots and some odd clothing4 ,we also decided1 as the probability of leisure was not great1 to leave our reading matter behind4 ,it was with regret that ,i added my little ',virginibus ,puerisque' to the small pile of rejects4 ,the load now amounted to seven hundred and forty-eight pounds in all4 ,not many days after1 the floor-cloth 7eight pounds7 was left behind1 as the japara sail afforded ample protection from damp in the low temperatures of the plateau4 ,the dip-circle1 which was to yield the most important result of our journey1 was housed after much thought on a conveniently shaped kerosene tray between the tins of oil4 ,four light leather straps1 buckled tightly1 made a solid mass of tray1 oil tins1 and dip-circle2 very safe1 and easy to undo4 ,my orders were to proceed inland1 due south1 taking magnetic1 geographical1 meteorological1 and such other observations as were possible1 returning to the ,hut not later than ,january #ae4 ,dr4 ,mawson had left it to my discretion1 in the event of any great change occurring in the declination1 to go either true or magnetic south4 ,at the ,hut and up to about sixty miles south of it1 the declination had proved fairly constant1 but now at the ,southern ,cross ,depot1 as we had christened the sixty-seven-mile camp1 the compass1 from pointing a little to the east of south1 had travelled to #dj degrees east of south1 so that it became obvious that there was considerable magnetic disturbance in the country over which we were travelling4 ,whether we went south or south-east seemed unlikely to affect the value of geographical and other information we might gather1 while ,webb was of the opinion that the best magnetic results would be obtained by marching directly towards the ,magnetic ,pole1 particularly if there were disturbances over the intervening area4 ,for these reasons the course was maintained magnetic south4 ,at #aa ,a4,m4 on ,sunday1 ,november #bd1 we moved off to the south-east in a wind of fifty miles an hour4 ,the light was bad1 and steering had to be done by sastrugi and wind4 ,however1 momentary glimpses of the sun served to check the course4 ,the lunch camp was five miles from the depot1 and a good mound with a top of black bunting was left there4 ,at almost every halt1 thus far on our journey1 the snow cut for pitching the tent had been gathered up into a mound which1 in addition to forming a landmark1 could often be used as a back-mark for checking the course4 ,our depot thus had a mound four miles on the southern and five miles on the northern side of it4 ,it was not marked as well as ,i had hoped1 but under the circumstances we could not do better4 ,moreover1 at intervals during the day1 some very distinctive snow ramps had appeared in the valley1 some five miles to the north-east1 and their position was fixed relative to the course4 ,our hopes for a good afternoon were disappointed1 as the wind and drift came up again as strong as ever4 ,the surface1 too1 grew worse2 nothing but sastrugi eighteen inches to thirty inches high and very close together4 ,we were marching a little to the east of the wind1 and the sledge was continually blown sideways1 making considerable leeway4 ,by #h4cj ,p4,m4 it was blowing sixty miles per hour1 so we halted1 thoroughly tired out1 having hauled our one-third of a ton eight and three-quarter miles4 ,when it is blowing hard1 the end of the day's march is not the end of the day's work4 ,as soon as a camping spot has been chosen1 the sledge is pulled round head to wind4 ,the straps round the load are loosened carefully1 the shovel and tent removed and the straps retightened4 ,one man starts breaking out chunks of snow1 experimenting until he finds a place where large pieces come away readily4 ,lumps of forty pounds are the handiest and quickest1 but often only smaller ones can be obtained4 ,these are arranged in a circle round the tent-site1 while the man with the tent places it on the ground pointing upwind1 the bottom of the poles being just where the middle windward leg will be1 and makes a hole for that leg4 ,when everything is ready1 all three catch hold of the tent1 one man crawling half into it1 gripping hard the leather loop on the windward leg4 ,the others sort out and grip their two side legs4 ,all ready8 ,up6 ,it almost takes one's breath away1 the roar and the flap6 ,the side legs are quickly separated as the tent rises1 and before it can blow over1 the leeward legs are more or less in position1 taking the strain4 ,the centre man is throwing all his weight on to the leather loop1 while the other two outside each holds down his windward pole with one hand and with the other pulls blocks of snow on to the skirt to windward4 ,once this is done1 the rest is simple3 cutting holes in just the right positions for the other legs1 pulling out the skirt and making it snug all round4 ,then in goes the floor-cloth1 and1 by the time that is spread out properly1 the primus and cooker are passed in4 ,the cooker is dissected and the two water vessels passed out to be filled with snow4 ,the cook will have hard work to get the primus started if he does not shield the spirit flame from the wind1 which blows through the tent1 by putting the whole lamp inside the big cooker lid4 ,in come the pots filled with lumps of snow4 ,the food tank is placed just outside the entrance1 and the proper food-bags for the meal are passed in to the cook1 the tank being retied to keep out drift4 ,the cooker will now be going at full pressure1 and the cook is ready to receive the gear4 ,sleeping-bags1 computation bag1 hypsometer1 meat block 7a three-inch-square paper pad on which meteorological notes were taken72 clothes-bag opened1 three ditty-bags passed in and bag retied2 a final temperature taken and aneroid read2 sledge anchored securely by tow-rope to the ice-axe1 and a final look round to see all gear is safely strapped down and snow-tight4 ,in calm weather1 camping is a very different thing4 ,on a fine day1 half an hour after the halt would usually find us carefully scraping the last of the hoosh out of our pannikins1 ready for the cocoa4 ,at the seventy-six-mile camp we tried the experiment of a break-wind4 ,the tent was so small and light that it was necessary to protect it in the heavy winds4 ,hurley and ,i took about three-quarters of an hour to build the first one1 but later we improved1 getting into the knack of hewing snow with a sharp-pointed shovel4 ,that night in bag ,i wrote3 ,the result of the breakwind is that for once we have the wind bluffed4 ,it is blowing seventy-five miles per hour--a full hurricane--but all the viciousness is taken out of the flapping and there will be no damage done to the tent by morning4 ,the wind was too strong for travelling early in the day 7,november #be74 ,while outside we suddenly observed two snow petrels4 ,it was hard to realize that they had actually flown seventy-six miles inland to a height of two thousand four hundred and fifty feet4 ,i dashed inside for the fishingline2 ,hurley got out the camera4 ,they were a beautiful sight1 hovering with outspread wings just above the snow1 tipping it with their feet now and then1 to poise without a flutter in a sixty-five-mile gale4 ,hurley secured a couple of snaps at the expense of badly frost-bitten hands4 ,just as ,i arrived with the line hooked and baited1 the birds flew away to the north-east2 our visions of fresh meat went with them4 ,the line was always ready after this4 ,towards evening the wind dropped suddenly to twenty miles per hour4 ,our camp was stationed on the southern side of the large valley we had entered on the #ahth1 and we could identify the ridge crossed on that date1 blue and dim1 forty miles away to the north4 ,to the north-east could be seen a distinct dip in the skyline1 indicating the bed of the valley1 on whose northern side the dip met the higher skyline in a steep bluff1 twenty-five miles off4 ,this bluff under the glasses was of heavily crevassed1 blue ice4 ,the wind did not rise again much until #aj ,p4,m41 when we had moved on seven and a half miles1 rising about three hundred feet over several ridges and practically losing our view to the north4 ,a steady breeze on the #bfth1 and1 on the whole1 good light1 allowed us to make twelve miles4 ,each day1 now1 ,webb took an approximate magnetic dip and declination in the lee of the break-wind4 ,this was necessary in order to get some idea of local disturbances4 ,also1 it gave us some vague idea as to the direction in which lay the ,south ,magnetic ,pole4 ,for instance1 at the eighty-three-and-three-quarter-mile camp1 the needle showed the ,pole to be #ah degrees east of true south1 while at our lunch camp that day1 six miles farther on1 it was given as #ej degrees east of south4 ,the dip was so great that our prismatic compass would not set closer than about #ae degrees1 but the long compass needle of the dip-circle1 though of course sluggish1 continued to give excellent results4 ,under these conditions it is obvious that the magnetic needle is quite useless for steering purposes4 ,the sun compass proved itself a more than efficient substitute4 ,on a snowfield there is usually a total absence of landmarks of any kind1 so the direction of wind1 sastrugi1 or perhaps a low cloud is found with the sun-compass1 frequently checked1 and the course kept accordingly4 ,on camping we would generally carefully note the direction in which the sledge was left1 in case the next day proved overcast4 ,thus we would march in the morning by the wind's direction till the sun1 gleaming through the clouds for a few moments1 enabled us to use the compass again4 ,sastrugi1 only six inches high1 seen on the #bfth1 showed the effects of wind-erosion exquisitely4 ,in an individual case the windward end of a sastruga might be completely undercut for six or nine inches1 leaving a hard crust1 sometimes only one-eighth of an inch in thickness and a couple of inches wide4 ,this would sag downwards under its own weight in a fine curve till the tip rested on the snow beneath4 ,it is marvellous how such a delicate structure can withstand the heavy wind4 ,november #bg proved a very hard day4 ,the wind kept up sixty miles per hour all the time1 so that1 after taking four hours to do four and three-quarter miles1 we were all thoroughly exhausted4 ,it was not a great run1 but the century was hoisted--one hundred and three-quarter miles by sledge-meter2 altitude two thousand nine hundred feet4 ,there was a mild celebration that night over a square of butter-scotch and half an ounce of chocolate1 besides the regular hoosh and cocoa4 ,next day the light was very bad and the wind fifty miles per hour4 ,observations were therefore made inside the tent4 ,webb1 ,hurley and the instrument occupied all available space1 while ,i spent three hours digging a shaft eight feet deep in the snow1 taking temperatures every foot4 ,it appeared that the mean annual temperature of the snow was approximately -#af degrees ,f4 ,the dip was #hh degrees #ed'2 certainly rather too large a rise from #hh degrees #bj' of twenty miles back4 ,the declination had actually changed about #hj degrees in the last ten miles4 ,this one-hundred-mile station was badly disturbed4 ,from the evidence1 it is possible that a subsidiary pole or area of almost vertical dip may exist close by this spot to the west or south-west4 ,going straight up wind into a blow which varied from forty to fifty miles per hour1 we were able to make eight miles after the previous day's rest4 ,at lunch a hole was dug five feet square and two feet deep4 ,it served three purposes4 ,first1 it gave a good shelter for a longitude observation2 secondly1 with the mast1 yard and floor-cloth we converted it into a shelter snug enough to house the primus and to lunch comfortably2 and thirdly1 a mound was left as a back-mark which was picked up on the return journey4 ,by experience we found that a warm lunch and a rest enabled one to peg along a good deal farther than would otherwise be possible4 ,the scenery in the afternoon became if possible more desolate--very few new sastrugi1 the surface appearing generally old and pitted4 ,in some places it was rotten and blown away1 disclosing coarse granulated substrata4 ,at the top of one ridge the snow merged into neve split into small crevasses1 nine inches wide and four or five yards apart4 ,the camp was pitched1 here1 at #aa ,p4,m4 ,the latitude was #fh degrees #cb' ,s41 and we saw the midnight sun for the first time that summer1 about one-quarter of its rim remaining above the horizon4 ,a full hurricane came up and kept between fifty and sixty miles per hour all day on the #cjth4 ,before moving off1 ,webb found that the magnetic needle had waltzed back #fj degrees since the one-hundred-mile camp1 now pointing #hj degrees east of south4 ,still1 to allow the needle to makeup its mind1 we steered into the wind at #b ,p4,m41 losing the neve and meeting very rough country4 ,by #f ,p4,m41 with four miles to our credit1 we were nearly played out4 ,it was being discussed whether we should go on when the discovery was made that the theodolite legs were missing2 probably having slipped out in one of the numerous capsizes of the sledge4 ,the solemn rites of shut-eye determined that ,webb was to stay and make camp while ,hurley and ,i retraced our steps4 ,it was no easy matter to follow the trail1 for on hard snow the sledge runners leave no mark1 and we had to watch for the holes of the crampon-spikes4 ,about two and a half miles back1 the legs were found1 and there only remained a hard plug against the wind to camp and hoosh4 ,while we were lying half-toggled into the sleeping-bags1 writing our diaries1 ,hurley spent some time alternately imprecating the wind and invoking it for a calm next day4 ,as he said1 once behind a break-wind one could safely defy it1 but on the march one is much more humble4 ,whether it was in honour of ,queen ,alexandra's birthday1 or whether ,hurley's pious efforts of the evening before had taken effect1 ,december #a turned out a good day4 ,by noon1 the wind had dropped sufficiently for us to hoist the ,jack and ,commonwealth ,ensign for the occasion4 ,after four miles of battling1 there came into sight a distinct ridge1 ten miles to the west and south--quite the most definitely rising ground observed since leaving the coast4 ,in one place was a patch of immense crevasses1 easily visible to the naked eye2 in another1 due south1 were black shadows1 and towards these the course was pointed4 ,at a point more than one hundred and twenty-five miles from the sea1 a skua gull paid an afternoon call1 alighting a few yards from the track4 ,i immediately commenced to stalk it with a fishing-line1 this time all ready and baited with pemmican4 ,however1 it was quite contemptuous1 flying off to the south-south-east as far as we could follow it4 ,was it taking a short cut to the ,ross ,sea8 ,december #b saw us through ,dead-,beat ,gully to a rise1 in sight of the shadows towards which we had been steering4 ,two miles away they appeared like the edge of the moon seen through a large telescope4 ,the shadows were due to large mounds of snow on the south side of a steep escarpment4 ,three main prominences were cross-connected with regular lines of hillocks1 giving the impression of a subdivided town-site4 ,the low evening sun threw everything up in the most wonderful relief4 ,on the morning of the #crd we were in a valley running west-north-west and east-south-east4 ,the southern side rose steeply and from it projected three large mounds1 about two hundred feet from the bottom of the valley1 into which they fell just like tailings-heaps from a mine4 ,they were christened ,the ,nodules4 ,going due south uphill over neve we found ourselves in a regular network of crevasses4 ,they were about ten feet wide and well bridged4 ,most noticeable were hedges of ice up to six feet in height on either side of the crevasses which ran southward4 ,it was now nearly calm and in every crack and chink in the snow-bridges beautiful fern-like ice-crystals were seen4 ,these must have been just forming1 as a very light puff of wind was seen to destroy many of them4 ,we spent three hours exploring the locality4 ,on nearing the top of the ridge1 roped together1 we found that the crevasses were becoming much wider1 while the hedges were disappearing4 ,the centre nodule was found to be immediately north or to the leeward of the intersection of two crevasses1 each about forty feet wide4 ,the bridge of one crevasse had dropped some thirty feet for a length of eighty yards4 ,doubtless1 an eddy from this hole accounts for the deposit of snow and1 by accretions1 for the erection of the nodule4 ,webb went down at the end of the alpine rope and found the bridge below quite solid4 ,for about half a mile the summit of the slope was practically level1 three hundred feet above the bed of the valley4 ,the surface was still of neve1 intersected by canals forty1 sixty and eighty feet wide1 in which the snow-bridge was generally four or five feet from the brink4 ,on the south-west horizon1 perhaps twenty miles away1 was a salient crest streaked by three dark vertical bars2 evidently another crevassed area4 ,returning to the sledge1 we toggled-on and worked it up over the top of the ridge1 much regretting that time would not allow us to examine the other two large nodules4 ,hurley was in the lead1 lengthening his line by thirty feet of alpine rope1 but even then all three of us and the sledge were often on the lid of a crevasse4 ,luckily1 the lids were fairly sound1 and none of us went in beyond the waist4 ,finally1 the trail emerged on to ordinary sastrugi once more1 where a halt was made for lunch4 ,we were all glad to have seen the place1 but ,i think none of us has any wish to see another like it4 ,that night1 after following the magnetic needle towards the south-east1 we were fairly on the plateau at one hundred and forty miles1 with an altitude of four thousand four hundred feet4 ,the dip1 however1 had steadily decreased1 standing now at #hh degrees #cj'4 ,there was some consolation in the hope that a big1 sudden rise was stored up for us somewhere along the way ahead4 ,december #d and #e were fine days1 giving only twenty-two miles1 as we met with a rough surface2 a large quantity of very hard1 razor-backed sastrugi1 generally about two feet high1 like groined vaulting inverted1 on a small scale4 ,sledge and sledge-meter both had a very rough passage4 ,the sledge1 for instance1 balances itself on the top of a sastruga for a moment1 with an ominous bend in the runners1 crashes down the slope and jams its bow into the next one1 from which it has to be lifted clear4 ,during this run the needle again misbehaved itself1 changing its direction some #he degrees in ten miles1 but by the night of the #eth we were getting past the disturbed locality and the dip had increased considerably4 ,for the first time on the trip the wind veered round to the south-east4 ,snow had fallen overnight 7,december #e7 and had drifted in long ramps diagonally across the sastrugi4 ,in two and a half hours we covered two and a quarter miles1 blindly blundering in an uncertain light among crests and troughs and through piles of soft1 new snow4 ,then we stopped2 ,webb filling in the afternoon with a full set of dip observations4 ,that night the break-wind played its one possible trick4 ,waking on the #hth1 we found that the heavy snowfall1 with only a moderate wind1 had drifted us up4 ,of course ,hurley and ,i1 who slept on the 'outsides1' had known it most of the night4 ,before we could extricate ourselves from the bags ,webb had to turn out from the middle to dig away the drift which was weighing down the walls of the tent on top of us4 ,it was hopeless weather for travelling4 ,in the afternoon a snow cave was dug1 seven feet deep and enlarged to seven feet square at the bottom4 ,the whole was covered with mast1 yard and sail4 ,it was very snug from the outward aspect1 but we soon found that there were two objections to the ,sarcophagus1 as it was named4 ,there was very little light except a ghastly blue half-tone filtering through the snow1 and the place was not over warm1 surrounded by walls at a much lower temperature than that of the surface4 ,webb commenced a declination quick-run1 consisting of half-hourly observations of the direction in which the compass was pointing4 ,in ordinary latitudes1 during the day1 the compass needle moves over a few minutes of arc1 but here1 being so close to the ,magnetic ,pole1 its movement is greatly magnified1 the range being about #e degrees on this occasion4 ,webb carried on readings till midnight1 and at #d ,a4,m41 ,december #i1 ,i turned out1 being relieved at #h ,a4,m4 by ,hurley1 who carried on until the twenty-four hours were completed4 ,this observation should be especially valuable when it is compared with continuous magnetic records obtained at the same time at ,winter ,quarters and by the ,scott expedition at ,mc,murdo ,sound4 ,it was not till #a4cj ,p4,m4 on ,december #aj that the sixty-mile wind had subsided sufficiently for us to get away4 ,every yard of our quota of seven miles was hard going4 ,a fine example of a typical old sastruga was passed on the way4 ,in order to secure a photograph of it1 ,hurley had to waste eighteen films before he could persuade one to pull into place correctly4 ,the film-packs had been carefully kept in an airtight tin1 but the cold was too much for them4 ,the tags which should pull each film round from the back to the front of the pack usually tore away with a small piece of film4 ,in fact1 out of one hundred and twenty films only forty-five exposures were made4 ,on the #aath a good deal of piecrust cut down the day's march to eight and a half miles4 ,sledge runners are usually supported by this surface1 but one's feet break through in a most annoying and tiring manner4 ,the drift eased off for a few hours and we managed to dry some of our gear4 ,at the ,sarcophagus1 things which had all been wet enough before became saturated with drift which turned to ice4 ,felt mitts are perhaps the worst in this respect1 and it is no exaggeration to say that you could easily brain a man with one after it had been worn in drift for a couple of days4 ,that night ,i decided that one more day must see us at our depot4 ,allowing three days' grace for contingencies1 there were thirty-one days for us to attain our farthest southerly point and back to the ,hut4 ,on the #abth we planned to reach a spot for the depot1 two hundred miles out1 and by #aa4cj ,p4,m4 came on a fine site at one hundred and ninety-nine and three-quarter miles2 altitude four thousand eight hundred and fifty feet1 latitude #fi degrees #hc4a' south2 longitude #adj degrees #bj' east4 ,everything possible was left behind1 the sledge-decking being even cut away1 until only three light bamboo slats remained4 ,a pile1 including ten days' food and one gallon of kerosene1 was placed on a small mound to prevent it being drifted over4 ,a few yards distant rose a solid nine-foot cairn surmounted by a black canvas-and-wire flag1 six feet higher1 well stayed with steel wire4 ,i took on food for seventeen days1 three days more than ,i intended to be out1 partly so that we could keep on longer if we found we could make very fast time1 and also as a safeguard against thick weather when returning to the depot4 ,late in the evening we set off against a stiff breeze4 ,the sledge ran lightly for three and a half miles1 and we camped4 ,the depot showed up well in the north-west as a bright golden spot in the low midnight sun4 ,next day the piecrust was so bad that1 despite the lessened load1 we only covered twelve miles4 ,the surface was smoothly polished1 and we either crashed through it from four inches to a foot or else slipped and came down heavily on knees1 elbow1 or head4 ,new finnesko were largely responsible for such an accident4 ,at #aa ,p4,m4 a remarkable ramp1 five chains long1 was passed4 ,on its windward side was a tangled cluster of large sastrugi4 ,they made one imagine that the wind1 infuriated at finding a block of snow impeding its progress1 had run amok with a giant gouge1 endeavouring to pare it down4 ,every now and then1 the gouge1 missing its aim1 had taken great lateral scoops from the surface1 leaving trenches two and three feet deep4 ,in bags that night we had a talk 7not the first by any means7 over our prospects4 ,up to the one hundred-and-seventy-four-mile camp1 four hundred miles seemed dimly possible1 but now we saw we would be lucky to reach three hundred miles4 ,moreover1 the dip at this spot was #hi degrees #aa'1 practically what it had been ever since one hundred and fifty miles4 ,sixty-five miles for nothing6 ,how far for the other forty-nine minutes which were needed for a vertical dip and the ,south ,magnetic ,pole8 ,this problem was insoluble1 so each toggled himself into his bag in a rather depressed state of mind4 ,december #af was a glorious day2 only a fifteen-mile wind1 and for ten miles an improved surface4 ,there was no drift1 consequently opportunity was taken to turn the sleeping bags inside out4 ,they needed it1 too4 ,the upper parts were not so bad as they had been propped open occasionally1 but the lower halves were coated with solid ice4 ,for the first time for weeks we did not wear burberrys1 as the weather was so warm4 ,fourteen miles was the total work1 the previous day's being twelve4 ,all three of us were having trouble with snow-blindness2 the zinc and cocaine tabloids being in great demand4 ,latitude #gj degrees south was passed on the #agth and we were another fourteen miles to the good4 ,the dip was on the increase #hi degrees #be' and the declination swung to #dj degrees east of the magnetic meridian4 ,at two hundred and fifty-six miles the altitude was five thousand five hundred feet4 ,the temperature was getting lower2 the minimum being -#ba degrees ,f4 on the night of the #agth1 rising to a maximum of #c degrees ,f4 on the following day4 ,there was dead calm and a regular heat wave on ,december #ai4 ,as the sun rose higher and higher1 the tent became absolutely oppressive4 ,the rime coating the walls inside thawed and water actually trickled into our finnesko4 ,usually we awoke to find them frozen hard1 just as we had shaped them on the previous night1 but on this particular morning they were pathetically limp and wet4 ,the temperature inside the tent was #ff degrees ,f41 heated1 of course1 by the sun's rays which raised our black bulb thermometer to #aje degrees ,f4 ,we were not used to this sort of thing and struggled out hurriedly for a breath of fresh air4 ,once into harness1 we began to feel the effects of exertion4 ,by degrees we got rid of our clothing1 but unfortunately soon came to bedrock in that respect1 as the underclothing was sewn on and immovable4 ,at lunch time1 with the thermometer at -#b degrees ,f4 in the shade1 we reluctantly dressed knowing how soon we would cool off4 ,about #i ,p4,m4 clouds moved over rapidly from the south-east and the landscape faded into the blank1 shadowless nothing of an overcast day4 ,the camp was pitched at two hundred and eighty-three miles amidst a jumble of ramps and sastrugi4 ,the dip had seen fit to rise to #hi degrees #ce'4 ,in the morning the wind was doing thirty miles per hour1 which certainly seemed to be the normal thing4 ,it fell to a nice sailing breeze1 but1 at the time1 we were not very appreciative of anything as the course was uphill4 ,again1 it was to be the last day's run1 so we were all out when the halt came after a good fifteen miles--the longest day's march on the outward journey4 ,nevertheless1 ,webb unpacked the theodolite after hoosh and took an altitude of the sun at midnight4 ,on ,december #ba the load on the sledge was stripped down to tent1 dip-circle1 theodolite1 cooker and a little food4 ,for two and a half miles we went south-east over rising ground until the sledge-meter showed three hundred and one miles4 ,while ,hurley and ,i pitched the tent1 ,webb built a breakwind for his instrument fifty yards away4 ,then followed a long set of magnetic observations4 ,about #e ,p4,m4 the magnetic work was interrupted2 the theodolite replacing the dip-circle on the legs1 while ,i took a longitude shot4 ,i was seeing double1 being slightly snow-blind1 and had some difficulty in choosing the correct combination from the assortment of suns and cross-wires visible in the telescope4 ,setting the vertical and horizontal wires simultaneously on the sun was beyond me2 ,webb taking the observations for the true meridian1 which also checked my longitude shot4 ,magnetic work under these conditions is an extremely uncomfortable operation4 ,even a light wind will eddy round the break-wind1 and it is wind which makes low temperatures formidable4 ,nearly all the work has to be done with bare fingers or thin instrument-gloves1 and the time taken is far greater than in temperate climates1 owing to the fingers constantly going and because of the necessity of continually freeing the instrument from the condensed moisture of the breath4 ,considering that the temperature was -#ab degrees ,f4 when he had finished his four hours' work1 it may be imagined that ,webb was ready for his hot tea4 ,the dip proved to be #hi degrees #dc4e'1 that is1 sixteen and a half minutes from the vertical4 ,the altitude was just over five thousand nine hundred feet1 in latitude #gj degrees #cf4e' south and longitude #adh degrees #aj' east4 ,after lunch the ,union ,jack and the ,commonwealth ,ensign were hoisted and three cheers given for the ,king--willing but rather lonesome away out there6 ,we searched the horizon with glasses but could see nothing save snow1 undulating in endless sastrugi4 ,to the south-east the horizon was limited by our old enemy1 the next ridge1 some two miles away4 ,we wondered what could be beyond1 although we knew it was only the same featureless repetition1 since one hundred and seventy-five miles on the same course would bring us to the spot where ,david1 ,mawson and ,mackay had stood in #aiji4 ,after ,hurley had taken a photograph of the camp1 the tent was struck and the sledge repacked4 ,at last the sail was rigged1 we gave a final glance back and turned on the homeward trail4 ,my diary of that night sums up3 ,we have now been exactly six weeks on the tramp and somehow feel rather sad at turning back1 even though it has not been quite a ,sunday school picnic all along4 ,it is a great disappointment not to see a dip of #ij deg41 but the time is too short with this 'climate4' ,it was higher than we expected to get1 after the unsatisfactory dips obtained near the two-hundred-mile depot4 ,the rate of increase since that spot has been fairly uniform and indicates that #ij degrees might be reached in another fifty to sixty miles1 if the same rate held1 and that means at least another week4 ,it's no good thinking about it for 'orders are orders4' ,we'll have our work cut out to get back as it is4 ,twenty-five days till we are overdue4 ,certainly we have twenty-three days' food1 eight days' with us1 ten days' at two hundred miles1 and five days' at sixty-seven miles1 so with luck we should not go hungry1 but ,webb wants to get five more full sets of dips if possible on the way back1 and this means two and a half days4 ,that night the minimum thermometer registered its lowest at -#be degrees ,f4 ,it was ,december #ba and ,midsummer ,day1 so we concluded that the spot would be a very chilly one in the winter4 ,at this juncture we were very short of finnesko4 ,the new ones we had worn since the two-hundred-mile camp had moulted badly and were now almost bald4 ,the stitching wears through as soon as the hair comes off and frequent mending is necessary4 ,we rose earlier than usual on the #bbnd1 so as to get more advantage from the wind1 which each evening had always tended to die down somewhat4 ,with forty-two square feet of sail1 the twenty-mile wind was too much for us1 the sledge capsizing on the smallest pretext4 ,instead of hanging the yard from the top of the mast1 we placed it across the load1 reversing the sail and hooking the clews over the top of the mast4 ,three or four pieces of lampwick at intervals served as reefing-points by which the area of the sail could be quickly cut down by bunching the upper part as much as was necessary4 ,during the day we frequently saw our tracks in patches of snow left during a previous snowfall1 but they were much eroded1 although only three days old4 ,after sledging in ,adelie ,land it is hard to realize that on certain parts of the ,ross ,barrier tracks a year old may remain visible4 ,after passing the two-hundred-and-eighty-three-mile mound1 the sledge-meter became very sickly4 ,spoke after spoke had parted and we saw that nothing we could do would make it last very much longer4 ,as we intended in one place to make a cross-country run of seventy miles1 so as to cut off the detour to the ,nodules1 the meter was carried on the sledge4 ,we had now the mounds to check distances4 ,on ,december #bc we were lucky enough to catch sight of the two-hundred-and-sixty-nine-mile mound and later the one at two hundred and sixty-one miles1 though there was a good deal of drift4 ,the day's run was twenty and a half miles4 ,a thing which helped us unexpectedly was that1 now with the wind behind1 we found it unnecessary to wear the stiff1 heavy1 frozen1 burberry trousers4 ,thick pyjama trousers took their place in all except the worst weather4 ,at our old two-hundred-and-forty-nine-mile camp1 ,webb took a complete set of magnetic observations and another time-shot for watch-rate4 ,it was late when these were over1 so we did only two and a half miles more1 halting for ,christmas ,eve1 well content with a run of fourteen miles in addition to a set of observations4 ,on ,christmas ,day the country was very rough1 making sailing difficult4 ,still1 eighteen and a half miles were left behind4 ,the wind was practically along the sastrugi and the course was diagonal to both4 ,as the sledge strikes each sastruga1 it skids northwards along it to the discomfort of the wheelers and the disgust of the leader4 ,for ,christmas dinner that night we had to content ourselves with revising the menu for the meal which was to celebrate the two-hundred-mile depot4 ,but now it was all pretty well mapped out1 having been matured in its finer details for several days on the march4 ,hors d'oeuvre1 soup1 meat1 pudding1 sweets and wine were all designed1 and estimates were out4 ,would we pick up the depot soon enough to justify an auspicious occasion8 ,next day the wind was due south at thirty miles per hour4 ,dodging big ramps and overturning on sastrugi1 at the same time dragging well upwind of the course to save leeway1 twelve miles went by without the two-hundred-and-fifteen-mile mound coming into sight4 ,finally1 a search with the glasses through falling snow revealed it a good two miles back4 ,as we particularly wanted some photos of the ramps at this camp1 we made across to it and had lunch there1 ,hurley exposing the last of the films4 ,at two hundred and nine miles ,lot's ,wife appeared--a tall1 thin mound which ,hurley had erected during a lunch-camp on the way out4 ,on the #bgth1 with a thirty-five-mile wind and a good deal of drift1 we did not see the two-hundred-and-three-mile mound until we almost ran into it4 ,by three o'clock the great event occurred--the depot was found6 ,we determined to hold the ,christmas feast4 ,after a cup of tea and a bit of biscuit1 the rest of the lunch ration was put aside4 ,webb set up his instrument in the lee of the big mound and commenced a set of observations2 ,i sorted out gear from the depot and rearranged the sledge load2 ,hurley was busy in the tent concocting all kinds of dishes4 ,as the tableware was limited to three mugs and the ,nansen cooker1 we had to come in to deal with each course the moment it was ready4 ,aiming at a really high-class meal1 ,hurley had started by actually cleaning out the cooker4 ,the absence of reindeer-hair and other oddments made everything taste quite strange1 though the basis was still the same old ration with a few remaining perks4 ,after the raisin gliders1 soup and a good stiff hoosh1 ,webb finished his observations while ,i recorded for him4 ,it is wonderful what sledging does for the appetite4 ,for the first week of the journey1 the unaccustomed ration was too much for us2 but now when ,hurley announced ,pudding6 we were all still ravenous4 ,it was a fine example of ye goode olde ,english plum-pudding1 made from biscuit grated with the ,bonsa-saw1 fat picked out of the pemmican1 raisins and glaxo-and-sugar1 all boiled in an old food-bag4 ,this pudding was so filling that we could hardly struggle through a savoury1 ,angels on runners1 and cocoa4 ,there was a general recovery when the wine was produced1 made from stewed raisins and primus alcohol2 and ,the ,king was toasted with much gusto4 ,at the first sip1 to say the least1 we were disappointed4 ,the rule of no heel taps nearly settled us1 and quite a long interval and cigars1 saved up for the occasion by ,webb1 were necessary before we could get courage enough to drink to the ,other ,sledging ,parties and ,our ,supporting ,party4 ,the sun was low in the south when1 cigars out and conversation lagging1 we finally toggled in for the finest sleep of the whole journey4 ,the cook1 under a doubtful inspiration1 broke forth1 later on1 into a ,christmas ,carol3 ,i've dined in many places but never such as these- ,it's like the ,gates of ,heaven when you find you've lost the keys4 ,i've dined with kings and emperors1 perhaps you scarce believe2 ,and even they do funny things when round comes ,christmas ,eve4 ,i've feasted with iguanas on a lonely desert isle2 ,once in the shade of a wattle by a maiden's winsome smile4 ,i've grubbed at a threepenny hash-house1 ,i've been at a counter-lunch1 ,reclined at a clap-up cafe where only the swankers munch4 ,in short1 ,i've dined from ,horn to ,cape and up ,alaska-way ,but the finest1 funniest dinner of all was on that ,xmas ,day4 ,for the first ten miles on the afternoon of the #bhth1 the sail was reefed down to prevent the sledge overrunning us on smooth patches4 ,not far past the one-hundred-and-ninety-mile mound1 which was missed in the drift1 we picked up some of the outward tracks--a bas-relief of three footsteps and a yard of sledge-meter track1 raised half an inch and undercut by the wind4 ,it was not very much1 but quite a comfort when one is navigating in blinding weather4 ,at #aa4cj ,p4,m4 we had marched twenty-one miles1 and both light and surface were improving1 so ,i proposed making a long run of it4 ,hurley and ,webb eagerly agreed1 and we had a preparatory hoosh4 ,ten miles scudded by monotonously without a sign of the mounds around the one-hundred-and-seventy-mile camp4 ,as we were in the vicinity of a point where we had determined to diverge from our outward track1 a course was laid direct for the one-hundred-and-thirteen-mile mark4 ,the sledge-meter1 which had been affixed1 made its presence evident from time to time by ringing like a cash register1 as still another broken spoke struck the forks4 ,we would halt for a moment and extract the remains4 ,out of the original thirty-six wire spokes1 only twelve wire and one wooden one remained4 ,at #aa4cj ,a4,m4 on ,december #bi1 a halt was called and the sledge-meter was then lying over on its side with a helpless expression4 ,it indicated twenty-two miles1 making1 so we thought1 a total of forty-three miles in the twenty-two and a quarter hours since leaving the depot4 ,observations for position next day proved that in its dying effort it exaggerated the truth2 the total run being #da4f miles4 ,we were now well ahead of schedule time1 there being four and a half days' surplus food2 above what was probably required to reach the sixty-seven-and-a-half-mile depot4 ,it was decided to hold three days of this and to use one and a half days food as a bonus during the coming week1 as long as we were ahead of our necessary distance4 ,the sledging ration is quite enough to live on1 but for the whole of the journey we had felt that we could have done more distance on a slightly larger ration4 ,this may be partly explained by our comparatively high altitude4 ,next morning the sledge-meter was cut away and stuck in the snow4 ,it looked very forlorn sitting askew in its forks1 with a pair of worn-out finnesko hanging over it4 ,after twelve miles with a favourable wind1 ,webb took more observations2 ,hurley and ,i recording by turns4 ,there were several small holes in the tent which needed mending1 and ,i experimented with adhesive plaster from the medical kit with great success4 ,heated over a fusee and pressed hard down between the bottoms of mugs1 held outside and inside1 the patches adhered well and made a permanent job4 ,early on ,december #ca1 #aiab1 snow was falling4 ,the light gave ,hurley an attack of snow-blindness and a miserable day4 ,crampons were worn to give some security to the foothold on the uneven track4 ,the position1 after a trudge of fifteen miles1 was estimated at five miles east of the one-hundred-and-twenty-three-mile mound4 ,on ,new ,year's ,day1 #aiac1 the wind was fresher and the surface improved4 ,estimation placed us to the north of one hundred and thirteen miles1 but we were not hopeful in the light falling snow of seeing a mound4 ,soon1 however1 the snow ceased1 and ,webb made out a hillock two miles ahead4 ,it was identified as the one at one hundred and nine miles4 ,it had been my turn to be snowblind4 ,i was so bad that the only thing to do was to camp or ride on the sledge4 ,the trail changed here to straight downwind1 so ,webb and ,hurley undertook the job1 hauling the sledge with me as a passenger for three and a half miles to the one-hundred-and-five-mile mound4 ,it must have been a trying finish to a run of twenty miles4 ,in spite of the spell1 which was a sleepless one1 ,i was no better in the morning and again had to ride4 ,the others pulled away for five miles with a good helping wind1 but in a provoking light4 ,the camp was made where the one-hundred-mile mound was judged to be4 ,we spent longer over lunch1 hoping that the clouds would clear4 ,at last we moved on1 or rather ,i was moved on4 ,after two miles the surface became heavier4 ,my eyes were better now on account of the rest and a snow poultice ,webb had invented4 ,i harnessed-in for five miles over light1 unpacked snow1 with piecrust underneath4 ,the day's work was twelve miles4 ,the snow-clouds broke at noon on ,january #c1 and a reliable latitude was obtained4 ,it agreed with our reckoning4 ,persevering over the same trying surface as on the previous day1 we sighted the ninety-mile-mound in the rear as a rift broke in the sky4 ,we must have passed a few hundred yards from it4 ,we were still eleven miles from the depot1 so at breakfast on the #dth the rations were reduced by one-half to give plenty of time to locate our goal4 ,on the #dth the sky was clear1 but surface drift prevented us from seeing any mounds till1 in the afternoon1 the ramps near the sixty-seven-mile depot were discovered in fitful glimpses4 ,they bore too much to the north1 so we altered course correspondingly to the west1 camping in rising wind and drift1 with great hopes for the morrow4 ,a densely overcast sky on the #eth2 light snow falling6 ,we moved on two miles1 but not being able to see one hundred yards1 camped again2 then walking as far as seemed safe in various directions4 ,one could do nothing but wait for clear weather4 ,the clouds lightened at #f ,p4,m4 and again at #i ,p4,m41 when altitudes of the sun were secured1 putting us four miles south of the depot4 ,with only one chronometer watch1 one has to rely entirely on dead reckoning for longitude1 the rate of a single watch being very variable4 ,the longitude obtained on this occasion from our latest known rate moved us several miles to the east of the depot1 so ,i concluded that our distances since the camp at ninety miles had been overestimated1 and that we were probably to the south-east of it4 ,accordingly1 we shifted four miles to the north-west1 but by this time it had again clouded over and nothing could be seen4 ,on the #fth the sky was still overcast1 but a lucky peep at noon aligned us on the exact latitude of the depot4 ,we walked east and west1 but it snowed persistently and everything was invisible4 ,it is weary work waiting in the tent for weather to improve4 ,during this time ,hurley amused himself and us by composing a ,christmas carol on the ,christmas dinner2 a fragment from which has already appeared4 ,i whiled away a whole afternoon1 cutting up the remains of two cigars which had refused to draw4 ,sliced up with a pair of scissors and mixed with a few of ,hurley's cigarettes1 they made very good smoking tobacco4 ,on the #gth the sky was immovable1 and we trekked four miles due east1 camped once more and walked about without finding our goal4 ,i now decided that if the weather did not improve by the morning1 we should have to dash for the north4 ,it was a risk1 but matters were coming to a serious pass4 ,on broaching the subject to ,webb and ,hurley1 they unconditionally agreed with me4 ,at #c ,a4,m4 the sky cleared rapidly and we turned out and saw the ramps plainly to the east4 ,webb set up the theodolite while ,hurley and ,i paced out a half-mile base-line to find out the intervening distance4 ,just as we got to the end of it1 however1 the clouds came over again and the ramps faded4 ,there was only one thing for it now1 and that was to make a break for the coast4 ,of food1 there was one full day's ration with enough pemmican for half a hoosh1 six lumps of sugar and nine raisins1 rather the worse for wear1 oil for two days1 and1 last but not least1 a pint of alcohol4 ,after four days on half-rations we felt fairly fit1 thanks no doubt to the good meals of the previous week4 ,there were sixty-seven miles to go1 and in case we did not happen on the narrow descent to the ,hut1 the food was apportioned to last for five days4 ,everything unessential was stripped off the sledge1 including dip-circle1 thermometers1 hypsometer1 camera1 spare clothing and most of the medical and repair kits4 ,at #g ,a4,m4 we set off on the final stage of the journey4 ,the sky was densely overcast and snow was falling1 but there was a strong wind almost behind4 ,we would march for an hour by my wrist-watch1 halt for five minutes and on again till all agreed that we had covered ten miles2 when it was lunch time4 ,each man's share of this consisted of one-third of a biscuit1 one-third of an ounce of butter and a drink made of a spoonful of glaxo-and-sugar and one of absolute alcohol1 mixed in a mug of lukewarm water4 ,we could not afford oil enough to do much more than thaw the water1 but the alcohol warmed us splendidly1 enabling us to get a good rest4 ,after an hour's spell we started again1 luckily seeing just enough of the sun to check the course4 ,the wind grew stronger in the afternoon and several times dense fog-banks drove down on us4 ,meeting one steep rise1 we sidled round it for what seemed hours1 but my chief memory of that afternoon was of the clouds of the northern horizon4 ,they were a deep bluish-grey colour--a typical water-sky--but ,i have never seen clouds moving so fast4 ,it was like trying to steer by one particular phase in a kaleidoscope4 ,when all were satisfied that twenty miles had been covered we camped4 ,dinner consisted of a very watery hoosh1 followed up by a mug of alcohol and water4 ,we were all very thankful for the forethought of ,dr4 ,mawson in providing absolute alcohol for lighting the primus1 instead of methylated spirit4 ,breakfast on the #ith was of about the same consistency as dinner on the night before1 except that cocoa replaced the alcohol4 ,in fact1 breakfast was possibly even more watery1 as ,i was in charge of the food-bag and surreptitiously decided to make the rations last six days instead of five4 ,this was the worst day's march of the journey4 ,the wind was booming along at sixty miles per hour with dense drift and falling snow4 ,what made it worse was that it came from the south-east1 forcing us to pull partly across it4 ,i was the upwind wheeler and had to hitch on to the side of the sledge to reduce the leeway as much as possible4 ,the sledge was being continually jammed into big1 old1 invisible sastrugi and we fell about in the wind until crampons became absolutely necessary4 ,at #d ,p4,m4 we were disgusted to find that the wind had veered to south-by-east4 ,so for possibly several hours we had been doing ,heaven only knows how many times the amount of work necessary1 and for any time up to four hours might have been marching three points off our course4 ,being blown straight downwind1 the sledge made rapid progress1 and about #f ,p4,m4 a halt was called for lunch4 ,this was over almost as soon as it was begun1 but we had a good rest1 sheltering ourselves with the floor-cloth from the wind which blew through the tent4 ,off again1 we plugged away until midnight when we were much surprised to find the usual snow surface merging into blue ice4 ,the tent was pitched on the latter1 snow being procured from the bridge of a crevasse as we had no pick3 even the ice-axe having been left behind4 ,turning out on the morning of the #ajth1 we were delighted to find the sky clearing and the wind moderating4 ,and then1 far away on the northern horizon a beautiful line of blue sea dotted with bergs6 ,we now officially considered ourselves to be twenty-seven miles from the ,hut4 ,as we should not have met blue ice on the proper course till we were only thirteen miles out1 it was thought that we had edged a long way to the east the day before4 ,when a start was made1 we manoeuvred to the west in looking for a crossing-place at each crevasse4 ,it was not long before the bergs on the horizon were noticeably enlarging1 and at last we realized that in reality it was only a few miles to them4 ,suddenly the grade increased1 the ice becoming much lacerated2 and we had some trouble getting the sledge along4 ,hurley was snow-blind and had one eye covered4 ,he looked very comical feeling his way over the crevasses1 but he probably did not feel over-humorous4 ,i was in the lead1 and suddenly coming over a ridge above a steep ice-fall1 ,i caught sight of the ,mackellar ,islets and the old ,piano berg4 ,just at the same instant the spur of ice on which ,i was standing collapsed1 and down ,i went into a crevasse4 ,the others quickly had me out1 and1 as soon as ,i was in the upper air1 ,i gave them the news3 ,there are the ,islands6 ,being twenty feet farther back on the rope they had not yet seen them4 ,we were now able to place ourselves about three miles west of ,aladdin's ,cave4 ,the last camp must have been thirteen miles from the ,hut1 and we had really done twenty-seven miles each day instead of our conservative twenty4 ,we tried to work along to the east1 but the ice was too much broken1 so the camp was made on a patch of snow4 ,in view of our good fortune1 ,i produced that evening's ration of hoosh in addition to our usual lunch4 ,even this meagre spree went against ,hurley's feelings1 for1 being snow-blind1 he had not been able to see the islands and positively would not believe that we were nearly home4 ,after lunch it was necessary to retrace our way upwind to get out of the rough country4 ,about midnight1 ,webb recognized ,aladdin's ,cave4 ,hurley and ,i had a competition as to who should see it first1 for ,i was also getting a little blind again4 ,we had a dead-heat at one hundred and fifty yards4 ,the first thing to arrest our attention was a tin of dog biscuits4 ,these kept things going till we dug out a food tank from which was rapidly extracted a week's supply of chocolate4 ,after that we proceeded in a happier frame of mind to open up the cave and have a meal4 ,the journey of more than six hundred miles was now practically over4 ,after a carousal lasting till #e ,p4,m4 on the #aath1 we went down hill1 arriving just after dinner and finding all well4 ,we three had never thought the ,hut quite such a fine place1 nor have we ever since4 ,,chapter ,,xv ,,eastward ,,over ,,the ,,sea-,,ice by ,c4 ,t4 ,,madigan ,harnessed and girt in his canvas bands1 ,toggled and roped to his load2 ,with helmeted head and bemittened hands1 ,this for his spur and his goad3 ,out in the derelict fastnesses bare ,some whit of truth may be won4 ,be it a will o' the wisp1 he will fare ,forth to the rising sun4 ,the ,sledge ,horse ,the ,eastern ,coastal party consisted of ,dr4 ,a4 ,l4 ,mc,lean1 ,p4 ,e4 ,correll and myself4 ,for weeks all preparations had been made2 the decking put on the sledge1 runners polished1 cooker- and instrument-boxes attached1 mast erected1 spar and sail rigged1 instruments and clothing collected1 tent strengthened--all the impedimenta of a sledge journey arranged and rearranged1 and still the blizzard raged on4 ,would we never get away8 ,november arrived1 and still the wind kept up daily averages of over fifty miles per hour1 with scarce a day without drifting snow4 ,at last it was decided that a start must soon be made even though it ended in failure1 so that we received orders to set out on ,november #f1 or the first possible day after it4 ,friday ,november #h broke1 a clear driftless day1 and ,murphy's party left early in the morning4 ,by noon1 ,stillwell's party 7,stillwell1 ,hodgeman and ,close71 and we1 were ready to start4 ,the former were bound on a short journey to the near east and were to support us until we parted company4 ,all was bustle and excitement4 ,every one turned out to see us off4 ,breaking an empty sauce-bottle over the bow of our sledge1 we christened it the ,m4,h4,s4 ,championship 7,man-,hauled ,sledge74 ,the name was no boastful prevision of mighty deeds1 as1 at the ,hut1 a ,championship was understood to mean some careless action usually occasioning damage to property1 while our party included several noted champions4 ,mertz harnessed a dog-team to the sledge and helped us up the first steep slope4 ,with hearty handshakes and a generous cheer from the other fellows1 we started off and were at last away1 after many months of hibernation in the ,hut1 to chance the hurricanes and drifting snow and to push towards the unknown regions to the east4 ,at the steepest part of the rise we dismissed our helpers and said good-bye4 ,mc,lean and ,correll joined me on the sledge and we continued on to ,aladdin's ,cave4 ,as we mounted the glacier the wind increased1 carrying surface drift which obscured the view to within one hundred yards4 ,it was this which made us pass the ,cave on the eastern side and pull up on a well-known patch of snow in a depression to the south of our goal4 ,it was not long before a momentary clearing of the drift showed ,aladdin's ,cave with its piles of food-tanks1 kerosene1 dog biscuit and pemmican1 and1 to our dismay1 a burberry-clad figure moving about among the accumulation4 ,murphy's party were in possession when we expected them to be on the way south to another cave--the ,cathedral ,grotto--eleven and three-quarter miles from the ,hut4 ,of course the rising wind and drift had stopped them4 ,it was then #e ,p4,m41 so we did not wait to discuss the evident proposition as to which of the three parties should occupy the ,cave1 but climbed down into it at once and boiled up hoosh and tea4 ,borrowing tobacco from the supporting parties1 we reclined at ease1 and then in that hazy atmosphere so dear to smokers1 its limpid blue enhanced by the pale azure of the ice1 we introduced the subject of occupation as if it were a sudden afterthought4 ,it was soon decided to enlarge the ,cave to accommodate five men1 the other four consenting to squeeze into ,stillwell's big tent4 ,mc,lean volunteered to join ,stillwell's party in the tent1 while ,correll and ,i were to stay in the ,cave with ,murphy and company4 ,i went outside and selected ten weeks' provisions from the pile of food-tanks and piled them beside the sledge4 ,mc,lean attended to the thermograph which ,bage and ,i had installed in the autumn4 ,meanwhile1 in a fifty-mile wind1 ,stillwell and his men erected the tent4 ,hunter and ,laseron started with picks and shovels to enlarge the ,cave1 and1 working in relays1 we had soon expanded it to eight feet by seven feet4 ,the men from the tent came down to high dinner at eight o'clock4 ,they reported weather conditions unimproved and the temperature -#c degrees ,f4 ,early next morning ,i dug my way out and found that the surface drift had increased with a wind of fifty-five miles per hour4 ,it was obviously impossible to start4 ,after breakfast it was arranged that those outside should have their meals separately1 digging down at intervals to let us know the state of the weather4 ,it was not pleasant for us1 congested as we were in the ,cave1 to have visitors sliding down through the opening with a small avalanche of snow in their train4 ,further1 to increase their own discomfort1 they arrived covered in snow1 and what they were unable to shake off thawed and wet them1 subsequently freezing again to the consistency of a starched collar4 ,the opening was1 therefore1 kept partly closed with a food-tank4 ,the result was that a good deal of snow came in1 while the hole diminished in size4 ,for a man to try to crawl out in stiff burberrys appeared as futile as for a porcupine to try to go backwards up a canvas hose4 ,the day passed slowly in our impatience4 ,we took turns at reading ',the ,virginian'1 warmed by a primus stove which in a land of plenty we could afford to keep going4 ,later in the afternoon the smokers found that a match would not strike1 and the primus went out4 ,then the man reading said that he felt unwell and could not see the words4 ,soon several others commented on feeling queer1 and two in the sleeping-bags had fallen into a drowsy slumber4 ,on this evidence even the famous ,watson would have dropped to it1 but it was some time before it dawned on us that the oxygen had given out4 ,then there was a rush for shovels4 ,the snow1 ice and food-tank were tightly wedged1 at the mouth of the entrance1 and it took some exertion to perforate through to the outside air with an ice-axe4 ,at once every one speedily recovered4 ,later1 another party had a worse experience1 not forgetting to leave a warning note behind them4 ,we should have done the same4 ,the weather was no better by the evening1 and during the night the minimum thermometer registered -#ab degrees ,f4 ,at six o'clock on ,sunday morning1 ,november #aj1 ,mc,lean dug down to us with the news that the wind had abated to thirty miles per hour with light surface drift4 ,we hurried through breakfast1 rolled up the bags and started packing the sledge4 ,three #ajj-lb4 food-tanks1 one #ej-lb4 bag opened for ready use1 and four gallons of kerosene were selected4 ,stillwell took for us a #ej-lb4 food-tank1 a #ef-lb4 tin of wholemeal biscuits1 and a gallon of kerosene4 ,with the #hej lbs4 of food1 #de lbs4 of kerosene1 three sleeping-bags of #aj lbs4 each1 a tent of #dj lbs41 #hf lbs4 of clothing and personal gear for three men1 a cooker1 primus1 pick1 shovel1 ice-axe1 alpine rope1 dip-circle1 theodolite1 tripod1 smaller instruments such as aneroid1 barometer and thermometer1 tools1 medical outfit and sledge-fittings1 our total load amounted to nearly #hjj lbs41 and ,stillwell's was about the same4 ,all were ready at #i ,a4,m41 and1 shaking hands with ,murphy's party1 who set off due south1 we steered with ,stillwell to the south-east4 ,the preliminary instructions were to proceed south-east from the ,cave to a distance of eighteen miles and there await the arrival of ,dr4 ,mawson and his party1 who were to overtake us with their dogteams4 ,the first few miles gave a gradual rise of one hundred feet per mile1 so that1 with a heavy load against wind and drift1 travelling was very slow4 ,the wind now dropped to almost calm1 and the drift cleared4 ,in the afternoon progress was hampered by crevasses1 which were very frequent1 running east and west and from one to twenty feet in width4 ,the wider ones were covered with firm snow-bridges2 the snow in places having formed into granular and even solid ice4 ,what caused most delay were the detours of several hundreds of yards which had to be made to find a safe crossing over a long1 wide crevasse4 ,at #f4cj ,p4,m4 we pitched camp1 having only made five miles from the ,cave4 ,we got away at #i ,a4,m4 the next morning4 ,throughout the whole journey we thought over the same mysterious problem as confronted many another sledger3 ,where did the time go to in the mornings8 ,despite all our efforts we could not cut down the interval from rise and shine to the start below two hours4 ,early that day we had our first experience of the treacherous crevasse4 ,correll went down a fissure about three feet wide4 ,i had jumped across it1 thinking the bridge looked thin1 but ,correll stepped on it and went through4 ,he dropped vertically down the full length of his harness--six feet4 ,mc,lean and ,i soon had him out4 ,the icy walls fell sheer for about sixty feet1 where snow could be seen in the blue depths4 ,our respect for crevasses rapidly increased after this1 and we took greater precautions1 shuddering to think of the light-hearted way we had trudged over the wider ones4 ,at twelve miles1 blue1 wind-swept ice gave place to an almost flat snow surface4 ,meanwhile the sky had rapidly clouded over1 and the outlook was threatening4 ,the light became worse1 and the sastrugi indistinguishable4 ,such a phenomenon always occurs on what we came to call a snow-blind day4 ,on these days the sky is covered with a white1 even pall of cloud1 and cloud and plateau seem as one4 ,one walks into a deep trench or a sastruga two feet high without noticing it4 ,the world seems one huge1 white void1 and the only difference between it and the pitch-dark night is that the one is white and the other black4 ,light snow commenced at #b4cj ,p4,m41 the wind rising to forty-five miles per hour with heavy drift4 ,thirteen miles out we pitched camp4 ,this1 the first snow-blind day claimed ,mc,lean for its victim4 ,by the time we were under cover of the tent1 his eyes were very sore1 aching with a throbbing pain4 ,at his request ,i placed a zinc-cocaine tablet in each eye4 ,he spent the rest of the day in the darkness of his sleeping-bag and had his eyes bandaged all next day4 ,up till then we had not worn goggles1 but were careful afterwards to use them on the trying1 overcast days4 ,for four and a half days the weather was too bad to travel4 ,on the #adth the wind increased and became steady at sixty miles per hour1 accompanied by dense drifting snow4 ,we found it very monotonous lying in the tent4 ,as always happens during heavy drifts1 the temperature outside was high1 on this day averaging about #ab degrees ,f42 inside the tent it was above freezing-point1 and the accompanying thaw was most unpleasant4 ,stillwell's party had pitched their tent about ten paces to the leeward side of ours1 of which stratagem they continually reminded us4 ,going outside for food to supply our two small meals per day was an operation fraught with much discomfort to all4 ,this is what used to happen4 ,the man on whom the duty fell had to insinuate himself into a bundle of wet burberrys1 and1 as soon as he was outside1 they froze stiff4 ,when1 after a while1 he signified his intention of coming in1 the other two would collect everything to one end of the tent and roll up the floor-cloth4 ,plastered with snow1 he entered1 and1 despite every precaution1 in removing burberrys and brushing himself he would scatter snow about and increase the general wetness4 ,on these excursions we would visit ,stillwell's tent and be hospitably1 if somewhat gingerly1 admitted2 the inmates drawing back and pulling away their sleeping-bags as from one with a fell disease4 ,as a supporting party they were good company1 among other things1 supplying us with tobacco ad libitum4 ,when we parted1 five days after1 we missed them very much4 ,during the night the wind blew harder than ever--that terrible wind1 laden with snow1 that blows for ever across the vast1 mysterious plateau1 the wind that shrills all night in a waste land1 where no one comes or hath come since the making of the world4 ,in the early hours of the morning it reached eighty miles per hour4 ,not till #i next morning did the sky clear and the drift diminish4 ,considering that it had taken us eight days to do thirteen miles1 we decided to move on the #afth at any cost4 ,our library consisted of ',an ,anthology of ,australian ,verse'1 ,thackeray's ',vanity ,fair' and ',hints to ,travellers' in two volumes4 ,mc,lean spent much of the time reading the ,anthology and ,i started ',vanity ,fair'4 ,the latter beguiled many weary hours in that tent during the journey4 ,i read a good deal aloud and ,mc,lean read it afterwards4 ,correll used to pass the days of confinement arranging rations and costs for cycling tours and designing wonderful stoves and cooking utensils1 all on the sledging1 cut down weight principle4 ,on the #afth we were off at #i ,a4,m4 with a blue sky above and a beam wind of thirty-five miles per hour4 ,up a gentle slope over small sastrugi the going was heavy4 ,we went back to help ,stillwell's party occasionally1 as we were moving a little faster4 ,just after lunch ,i saw a small black spot on the horizon to the south4 ,was it a man8 ,how could ,dr4 ,mawson have got there8 ,we stopped and saw that ,stillwell had noticed it too4 ,field-glasses showed it to be a man approaching1 about one and a half miles away4 ,we left our sledges in a body to meet him1 imagining all kinds of wonderful things such as the possibility of it being a member of ,wild's party--we did not know where ,wild had been landed4 ,all the theories vanished when the figure assumed the well-known form of ,dr4 ,mawson4 ,he had made a little more south than we1 and his sledges were just out of sight1 about two miles away4 ,soon ,mertz and ,ninnis came into view with a dog-team1 which was harnessed on to one sledge4 ,all hands pulled the other sledge1 and we came up fifteen minutes later with ,dr4 ,mawson's camp at eighteen and a quarter miles4 ,in the good ,australian way we sat round a large pot of tea and after several cups put up our two tents4 ,it was a happy evening with the three tents grouped together and the dogs securely picketed on the great plateau1 forming the only spot on the limitless plain4 ,every one was excited at the prospect of the weeks ahead2 the mystery and charm of the unknown had taken a strange hold on us4 ,ninnis and ,mertz came into our tent for a short talk before turning in4 ,mertz sang the old ,german student song3 ,studio auf einer ,reis' ,immer sich zu helfen weis ,immer fort durch's ,dick und ,dunn ,schlendert es durch's ,leben hin4 ,we were nearly all ,university graduates4 ,we knew that this would be our last evening together till all were safely back at the ,hut4 ,no thought was farther from our minds than that it was the last evening we would ever spend with two companions1 who had been our dear comrades for just a year4 ,before turning into sleeping-bags1 a messenger brought me dispatches from the general's tent--a letter on the plateau4 ,this proved to be the instructions to the ,eastern ,coastal ,party4 ,arriving back at the ,hut by ,january #ae1 we were to ascertain as much as possible of the coast lying east of the ,mertz ,glacier1 investigating its broad features and carrying out the following scientific work3 magnetic1 biological and geological observations1 the character1 especially the nature and size of the grains of ice or snow surfaces1 details of sastrugi1 topographical features1 heights and distances1 and meteorology4 ,on ,sunday1 ,november #ag1 we moved on together to the east with the wind at fifteen miles an hour1 the temperature being #i degrees ,f4 ,the sun shone strongly soon after the start1 and with four miles to our credit a tent was run up at #a ,p4,m41 and all lunched together on tea1 biscuit1 butter and chocolate4 ,up to this time we had had only three al fresco lunches1 but1 as the weather seemed to be much milder and the benefit of tea and a rest by the way were so great1 we decided to use the tent in future1 and did so throughout the journey4 ,in the afternoon1 ,dr4 ,mawson's party forged ahead1 the dogs romping along on a downhill grade4 ,we took the bit in our teeth as we saw them sitting on their sledges1 growing smaller and smaller in front of us4 ,we came up with them again as they had waited to exchange a few more words at a point on the track where a long extent of coast to the east came into view4 ,here we bade a final adieu to ,dr4 ,mawson1 ,mertz and ,ninnis4 ,the surface was on the down grade towards the east1 and with a cheer and farewell wave they started off1 ,mertz walking rapidly ahead1 followed by ,ninnis and ,dr4 ,mawson with their sledges and teams4 ,they were soon lost to view behind the rolling undulations4 ,a mile farther on we pitched camp at #h ,p4,m4 in a slight depression just out of sight of the sea4 ,every one slept soundly after a good day's pulling4 ,november #ah was a bright dazzling day1 the sky dotted with fleecy alto-cumulus4 ,at #f ,a4,m4 we were out to find ,stillwell's party moving in their tent4 ,there was a rush for shovels to fill the cookers with snow and a race to boil hoosh4 ,at this camp we tallied up the provisions1 with the intention of taking what we might require from ,stillwell and proceeding independently of him1 as he was likely to leave us any day4 ,there were fifty-nine days to go until ,january #ae1 #aiac1 the latest date of arrival back at the ,hut1 for which eight weeks' rations were considered to be sufficient4 ,there were seven weeks' food on the sledge1 so ,stillwell handed over another fifty-pound bag as well as an odd five pounds of wholemeal biscuit4 ,the total amount of kerosene was five gallons1 with a bottle of methylated spirit4 ,shortly after eight o'clock we caught sight of ,dr4 ,mawson's camp1 and set sail to make up the interval4 ,this we did literally as there was a light westerly breeze--the only west wind we encountered during the whole journey4 ,the sledge was provided with a bamboo mast1 seven feet high1 stepped behind the cooker-box and stayed fore and aft with wire4 ,the yard was a bamboo of six feet1 slung from the top of the mast1 its height being varied by altering the length of the slings4 ,the bamboo was threaded through canvas leads in the floor-cloth which provided a spread of thirty square feet of sail4 ,it was often such an ample area that it had to be reefed from below4 ,with the grade sloping gently down and the wind freshening1 the pace became so hot that the sledge often overran us4 ,a spurious ,epic of the ,east 7see ',adelie ,blizzard'7 records it3 ,crowd on the sail- ,let her speed full and free on the run ,over knife-edge and glaze1 marble polish and pulverized chalk ,the finnesko glide in the race1 and there's no time for talk4 ,up hill1 down dale1 ,it's all in the game and the fun4 ,we rapidly neared ,dr4 ,mawson's camp1 but when we were within a few miles of it1 the other party started in a south-easterly direction and were soon lost to sight4 ,our course was due east4 ,at thirty-three and a half miles the sea was in sight1 some fine flat-topped bergs floating in the nearest bay4 ,suddenly a dark1 rocky nunatak sprang into view on our left4 ,it was a sudden contrast after ten days of unchanging whiteness1 and we felt very anxious to visit this new find4 ,as it was in ,stillwell's limited territory we left it to him4 ,according to the rhymester it was3 ,a rock by the way- ,a spot in the circle of white- ,a grey1 craggy spur plunging stark through the deep-splintered ice4 ,a trifle6 you say1 but a glow of warm land may suffice ,to brighten a day ,prolonged to a midsummer night4 ,after leaving ,aladdin's ,cave1 our sledge-meter had worked quite satisfactorily4 ,just before noon1 the casting attaching the recording-dial to the forks broke--the first of a series of break-downs4 ,correll bound it up with copper wire and splints borrowed from the medical outfit4 ,the wind died away and the sail was of little use4 ,in addition to this1 we met with a slight up grade on the eastern side of the depression1 our rate diminishing accordingly4 ,at #g ,p4,m4 the tent was pitched in dead calm1 after a day's run of fifteen miles with a full load of almost eight hundred pounds--a record which remained unbroken with us till near the end of the outward journey4 ,looking back1 the nunatak and bergs were still visible4 ,both parties were under way at #h ,a4,m4 next day 7,november #ai7 on a calm and sunny morning4 ,the course by sun-compass was set due east4 ,at noon ,i took a latitude shot with the three-inch ,cary theodolite4 ,this little instrument proved very satisfactory and was easily handled in the cold4 ,in latitude #fg degrees #ae' south1 forty-six and a half miles east of the ,hut1 we were once more on level country with a high rise to the north-east and another shallow gully in front4 ,a fog which had been moving along the sea-front in an opaque wall drifted over the land and enveloped us4 ,beautiful crystals of ice in the form of rosettes and small fern-fronds were deposited on the cordage of the sail and mast4 ,one moment the mists would clear1 and the next1 we could not see more than a few hundred yards4 ,we now parted with ,stillwell1 ,hodgeman and ,close1 who turned off to a rising knoll--,mount ,hunt--visible in the north-east1 and disappeared in the fog4 ,after the halt at noon the sastrugi became much larger and softer4 ,the fog cleared at #b ,p4,m4 and the sun came out and shone very fiercely4 ,a very inquisitive skua gull--the first sign of life we had seen thus far--flew around the tent and settled on the snow near by4 ,in the calm1 the heat was excessive and great thirst attacked us all the afternoon1 which ,i attempted to assuage at every halt by holding snow in my hands and licking the drops of water off my knuckles----a cold and unsatisfactory expedient4 ,we travelled without burberrys--at that time quite a novel sensation--wearing only fleece suits and light woollen undergarments4 ,correll pulled for the greater part of the afternoon in underclothing alone4 ,at forty-nine and a half miles a new and wonderful panorama opened before us4 ,the sea lay just below1 sweeping as a narrow gulf into the great1 flat plain of debouching glacier-tongue which ebbed away north into the foggy horizon4 ,a small ice-capped island was set like a pearl in the amethyst water4 ,to the east1 the glacier seemed to fuse with the blue line of the hinterland4 ,southward1 the snowy slope rose quickly1 and the far distance was unseen4 ,we marched for three-quarters of a mile to where a steep down grade commenced4 ,here ,i made a sketch and took a round of angles to all prominent features1 and the conspicuous1 jutting1 seaward points of the glacier4 ,mc,lean and ,correll were busy making a snow cairn1 six feet high1 to serve as a back-sight for angles to be taken at a higher eminence southward4 ,we set out for the latter1 and after going one and a half miles it was late enough to camp4 ,during the day we had all got very sunburnt1 and our faces were flushed and smarting painfully4 ,after the long winter at the ,hut the skin had become more delicate than usual4 ,under a clear sky1 the wind came down during the night at forty-five miles per hour1 lashing surface drift against the walls of the tent4 ,it was not till ten o'clock that the sledge started1 breaking a heavy trail in snow which became more and more like brittle piecrust4 ,there was at first a slight descent1 and then we strained up the eminence to the south over high sastrugi running almost north and south4 ,capsizes became frequent1 and to extricate the heavy sledge from some of the deep furrows it was necessary to unload the food-bags4 ,the drift running over the ground was troublesome when we sat down for a rest1 but1 in marching1 our heads were just clear of it4 ,it was a long laborious day1 and the four miles indicated by the inexorable sledge-meter seemed a miserable result4 ,however1 near the top of the hill there was a rich reward4 ,a small nunatak slanted like a steel-blue shadow on the side of a white peak to the south-west4 ,there was great excitement1 and the sledge slid along its tracks with new life4 ,it was rock without a doubt1 and there was no one to dispute it with us4 ,while speculating wildly as to its distance1 we came unexpectedly to the summit of the hill4 ,the wind had subsided1 the sky was clear and the sun stood low in the south-west4 ,our view had widened to a noble outlook4 ,the sea1 a delicate turquoise-blue1 lay in the foreground of the low1 white1 northern ice-cliffs4 ,away to the east was the dim suggestion of land across the bed of the glacier1 about which circled the southerly highlands of the plateau1 buried at times in the haze of distance4 ,due south1 twenty miles away1 projecting from the glacier1 was another island of rock4 ,the nunatak first seen1 not many miles to the south-west1 was a snowy mountain streaked with sprouting rock1 rising solitary in an indentation of the land4 ,we honoured our ,ship by calling it ,aurora ,peak1 while our camp stood on what was thenceforth to be ,mount ,murchison4 ,it was obvious that this was the place for our first depot4 ,i had decided1 too1 to make it the first magnetic station and the point from which to visit and explore ,aurora ,peak4 ,none of us made any demur over a short halt4 ,correll had strained his back during the day from pulling too hard1 and was troubled with a bleeding nose4 ,my face was very sore from sunburn1 with one eye swollen and almost closed1 and ,mc,lean's eyes had not yet recovered from their first attack of snow-blindness4 ,november #ba was a day in camp4 ,most of the morning ,i spent trying1 with ,correll's help1 to get the declination needle to set4 ,its pivot had been destroyed in transit and ,correll had replaced it by a gramophone needle1 which was found too insensitive4 ,there was nothing to do but use the three-inch theodolite1 which1 setting to one degree1 would give a good result1 with a mean of thirty-two settings1 for a region with such variable magnetic declination4 ,a latitude shot was made at noon1 and in the afternoon ,i took a set of dip determinations4 ,these1 with a panoramic sketch from the camp1 a round of angles to conspicuous points and an observation at #e4cj ,p4,m4 for time and azimuth completed the day's work4 ,correll did the recording4 ,meanwhile1 ,mc,lean had built an eight-feet snow mound1 erected a depot flag upon it and taken several photographs4 ,the next day was devoted to an excursion to ,aurora ,peak4 ,the weather was1 to our surprise1 quite clear and calm4 ,armed with the paraphernalia for a day's tour1 we set off down the slope4 ,correll put the primus stove and the inner pot of the cooker in the ready food-bag1 ,mc,lean slung on his camera and the aneroid barometer1 while ,i took my ruck-sack with the rations1 as well as field-glasses and an ice-axe4 ,in case of crevasses1 we attached ourselves to an alpine rope in long procession4 ,according to the ,epic it was something like this3 ,we saddled up1 adventure-bent2 ,locked up the house--,i mean the tent- ,took grub enough for three young men ,with appetite to equal ten4 ,a day's outing across the vale4 ,aurora ,peak6 ,what ho6 ,all hail6 ,we waltzed a'down the silvered slope1 ,connected by an ,alpine rope2 ,madi in front with ice-axe armed1 ,for fear that we should feel alarmed4 ,glad was the hour1 and--what a lark6 ,explorers three8 ,save the mark6 ,the mystery of the nunatak was about to be solved4 ,apparently it rose from the level of the glacier1 as our descent showed its eastern flank more clearly outlined4 ,it was three miles to the bottom of the gully1 and the aneroid barometer registered one thousand one hundred and ninety feet4 ,the surface was soft and yielding to finnesko crampons1 which sank through in places till the snow gripped the knees4 ,ascending on the other side we crossed a small crevasse and the peak towered above us4 ,the northern side terminated in a perpendicular face of ice1 below which a deep basin had been scalloped away2 evidently kept clear by eddies of wind4 ,in it lay broken fragments of the overhanging cliff4 ,the rock was a wide1 outcropping band curving steeply to the summit on the eastern aspect4 ,after a stiff climb we hurried eagerly to the rock as if it were a mine of inexhaustible treasure4 ,the boulders were all weathered a bright red and were much pitted where ferruginous minerals were leached out4 ,the rock was a highly quartzose gneiss1 with black bands of schist running through it4 ,moss and lichens were plentiful1 and ,mc,lean collected specimens4 ,the rocky strip was eighty feet wide and three hundred feet high1 so1 making a cache of the primus1 provisions and burberrys1 we followed it up till it became so steep that it was necessary to change to the snow4 ,this was in the form of hard neve with patches of ice4 ,i went first1 cutting steps with the ice-axe1 and the others followed on the rope4 ,the last ten of more than one hundred steps were in an almost vertical face1 which gave a somewhat precarious foothold4 ,at #aa4cj ,a4,m4 we stood on the summit at an altitude of one thousand seven hundred and fifty feet1 while across the valley to the north-east rose ,mount ,murchison1 one hundred and fourteen feet higher4 ,the top of the ridge was quite a knife-edge1 with barely space for standing4 ,it ran mainly north and south1 dipping in the centre1 to curve away sharply westward to a higher eminence4 ,at the bend was an inaccessible patch of rock4 ,the surrounding view was much the same at that on ,mount ,murchison4 ,the ,union ,jack and the ,australian flag were erected on a bamboo1 and photographs taken4 ,at the same time1 low1 threatening clouds rapidly emerged from the southeast1 covering the sun and creating the snow-blind light4 ,this was rather alarming as the climb had been difficult enough under a clear sky1 and the descent was certainly much more difficult4 ,so we hastily ate some chocolate and discussed the best way down4 ,prospecting to the north1 in search of a long snow ramp which appeared to run away in that direction1 we scrambled down to the edge of a wide snowy crevasse full of blue chinks4 ,turning back1 we considered the chances of sliding down a steep scoured hollow to the west and finally decided to descend by the track we had cut4 ,mc,lean started off first down the steps and was out of sight in a few moments4 ,when the rope tightened1 ,correll followed him and then ,i came last4 ,it was very ticklish work feeling for the steps below with one's feet1 and1 as we signalled to one another in turn after moving a step1 it took more than an hour to reach a safe position on the rocks4 ,with every step ,i drove my axe into the ice1 so that if the others had fallen there would still have been a last chance4 ,there was no time to be wasted2 light snow was falling with the prospect of becoming thicker4 ,in the gully the snowfall became heavy1 limiting the view to within a few hundred yards4 ,we advanced up the hill in what seemed to be the steepest direction1 but circled half-way round it before finding out that the course was wrong4 ,aimlessly trying to place the broad flat summit ,i came across tracks in the snow1 which were then carefully followed and led to the tent4 ,the wind was rising outside and the hoosh in steaming mugs was eaten with extra relish in our snug retreat4 ,specimens were labelled to be deposed and provisions were arranged for the rest of the journey4 ,it was evident that we had superfluous clothing1 and so the weight of the kit-bags was scrupulously cut down4 ,by the time we crawled into sleeping-bags1 everything dispensable was piled alongside the depot-flag4 ,we slept the sleep of the weary and did not hear the flapping tent nor the hissing drift4 ,at #f ,a4,m4 the wind was doing forty miles per hour and the air was filled with snow4 ,it must have been a new climate1 for by noon the sun had unexpectedly broken through1 the wind was becoming gusty and the drift trailed like scud over the surface4 ,with six weeks' food we set off on a new trail after lunch4 ,the way to the eastern glacier--,mertz ,glacier--issued through the mouth of the gully1 which ran in an easterly direction between ,aurora ,peak and ,mount ,murchison4 ,on ,mount ,murchison ice-falls and crevasses began a short distance east of our first line of descent1 but yet ,i thought a slight deviation to the east of south would bring us safely into the valley1 and1 at the same time1 cut off a mile4 ,alas6 it proved to be one of those best-laid schemes4 ,the load commenced to glide so quickly as we were leaving the crest of the mountain that ,correll and ,mc,lean unhitched from the hauling line and attached themselves by the alpine rope to the rear of the sledge1 braking its progress4 ,i remained harnessed in front keeping the direction4 ,for two miles we were going downhill at a running pace and then the slope became suddenly steeper and the sledge overtook me4 ,i had expected crevasses1 in view of which ,i did not like all the loose rope behind me4 ,looking round1 ,i shouted to the others to hold back the sledge1 proceeding a few steps while doing so4 ,the bow of the sledge was almost at my feet1 when--whizz6 ,i was dropping down through space4 ,the length of the hauling rope was twenty-four feet1 and ,i was at the end of it4 ,i cannot say that my past life flashed before me4 ,i just had time to think ,now for the jerk--will my harness hold8 when there was a wrench1 and ,i was hanging breathless over the blue depth4 ,then the most anxious moment came--,i continued to descend4 ,a glance showed me that the crevasse was only four feet wide1 so the sledge could not follow me1 and ,i knew with a thankful heart that ,i was safe4 ,i only descended about two feet more1 and then stopped4 ,i knew my companions had pulled up the sledge and would be anchoring it with the ice-axe4 ,i had a few moments in which to take in my surroundings4 ,opposite to me was a vertical wall of ice1 and below a beautiful blue1 darkening to black in that unseen chasm4 ,on either hand the rift of the crevasse extended1 and above was the small hole in the snow bridge through which ,i had shot4 ,soon ,i heard ,mc,lean calling1 ,are you all right8 ,and ,i answered in what he and ,correll thought an alarmingly distant voice4 ,they started enlarging the hole to pull me out1 until lumps of snow began to fall and ,i had to yell for mercy4 ,then ,i felt they were hauling1 and slowly ,i rose to daylight4 ,the crevasse ran westward along the gully1 forcing us to make a detour through a maze of smaller cracks4 ,we had to retreat up the hill in one place1 throwing off half the load and carrying it on in relays4 ,there was a blistering sun and the work was hard4 ,at last the sledge came to a clear run and tobogganed into the snow-filled valley1 turning eastward towards its outlet4 ,at the evening camp the sledge-meter indicated that our distance eastward of the ,hut was sixty miles1 one thousand two hundred yards4 ,the northern face of the gully was very broken and great sentinel pillars of ice stood out among the yawning caves1 some of them leaning like the tower of ,pisa1 others having fallen and rolled in shattered blocks4 ,filling the vision to the south-west was ,aurora ,peak1 in crisp silhouette against a glorious radiant of cirrus cloud4 ,reviewing the day through our peaceful smoke-rings1 ,i was rather comforted by the fact that the fall into the crevasse had thoroughly tested my harness4 ,correll expressed himself as perfectly satisfied with his test4 ,mc,lean seemed to feel somewhat out of it1 being the only one without a crevasse experience2 which happy state he maintained until the end1 apparently somewhat to his disappointment4 ,on the #bdth we broke camp at #i ,a4,m41 continuing down the gully towards the glacier4 ,a lofty wall of rocks1 set within a frame of ice1 was observed on our left1 one mile away4 ,to it we diverged and found it to be gneiss similar to that of ,aurora ,peak4 ,several photos were taken4 ,the land was at our back and the margin of the glacier had been crossed4 ,only too soon we were in the midst of terribly crevassed ground1 through which one could only thread a slow and zig-zag course4 ,the blue ice was riven in every direction by gaping quarries and rose smooth and slippery on the ridges which broke the surface into long waves4 ,shod with crampons1 the rear of the sledge secured by a tail-rope1 we had a trying afternoon guiding the load along the narrow ridges of ice with precipices on either hand4 ,fortunately the wind was not above twenty miles per hour4 ,as the frivolous ,epic had it3 ,odds fish6 the solid sea is sorely rent1 ,and all around we're pent ,with quarries1 chasms1 pits1 depressions vast1 ,their snow-lids overcast4 ,a devious track1 all curved and serpentine ,round snow-lids superfine4 ,on jutting brinks and precipices sheer ,precariously we steer4 ,we pushed on to find a place in which to camp1 as there was scarcely safe standing-room for a primus stove4 ,at seventy miles the broken ice gave way to a level expanse of hard sastrugi dotted all over with small mounds of ice about four feet high4 ,after hoosh1 a friendly little ,wilson petrel came flying from the northern sea to our tent4 ,we considered it to be a good omen4 ,next day the icy mounds disappeared1 to be replaced by a fine1 flat surface1 and the day's march amounted to eleven and a quarter miles4 ,at #aa ,a4,m4 four snow petrels visited us1 circling round in great curiosity4 ,it is a cheerful thing to see these birds amid the lone1 inhospitable ice4 ,we were taking in the surroundings from our position off the land scanning the far coast to the south for rock and turning round to admire the bold contours of ,aurora ,peak and ,mount ,murchison at our back4 ,occasionally there were areas of rubbly snow1 blue ice and crevasses completely filled with snow1 of prodigious dimensions1 two hundred to three hundred yards wide and running as far as the eye could travel4 ,the snow filling them was perfectly firm1 but1 almost always along the windward edge1 probing with an ice-axe would disclose a fissure4 ,this part of the ,mertz ,glacier was apparently afloat4 ,the lucky ,wilson petrel came again in the evening4 ,at this stage the daily temperatures ranged between #aj degrees ,f4 and near freezing-point4 ,the greater part of ,november #bf was passed in the tent1 within another zone of crevasses4 ,the overcast sky made the light so bad that it became dangerous to go ahead4 ,at #e4cj ,p4,m4 we started1 and managed to do five and a half miles before #h ,p4,m4 ,it was rather an eventful day1 when across the undulating sastrugi there appeared a series of shallow valleys running eastward4 ,as the valleys approached closer1 the ground sloped down to meet them1 their sides becoming steeper1 buckled and broken4 ,proceeding ahead on an easterly course1 our march came to an abrupt termination on an ice-bluff4 ,in front lay a perfectly flat snow-covered plain--the sea-ice4 ,in point of fact we had arrived at the eastern side of the ,mertz ,glacier and were about fifteen miles north of the mainland4 ,old sea-ice1 deeply covered in snow1 lay ahead for miles1 and the hazy1 blue coast sank below the horizon in the south-east1 running for a time parallel to the course we were about to take4 ,it was some time before we realized all this1 but at noon on the following day there came the first reminder of the proximity of sea-water4 ,an ,adelie penguin1 skiing on its breast from the north1 surprised us suddenly by a loud croak at the rear of the sledge4 ,as astonished as we were1 it stopped and stared1 and then in sudden terror made off4 ,but before starting on its long trek to the land1 it had to be captured and photographed4 ,to the south the coast was marked by two faces of rock and a short1 dark spur protruding from beneath the ice-cap4 ,as our friendly penguin had made off in that direction1 we elected to call the place ,penguin ,point1 intending to touch there on the return journey4 ,during the afternoon magnetic dips and a round of angles to the prominences of the mainland were taken4 ,the next evidence on the sea-ice question came in the shape of a line of broken slabs of ice to the north1 sticking out of the snow like the ruins of an ancient graveyard4 ,at one hundred and fifteen miles the line was so close that we left the sledge to investigate it1 finding a depression ten feet deep1 through which wound a glistening riband of sea-water4 ,it reminded one of a creek in flat1 ,australian country1 and the illusion was sustained by a dark skua gull--in its slow flight much like a crow4 ,it was a fissure in old thick sea-ice4 ,sunday1 and the first day of ,december1 brought good weather and a clear view of the mainland4 ,a bay opened to the east of ,penguin ,point1 from which the coast trended to the south-east4 ,across a crack in the sea-ice we could just distinguish a low indented line like the glacier-tongue1 we had already crossed4 ,it might have been a long promontory of land for all we knew4 ,behind it was a continuous ice-blink and on our left1 to the north1 a deep blue water sky4 ,it seemed worth while continuing on an easterly course approximately parallel with the coast4 ,we were faced by another glacier-tongue2 a fact which remained unproven for a week at least4 ,from the sea-ice on to the glacier--the ,ninnis ,glacier--there was a gentle rise to a prominent knoll of one hundred and seventy feet4 ,here our distance from the ,hut amounted to one hundred and fifty-two miles1 and the spot was reckoned a good situation for the last depot4 ,in taking magnetic observations1 it was interesting to find that the dip amounted to #hg degrees #dd'1 while the declination1 which had varied towards the west1 swung at this our most northerly station a few degrees to the east4 ,we were curving round the ,south ,magnetic ,pole4 ,many points on the coast were fixed from an adjoining hill to which ,correll and ,i trudged through sandy snow1 while ,mc,lean stayed behind erecting the depot-mound1 placing a food-bag1 kerosene tin1 black cloth and miner's pick on the top4 ,with four weeks' provisions we made a new start to cross the ,ninnis ,glacier on ,december #c1 changing course to ,e4 #cj degrees ,n41 in great wonderment as to what lay ahead4 ,in this new land interest never flagged4 ,one never could foresee what the morrow would bring forth4 ,across rolling downs of soft1 billowy snow we floundered for twenty-four miles1 on the two following days4 ,not a wind-ripple could be seen4 ,we were evidently in a region of comparative calms1 which was a remarkable thing1 considering that the windiest spot in the world was less than two hundred miles away4 ,after several sunny days ,mc,lean and ,i had very badly cracked lips4 ,it had been often remarked at the ,hut that the standard of humour greatly depreciated during the winter and this caused ,mc,lean and me many a physical pang while sledging1 as we would laugh at the least provocation and open all the cracks in our lips4 ,eating hard plasmon biscuits was a painful pleasure4 ,correll1 who was immune from this affliction1 tanned to the rich hue of the nut-brown maiden4 ,on ,december #e1 at the top of a rise1 we were suddenly confronted with a new vision--,thalassa6 was our cry1 the sea6 but a very different sea from that which brought such joy to the hearts of the wandering ,greeks4 ,unfolded to the horizon was a plain of pack-ice1 thickly studded with bergs and intersected by black leads of open water4 ,in the north-east was a patch of open sea and above it1 round to the north1 lowering banks of steel-blue cloud4 ,we had come to the eastern side of ,ninnis ,glacier4 ,at this point any analogy which could possibly have been found with ,wilkes's coastline ceased4 ,it seems probable that he charted as land the limits of the pack-ice in #ahdj4 ,the excitement of exploring this new realm was to be deferred4 ,even as we raised the tent1 the wind commenced to whistle and the air became surcharged with snow4 ,three skua gulls squatted a few yards away1 squawking at our approach1 and a few snow petrels sailed by in the gathering blizzard4 ,through the #fth1 #gth and #hth and most of the #ith it raged1 during which time we came definitely to the conclusion that as social entertainers we were complete failures4 ,we exhausted all the reserve topics of conversation1 discussed our ,universities1 sports1 friends and homes4 ,we each described the scenery we liked best2 notable always for the sunny weather and perfect calm4 ,mc,lean sailed again in ,sydney ,harbour1 ,correll cycled and ran his races1 ,i wandered in the ,south ,australian hills or rowed in the eights1 while the snow swished round the tent and the wind roared over the wastes of ice4 ,avoiding a few crevasses on the drop to sea-level on ,december #aj1 the sledge was manoeuvred over a tide-crack between glacier and sea-ice4 ,the latter was traversed by frequent pressure-ridges2 hummocks and broken pinnacles being numerous4 ,the next six days out on the broken sea-ice were full of incident4 ,the weather was gloriously sunny till the #acth1 during which time the sledge had to be dragged through a forest of pinnacles and over areas of soft1 sticky slush which made the runners execrable for hours4 ,ponds of open water1 by which basked a few ,weddell seals1 became a familiar sight4 ,we tried to maintain a south-easterly course for the coast1 but miles were wasted in the tortuous maze of ice--a wildering ,theban ruin of hummock and serrac4 ,the sledge-meter broke down and gave the ingenious ,correll a proposition which he ably solved4 ,mc,lean and ,i had a chronic weakness of the eyes from the continual glare4 ,looking at the other two fellows with their long protruding goggles made me think of ,banquo's ghost3 ,thou hast no speculation in those eyes that thou dost glare with4 ,i had noticed that some of the tide-cracks had opened widely and1 when a blizzard blew on ,december #ac1 the thought was a skeleton in my brain cupboard4 ,on the #aeth an ,emperor penguin was seen sunning himself by a pool of water1 so we decided to kill the bird and carry some meat in case of emergency4 ,mc,lean found the stomach full of fish and myriads of cestodes in the intestines4 ,by dint of hard toil over cracks1 ridges and jagged1 broken blocks1 we came1 by diverging to the south-west1 to the junction between shifting pack and fast bay-ice1 and even there1 we afterwards shuddered to find1 it was at least forty-five miles1 as the penguin skis1 to the land4 ,it was a fine flat surface on which the sledge ran1 and the miles commenced to fly by1 comparatively speaking4 ,except for an occasional deep rift1 whose bottom plumbed to the sea-water1 the going was excellent4 ,each day the broken ice on our left receded1 the mainland to the south grew closer and traces of rock became discernible on the low1 fractured cliffs4 ,on ,december #ag a huge rocky bluff--,horn ,bluff--stood out from the shore4 ,it had a ram-shaped bow like a ,dreadnought battleship and1 adjoining it1 there were smaller outcrops of rock on the seaward ice-cliffs4 ,on its eastern side was a wide bay with a well-defined cape--,cape ,freshfield--at the eastern extremity about thirty miles away4 ,the ,bluff was a place worth exploring4 ,at a distance of more than fifteen miles1 the spot suggested all kinds of possibilities1 and in council we argued that it was useless to go much farther east1 as to touch at the land would mean a detour on the homeward track and time would have to be allowed for that4 ,at a point two hundred and seventy miles from the ,hut1 in latitude #fh degrees #ah' ,s41 longitude #aej degrees #ab' ,e41 we erected our farthest east camp on ,december #ah1 after a day's tramp of eighteen miles4 ,here1 magnetic dips and other observations were made throughout the morning of the #aith4 ,it was densely overcast1 with sago snow falling1 but by #c ,p4,m4 of the same day the clouds had magically cleared and the first stage of the homeward journey had commenced4 ,,chapter ,,xvi ,,horn ,,bluff ,,and ,,penguin ,,point by ,c4 ,t4 ,,madigan ,what thrill of grandeur ours ,when first we viewed the column'd fell6 ,what idle1 lilting verse can tell ,of giant fluted towers1 ,o'er-canopied with immemorial snow ,and riven by a glacier's azure flow8 ,as we neared ,horn ,bluff1 on the first stage of our homeward march1 the upper layers of snow were observed to disappear1 and the underlying ice became thinner2 in corrugated sapphire plains with blue reaches of sparkling water4 ,cracks bridged with flimsy snow continually let one through into the water4 ,mc,lean and ,i both soaked our feet and once ,i was immersed to the thighs1 having to stop and put on dry socks and finnesko4 ,it was a chilly process allowing the trousers to dry on me4 ,the mountain1 pushing out as a great promontory from the coast amid the fast sea-ice1 towered up higher as our sledge approached its foot4 ,a great shadow was cast on the ice1 and1 when more than a mile away1 we left the warm sunshine4 ,awed and amazed1 we beheld the lone vastness of it all and were mute4 ,rising out of the flat wilderness over which we had travelled was a mammoth vertical barrier of rock rearing its head to the skies above4 ,the whole face for five miles was one magnificent series of organ-pipes4 ,the deep shade was heightened by the icy glare beyond it4 ,here was indeed a ,cathedral of ,nature1 where the still1 small voice spoke amid an ineffable calm4 ,far up the face of the cliff snow petrels fluttered like white butterflies4 ,it was stirring to think that these majestic heights had gazed out across the wastes of snow and ice for countless ages1 and never before had the voices of human beings echoed in the great stillness nor human eyes surveyed the wondrous scene4 ,from the base of the organ-pipes sloped a mass of debris2 broken blocks of rock of every size tumbling steeply to the splintered hummocks of the sea-ice4 ,standing out from the top of this talus-slope were several white beacons1 up to which we scrambled when the tent was pitched4 ,this was a tedious task as the stones were ready to slide down at the least touch1 and often we were carried down several yards by a general movement4 ,wearing soft finnesko1 we ran the risk of getting a crushed foot among the large boulders4 ,amongst the rubble were beds of clay1 and streams of thaw-water trickled down to the surface of a frozen lake4 ,after rising two hundred feet1 we stood beneath the beacons which loomed above to a height of one hundred and twenty-eight feet4 ,the organ-pipes were basaltic9999 in character but1 to my great joy1 ,i found the beacons were of sedimentary rock4 ,after a casual examination1 the details were left till the morrow4 9999 ,to be exact the igneous rook was a very thick sill of dolerite1 ,that night we had a small celebration on raisins1 chocolate and apple-rings1 besides the ordinary fare of hoosh1 biscuit and cocoa4 ,several times we were awakened by the crash of falling stones4 ,snow petrels had been seen coming home to their nests in the beacons1 which were weathered out into small caves and crannies4 ,from the camp we could hear their harsh cries4 ,the scene in the morning sun was a brilliant one4 ,the great columnar rampart ran almost north and south and the tent was on its eastern side4 ,so what was in dark shadow on the day before was now radiantly illumined4 ,correll remained behind on the sea-ice with a theodolite to take heights of the various strata4 ,mc,lean and ,i1 armed with aneroid1 glasses1 ruck-sack1 geological hammer 7ice-axe7 and camera1 set out for the foot of the talus-slope4 ,the beacons were found to be part of a horizontal1 stratified series of sandstones underlying the igneous rock4 ,there were bands of coarse gravel and fine examples of stream-bedding interspersed with seams of carbonaceous shale and poor coal4 ,among the debris were several pieces of sandstone marked by black1 fossilized plant-remains4 ,the summits of the beacons were platforms of very hard rock1 baked by the volcanic overflow4 ,the columns1 roughly hexagonal and weathered to a dull-red1 stood above in sheer perpendicular lines of six hundred and sixty feet in altitude4 ,after taking a dozen photographs of geological and general interest and stuffing the sack and our pockets with specimens1 we picked a track down the shelving talus to a lake of fresh water which was covered with a superficial crust of ice beneath which the water ran4 ,the surface was easily broken and we fetched the aluminium cover of the cooker1 filling it with three gallons of water1 thus saving kerosene for almost a day4 ,after ,mc,lean had collected samples of soil1 lichens1 algae and moss1 and all the treasures had been labelled1 we lunched and harnessed-up once more for the homeward trail4 ,for four miles we ran parallel to the one-thousand-foot wall of ,horn ,bluff meeting several boulders stranded on the ice1 as well as the fragile shell of a tiny sea-urchin4 ,the promontory was domed with snow and ice1 more than one thousand two hundred feet above sea-level4 ,from it streamed a blue glacier overflowing through a rift in the face4 ,five miles on our way1 the sledge passed from frictionless ice to rippled snow and with a march of seven miles1 following lunch1 we pitched camp4 ,every one was tired that night1 and our prayer to the ,sleep ,merchant in the book of ,australian verse was for3 ,twenty gallons of balmy sleep1 ,dreamless1 and deep1 and mild1 ,of the excellent brand you used to keep ,when ,i was a little child4 ,for three days1 ,december #bb1 #bc and #bd1 the wind soughed at thirty miles per hour and the sky was a compact nimbus1 unveiling the sun at rare moments4 ,through a mist of snow we steered on a north-west course towards the one-hundred-and-fifty-two mile depot4 ,the wind was from the south-east true1 and this information1 with hints from the sun-compass1 gave us the direction4 ,with the sail set1 on a flat surface1 among ghostly bergs and over narrow leads we ran for forty-seven miles with scarce a clear view of what lay around4 ,the bergs had long ramps of snow leading close up to their summits on the windward side and in many cases the intervals between these ramps and the bergs were occupied by deep moats4 ,one day we were making four knots an hour under all canvas through thick drift4 ,suddenly1 after a gradual ascent1 ,i was on the edge of a moat1 thirty feet deep4 ,i shouted to the others and1 just in time1 the sledge was slewed round on the very brink4 ,we pushed on blindly3 ,the toil of it none may share2 ,by yourself must the way be won ,through fervid or frozen air ,till the overland journey's done4 ,christmas ,day6 ,the day that ever reminds one of the sweet story of old1 the lessons of childhood1 the joys of ,santa ,claus--the day on which the thoughts of the wildest wanderer turn to home and peace and love4 ,all the world was cheerful2 the sun was bright1 the air was calm4 ,it was the hometrail1 provisions were in plenty1 the sledge was light and our hearts lighter4 ,the eastern edge of ,ninnis ,glacier was near1 and1 leaving the sea-ice1 we were soon straining up the first slope1 backed by a line of ridges trending north-east and south-west1 with shallow valleys intervening4 ,on the wind-swept crests there were a few crevasses well packed with snow4 ,it was a day's work of twelve miles and we felt ready for ,christmas dinner4 ,mc,lean was cook and had put some apple-rings to soak in the cooker after the boil-up at lunch4 ,beyond this and the fact that he took some penguin-meat into the tent1 he kept his plans in the deepest mystery4 ,correll and ,i were kept outside making things snug and taking the meteorological observations1 until the word came to enter4 ,when at last we scrambled in1 a delicious smell diffused through the tent1 and there was a sound of frying inside the cooker-pot4 ,we were presented with a menu which read3 ,peace on earth1 good will to men4 ,xmas #aiab ,,king ,,george ,v4 ,,land #bjj miles east of ,winter ,quarters4 ,,menu ,,du ,,diner ,hors d'oeuvre ,biscuit de plasmon ,ration du lard glace ,entree ,monsieur l',empereur ,pingouin fricasse ,piece de ,resistance ,pemmican naturel a l',antarctique ,dessert ,hotch-potch de pommes et de raisins ,chocolat au sucre glaxone ,liqueur bien ancienne de l',ecosse ,cigarettes ,tabac ,the hors d'oeuvre of bacon ration was a welcome surprise4 ,mc,lean had carried the tin unknown to us up till this moment4 ,the penguin1 fried in lumps of fat taken from the pemmican1 and a little butter1 was delicious4 ,in the same pot the hoosh was boiled and for once we noted an added piquancy4 ,next followed the plum-pudding--dense mixture of powdered biscuit1 glaxo1 sugar1 raisins and apple-rings1 surpassing the finest1 flaming1 holly-decked1 ,christmas creation4 ,then came the toasts4 ,mc,lean produced the whisky from the medical kit and served it out1 much diluted1 in three mugs4 ,there was not three ounces in all1 but it flavoured the water4 ,i was asked to call ,the ,king4 ,mc,lean proposed ,the ,other ,sledgers in a noble speech1 wishing them every success2 and then there were a few drops left to drink to ,ourselves1 whom ,correll eulogized to our complete satisfaction4 ,we then drew on the meagre supply of cigarettes and lay on our bags1 feeling as comfortable as the daintiest epicure after a twelve-course dinner1 drinking his coffee and smoking his cigar4 ,we talked till twelve o'clock1 and then went outside to look at the midnight sun1 shining brightly just above the southern horizon4 ,turning in1 we were once more at home in our dreams4 ,by a latitude shot at noon on ,boxing ,day1 ,i found that our position was not as far north as expected4 ,the following wind had been probably slightly east of south-east and too much westing had been made4 ,from a tangle of broken ridges whose surface was often granular1 half-consolidated ice1 the end of the day opened up a lilac plain of sea-ice ahead4 ,we were once more on the western side of ,ninnis ,glacier and the familiar coast of ,penguin ,point1 partly hidden by an iceberg1 sprang into view4 ,the depot hill to the north-west could be recognized1 twenty miles away1 across a wide bay4 ,by hooch-time we had found a secure path to the sea-ice1 one hundred and eighty feet below4 ,the wind sprang up opportunely on the morning of the #bgth1 and the sun was serene in a blue sky4 ,up went the sail and with a feather-weight load we strode off for the depot eighteen miles distant4 ,three wide rifts in the sea-ice exercised our ingenuity during the day's march1 but by the time the sun was in the south-west the sledge was sawing through the sandy snow of the depot hill4 ,it was unfortunate that the food of this depot had been cached so far out of our westerly course1 as the time expended in recovering it might have been profitably given to a survey of the mainland east of ,penguin ,point4 ,at #f4bj ,p4,m41 after eighteen and a quarter miles1 the food-bag was sighted on the mound1 and that night the dinner at our one-hundred-and-fifty-two-mile depot was marked by some special innovations4 ,penguin ,point1 thirty miles away1 bore ,w4 #ae degrees ,s41 and next day we made a bid for it by a march of sixteen miles4 ,there was eleven days' ration on the sledge to take us to ,mount ,murchison1 ninety miles away2 consequently the circuitous route to the land was held to be a safe proposition4 ,many rock faces became visible1 and ,i was able to fix numerous prominent points with the theodolite4 ,at three miles off the coast1 the surface became broken by ridges1 small bergs and high1 narrow cupolas of ice surrounded by deep moats4 ,one of these was very striking4 ,it rose out of a wind-raked hollow to a height of fifty feet2 just the shape of an ancient ,athenian helmet4 ,mc,lean took a photograph4 ,as at ,horn ,bluff1 the ice became thinner and freer of snow as we drew near the ,point4 ,the rocky wall under which the tent was raised proved to be three hundred feet high1 jutting out from beneath the slopes of ice4 ,from here the coast ran almost south on one side and north-west on the other4 ,on either hand there were dark faces corniced with snow4 ,the next day was devoted to exploration4 ,adelie penguins waddled about the tide-crack over which we crossed to examine the rock1 which was of coarse-grained granite1 presenting great1 vertical faces4 ,hundreds of snow petrels flew about and some stray skua gulls were seen4 ,near the camp1 on thick ice1 were several large blocks of granite which had floated out from the shore and lay each in its pool of thaw-water1 covered with serpulae and lace coral4 ,correll1 our ,izaak ,walton1 had brought a fishing-line and some penguin-meat4 ,he stopped near the camp fishing while ,mc,lean and ,i continued down the coast1 examining the outcrops4 ,the type of granite remained unchanged in the numerous exposures4 ,i had noticed a continuous rustling sound for some time and found at length that it was caused by little streams of ice-crystals running down the steep slopes in cascades1 finally pouring out in piles on the sea-ice4 ,the partial thaw in the sunlight causes the semi-solid ice to break up into separate grains4 ,sometimes whole areas of the surface1 in delicate equilibrium1 would suddenly flow rapidly away4 ,for three miles we walked1 and as the next four miles of visible coast presented no extensive outcrops1 we turned back for lunch4 ,during the afternoon1 on the summit of the ,point1 it was found that an uneven rocky area1 about a quarter of a mile wide1 ran backwards to the ice-falls of the plateau4 ,the surface was very broken and weathered1 covered in patches by abundant lichens and mosses4 ,fossicking round in the gravel1 ,correll happened on some tiny insect-like mites living amongst the moss or on the moist under side of slabs of stone4 ,this set us all insect-hunting4 ,alcohol was brought in a small bottle from the tent1 and into this they were swept in myriads with a camel's-hair brush4 ,from the vantage-point of a high rock in the neighbourhood the long tongue of ,mertz ,glacier could be seen running away to the north4 ,at #h4cj ,a4,m41 on ,new ,year's ,eve1 we set off for another line of rocks about four miles away to the west4 ,there were two masses forming an angle in the ice-front and consisting of two main ridges rising to a height of two hundred and fifty feet1 running back into the ice-cap for a mile1 and divided by a small glacier4 ,this region was soon found to be a perfect menagerie of life4 ,seals lay about dozing peacefully by the narrow lanes of water4 ,adelie penguins strutted in procession up and down the little glacier4 ,to reach his rookery1 a penguin would leap four feet on to a ledge of the ice-foot1 painfully pad up the glassy slope and then awkwardly scale the rocks until he came to a level of one hundred and fifty feet4 ,here he took over the care of a chick or an egg1 while the other bird went to fish4 ,skua gulls flew about1 continually molesting the rookeries4 ,one area of the rocks was covered by a luxuriant growth of green moss covering guano and littered skeletons--the site of a deserted rookery4 ,correll and ,i went up to where the ridges converged1 selecting numerous specimens of rock and mineral and finding thousands of small red mites in the moist gravel4 ,down on the southern ridge we happened on a ,wilson petrel with feathered nestlings4 ,at this point ,mc,lean came along from the west with the news of silver-grey petrels and ,cape pigeons nesting in hundreds4 ,he had secured two of each species and several eggs4 ,this was indeed a discovery1 as the eggs of the former birds had never before been found4 ,quite close to us were many snow petrels in all kinds of unexpected crevices4 ,the light was too dull for photographing1 but1 while ,i took magnetic dips on the following morning1 ,mc,lean visited the silver-grey petrels and ,cape pigeons and secured a few snaps4 ,the last thing we did before leaving the mainland was to kill two penguins and cut off their breasts and this meat was1 later1 to serve us in good stead4 ,crossing the ,mertz ,glacier at any time would have been an unpleasant undertaking1 but to go straight to ,mount ,murchison 7the site of our first depot on the outward journey7 from ,penguin ,point meant spanning it in a long oblique line4 ,it was preferable to travel quickly and safely over the sea-ice on a north-westerly course1 which1 plotted on the chart1 intersected our old one-hundred-mile camp on the eastern margin of the glacier2 then to cross by the route we already knew4 ,by ,january #b we had thrown ,penguin ,point five miles behind1 and a spell of unsettled weather commenced2 in front lay a stretch of fourteen miles over a good surface4 ,the wind was behind us1 blowing between thirty and forty miles per hour1 and from an overcast sky light snow was falling4 ,fortunately there were fleeting glimpses of the sun1 by which the course could be adjusted4 ,towards evening the snow had thickened1 but thanks to the splendid assistance afforded by a sail1 the white jutting spurs of the edge of ,mertz ,glacier were dimly visible4 ,a blizzard took possession of the next day till #g ,p4,m41 when we all sallied out and found the identical gully in which was the one-hundred-mile camp of the outward journey4 ,the light was still bad and the sky overcast1 so the start was postponed till next morning4 ,there was food for five days on a slightly reduced ration and the depot on ,mount ,murchison was forty miles away4 ,once we had left the sea-ice and stood on the glacier1 ,aurora ,peak with its black crest showed through the glasses4 ,once there1 the crevasses we most dreaded would be over and the depot easily found4 ,a good fourteen and a quarter miles slipped by on ,january #d--;a fine day4 ,on ,january #e the plot began to thicken4 ,the clouds hung above like a blanket1 sprinkling light snow4 ,the light was atrocious1 and a few open rents gave warning of the western zone of pitfalls4 ,all the while there was a shifting spectral chaos of whiteness which seemed to benumb the faculties and destroy one's sense of reality4 ,we decided to wait for a change in the weather4 ,during the night the snow ceased1 and by lunch time on the #fth the sledge-meter recorded ten miles4 ,the strange thing was that the firm sastrugi present on the outward journey were now covered inches in snow1 which became deeper as we marched westward4 ,it was now a frequent occurrence for one of us to pitch forward with his feet down a hidden crevasse1 sometimes going through to the waist4 ,the travelling was most nerve-racking4 ,when a foot went through the crust of snow1 it was impossible to tell on which side of the crevasse one happened to be1 or in what direction it ran4 ,the only thing to do was to go ahead and trust in ,providence4 ,at last we landed the sledge on a narrow ridge of hard snow1 surrounded by blue1 gaping pits in a pallid eternity of white4 ,it was only when the tent was pitched that a wide quarry was noticed a few yards away from the door4 ,it was now fourteen miles to the top of ,mount ,murchison and we had only two more days' rations and one and a half pounds of penguin-meat4 ,on ,january #gth the light was worse than ever and snow fell4 ,it was only six miles across the broken country between us and the gully between ,mt4 ,murchison and ,aurora ,peak1 where one could travel with some surety4 ,a sharp look-out was kept1 and towards #aa ,p4,m4 a rim of clear sky overtopped the southern horizon4 ,we knew the sun would curve round into it at midnight1 so all was made ready for marching4 ,when the sun's disc emerged into the rift there was light2 but dim1 cold and fleeting4 ,the smallest irregularity on the surface threw a shadow hundreds of yards long4 ,the plain around was a bluish-grey checquer-board of light and shade2 ahead1 sharp and clear against the leaden sky1 stood beautiful ,aurora ,peak1 swathed in lustrous gold--the chariot of the goddess herself4 ,the awful splendour of the scene tended to depress one and make the task more trying4 ,i have never felt more nervous than ,i did in that ghostly light in the tense silence1 surrounded by the hidden horror of fathomless depths4 ,all was covered with a uniform layer of snow1 growing deeper and heavier at every step4 ,i was ahead and went through eight times in about four miles4 ,the danger lay in getting the sledge and one1 two1 or all of us on a weak snow-bridge at the same time4 ,as long as the sledge did not go down we were comparatively safe4 ,at #a4cj ,a4,m4 the sun was obscured and the light waned to dead white4 ,still we went on1 as the entrance of the gully between ,aurora ,peak and ,mount ,murchison was near at hand and we had a mind to get over the danger-zone before a snowstorm commenced4 ,by #e4cj ,a4,m4 we breathed freely on terra firma1 even though one sunk through a foot of snow to feel it4 ,it had taken six hours to do the last five and three-quarter miles1 and1 being tired out with the strain on muscles and nerves1 we raised the tent1 had a meal1 and then slept till noon on the #hth4 ,it was eight miles to the depot1 five miles up the gully and three miles to the summit of ,mount ,murchison2 and no one doubted for a moment that it could not be done in a single day's march4 ,advancing up the gully after lunch1 we found that the surface became softer1 and we were soon sinking to the knees at every step4 ,the runners1 too1 sank till the decking rested on the snow1 and it was as much as we could do to shift the sledge1 with a series of jerks at every step4 ,at #f ,p4,m4 matters became desperate4 ,we resolved to make a depot of everything unnecessary1 and to relay it up the mountain afterwards4 ,the sledge-meter1 clogged with snow and almost submerged1 was taken off and stood up on end to mark a depot1 whilst a pile was made of the dip-circle1 theodolite and tripod1 pick1 alpine rope1 ice-axe1 all the mineral and biological specimens and excess clothing4 ,even thus lightened1 we could scarcely move the sledge1 struggling on1 sinking to the thighs in the flocculent deluge4 ,snow now began to fall so thickly that it was impossible to see ahead4 ,at #g ,p4,m4 we finished up the last scraps of pemmican and cocoa4 ,biscuit1 sugar and glaxo had given out at the noon meal4 ,there still remained one and a half pounds of penguin meat1 several infusions of tea and plenty of kerosene for the primus4 ,we staggered on till #aj4cj ,p4,m41 when the weather became so dense that the sides of the gully were invisible4 ,tired out1 we camped and had some tea4 ,in eight hours we had only made four and a half miles1 and there was still the worst part to come4 ,in our exhausted state we slept till #aa ,p4,m4 of ,january #i1 awaking to find the sky densely overcast and a light fog in the air4 ,during a rift which opened for a few minutes there was a short glimpse of the rock on ,aurora ,peak4 ,shredding half the penguin-meat1 we boiled it up and found the stew and broth excellent4 ,at #a4cj ,a4,m4 we started to struggle up the gully once more1 wading along in a most helpless fashion1 with breathing spells every ten yards or less4 ,snow began to fall in such volume that at last it was impossible to keep our direction with any certainty4 ,the only thing to do was to throw up the tent as a shelter and wait4 ,this we did till #d4cj ,a4,m42 but there must have been a cloud-burst1 for the heavy flakes toppled on to the tent like tropical rain4 ,we got into sleeping-bags1 and tried to be patient and to forget that we were hungry4 ,apparently1 during our seven weeks' absence1 the local precipitation had been almost continual1 and snow now lay over this region in stupendous amount4 ,even when one sank three feet1 it was not on to the firm sastrugi over which we had travelled out of the valley on the outward journey1 for these lay still deeper4 ,it was hoped that the snowdump did not continue over the fifty miles to the ,hut1 but we argued that on the windy plateau this could scarcely be possible4 ,it was evident that without any more food1 through this bottomless1 yielding snow1 we could never haul the sledge up to the depot1 a rise of one thousand two hundred feet in three miles4 ,one of us must go up and bring food back1 and ,i decided to do so as soon as the weather cleared4 ,we found the wait for clearer weather long and trying with empty stomachs4 ,as the tobacco-supply still held out1 ,mc,lean and ,i found great solace in our pipes4 ,all through the rest of the day and till #e ,p4,m4 of the next1 ,january #aj1 there was not a rift in the opaque wall of flakes4 ,then to our intense relief the snow stopped1 the clouds rolled to the north1 and1 in swift transformation--a cloudless sky with bright sunshine6 ,with the rest of the penguin-meat--a bare half-pound--we had another thin broth4 ,somewhat fortified1 ,i took the food-bag and shovel1 and left the tent at #e4cj ,a4,m4 ,often sinking to the thighs1 ,i felt faint at the first exertion4 ,the tent scarcely seemed to recede as ,i toiled onwards towards the first steep slope4 ,the heavy mantle of snow had so altered the contours of the side of the gully that ,i was not sure of the direction of the top of the mountain4 ,resting every hundred yards1 ,i floundered on hour after hour1 until1 on arriving at a high point1 ,i saw a little shining mound standing up on a higher point1 a good mile to the east4 ,after seven hours' wading ,i reached it and found that it was the depot4 ,two feet of the original eight-foot mound projected above the surface1 with the bamboo pole and a wire-and-canvas flag rising another eighteen inches4 ,on this1 a high isolated mountain summit1 six feet of snow had actually accumulated4 ,how thankful ,i was that ,i had brought a shovel6 ,at seven feet ,i bottomed on the hard snow1 without result4 ,then1 running a tunnel in the most probable direction1 ,i struck with the shovel the kerosene tin which was on the top of the food-bag4 ,on opening the bag1 the first items to appear were sugar1 butter and biscuits2 the next quarter of an hour ,i shall not forget6 ,i made a swag of five days' provisions1 and1 taking a direct route1 attacked the three miles downhill in lengths of one hundred and fifty yards4 ,coming in sight of the tent1 ,i called to my companions to thaw some water for a drink4 ,so slow was progress that ,i could speak to them a quarter of an hour before reaching the tent4 ,i had been away eleven and a half hours1 covering about seven miles in all4 ,mc,lean and ,correll were getting anxious about me4 ,they said that they had felt the cold and were unable to sleep4 ,soon ,i had produced the pemmican and biscuit1 and a scalding hoosh was made4 ,the other two had had only a mug of penguin broth each in three days1 and ,i had only broken my fast a few hours before them4 ,after the meal1 ,mc,lean and ,correll started back to the cache1 two miles down the gully1 to select some of the geological and biological specimens and to fetch a few articles of clothing4 ,the instruments1 the greater part of the collection of rocks1 crampons1 sledge-meter and other odds and ends were all left behind4 ,coming back with the loads slung like swags they found that by walking in their old footsteps they made fair progress4 ,by #h ,p4,m4 all had rested1 every unnecessary fitting had been stripped off the sledge and the climb to the depot commenced4 ,i went ahead in my old trail1 ,correll also making use of it2 while ,mc,lean broke a track for himself4 ,the work was slow and heavy2 nearly six hours were spent doing those three miles4 ,it was a lovely evening2 the yellow sun drifting through orange cloudlets behind ,aurora ,peak4 ,we were in a more appreciative mood than on the last midnight march1 exulting in the knowledge of ten days' provisions at hand and fifty-three miles to go to reach the ,hut4 ,in the manner of the climate1 a few wisps of misty rack came sailing from the south-east1 the wind rose1 snow commenced to fall and a blizzard held sway for almost three days4 ,it was just as well that we had found that depot when we did4 ,the fifty-three miles to the ,hut melted away in the pleasures of anticipation4 ,the first two miles1 on the morning of ,january #ad1 gave us some strenuous work1 but they were luxurious in comparison with what we expected2 soon1 however1 the surface rapidly and permanently improved4 ,a forty-mile wind from the south-east was a distinct help1 and by the end of the day we had come in sight of the nunatak first seen after leaving the ,hut 7,madigan ,nunatak74 ,in two days forty miles lay behind4 ,down the blue ice-slopes in slippery finnesko1 and ,aladdin's ,cave hove in sight4 ,we tumbled in1 to be assailed by a wonderful odour which brought back orchards1 shops1 people--a breath of civilization4 ,in the centre of the floor was a pile of oranges surmounted by two luscious pineapples4 ,the ,ship was in6 ,there was a bundle of letters--,bage was back from the south--,wild had been landed one thousand five hundred miles to the west--,amundsen had reached the ,pole6 ,scott was remaining in the ,antarctic for another year4 ,how we shouted and read all together6 ,,chapter ,,xvii ,,with ,,stillwell',s ,,and ,,bickerton',s ,,parties ,leaving ,madigan's party on ,november #ai1 when forty-six miles from the ,hut1 ,stillwell1 ,hodgeman and ,close of the ,near-,eastern ,party diverged towards a dome-shaped mountain--,mount ,hunt4 ,a broad valley lay between their position on the falling plateau and this eminence to the north-east4 ,looking across1 one would think that the depression was slight1 but the party found by aneroid that their descent was one thousand five hundred feet into a gully filled with soft1 deep snow4 ,after skimming the polished sastrugi of the uplands1 the sledge ran heavily in the yielding drifts4 ,then a gale of wind rose behind them just as the ascent on the other side commenced1 and was a valuable aid in the pull to the summit4 ,from the highest point or cap of what proved to be a promontory1 a wide seascape dotted with bergs was unfolded to the north4 ,to the west the eastern cape of ,commonwealth ,bay was visible1 and sweeping away to the north-east was the ,mertz ,glacier with sheer1 jutting headlands succeeding one another into the distance4 ,true bearings to these points were obtained from the camp1 and1 subsequently1 with the help of an observation secured on the ',aurora' during the previous year1 the trend of the glacier-tongue was determined4 ,hodgeman made a series of illustrative sketches4 ,on ,november #ba the party commenced the return journey1 moving directly towards ,madigan ,nunatak to the south-west4 ,this nunatak had been sighted for the first time on the outward march1 and there was much speculation as to what the rock would prove to be4 ,a gradual descent for seven miles brought them on to a plain1 almost at sea-level1 continuous with the valley they had crossed on the #aith further to the east4 ,on the far side of the plain a climb was commenced over some ice-spurs1 and then a broad field of crevasses was encountered1 some of which attained a width of fifty yards4 ,delayed by these and by unfavourable weather1 they did not reach ,madigan ,nunatak until the evening of ,november #bj4 ,the outcrop--a jagged crest of rock--was found to be one hundred and sixty yards long and thirty yards wide1 placed at an altitude of two thousand four hundred feet above sea-level4 ,it is composed of grey quartzose gneiss4 ,there were no signs of recent glaciation or of ice-striae1 though the rock was much weathered1 and all the cracks and joint-planes were filled with disintegrating material4 ,the weathering was excessive and peculiar in contrast with that observed on fresh exposures near the ,hut and at other localities near sea-level4 ,after collecting specimens and placing a small depot of food on the highest point1 the party continued their way to the ,hut1 reaching it on ,november #bg4 ,at ,winter ,quarters noticeable changes had taken place4 ,the harbour ice had broken back for several hundred yards and was rotten and ready to blow out in the first strong wind2 marked thawing had occurred everywhere1 and many islands of rock emerged from the snow2 the ice-foot was diminishing2 penguins1 seals1 and flying birds made the place1 for once1 alive and busy4 ,bickerton1 ,whetter and ,hannam carried on the routine of work2 ,whetter as meteorologist and ,hannam as magnetician1 while ,bickerton was busied with the air-tractor and in preparations for sledging4 ,thousands of penguins' eggs had been gathered for the return voyage of the ',aurora'1 or in case of detention for a second winter4 ,murphy1 ,hunter and ,laseron arrived from the south on the same day as ,stillwell1 ,hodgeman and ,close came in from the east4 ,the former party had plodded for sixty-seven miles through a dense haze of drift4 ,they had kept a course roughly by the wind and the direction of sastrugi4 ,the unvarying white light of thick overcast days had been so severe that all were suffering from snow-blindness4 ,when1 at length1 they passed over the endless billows of snow on to the downfalls near the coast1 the weather cleared and they were relieved to see once more the ,mecca of all sledging parties--,aladdin's ,cave4 ,a redistribution of parties and duties was made4 ,hodgeman joined ,whetter and ,bickerton in preparation for the air-tractor sledge's trip to the west4 ,hunter took up the position of meteorologist and devoted all his spare time to biological investigations amongst the immigrant life of summer4 ,hannam continued to act as magnetician and general handy man4 ,murphy1 who was also to be in charge during the summer1 returned to his stores1 making preparations for departure4 ,hourly meteorological observations kept every one vigilant at the ,hut4 ,in pursuance of a plan to examine in detail the coast immediately east of ,commonwealth ,bay1 ,stillwell set out with ,laseron and ,close on ,december #i4 ,the weather was threatening at the start1 and they had the usual struggle with wind and drift to make ,aladdin's ,cave4 ,forewarned on the first journey of the dangers of bad ventilation1 they cleared the entrance to the cave of obstacles so that a ready exit could be made1 if1 as was expected1 the opening became sealed with snow-drift4 ,this did happen during the night1 and1 though everything seemed all right the next morning1 the whole party was overpowered during breakfast by foul air1 the presence of which was not suspected4 ,hoosh was cooked and about to be served1 when ,stillwell1 who was in charge of the primus1 collapsed4 ,close immediately seized an ice-axe1 stood up1 thrust its point through the choked entrance1 and fell down1 overcome4 ,laseron became powerless at the same time4 ,an hour and a half later--so it was reckoned--the party revived and cleared the opening4 ,the hole made by the ice-axe had been sufficient to save their lives4 ,for a day they were too weak and exhausted to travel1 so the tent was pitched and the night spent outside the ,cave4 ,on ,december #aa they steered due south for a while and then eastward for three days to ,madigan ,nunatak2 delayed for twenty-four hours by a blizzard4 ,stillwell goes on to describe3 ,part of the #aeth was spent in making observations1 taking photographs and collecting specimens of rocks and lichens4 ,breaking camp1 we set out on a northerly course for the coast down gently falling snowfields4 ,gradually there opened up a beautiful vista of sea1 dotted with floes and rocky islets 7many of which were ice-capped74 ,on ,december #af camp was pitched near the coast on a stretch of firm1 unbroken ice1 which enabled one to venture close enough to the edge to discover an islet connected by a snow-ramp with the icy barrier4 ,lying farther off the shore was a thick fringe of islets1 among and beyond which drifted a large quantity of heavy floe4 ,the separate floes stood some ten or fifteen feet above the water-level1 and the lengths of several exceeded a quarter of a mile4 ,every accessible rock was covered with rookeries of ,adelie penguins2 the first chicks were just hatched4 ,a theodolite traverse was run to fix the position of each islet4 ,the traverse-line was carried close to the ice-cliff1 so that the number of islets hidden from view was as few as possible4 ,snow mounds were built at intervals and the intervening distances measured by the sledge-meter4 ,the party travelled west for seven and a quarter miles round a promontory--,cape ,gray--until the ,winter ,quarters were sighted across ,commonwealth ,bay4 ,they then turned eastward over the higher slopes1 meeting the coast some three miles to the east of the place where they had first encountered it4 ,the surface was for the most part covered with snow1 while crevasses were frequent and treacherous4 ,in the midst of the survey the sledge-meter broke down1 and1 as the party were wholly dependent upon it for laying out base-lines1 repairs had to be made4 ,,text ,,illustration ,map showing the remarkable distribution of islets fringing the coast of ,adelie ,land in the vicinity of ,cape ,gray ,on the #bgth another accessible rocky projection was seen4 ,over it and the many islands in the vicinity hovered flocks of snow petrels and occasional ,antarctic and ,wilson petrels4 ,masses of ,adelie penguins and chicks constituted the main population1 and skua gulls with eggs were also observed4 ,the rock was of garnet gneiss1 traversed by black dykes of pyroxene granulite4 ,a great discovery was made on ,december #bi4 ,on the abrupt1 northern face of some rocks connected to the ice-cap of the mainland by a causeway of ice a large colony of sea-birds had nested4 ,cape pigeons1 the rare silver-grey and snow petrels were all present4 ,amongst these ,laseron made a collection of many eggs and birds4 ,the traverse-line was then carried back to ,madigan ,nunatak along a series of connecting mounds4 ,after being held up for three and a half days in a blizzard from ,december #ca to ,january #d1 the party were home once more late on ,january #e1 #aiac4 ,returning to the fortunes of the air-tractor sledge1 which was to start west early in ,december4 ,bickerton has a short story to tell1 inadequate to the months of work which were expended on that converted aeroplane4 ,its career was mostly associated with misfortune1 dating from a serious fall when in flight at ,adelaide1 through the southern voyage of the ',aurora'1 buffeted by destructive seas1 to a capacious snow shelter in ,adelie ,land--the ,hangar--where for the greater part of the year it remained helpless and drift-bound4 ,bickerton takes up the story3 ,i had always imagined that the air-tractor sledge would be most handicapped by the low temperature2 but the wind was far more formidable4 ,it is obvious that a machine which depends on the surrounding air for its medium of traction could not be tested in the winds of an ,adelie ,land winter4 ,one might just as well try the capabilities of a small motor-launch in the rapids at ,niagara4 ,consequently we had to wait until the high summer4 ,with hopes postponed to an indefinite future1 another difficulty arose4 ,as it was found that the wind would not allow the sea-ice to form1 breaking up the floe as quickly as it appeared1 the only remaining field for manoeuvres was over the highlands to the south2 under conditions quite different from those for which it was suited4 ,we knew that for the first three miles there was a rise of some one thousand four hundred feet1 and in places the gradient was one in three and a half4 ,i thought the machine would negotiate this1 but it was obviously unsafe to make the venture without providing against a headlong rush downhill1 if1 for any reason1 power should fail4 ,suggestions were not lacking1 and after much consideration the following device was adopted3 ,a hand rock-drill1 somewhat over an inch in diameter1 was turned up in the lathe1 cut with one-eighth-inch pitched1 square threads and pointed at the lower end4 ,this actuated through an internal threaded brass bush held in an iron standard2 the latter being bolted to the after-end of a runner over a hole bushed for the reception of the drill4 ,two sets of these were got ready2 one for each runner4 ,the standards were made from spare caps belonging to the wireless masts4 ,the timely fracture of one of the vices supplied me with sufficient ready-cut thread of the required pitch for one brake4 ,cranked handles were fitted1 and the points1 which came in contact with the ice1 were hardened and tempered4 ,when protruded to their fullest extent1 the spikes extended four inches below the runners4 ,the whole contrivance was not very elegant1 but impressed one with its strength and reliability4 ,to work the handles1 two men had to sit one on each runner4 ,as the latter were narrow and the available framework1 by which to hold on and steady oneself1 rather limited1 the office of brakesman promised to be one with acrobatic possibilities4 ,to start the engine it was necessary to have a calm and1 preferably1 sunny day2 the engine and oil-tank had been painted black to absorb the sun's heat4 ,on a windy day with sun and an air temperature of #cj degrees ,f41 it was only with considerable difficulty that the engine could be turned--chiefly owing to the thickness of the lubricating oil4 ,but on a calm day with the temperature lower -#bj degrees ,f4 for example--the engine would swing well enough to permit starting1 after an hour or two of steady sun4 ,if there were no sun even in the absence of wind1 starting would be out of the question1 unless the atmospheric temperature were high or the engine were warmed with a blow-lamp4 ,it was not till ,november #ae that the right combination of conditions came4 ,that day was calm and sunny1 and the engine needed no more stimulus than it would have received in a decent climate4 ,hannam1 ,whetter and ,i were the only inhabitants of the ,hut at the time4 ,having ascertained that the oil and air pumps were working satisfactorily1 we fitted the wheels and air-rudder1 and made a number of satisfactory trials in the vicinity of the ,hut4 ,the wheels were soon discarded as useless2 reliance being placed on the long runners4 ,then the brakes were tested for the first time by driving for a short distance uphill to the south and glissading down the slope back to the ,hut4 ,with a man in charge of each brake1 the machine1 when in full career down the slope1 was soon brought to a standstill4 ,the experiment was repeated from a higher position on the slope1 with the same result4 ,the machine was then taken above the steepest part of the slope 7one in three and a half7 and1 on slipping back1 was brought to rest with ease4 ,the surface was hard1 polished blue ice4 ,the air-rudder1 by the way1 was efficient at speeds exceeding fifteen miles per hour4 ,on the #bjth we had a calm morning1 so ,whetter and ,i set out for ,aladdin's ,cave to depot twenty gallons of benzene and six gallons of oil4 ,the engine was not running well1 one cylinder occasionally missing4 ,but1 in spite of this and a head wind of fifteen miles per hour1 we covered the distance between the one-mile and the two-mile flags in three minutes4 ,this was on ice1 and the gradient was about one in fifteen4 ,we went no farther that day1 and it was lucky that we did so1 for1 soon after our return to the ,hut1 it was blowing more than sixty miles per hour4 ,on ,december #b ,hodgeman joined us in a very successful trip to ,aladdin's ,cave with nine #h-;gallon tins of benzene on a sledge2 weighing in all seven hundred pounds4 ,after having such a good series of results with the machine1 the start of the real journey was fixed for ,december #c4 ,at #c ,p4,m4 it fell calm1 and we left at #d ,p4,m41 amid an inspiriting demonstration of goodwill from the six other men4 ,arms were still waving violently as we crept noisily over the brow of the hill and the ,hut disappeared from sight4 ,on the two steepest portions it was necessary to walk1 but1 these past1 the machine went well with a load of three men and four hundred pounds1 reaching ,aladdin's ,cave in an hour by a route free of small crevasses1 which ,i had discovered on the previous day4 ,here we loaded up with three #ajj-lb4 food-bags1 twelve gallons of oil 7one hundred and thirty pounds71 and seven hundred pounds of benzene4 ,altogether1 there was enough fuel and lubricating oil to run the engine at full speed for twenty hours as well as full rations for three men for six weeks4 ,after a few minutes spent in disposing the loads1 our procession of machine1 four sledges 7in tow7 and three men moved off4 ,the going was slow1 too slow--about three miles an hour on ice4 ,this would probably mean no movement at all on snow which might soon be expected4 ,but something was wrong4 ,the cylinder which had been missing fire a few days before1 but which had since been cleaned and put in order1 was now missing fire again1 and the speed1 proportionately1 had dropped too much4 ,i made sure that the oil was circulating1 and cleaned the sparking-plug1 but the trouble was not remedied4 ,a careful examination showed no sufficient cause1 so it was assumed to be internal4 ,to undertake anything big was out of the question1 so we dropped thirty-two gallons of benzene and a spare propeller4 ,another mile went by and we came to snow1 where forty gallons of benzene1 twelve gallons of oil and a sledge were abandoned4 ,the speed was now six miles an hour and we did two miles in very bad form4 ,as it was now #aa ,p4,m4 and the wind was beginning to rise1 we camped1 feeling none too pleased with the first day's results4 ,while in the sleeping-bag ,i tried to think out some rapid way of discovering what was wrong with the engine4 ,the only conclusion to which ,i could come was that it would be best to proceed to the cave at eleven and three-quarter miles--,cathedral ,grotto--and there remove the faulty cylinder1 if the weather seemed likely to be favourable2 if it did not1 to go on independently with our man-hauled sledge4 ,on ,december #d the wind was still blowing about twenty miles per hour when we set to work on the machine4 ,i poured some oil straight into the crank-case to make sure that there was sufficient1 and we also tested and improved the ignition4 ,at four o'clock the wind dropped1 and in an hour the engine was started4 ,while moving along1 the idle cylinder was ejecting oil1 and this1 together with the fact that it had no compression1 made me hope that broken piston-rings were the source of the trouble4 ,it would only take two hours to remove three cylinders1 take one ring from each of the two sound ones for the faulty one1 and all might yet be well6 ,these thoughts were brought to a sudden close by the engine1 without any warning1 pulling up with such a jerk that the propeller was smashed4 ,on moving the latter1 something fell into the oil in the crank-case and fizzled1 while the propeller could only be swung through an angle of about #cj deg44 ,we did not wait to examine any further1 but fixed up the man-hauling sledge1 which had so far been carried by the air-tractor sledge1 and cached all except absolute necessities4 ,we were sorry to leave the machine1 though we had never dared to expect a great deal from it in the face of the unsuitable conditions found to prevail in ,adelie ,land4 ,however1 the present situation was disappointing4 ,having stuffed up the exhaust-pipes to keep out the drift1 we turned our backs to the aero-sledge and made for the eleven-and-three-quarter-mile cave1 arriving there at #h ,p4,m4 ,there was a cheering note from ,bage in the ,grotto1 wishing us good luck4 ,to avoid crevasses we steered first of all to the southwest on the morning of the #eth1 which was clear and bright4 ,after six miles the sastrugi became hard and compact1 so the course was changed to due west4 ,shortly afterwards1 a piece of rock 9999 which we took to be a meteorite1 was found on the surface of the snow4 ,it measured approximately five inches by three inches by three and a half inches and was covered with a black scale which in places had blistered2 three or four small pieces of this scale were lying within three inches of the main piece4 ,most of the surface was rounded1 except one face which looked as if it had been fractured4 ,it was lying on the snow1 in a slight depression1 about two and a half inches below the mean surface1 and there was nothing to indicate that there had been any violent impact4 9999 ,this has since been examined by ,professor ,e4 ,skeats and ,stillwell1 who report it to be an interesting form of meteorite1 containing amongst other minerals1 plagioclase felspar4 ,this is1 we believe1 the first occasion on which a meteorite has been found in the ,antarctic regions4--,,ed4 ,at eight o'clock that night we had done twelve miles1 losing sight of the sea at a height of about three thousand feet4 ,all felt pleased and looked forward to getting over a ridge ahead1 which1 from an altitude of four thousand feet1 ran in pencilled outline to the western point of ,commonwealth ,bay4 ,on ,december #f it was drifting hard1 and part of the morning was spent theorizing on our prospects in an optimistic vein4 ,this humour gradually wore off as the thick drift continued1 with a fifty-mile wind1 for three days4 ,at #e ,p4,m4 on ,december #h a move was made4 ,the drift was what our ,hut-standard reckoned to be moderate1 but the wind had fallen to thirty miles an hour and had veered to the east2 so the sail was hoisted4 ,the going was difficult over a soft surface1 and after five hours1 by which time the drift had perceptibly thickened1 we had done eight miles4 ,the thirst each one of us developed in those earlier days was prodigious4 ,when filling the cooker with snow it was hard to refrain from packing it up to the knocker in order to obtain a sufficient supply of water4 ,the next day it blew harder and drifted thicker4 ,above the loud flapping of the tent and the incessant sizzling of the drift we discussed our situation4 ,we were one week out and had travelled thirty-one miles4 ,future progress depended entirely on the weather--unfortunately4 ,we were beginning to learn that though the season was meteorologically called summer1 it was hardly recognizable as such4 ,december #aj was ,whetter's birthday4 ,it was heralded by an extra strong wind and the usual liberal allowance of drift4 ,i was cook1 and made some modifications in the meal4 ,hodgeman 7who was the previous cook7 used to make hoosh as thick as a biscuit1 so we had some thin stuff for a change --two mugs each4 ,then really strong tea2 we boiled it for some time to make sure of the strength and added some leaves which had already done good service4 ,several times fault had been found with the way the tent was pitched4 ,i had not yet tried my hand at being the man inside during this operation4 ,one day1 while every one was grumbling1 ,i said ,i would take the responsibility at the next camp2 the proposal being received with grunts of assent4 ,when the job was finished and the poles appeared to be spread taut1 ,i found myself alone in what seemed to me a cathedral4 ,feeling pleased1 ,i called for the others to come in1 and arranged myself in a corner with an ,i-told-you-so expression on my face1 ready to receive their congratulations4 ,hodgeman came in first4 ,he is not a large man1 though he somehow gives one the impression that he is1 but after he had made himself comfortable the place seemed smaller4 ,when half-way through the spout1 coming in1 he gave a grunt which ,i took to be one of appreciation4 ,then ,whetter came in4 ,he is of a candid disposition3 ,ho1 ho1 laddie1 what the dickens have you done with the tent8 ,i tried to explain their mistake4 ,but it was no good4 ,when we were all inside1 ,i couldn't help seeing that the tent was much smaller than it had ever been before1 and we had to huddle together most uncomfortably4 ,and there were three days like this4 ,at nine o'clock one morning ,hodgeman woke me with1 ,what about getting a move on8 ,the wind had dropped to forty miles an hour1 and through a tiny hole in the tent the ground could be seen4 ,amid a thinning fog of drift1 the disc of the sun was just visible4 ,we made a start and then plodded on steadily till midnight over a soft and uncomfortable surface4 ,shortly after that hour ,i looked at the sledge-meter and found that it had ceased working2 the sprocket had been knocked off4 ,repair was out of the question1 as every joint was soldered up2 so without more ado we dropped it4 ,in future we were to estimate our speed1 having already had some good experience in this way4 ,no sooner had ,friday ,december #ac come on the scene than a catastrophe overtook us4 ,the superstitious might have blamed ,fate1 but on this occasion there was no room for doubt2 the fault was mine4 ,the sail was up and1 while braking the load upwind1 ,i slipped and fell1 allowing the sledge to collide with a large sastruga4 ,the bow struck the solid snow with such force that it was smashed4 ,next day a new bow was manufactured from a spare bamboo which had been brought as a depot pole4 ,it took some time splitting and bending this into position and then lashing it with raw hide4 ,but the finished article fully justified the means1 and1 in spite of severe treatment1 the makeshift stood for the rest of the journey4 ,while on the march on ,december #af1 the wind dropped and the drift ceased for the first time since ,december #e2 for eleven days it had been heavy or moderate4 ,before we got into harness on the same day1 a ,wilson petrel flew above us4 ,this little touch of life1 together with the bright sun1 light wind and lack of drift enabled us to start away in better spirits than had been our wont4 ,the next four days passed in excellent weather4 ,the surface was mainly hard and the clusters of large sastrugi could generally be avoided4 ,patches of softer piecrust were met but only lasted for two or three miles4 ,making up for lost time1 we did a few miles short of one hundred in five days4 ,unfortunately there was always drift at midday1 so that it was impossible to get a latitude shot with a sextant and artificial horizon4 ,on ,december #ai camp was pitched at #a ,a4,m4 before a glorious view2 an horizon of sea from west to north-east and white fields of massive bergs4 ,in the extreme west there was something which very closely resembled pack-ice4 ,on the #bjth the surface was softer and the snow more recent1 but the wind was behind us and for part of the day the track led downhill into a peculiar saucer-shaped depression which1 on our first entry1 looked like a valley closed at the far end1 while when we came to the middle it resolved itself once more into a saucer4 ,camping here1 ,i managed to get a good time-shot1 so that1 provided we occupied this camp on the return journey1 ,i reckoned that ,i could get the watch-rate and fix the approximate longitude of the pack-ice1 which for two days had been clearly within view4 ,,text ,,illustration ,adelie ,land3 ,showing tracks of the ,western ,sledging ,party from the ,main ,base4 ,december #ba marked the end of the good weather1 for drift and wind came on apace lasting four days1 the wind attaining about eighty miles an hour4 ,sleeping-bags and tent-cloth were soon in a wretched state1 sodden with moisture4 ,christmas ,day was not very enjoyable in cramped quarters1 the tent having encroached on us owing to drift settling around it4 ,still1 by the evening1 it was clear enough to break camp and we made a spurt of thirteen miles4 ,from the next camp there was a good view to the northwest1 the pack extending beyond the limit of vision4 ,the land trended to the west-north-west and we could see it at a distance of fifty miles from our altitude4 ,all things considered1 ,i thought it right to turn back at this stage4 ,in twenty-six days we had done one hundred and fifty-eight miles1 and ninety-seven miles of that distance had been covered on the only five consecutive good days4 ,we waited some time until the sun appeared1 when ,i was able to get an observation while ,hodgeman made a sketch of the view4 ,by ,december #cj we reoccupied the camp of the #bjth1 sixteen miles on the return journey4 ,a time-shot was successful1 and observations were also taken for magnetic declination4 ,as the weather was fine1 ,hodgeman and ,whetter went to investigate two odd-looking pyramids about five miles away4 ,these turned out to be high snow-ramps1 two hundred yards long1 on the lee side of open crevasses4 ,the last day of #aiab was calm and snow-blind--the first of this particular variety we had experienced without drift4 ,a ,new ,year pudding was made of soaked biscuit1 cocoa1 milk1 sugar1 butter1 and a few remaining raisins1 and it was1 of course1 an immense success4 ,on ,january #a and the two succeeding days the drift was so thick that we had to lie up and amuse ourselves discussing various matters of individual interest4 ,hodgeman gave us a lecture on architecture1 explaining the beauties of certain well-known buildings4 ,whetter would describe some delicate surgical operation1 while ,i talked about machinery4 ,i also worked up the time-shots1 and the hours passed quickly4 ,if only our sleeping-bags had been drier we might have enjoyed ourselves at intervals4 ,the evening of the #dth found us camped ten miles nearer home1 beside a large crevasse and with a closer view of the bay seen on ,december #bj4 ,this time we were greatly excited to see rocks outcropping near the water-line1 and an investigation of them was resolved upon for the following day4 ,the morning broke overcast and ghostly white4 ,although only ten yards away from it1 we could not see the huge crevasse in our vicinity4 ,thus our expedition to the rocks had to be abandoned4 ,after a week's travelling1 during which obscured skies and intermittent drift were the rule1 we were once more in the neighbourhood of ,madigan's spring depot1 forty-five miles west of ,aladdin's ,cave4 ,it had been passed without our seeing any signs of it on the outward journey1 and1 as we never relied on finding it1 we did not mind about missing it again4 ,thick drift and a fifty-mile wind on ,january #ab kept us confined for thirty-six hours4 ,it was clear enough after noon on the #acth1 and five miles were covered in four hours through thick surface drift4 ,what the course was we did not care as we steered by the sastrugi4 ,if ever a man had any homing instinct it would surely show itself on such an occasion as this4 ,travelling in driving snow used to have a curious effect on me4 ,i always imagined that we were just coming to an avenue of trees running at right angles to our course4 ,what produced this idea ,i have not the slightest suspicion1 but while it lasted1 the impression was very strong4 ,to avoid the drift1 which was thickest by day1 travelling had for some time been conducted at night4 ,on the evening of the #adth1 during a clear spell1 a ridge rose up behind1 and1 in front1 a wide bay was visible with its far eastern point rising in mirage4 ,this was taken to be ,commonwealth ,bay1 but the fact could not be verified as the drift came on thickly once more4 ,the day's march was twelve miles by concerted reckoning4 ,next day we went three miles to the north to see if any recognizable bergs would come in sight1 but were stopped by crevasses4 ,the eastward course was therefore resumed4 ,after continuing for about a mile ,hodgeman told us to stop1 flung down his harness and dashed back to the sledge1 rummaging in the instrument-box till he found the glasses4 ,yes1 it's the aeroplane1 he said4 ,this remark took us by surprise as we had not expected it for eight miles at least4 ,it was about midnight--the time when mirage was at a maximum4 ,consequently1 all agreed that the machine was about twelve miles away1 and we went on our way rejoicing1 steering towards the ,cathedral ,grotto which was two miles south of the aero-sledge4 ,after three miles we camped1 and1 it being my birthday1 the two events were celebrated by blowing in the whisky belonging to the medical outfit4 ,on the #afth the weather was thick1 and we marched east for ten miles1 passing a tea-leaf1 which it was afterwards found must have come downwind from the ,grotto4 ,for eight hours nothing could be done in thick drift1 and then1 on breaking camp1 we actually came to a flag which had been planted by ,ninnis in the spring1 thirteen miles south-east of ,aladdin's ,cave4 ,the distance to the air-tractor had been over-estimated1 and the ,grotto must have been passed quite close4 ,we made off down the hill1 running over the crevasses at a great pace4 ,aladdin's ,cave with its medley of boxes1 tins1 picks and shovels1 gladdened our eyes at #aj ,p4,m4 on the #agth4 ,conspicuous for its colour was an orange1 stuck on a pick1 which told us at once that the ,ship was in4 ,,chapter ,,xviii ,,the ,,ship',s ,,story by ,captain ,j4 ,k4 ,davis ,by sport of bitter weather ,we're warty1 strained1 and scarred ,from the kentledge on the kelson ,to the slings upon the yard4 ,,kipling4 ,dr4 ,mawson's plans1 as laid before the ,royal ,geographical ,society in #aiaa1 provided for an extensive oceanographical campaign in the immense stretch of ocean to the southward of ,australia4 ,very little was known of the sea-floor in this area1 there being but a few odd soundings only1 beyond a moderate distance from the ,australian coast4 ,even the great ,challenger expedition had scarcely touched upon it2 and so our ,expedition had a splendid field for investigation4 ,the first discovery made in this connexion on board the ',aurora' was the fact that deep-water work is more intricate than books would make it appear4 ,although text-books had been carefully studied on the subject1 it was found that most of them passed over the practical side of the work in a few words1 insufficient to give us much help in carrying out difficult operations with the vessel rolling and tumbling about in the heavy seas of the ,southern ,ocean4 ,so it was only after a good deal of hard work and many disappointments that the experience was gained which enabled us1 during the later stages of the ,expedition1 to do useful and successful work4 ,before passing on to the operations of the ',aurora' during the winter of #aiab1 ,i shall briefly refer to the equipment provided for oceanographical work4 ,the ,lucas ,automatic ,sounding ,machine was situated on the port side of the forecastle head4 ,it was suitable for depths up to six thousand fathoms1 being fitted with a grooved wheel so as to be driven by a rope belt from a steam-winch or other engine4 ,the wire was wound in by means of a small horizontal steam-engine which had been specially designed for the ',scotia'1 of the ,scottish ,antarctic ,expedition 7#aijb7 and was kindly lent to us by ,dr4 ,w4 ,s4 ,bruce4 ,the wire as it is paid out passes over a measuring wheel1 the revolutions of which record on a dial the number of fathoms out4 ,a spring brake1 which is capable of stopping the reel instantly1 is kept out of action by the tension of the wire1 but when the sinker strikes the bottom1 the loss of tension allows the brake to spring back and stop the reel4 ,the depth can then be read off on the dial4 ,a hollow iron tube called a driver is attached to a piece of hemp line spliced into the outer end of the sounding wire4 ,this driver bears one or two weights to the bottom and detaches them on striking it2 a specimen of the bottom being recovered in the hollow part of the tube which is fitted with valves to prevent water from running through it on the way up4 ,immediately the driver and weight strike the bottom1 the reel automatically stops paying out wire4 ,to obtain a deep-sea sounding on the ',aurora'1 the vessel was stopped1 turned so as to bring the wind on the port-bow and kept as nearly stationary as possible2 the engines being used to balance any drift of the vessel due to wind or sea4 ,the difficulties of sounding in the ,southern ,ocean were much increased by the almost constant1 heavy swell4 ,the breaking strain of the wire being only two hundred and forty pounds and the load it had to carry to the bottom weighing nearly fifty-six pounds in air1 it could easily be understood that the sudden strain imposed by the violent rolling of the vessel often resulted in the parting of the wire4 ,we soon learnt to handle both vessel and sounding machine in such a way as to entail the least possible strain on the wire4 ,of all the operations conducted on board the ',aurora'1 deep-sea trawling was the one about which we had most to learn4 ,dr4 ,w4 ,s4 ,bruce gave me most valuable advice on the subject before we left ,england4 ,later1 this was supplemented by a cruise in ,australian waters on the ',endeavour'1 of the ,commonwealth ,fisheries ,investigation4 ,here ,i was able to observe various trawling operations in progress1 subsequently applying the information gained to our own requirements on the ',aurora'4 ,a short description of our trawling arrangements may be useful to those who are engaged in this work on board a vessel not specially designed for it4 ,we were provided with three thousand fathoms of tapered steel wire 7varying from one and three-quarters to one and a half inches in circumference and weighing roughly a ton to the thousand fathoms in air72 this was kept on a large iron reel 7,a7 mounted on standards and controlled by a friction-brake4 ,this reel was situated on the starboard side of the main deck1 the wire being wound on to it by means of a chain-drive from the forward cargo-winch4 ,for heaving in1 our steam-windlass was fitted with a specially constructed drum 7,b71 which absorbed the crushing strain and then allowed the slack wire to be wound on the reel 7,a71 which was driven as nearly as possible at the same speed2 the windlass usually heaving at the rate of four hundred and fifty fathoms per hour4 ,a wooden derrick 7,d71 provided with topping lift and guys1 was mounted on the foremast by means of a band and goose-neck4 ,at the outer end of the derrick1 the dynamometer and a fourteen-inch block were attached4 ,the maximum strain which could be supported was ten tons4 ,in paying out1 the wire was led from the head of the derrick to a snatch-block on the quarter 7,e71 constructed so as to admit of its disengagement from the wire when it was necessary to heave in4 ,this block kept the wire clear of the propeller and allowed us to have the vessel moving slow or fast as required1 while the trawl was being paid out4 ,the positions of the various parts of the trawling gear are shown in the plan on the opposite page4 ,,text ,,illustration ,plan illustrating the arrangements for deep-sea trawling on board the ',aurora'4 ,before trawling in deep water the vessel was stopped and a sounding obtained2 then the derrick was hoisted1 the wire rove through the various blocks1 the trawl shackled on1 and the men distributed at their stations4 ,when all was ready1 the engines were put at half-speed 7three knots71 a course was given to the helmsman and the trawl lowered into the water4 ,when it was flowing nicely just astern1 the order1 ,slack away1 was given2 the wire being paid out evenly by means of the friction-brakes4 ,in one thousand five hundred fathoms of water1 after the two-thousand-fathom mark had passed out1 the order was given1 ,hold on and make fast4 ,speed was now reduced to one and a half knots and the wire watched until it gave a decided indication of the trawl dragging over the bottom4 ,the strain was now taken by the windlass-barrel1 controlled by a screw-brake1 backed if necessary by a number of turns round the forward bitts4 ,a slow drag over the bottom was generally continued for one hour4 ,the engines were then stopped1 and the order came1 ,stand by to heave away4 ,this was quickly followed by ,knock out1 which meant the disengaging of the after-block from the wire and allowed the vessel to swing round head-on to the wire4 ,vast heaving indicated the appearance of the net at the surface1 and1 when the mouth of the net was well above the bulwarks the derrick was topped up vertically1 the lower part of the net dragged inboard and the cod-end untied1 the catch being thus allowed to empty itself on deck4 ,the contents of the haul supplied the biologists with the work of sorting and bottling for the next twelve hours or more4 ,the form of trawl used on board the ',aurora' was known as a ,monagasque trawl1 of a type employed by the ,prince of ,monaco4 ,as will be seen from the sketch1 it is of simple construction and possesses the advantage of having both sides similar so that it is immaterial which lands on the bottom4 ,the winter cruise in the ,sub-,antarctic began on ,may #ah1 #aiab1 after we had refitted in ,sydney and taken on board all the oceanographic apparatus1 during the previous month4 ,leaving ,port ,jackson1 we proceeded to ,port ,kembla1 ,n4,s4,w41 and took in four hundred and eleven tons of coal4 ,the following was the personnel of the ship's officers on this and the two following cruises3 ,chief ,officer1 ,f4 ,d4 ,fletcher2 ,chief ,engineer1 ,f4 ,j4 ,gillies2 ,second ,officer1 ,p4 ,gray2 ,third ,officer1 ,c4 ,p4 de la ,motte4 ,during the first dredging cruise1 ,mr4 ,e4 ,r4 ,waite1 from the ,canterbury ,museum1 ,christchurch1 was in charge of the biological work4 ,my plan was to go through ,bass ,strait and then to sail towards the ,royal ,company ,islands as given on the ,french chart1 before heading for ,macquarie ,island4 ,from thence we should steam across to the ,auckland ,islands4 ,at both the latter places ,mr4 ,waite would be able to secure specimens4 ,it was not expected that the weather would permit of much trawling1 but we anticipated some good soundings4 ,as a matter of fact1 sub-antarctic weather in the winter may be predicted with some certainty3 strong winds1 heavy seas1 much fog and general gloom4 ,we had a fine run through ,bass ,strait with a light south-east breeze1 arriving off ,king's ,island at noon on ,may #bh4 ,the trawling gear was got ready for the following day1 but the sea was too high and the ship continued south towards the position of the ,royal ,company ,islands4 ,on ,june #a we were in latitude #ec degrees south1 longitude #aeb degrees east1 and had been cruising about fruitlessly in heavy weather for days waiting for an opportunity to dredge4 ,after being at sea for a whole fortnight we had only three soundings to our credit1 and it was1 therefore1 resolved to make for ,macquarie ,island4 ,on the #gth we reached the island and anchored at ,north-,east ,bay in twelve fathoms1 about one mile from land4 ,after a stiff pull ashore1 next day1 we landed and found the party all well4 ,they had built a comfortable hut and were enjoying life as far as possible1 despite the constant gales and continuous days of fog4 ,we then climbed up the hill to the wireless station1 where everything was in splendid order4 ,two small huts had been erected1 one for the engine and the other for the receiving apparatus4 ,sandell and ,sawyer1 the two operators1 were to be congratulated on the efficient way the station had been kept going under very considerable difficulty4 ,in addition to the routine work with ,hobart and ,wellington they had occasionally communicated with stations over two thousand miles distant4 ,i was able to send the following message to ,professor ,david3 ',aurora' arrived ,macquarie ,island2 all well1 ,june #g2 constant gales and high seas have prevented dredging so far4 ,royal ,company ,islands not found in the position indicated on the chart4 ,we were able to land some stores for the use of the land party under ,ainsworth4 ,meteorological1 biological and geological work were all in progress and the scientific records should be of great value4 ,up to the date of our arrival1 no wireless messages had been received from ,adelie ,land4 ,as ,dr4 ,mawson was in ignorance of its exact location1 the position of the ,western ,base under ,wild was given to ,ainsworth to forward to ,adelie ,land in case communication should be established4 ,after ,mr4 ,waite had obtained several birds1 it was decided to move down to ,lusitania ,bay to secure some ,royal penguins and a sea-elephant4 ,two days later1 the ',aurora' anchored in the bay1 three-quarters of a mile from the beach1 in sixteen fathoms2 the weather was very misty4 ,mr4 ,waite and ,mr4 ,haines1 the taxidermist1 were rowed ashore4 ,the island1 above a height of three hundred feet from sea-level1 was shrouded in mist throughout the day1 and1 before dark1 all signs of the land had disappeared4 ,the mist did not clear until #f ,p4,m4 on the #aeth4 ,we stayed for a whole fortnight at ,macquarie ,island1 during which time the highest velocity of the wind recorded on shore was thirty-five miles per hour1 although1 during the winter1 gales are almost of daily occurrence4 ,on ,june #bb1 the date of departure1 a course was set for the ,auckland ,islands1 which lie in the track of homeward-bound vessels from ,australia via ,cape ,horn4 ,the group was discovered in #ahjf by ,captain ,bristow of the ',ocean'1 owned by ,samuel ,enderby4 ,it comprises one main island and several smaller ones1 separated by narrow channels4 ,there are two spacious harbours2 a northern1 now called ,port ,ross1 and a southern1 ,carnley ,harbour4 ,the islands are situated about one hundred and eighty miles south of ,stewart ,island 7,new ,zealand74 ,after a run of three hundred and forty miles on a northeast course1 we entered ,carnley ,harbour and anchored off ,flagstaff ,point4 ,a breeze blew strong from the west-northwest4 ,next day1 ,june #be1 we stood up to ,figure of ,eight ,island and found good holding for the anchor in nine and a half fathoms4 ,the eastern entrance to ,carnley ,harbour is formed by two bluff points1 about two miles apart2 its upper extremity terminating in a lagoon4 ,the site of ,musgrave's house 7,epigwaith7 is on the east side of this lagoon4 ,here he spent twenty months after the wreck of the ',grafton'4 ,,text ,,illustration ,auckland ,island 7from the ,admiralty ,chart7 showing the track of the ',aurora' ,we set off in the motor-launch on the #bfth to visit ,camp ,cove1 where we found the two huts maintained by the ,new ,zealand ,government for the benefit of castaways4 ,in the larger hut there were potatoes1 biscuits1 tinned meats and matches4 ,the smaller hut was empty but on the outside were carved many names of shipwrecked mariners4 ,the ',amakura' had visited the depot in ,november #aiaa4 ,the various depots established on the island by the ,new ,zealand ,government are visited every six months4 ,while in ,carnley ,harbour we were able to make several hauls with the small dredge4 ,after passing up the eastern coast of the main island we entered ,port ,ross and anchored west of ,shoe ,island4 ,on ,june #cj the depot on ,erebus ,cove was visited1 where three white sheds contain the usual necessaries for unfortunate castaways4 ,the ,new ,zealand ,government steamer1 ',hinemoa'1 while on a scientific expedition to the ,sub-,antarctic in #aijg1 rescued the sixteen survivors of the barque ',dundonald'1 two thousand two hundred and three tons1 which had been wrecked on ,disappointment ,island4 ,the captain and ten men had been drowned and the chief officer had died from the effects of exposure and starvation4 ,on ,july #b we went to ,observation ,point1 finding there a flat stone commemorating the visit of the ,german ,scientific ,expedition of #ahgd4 ,the biologist found various kinds of petrels on ,shoe ,island1 where the turf was riddled in all directions by their burrows4 ,at ,rose ,island1 close by1 there are some fine basaltic columns1 eighty feet high1 weathered out into deep caverns along their base4 ,in ,sandy ,bay1 ,enderby ,island1 there was an extensive depot4 ,among the stores ,i found a ,venesta case marked s4y4 ',nimrod'1 which contained dried vegetables and evidently formed part of the stores which were sold on the return of the ,british ,antarctic ,expedition of #aijg4 ,after leaving the ,auckland ,islands for ,new ,zealand1 we were fortunate in having fairly good weather4 ,five soundings were taken1 and1 on ,july #i1 the trawl was put over in three hundred and forty-five fathoms4 ,the net unfortunately fouled on a rocky bottom and so we gained nothing but experience in the operation4 ,the ',aurora' arrived at ,port ,lyttleton on ,july #aa and we received a very kind welcome from the people of ,christchurch4 ,mr4 ,j4 ,j4 ,kinsey1 well known in connexion with various ,british ,antarctic expeditions1 gave us valuable assistance during our stay4 ,we were back again in ,melbourne on the #agth of the month4 ,while the first oceanographical cruise of the ',aurora' did not prove very fruitful in results1 chiefly on account of the stormy weather1 it provided the necessary training for officers and men in the handling of the deep-sea gear1 and we were able to realize later how much we had learnt on our first cruise4 ,the ship1 after undergoing a thorough overhaul at the ,state dockyard at ,williamstown1 ,victoria1 undertook a second deep-sea cruise4 ,leaving ,hobart on ,november #ab1 #aiab1 she laid her course to the southward in order to obtain soundings for a complete section of the sea-floor1 as nearly as possible on the meridian of ,hobart4 ,our time was limited to one month1 during which a visit to ,macquarie ,island for the purpose of landing stores and mail had to be made4 ,professor ,t4 ,flynn of ,hobart ,university accompanied the vessel in charge of the biological work4 ,an interesting discovery was made two hundred miles south of ,tasmania4 ,here it was proved that a rocky ridge rose like a huge mountain from depths of more than two thousand fathoms to within five hundred and forty fathoms of the surface4 ,a great number of soundings were taken in the vicinity of this rise1 subsequently named the ,mill ,rise1 until a heavy gale drove us far from its situation4 ,on ,november #ba we were not far from ,macquarie ,island and1 at #g ,p4,m41 sounded in one thousand four hundred and fifty fathoms4 ,as the weather was remarkably fine for these latitudes we decided to lower the trawl4 ,before dark it was being towed slowly towards the east with one thousand nine hundred fathoms of wire out4 ,we spent an anxious night hoping that the weather would remain fine long enough to permit us to get the gear on board again4 ,we had been driving before a light westerly wind1 when the trawl caught on the bottom and stopped the vessel4 ,a very heavy strain was imposed on the wire as the vessel rose in the swell2 the dynamometer registering up to seven tons4 ,i decided to wait for daylight before attempting to heave in the trawl4 ,at #c ,a4,m4 we cast the wire off the after-block and started to heave away2 it was two hours before the trawl cleared the bottom and the strain was reduced4 ,at #h ,a4,m4 the trawl was once more on board1 the frames being bent and twisted and the net badly torn4 ,on sounding1 the depth was found to be only six hundred and thirty-six fathoms1 so that we had evidently put over the trawl on to the edge of a steep rise and then drifted across it4 ,in view of our position--only thirty miles from ,macquarie ,island--this accident might have been expected4 ,but opportunities of trawling had been so few that risks had to be taken when the weather quieted down for a few hours4 ,our only consolation on this occasion was that we recovered the gear4 ,the following evening1 at #g4cj1 the anchor was dropped in ,north-,east ,bay1 ,macquarie ,island1 and we were immediately boarded by our land party who were all well4 ,they had become very clever boatmen during their stay1 using a small dinghy to make coastal journeys4 ,on ,november #bd we left the anchorage at #i ,a4,m4 and spent the day in its vicinity4 ,more than one hundred soundings were taken1 which ,blake1 the geological surveyor1 was to plot on the chart of the island which he had almost completed4 ,some idea of the steepness of the submarine mountain of which ,macquarie ,island forms the crest may be gathered from a sounding1 taken ten and a half miles east of the island1 which gave two thousand seven hundred and forty-five fathoms and no bottom4 ,in other words1 if the sea were to dry up1 there would be a lofty mountain rising from the plain of the ocean's bed to a height of nearly eighteen thousand feet4 ,a great deal of work still required to be done off ,macquarie ,island1 but1 as the uneven and rocky nature of the bottom prevented dredging1 ,i decided to sail on the #beth1 continuing the voyage towards the ,auckland ,islands4 ,several people had expressed belief in a submarine ridge connecting ,macquarie ,island with the ,auckland group4 ,three soundings which we obtained on this voyage did not support the suggestion1 ranging as they did from one thousand eight hundred and fifty-five to two thousand four hundred and thirty fathoms1 eighty-five miles south-west of the ,auckland group4 ,we were the more glad to obtain these soundings1 as1 during the winter cruise1 in the same waters1 the weather had forced us to abandon the attempt4 ,on ,november #bh we took several soundings on the eastern side of the ,auckland ,islands1 but did not prolong our stay as we wished to investigate the ridge south of ,tasmania--the ,mill ,rise4 ,the course was therefore directed westward with a view to outlining the eastern edge of this submarine elevation4 ,the first sounding to indicate that we were once more approaching the ,mill ,rise was in one thousand and seventy-six fathoms4 ,continuing west we secured the next record in one thousand three hundred fathoms1 limiting the southern extremity of the ridge which extends northward for nearly one hundred miles4 ,from this sounding the water shoaled quickly as we steered north4 ,thus1 on the same day1 we were in eight hundred and thirty-five fathoms at noon1 in seven hundred and thirty-five fathoms at #c4dj ,p4,m4 and in seven hundred and ten fathoms at #g4cj ,p4,m4 ,after the last sounding we lowered the rock-gripper4 ,on the first trial1 however1 it failed to shut and1 on the second1 only a little fine sand was recovered4 ,as it was blowing hard most of the time1 we were very fortunate in being able to do this piece of work4 ,an inspection of the chart reveals the fact that the main direction of the shallowest water is in a north-west and south-east direction1 but the number of soundings obtained was too small to give more than a general outline4 ,later1 we were able to add to these on the voyage southward to relieve the ,antarctic ,bases4 ,the weather was so bad and the sea so heavy that we were unable to obtain soundings on ,december #i1 and1 as dredging under such conditions was out of the question1 ,i decided to steer for the east coast of ,tasmania1 where dredging might be possible under the lee of the land4 ,the constant gales were very disheartening1 the last having continued for four days with only short intervals of moderate weather4 ,on ,december #ab and #ac1 in calmer water1 some thirty miles off the east coast of ,tasmania1 trawlings were made successfully in one thousand three hundred fathoms and seventy-five fathoms respectively4 ,from the deeper trawling were obtained a large octopus and several interesting fish4 ,just before noon on ,december #ad we arrived in ,hobart and immediately began preparations for the voyage to the ,antarctic4 ,on ,december #bd1 #aiab1 preparations for sailing were complete4 ,for ten days every one connected with the ',aurora' had been working at high pressure1 and ,christmas ,day1 our last day ashore1 was to be celebrated as a well-earned holiday4 ,there was on board a good supply of coal1 five hundred and twenty-one tons1 and a very heavy mail of letters and packages for the members of the ,expedition who had been isolated in the far ,south for more than twelve months4 ,we were to take thirty-five sheep on board as well as twenty-one dogs1 presented by ,captain ,amundsen upon his return from his ,south ,polar expedition4 ,captain ,james ,davis1 of ,hobart1 of long whaling experience1 was to accompany us to give an expert opinion upon such whales as we might meet4 ,mr4 ,van ,waterschoot van der ,gracht1 who had had previous experience in the ,antarctic1 joined as marine artist1 and ,mr4 ,s4 ,n4 ,jeffryes as wireless operator4 ,with ,c4 ,c4 ,eitel1 ,secretary of the ,expedition1 the whole party on board numbered twenty-eight4 ,a very pleasant ,christmas was spent ashore4 ,the ship's company of twenty-three men met for dinner1 and we did not forget to wish a ,merry ,christmas to our leader and his twenty-six comrades who were holding their celebration amid the icy solitudes of ,antarctica4 ,i was glad1 on this festive occasion1 to be able to congratulate officers and men on their willing and loyal service during the previous twelve months2 every one had done his best to advance the objects of the ,expedition4 ,the attractions of ,hobart1 at this season1 are so numerous1 and ,tasmanian hospitality so boundless1 that it gives me great pleasure to place on record that every man was at his post on the ',aurora' at #aj ,a4,m4 on ,boxing ,day4 ,as we drew away from the wharf amid the cheers of those who had come to wish us ,god-speed1 the weather was perfect and the scene on the ,derwent bright and cheering4 ,captain ,james ,davis acted as pilot4 ,at #aa4cj ,a4,m4 we had embarked the twenty-one dogs1 which were brought off from the ,quarantine ,station1 and were steaming down ,storm ,bay4 ,outside there was a heavy swell1 and the wind was freshening from the west4 ,the course was laid south #ej degrees west1 true4 ,for the next two days there was a westerly gale with a very high sea1 and the dogs and sheep had a bad time1 as a good deal of water came aboard4 ,two of the sheep had to be killed4 ,by the afternoon of the #bith it had moderated1 and a sounding was secured4 ,this storm was followed by another from the west-northwest4 ,the ',aurora' weathered it splendidly1 although one sea came over everything and flooded the cabins1 while part of the rail of the forecastle head was carried away on the morning of the #cast4 ,at this time we were in the vicinity of the reputed position of the ,royal ,company ,islands4 ,a sounding was taken with great difficulty1 finding two thousand and twenty fathoms and a mud bottom4 ,january #d1 #aiah1 was a fine day1 with a fresh westerly breeze and a high sea4 ,occasionally there were snow squalls4 ,at night the wireless operator was able to hear ,h4,m4,s4 ',drake' at ,hobart1 and also the station at ,macquarie ,island2 the ship having been fitted to receive wireless signals before sailing4 ,next day the sun was bright and there was only a moderate westerly swell4 ,large bunches of kelp were frequently seen drifting on the surface4 ,blue ,billys9999 flew in great numbers about the ship4 ,two soundings were obtained in one thousand nine hundred fathoms4 9999 ,prion ,banksii4 ,on the #hth a heavy swell came from the south-east4 ,during the morning a sounding realized two thousand two hundred and seventy fathoms and the sample of mud contained a small1 black manganese nodule4 ,at #h ,p4,m4 a floating cask was sighted and taken aboard after much difficulty4 ,it turned out to be a ship's oil cask1 empty1 giving no clue from whence it came4 ,the first ice was observed about #f ,p4,m4 on the #ajth4 ,the water was still deep--more than two thousand fathoms4 ,by noon on ,january #aa loose pack came into view1 with a strong blink of heavier pack to the south4 ,the course was changed to south-west4 ,at #g ,p4,m4 the ship was steaming west in clear water1 a few bergs being in sight and a marked ice-blink to the south4 ,several whales appeared which ,captain ,james ,davis reported were blue whales 7finners or rorquals74 ,after we had been steering westward until almost midnight1 the course was altered to south-west in the hope of encountering the shelf-ice barrier 7met in #aiab7 well to the east of the ,main ,base station4 ,on the #abth we sailed over the position of the ice-tongue in #aiab without seeing a trace of it1 coming up with heavy broken floe at #aj ,a4,m4 ,for four hours the ',aurora' pushed through massive floes and bergy bits1 issuing into open water with the blink of ice-covered land to the south4 ,at nine o'clock ,adelie ,land was plainly visible1 and a course was set for the ,main ,base4 ,in squally weather we reached the ,mackellar ,islets at midnight1 and by #b ,a4,m4 on the #acth dropped anchor in ,commonwealth ,bay under the ice-cliffs in twenty fathoms4 ,at #f ,a4,m4 ,fletcher1 the chief officer1 reported that a heavy gust of wind had struck the ship and caused the chain to carry away the lashing of the heavy relieving-tackle4 ,the chain then ran over the windlass1 and1 before anything could be done1 the pointer to which the end of the chain was attached had been torn from the bolts1 and our best ground-tackle was lost overboard4 ,it was an exasperating accident4 ,at seven o'clock the port anchor was dropped in ten fathoms1 about eight hundred yards west of the first anchorage1 with ninety fathoms of chain4 ,the wind shifted suddenly to the north1 and the ',aurora' swung inshore until her stern was within one hundred yards of the cliffs2 but the depth at this distance proved to be seventeen fathoms4 ,after a few northerly puffs1 the wind shifted to the south-east and then died away4 ,at #b4cj ,p4,m4 the launch was hoisted over and the mail was taken ashore1 with sundry specimens of ,australian fruit as refreshment for the shore-party4 ,the boat harbour was reached before any one ashore had seen the ',aurora'4 ,at the landing-place we were greeted most warmly by nine wild-looking men2 some with beards bleached by the weather4 ,they all looked healthy and in very fair condition1 after the severe winter1 as they danced about in joyous excitement4 ,we learned that five sledging parties had left the ,hut3 ,bage1 ,webb and ,hurley had returned from the south1 ,stillwell1 ,close and ,laseron from the east1 and the others were still out4 ,in ,dr4 ,mawson's instructions1 all parties were to be back at the ,hut by ,january #ae1 #aiac4 ,the launch made some trips to and from the ship with specimens during the afternoon4 ,i returned on board and had a look at the cable4 ,the weather was fine1 but changes were apt to occur without much warning4 ,at midnight it was blowing a gale from the south-east1 and the chain was holding well4 ,the launch was hoisted up in the davits and communication with the shore was suspended until #h ,a4,m4 on ,january #ae4 ,the lull was of two hours' duration1 during which ,murphy came aboard and furnished me with some particulars about the sledging parties still away4 ,dr4 ,mawson1 with ,ninnis and ,mertz1 had gone to the south-east4 ,they were well provisioned and had taken eighteen dogs for transport purposes4 ,bickerton1 ,hodgeman and ,whetter had been out forty-three days to the west and had food for forty days only4 ,madigan1 ,mc,lean and ,correll had been away for seventy days in an easterly direction4 ,dr4 ,mawson had left a letter for me with instructions to take charge if he failed to return to time1 that is not later than ,january #ae1 #aiac4 ,on ,january #af a party was observed from the ship coming in over the slope4 ,there was much speculation as to its personnel since1 at a distance1 the three figures could not be recognized4 ,the launch took us ashore and we greeted ,madigan1 ,mc,lean and ,correll who had returned from a very successful expedition along the eastern coast over sea-ice4 ,madigan and ,bage came on board during the forenoon of the #agth and we had a long consultation about the position of affairs owing to the non-return of two parties4 ,it was decided to re-erect the wireless mast and stay it well while the ship was waiting1 so that1 in case of any party being left at the ,main ,base1 the wireless station would be in working order49999 9999 ,it should be borne in mind that during the summer months 7,november1 ,december1 ,january and part of ,february7 wireless communication with the outside world is impossible owing to continuous daylight reducing the effective range4 ,in summer the range was only a few hundred miles1 and the effective working distance for all times of the day probably not above one hundred miles4 ,at one o'clock on the morning of ,january #ah1 de la ,motte1 the officer on watch1 reported that a party could be seen descending the glacier4 ,this proved to be ,bickerton1 ,hodgeman and ,whetter returning from their trip along the west coast4 ,thus ,dr4 ,mawson's party was the only one which had not yet returned4 ,all day work on the wireless mast went along very satisfactorily1 while ,captain ,james ,davis and ,chief ,officer ,fletcher spent their time in the launch dragging for the cable lost on the morning of our arrival4 ,the launch returned at #aj4cj ,p4,m4 and ,captain ,davis reported that the grapnel had been buoyed until operations could be resumed4 ,on ,january #ai we tried to recover the chain1 and to this end the ',aurora' was taken over to the position where the grapnels had been buoyed and was anchored4 ,all efforts to secure the chain were unsuccessful4 ,at #g ,p4,m4 we decided to return to our former position1 having a hard job to raise the anchor1 which appeared to have dragged under a big rock4 ,finally it broke away and came up in a mass of kelp1 and with the stock adrift4 ,the latter was secured and we steamed back1 letting go in eleven fathoms with ninety fathoms of chain4 ,when ,dr4 ,mawson's party was a week overdue1 ,i considered that the time had arrived to issue a provisional notice to the members of the ,expedition at ,commonwealth ,bay concerning the establishment of a relief party to operate from the ,main ,base4 ,a party of four left the ,hut on the #bjth1 keeping a sharp look-out to the south-east for any signs of the missing party4 ,they travelled as far as the air-tractor sledge which had been abandoned ten miles to the south1 bringing it back to the ,hut4 ,i decided to remain at ,commonwealth ,bay until ,january #cj4 ,if the leader's party had not returned by that day1 a search party was to proceed eastward while the ',aurora' sailed for ,wild's ,base4 ,from the reports of the gales which prevailed during the month of ,march in #aiab1 and considering the short daylight there was at that time1 ,i felt that it would be risking the lives of all on board to return to the ,main ,base after relieving ,wild's party4 ,i resolved1 therefore1 to wait as long as possible4 ,as a result of a consultation with ,madigan and ,bage1 ,i had a provisional notice drafted1 to be posted up in the ,hut on ,january #bb4 ,this notice was to the effect that the non-arrival of the leader's party rendered it necessary to prepare for the establishment of a relief expedition at ,winter ,quarters and appointed ,bage1 ,bickerton1 ,hodgeman1 ,jeffryes and ,mc,lean as members1 under the command of ,madigan2 to remain in ,antarctica for another year if necessary4 ,on the same evening ,i went ashore to inspect the wireless mast1 which was practically complete4 ,the work had been done thoroughly and1 provided the mast itself did not buckle1 the stays were likely to hold4 ,hannam1 ,bickerton and ,jeffryes were busy placing the engine and instruments in position4 ,i then went up the slope for about a mile4 ,the ,winter ,quarters looked like a heap of stones2 boundless ice rose up to the southern skyline2 the dark water to the north was broken by an occasional berg or the ice-covered islands4 ,this wonderful region of ice and sea looks beautiful on a fine day4 ,but what a terrible1 vast solitude1 constantly swept by icy winds and drift1 stretches away to the south6 ,a party will go out to-morrow to visit the depot at the top of the slope4 ,this is the seventh day we have been waiting and hoping to welcome the absentees6 ,on the #bcrd the breeze was very strong in the forenoon1 but the wind moderated about #d ,p4,m41 when the launch was able to leave for the shore4 ,we could see a search party 7,hodgeman1 ,stillwell1 and ,correll7 marching against a strong south-east wind on their way to examine the depot at ,aladdin's ,cave and its vicinity4 ,though there was a moderate south-easter blowing1 communication with the land went on during the day4 ,i went ashore early1 but the search party did not return until noon4 ,they had remained at ,aladdin's ,cave overnight and marched farther south next morning1 approaching a line of dense drift1 without seeing anything4 ,it was arranged that another party of three men should start next morning 7,january #be7 and1 going in a southeasterly direction1 make a search for five days1 laying a depot at their farthest point4 ,hodgeman1 ,hurley and ,mc,lean made preparations to set out4 ,i left instructions that a flag should be flown on the wireless mast if ,dr4 ,mawson returned4 ,i now went through the supplies of provisions and coal which were to be landed for the use of the ,relief ,party4 ,i intended to try and have everything on shore by ,january #bi1 taking advantage of any short interval of fair weather to send a boatload to the landing-place4 ,on the #beth there was a hard south-east gale blowing until the afternoon1 when it moderated sufficiently to send off the launch with thirteen bags of coal1 ,gillies being in charge4 ,the boat harbour was reached in safety1 the wind freshening to a gale before #f ,p4,m4 ,terrific gusts followed in rapid succession and1 without warning1 the cable parted sixty fathoms from the anchor at #i ,p4,m4 ,having cleared the reefs to leeward1 we managed to get in the rest of the chain and then stood along the coast to the north-west4 ,by keeping about three miles from the shore1 we seemed to be beyond the reach of the more violent gusts1 but a short sea holding the ship broadside to the wind during the squalls1 rendered it difficult to maintain a fixed course4 ,with reefs and bergs around1 the increasing darkness about midnight made our position unpleasant4 ,the engines had to be stopped and the ship allowed to drift with the wind1 owing to a bearing becoming hot1 but in a quarter of an hour they were moving once more4 ,early on ,january #bf the ',aurora' was about half-way between ,winter ,quarters and the western point of ,commonwealth ,bay1 when the wind suddenly ceased1 and then came away light from the north-west4 ,we could see that a south-east gale was still raging close inshore4 ,over the sea1 towards the north1 dark clouds were scudding with great rapidity along the horizon3 the scene of a violent disturbance4 ,we returned towards our late anchorage4 ,on reaching it1 the south-east wind had moderated considerably1 and we let go our spare anchor and what had been saved of the chain4 ,to the north1 violent gusts appeared to be travelling in various directions1 but1 to our astonishment1 these gusts1 after approaching our position at a great rate1 appeared to curve upwards2 the water close to the ship was disturbed1 and nothing else4 ,this curious phenomenon lasted for about an hour and then the wind came with a rush from the south-east1 testing the anchor-chain in the more furious squalls4 ,the gale was in its third day on the #bgth1 and there was a hurricane sky during the morning4 ,the wind would die away1 only to blow more fiercely than before4 ,the suddenness with which the changes occurred may be gathered from the following extracts from my journal3 ,january #bg4 #f ,a4,m4 ,a whole gale blowing from the south-east4 #i ,a4,m4 ,light airs from north to east4 ,launch taking coal ashore4 #aa ,a4,m4 ,last cargo of coal had just left ship when the wind freshened from the south-east4 ,the launch had just got inside the boat harbour when a terrific gust struck the vessel and our chain parted4 ,we were blown out to sea while heaving in thirty fathoms of chain which remained4 #d ,p4,m4 ,we have been steaming backwards and forwards until the wind died away4 ,the launch has just come off and taken another load of stores to the boat harbour4 #g ,p4,m4 ,the weather is moderating with rising barometer4 ,nearly everything required by the ,relief ,party is now ashore4 ,two or three trips will take the remainder4 ,we shall steam about for a few hours1 and make the anchorage early to-morrow morning4 ,next morning a kedge-anchor 7about five hundred-weights7 was lowered with the remainder of the chain4 ,for a time this held the ship1 but a gust of wind from the southeast caused it to drag4 ,it was1 therefore1 hauled up and1 on coming to the surface1 was seen to have lost a fluke4 ,all equipment1 coal and food were now on shore for the use of the ,relief ,party4 ,i had given them everything that could be spared from the provisions set apart for the use of the ship's company4 ,next day ,i purposed to cruise along the coast to the east1 if the weather were clear4 ,january #bi was fine1 so we steamed off at #f4cj ,a4,m4 ,as no flag was seen on the wireless mast1 we knew that ,dr4 ,mawson had not returned4 ,a course was kept two or three miles from the ice-cliffs beyond the fringe of rocky islets4 ,at #d ,a4,m4 on the #cjth we were alongside the ,mertz ,glacier and reached the head of the bay at the confluence of glacier with land-ice4 ,mount ,murchison was only dimly visible1 but the weather was clear along the glacier-tongue4 ,signals were fired and a big kite flown at a height of about five hundred feet to attract attention on shore in case the missing party were near4 #a4cj ,p4,m4 ,we are now about half a mile from the head of the inlet4 ,from the appearance of the country 7heavily crevassed7 approach to the sea by a sledging-party would be extremely difficult4 ,there is no floe-ice at the foot of the cliff4 #aj4cj ,p4,m4 ,we are approaching the end of the glacier-tongue around which there is a collection of pack4 ,there is some drift ahead and it is difficult to see far4 ,we have passed the eastern limit of coast to be searched4 #aj4ce ,p4,m4 ,the glacier-tongue is trending to the east and a line of heavy pack extends to the north1 with many large bergs4 ,no sign of flag or signal on the end of the barrier4 ,january #ca4 ,we left the glacier-tongue at #h ,a4,m4 and steered back to ,winter ,quarters4 ,at noon we could see ,madigan ,nunatak1 a rocky patch1 high up on the slope4 #d4ae ,p4,m4 ,sighted the large grounded berg1 fifteen miles from the ,main ,base4 #i ,p4,m4 ,off ,main ,base4 ,there is no flag to be seen on the wireless mast6 ,dr4 ,mawson's party is now sixteen days overdue2 there must be something seriously amiss4 ,but from our examination of the line of coast as far as #fd degrees #de' south1 #adf degrees #ai' east1 there does not appear to be any probability of finding traces along the shore line at the base of vertical ice-cliffs4 ,no communication with the shore was possible until the wind1 which had again risen1 had moderated4 ,we could just stand off and on until a favourable opportunity occurred4 ,once the returning ten members of the ,expedition were embarked it was imperative to hasten towards ,wild's ,base4 ,a week's gale in ,commonwealth ,bay6 ,the seven days which followed ,i do not think any of us will forget4 ,from ,february #a to #g it blew a continuous heavy gale1 interrupted only when the wind increased to a full hurricane 9999 7eighty miles an hour74 9999 99 ,the maximum wind-velocity recorded at this time by the anemometer on shore was approximately eighty miles an hour4 ,we endeavoured to maintain a position under the cliffs where the sea had not room to become heavy4 ,this entailed a constant struggle1 as1 with a full head of steam during the squalls1 the vessel drove steadily seaward to where the rising waves broke on board and rendered steering more perplexing4 ,then1 when it had moderated to a mere howl1 we would crawl back1 only to be driven out again by the next squall4 ,the blinding spray which was swept out in front of the squalls froze solidly on board and lent additional difficulty to the operation of wearing ship4 ,it was on this occasion that we realized what a fine old vessel the ',aurora' was1 and1 as we slowly moved back to shelter1 could appreciate how efficiently our engine-room staff under ,gillies were carrying out their duties4 ,the ordinary steaming speed was six knots1 yet for the whole of this week1 without a hitch1 the ship was being driven at an equivalent of ten knots4 ,the fact of having this reserve power undoubtedly saved us from disaster4 ,a typical entry from my diary reads3 ,february #f4 ,just as the sun was showing over the ice-slopes this morning 7#d ,a4,m47 the wind became very violent with the most terrific squalls ,i have ever experienced4 ,vessel absolutely unmanageable1 driving out to sea4 ,i was expecting the masts to go overboard every minute4 ,this was the worst1 ,i think1 lasting about two hours4 ,at #f ,a4,m41 still blowing very hard but squalls less violent1 gradually made shelter during the morning4444 ,on ,february #h the weather improved after #a ,a4,m4 ,the gusts were less violent and the lulls were of longer duration4 ,at #i ,a4,m4 there was only a gentle breeze4 ,we steamed in towards the boat harbour and signalled for the launch to come off with the ten members of the shore-party4 ,the latter had been instructed to remain at the ,hut until the vessel was ready to sail4 ,here1 while the gale had been in full career1 they had helped to secure enough seal and penguin-meat to keep the ,relief ,party and their dogs for another year4 ,the good-byes were brief while the launch discharged the men and their belongings4 ,instructions were handed over to ,madigan directing him to follow the course believed to have been taken by ,dr4 ,mawson and to make an exhaustive search1 commencing as soon as the ',aurora' left ,commonwealth ,bay4 ,madigan gave me a letter containing a report of the work done by the party which had left on the #beth4 ,it appears that they had been confined in ,aladdin's ,cave for twenty-four hours by dense drift and then1 in moderate drift1 made four miles to the south-east4 ,here they camped and were not able to move for thirty-six hours in a high wind with thick snow4 ,on the #bhth the drift decreased in amount and1 though it was only possible to see a few hundred yards and crevasses were frequent1 they kept a course of east #cj degrees south for six miles4 ,a snow-mound was built and on top of it were placed provisions and a note giving the bearing and distance from ,aladdin's ,cave4 ,in the afternoon the wind subsided and it became clear4 ,eight miles on the same course brought them to their farthest camp1 twenty-three miles from the ,hut4 ,a mound of eleven feet was erected here1 provisions and a note being left and some black bunting wound among the snow-blocks4 ,the depot was on a ridge and1 with glasses1 several miles could be swept to the south-east4 ,the party consisted of ,mc,lean1 ,hodgeman and ,hurley4 ,de la ,motte and ,hannam took the ,relief ,party ashore in the launch and1 as soon as they had returned--at #aa4cj ,a4,m4--we steamed out of the bay4 ,the weather had calmed and there were light airs and a smooth sea4 ,the members of the ,relief ,party were as follows3 ,c4 ,t4 ,madigan 7leader71 ,r4 ,bage1 ,f4 ,h4 ,bickerton1 ,a4 ,j4 ,hodgeman1 ,dr4 ,a4 ,l4 ,mc,lean and ,s4 ,n4 ,jeffryes 7wireless operator74 ,the remaining ten members of the ,main ,base ,party returned to ,australia3 ,j4 ,h4 ,close1 ,p4 ,e4 ,correll1 ,w4 ,h4 ,hannam1 ,j4 ,g4 ,hunter1 ,j4 ,f4 ,hurley1 ,c4 ,f4 ,laseron1 ,h4 ,d4 ,murphy1 ,f4 ,l4 ,stillwell1 ,e4 ,n4 ,webb and ,dr4 ,l4 ,a4 ,whetter4 ,throughout the afternoon we steered north-west and at #h4cj ,p4,m4 were approaching heavy pack4 ,just then ,hannam received a wireless message from the ,main ,base informing us that ,dr4 ,mawson had reached the ,hut alone1 his two comrades having perished1 and instructing me to return at once and pick up all hands4 ,we turned round and steered back immediately4 ,at #h ,a4,m4 on ,february #i the ship entered ,commonwealth ,bay steaming against a strong southerly breeze with some snow4 ,we were right up near the anchorage about noon and the ,pilot ,jack could be seen flying from the wireless mast4 ,instructions were signalled for1 but our efforts were unobserved4 ,we then steamed to and fro across the bay4 ,at #f ,p4,m4 it was blowing a hard gale and showed signs of becoming worse4 ,at #f ,p4,m4 the wind was growing in strength and the barometer was falling4 ,not having received any reply to my signal for instructions1 ,i felt it was necessary to decide whether ,i was justified in remaining any longer4 ,after considering the position in all its bearings ,i decided to sail westward without further delay and for the following reasons3 #a4 ,dr4 ,mawson and his companions were in safety1 comfortably housed and fully equipped for another winter4 #b4 ,any further delay was seriously endangering our chance of being able to relieve ,wild's party that year4 ,the navigation of the fifteen hundred miles to the ,shackleton ,ice-,shelf was becoming1 daily1 more dangerous on account of the shortness of daylight and the conditions of the ice4 #c4 ,the only vessel which had wintered in the vicinity of the ,western ,base 7the ',gauss'7 had been frozen in as early in the season as ,february #bb1 spending more than twelve months in the ice4 ,the ',aurora' was not provisioned for a winter in the ice4 #d4 ,it had been ascertained from the records at the ,main ,base that gales were often protracted at the close of the short summer season4 ,we had just experienced one such gale1 lasting seven days4 #e4 ,as a seaman1 ,i had realized the difficulties encountered in approaching and getting away from the ,western ,base in #aiab4 ,it was then three weeks later in the year4 ,i felt convinced that in leaving the ,main ,base1 without further delay1 ,i was acting as ,dr4 ,mawson would have wished1 if ,i had been able to acquaint him with the position of the ,western ,party4 ,at #f4cj ,p4,m4 we steamed out of the bay1 the wind moderating as the ship got well out to sea4 ,at midnight there was a moderate breeze from the south1 with some snow4 ,on ,february #aj heavy pack was met1 about fifty miles north of ,commonwealth ,bay4 ,after coasting along its margin for a while1 we pushed among the floes and1 after three hours1 reached a patch of fairly open water about #a ,p4,m4 ,one hour later a large ice-formation was sighted1 which tallied with that met on ,january #c of the previous year 7#aiab7 and which1 on this occasion1 was no longer in its original position4 ,we came to the conclusion that the whole must have drifted about fifty miles to the north-west during the intervening year4 ,the face of this huge berg1 along which the ',aurora' coasted1 was about forty miles in length4 ,hannam heard fragments of a message from ,dr4 ,mawson during the evening4 ,the words1 crevasse1 ,ninnis1 ,mertz1 broken and cable were picked up4 ,good progress was made on the #aath against a high westerly sea4 ,the sun set in a clear sky and the barometer was slowly rising4 ,our position was evidently north of the pack and1 if unimpeded by ice1 there was a chance of the ship arriving at her destination in time4 ,poor headway was made for nearly three days against an adverse wind and sea4 ,then1 late on the #adth1 a breeze sprang up from the east-south-east and1 under all sail1 the ',aurora' made seven knots4 ,next morning we were driving along before an easterly gale in thick snow1 and at noon the day's run was one hundred and eighty miles4 ,the journal describes the following week3 ,february #af4 ,the weather cleared up this morning and the sun came out1 enabling us to fix our position4 ,we are doing about eight knots under topsails and foresail4 ,the sky looked threatening this evening but improved considerably before midnight4 ,february #ag4 ,there were frequent snow squalls today1 making it difficult to see4 ,only a few scattered pieces of ice were about4 ,february #ah4 ,bright1 clear weather to-day enabled us to get good observations4 ,there are a great many 'blue whales' round the ship1 and the many bergs in sight are suggestive of heavy pack to the south4 ,a great many petrels and ,cape pigeons have been seen4 ,february #ai4 ,the ship was brought up this morning at #h4de by a line of heavy pack extending across the course4 ,the weather was misty1 but cleared up before noon4 ,we have been obliged to steer a northerly course along the edge of the pack4 ,the margin of this pack is some sixty miles farther north than that which we followed in #aiab4 ,at midnight we were steering north-north-west2 many bergs in sight and a line of pack to port4 ,february #bj4 ,at daylight we were able to steer southwest1 being at noon about twenty miles north of ,termination ,ice-,tongue4 ,pushing through the looser edge of pack for a couple of hours we saw the loom of the ice-tongue to the southward4 ,the pack becoming closer1 we turned back to the north in order to try and push through farther west1 where the sky looked more promising4 ,at dark we were in a patch of clear water1 with ice all around4 ,it began to snow and1 as the wind remained a light easterly1 the ship was allowed to drift until daylight4 ,february #ba4 ,the morning was very foggy up till #aa ,a4,m4 ,we steered west until noon and then entered the pack2 there was a promising sky towards the south4 ,fair progress was made through the ice1 which became looser as we advanced to the south4 ,at #h ,p4,m4 we passed through leads by moonlight1 having a favourable run throughout the night4 ,february #bb4 ,at #d ,a4,m4 the wind freshened from the south-east with some snow2 the floes were getting heavier and the advent of a blizzard was not hailed with joy4 ,about noon the ship approached open water and the snow ceased4 ,we were now on the confines of the sea of bergs where navigation had proved so dangerous in #aiab4 ,at #h ,p4,m4 the driving snow and growing darkness made it impossible to see any distance ahead4 ,the next seven hours were the most anxious ,i have ever spent at sea4 ,although the wind blew hard from the south-east1 we passed through the sea of bergs without mishap1 guided and protected by a ,higher ,power4 ,february #bc4 ,at #d ,a4,m4 the loom of an ice-tongue was sighted and we were soon standing in to follow this feature until we reached the ,shackleton ,shelf4 ,at #h ,a4,m4 we found that we were some miles south of our reckoning4 ,at #aa ,a4,m4 we sighted a depot-flag on the slope4 ,soon after the ship was up to the fast floe at the head of the bay1 the ice being nearly a mile farther north than on the previous year4 ,in fact1 the ice-conditions as a whole had changed considerably4 ,at noon we reached the ,base and found the party all well4 ,wild and his comrades were as glad to see the ',aurora' as we were to see them4 ,they had commenced to lay in a stock of seal-meat fearing that they might have to pass another winter on the glacier4 ,all the afternoon every one was busy getting baggage on board and watering ship4 ,the weather was good and ,i had intended to sail on the same evening by moonlight1 following the glacier-tongue northward in clear water for sixty miles4 ,as we turned northward1 all well on board1 ,i felt truly thankful that ,wild's party had been relieved and anxiety on their account was now at an end4 ,the party included ,f4 ,wild 7leader71 ,g4 ,dovers1 ,c4 ,t4 ,harrisson1 ,c4 ,a4 ,hoadley1 ,dr4 ,s4 ,e4 ,jones1 ,a4 ,l4 ,kennedy1 ,m4 ,h4 ,moyes and ,a4 ,d4 ,watson4 ,early on the #bdth there was a fresh easterly breeze1 while the ship steamed among fields of bergs1 for the most part of glacier-ice4 ,it is marvellous how a vessel can pass through such an accumulation in the dark and come off with only a few bumps6 ,pack consisting of heavy broken floe-ice was entered at four o'clock on the same day1 and at #h ,a4,m4 on the #beth we were clear of it1 steering once more among bergs1 many of which were earth-stained4 ,the day was remarkably fine with light winds and a smooth sea4 ,after we had passed through three hundred miles of berg-strewn ocean1 large masses of ice1 water-worn in most instances1 were still numerous1 and on ,february #bg1 though our position was north of the #hjth parallel1 they were just beginning to diminish in numbers4 ,at noon on that day a sounding was made in two thousand two hundred and thirty fathoms4 ,any hope we may have had of steaming to the east with the object of attempting to relieve the seven men at ,adelie ,land had to be definitely abandoned on account of the small supply of coal which remained4 ,there was now a clear run of two thousand miles through the zone of westerly gales and high seas1 and on ,march #ad we reached ,port ,esperance4 ,mr4 ,eitel1 ,secretary of the ,expedition1 landed here and caught the steamer ,dover to ,hobart4 ,we heard of the disaster to ,captain ,scott and it was learned that wireless messages had been received from ,dr4 ,mawson1 which had been forwarded on to ,australia through the ,macquarie ,island party4 ,,chapter ,,xix ,,the ,,western ,,base--,,establishment ,,and ,,early ,,adventures by ,f4 ,wild ,at #g ,a4,m4 on ,february #ba1 #aiab1 the ',aurora' steamed away to the north leaving us on the ,shackleton ,ice-,shelf1 while cheers and hearty good wishes were exchanged with the ship's company4 ,on the sea-ice1 that day1 there stood with me my comrades--the ,western ,party2 ,g4 ,dovers1 ,c4 ,t4 ,harrisson1 ,c4 ,a4 ,hoadley1 ,s4 ,e4 ,jones1 ,a4 ,l4 ,kennedy1 ,m4 ,h4 ,moyes and ,a4 ,d4 ,watson4 ,we proceeded to the top of the cliff1 where the remainder of the stores and gear were hauled up4 ,tents were then erected and the work of hut-building at once commenced4 ,the site selected for our home was six hundred and forty yards inland from the spot where the stores were landed1 and1 as the edge of the glacier was very badly broken1 ,i was anxious to get a supply of food1 clothing and fuel moved back from the edge to safety as soon as possible4 ,of the twenty-eight ,greenland dogs that had reached ,antarctica in the ',aurora'1 nineteen were landed in ,adelie ,land and nine with us4 ,so far1 none of these had been broken in for sledging1 and all were in poor condition4 ,their quarters on the ship had been very cramped1 and many times they had been thoroughly soaked in salt water1 besides enduring several blizzards in ,antarctic waters4 ,harrisson1 ,hoadley1 ,kennedy and ,jones turned the first sod in the foundations of the hut1 while ,dovers1 ,moyes1 ,watson and ,i sledged along supplies of timber and stores4 ,inward from the brink of the precipice1 which was one hundred feet in height1 the surface was fairly good for sledges1 but1 owing to crevasses and pressure-ridges1 the course was devious and mostly uphill4 ,until the building was completed1 the day's work commenced at #f ,a4,m41 and1 with only half an hour for a midday meal1 continued until #g ,p4,m4 ,fortunately1 the weather was propitious during the seven days when the carpenters and joiners ruled the situation2 the temperature ranging from -#ab degrees ,f4 to #be degrees ,f41 while a moderate blizzard interrupted one day4 ,the chief trouble was that the blizzard deposited six feet of snow around the stack of stores and coal at the landing-place1 thereby adding considerably to our labour4 ,as evidence of the force of the wind1 the floe was broken and driven out past the foot of the flying-fox1 tearing away the lower anchor and breaking the sheer-legs on the glacier4 ,an average day's work on the stores consisted in bringing thirteen loads over a total distance of nine and a half miles4 ,first of all1 the cases had to be dug out of the snow-drifts1 and loading and unloading the sledges was scarcely less arduous4 ,on ,february #bg1 while working on the roof1 ,harrisson made an addition to our geographical knowledge4 ,well to the north of the mainland1 and bearing a little north of east1 he could trace the outline of land4 ,subsequently this was proved to be an island1 thirty-two miles distant1 and seventeen miles north of the mainland4 ,it was twenty miles long and fifteen miles wide1 being entirely ice-covered4 ,later on1 it was charted as ,masson ,island4 ,on the #bhth1 the hut was fit for habitation1 the stove was installed1 and meals were cooked and eaten in moderate comfort4 ,the interior of the house was twenty feet square1 but its area was reduced by a lobby entrance1 three feet by five feet1 a dark-room three feet by six feet situated on one side1 and my cabin six feet six inches square in one corner4 ,the others slept in seven bunks which were ranged at intervals round the walls4 ,of the remaining space1 a large portion was commodiously occupied by the stove and table4 ,on three sides1 the roof projected five feet beyond the walls and formed a veranda which was boarded up1 making an excellent store-room and work-room4 ,this was a splendid idea of ,dr4 ,mawson's1 enabling us to work during the severest storms when there was no room in the hut1 and incidentally supplying extra insulation and rendering the inside much warmer4 ,the main walls and roof were double and covered with weather-proof felt4 ,daylight was admitted through four plate-glass skylights in the roof4 ,a blizzard effectually prevented outdoor work on ,february #bi1 and all hands were employed in the hut1 lining the roof and walls and fixing shelves for cooking and other utensils4 ,an attack was made on the transport of stores next day4 ,as a result of twelve hours' work1 five and a half tons of coal were dragged up and stowed under the veranda4 ,it was ,hoadley's birthday1 and the cook made a special feature of the dinner4 ,with extra dainties like figs1 cake and a bottle of wine1 we felt that the occasion was fitly celebrated4 ,on ,march #b1 more stores were amassed round the house2 ,hoadley1 ,harrisson and ,i doing odd jobs inside1 opening cans1 sorting out stores1 fitting bunks1 shelves and the acetylene gas plant4 ,while undoing some packages of small boards1 ,hoadley found that a space had been arranged in the centre of one of the bundles1 and a box of cigars inserted by some of the men originally employed upon the construction of the hut in ,melbourne4 ,enclosed was a letter of hearty good wishes4 ,during the afternoon1 ,dovers and ,kennedy lowered a small sledge down to the floe and brought up a seal and three ,adelie penguins4 ,these served for a while as fresh food for ourselves and the dogs4 ,sunday ,march #c was the finest day we had up till then experienced1 and1 since the work was now sufficiently advanced to make us comparatively comfortable and safe1 ,i determined to make a proper ,sunday of it4 ,all hands were called at #h4cj ,a4,m4 instead of #f ,a4,m4 ,after breakfast a few necessary jobs were done and at noon a short service was held4 ,when lunch was over1 the skis were unpacked1 and all went for a run to the east in the direction of ,masson ,island4 ,the glacier's surface was excellent for travelling1 but ,i soon found that it would be dangerous to walk about alone without skis1 as there were a number of crevasses near the hut1 some of considerable size2 ,i opened one twenty-five feet wide4 ,they were all well bridged and would support a man on skis quite easily4 ,a heavy gale1 with falling snow and blinding drift1 came on early the next day and continued for forty-eight hours2 our worst blizzard up to that time4 ,the temperature1 below zero before the storm1 rose with the wind to #cj degrees ,f4 ,inside1 all were employed preparing for a sledging trip ,i intended to make to the mainland before the winter set in4 ,we were greatly handicapped by the want of a sewing machine49999 ,when unpacked1 the one which had been brought was found to be without shuttles1 spools and needles4 ,large canvas bags1 made to contain two weeks' provisions for a sledging unit of three men1 were in the equipment1 but the smaller bags of calico for the different articles of food had to be sewn by hand4 ,several hundred of these were required1 and altogether the time consumed in making them was considerable4 9999 ,by accident the small sewing machine belonging to ,wild's party was landed at the ,main ,base--,,ed4 ,emerging on the morning of the #fth4 after the blizzard had blown itself out1 we found that snow-drifts to a depth of twelve feet had collected around the hut4 ,for entrance and exit1 a shaft had to be dug and a ladder made4 ,the stores1 stacked in heaps close by1 were completely covered1 and another blizzard swooping down on the #gth made things still worse4 ,this blow1 persisting till the morning of the #ith1 was very heavy1 the wind frequently attaining velocities judged to reach ninety miles per hour1 accompanied by drift so thick that it was impossible to go outside for anything4 ,beyond the erection of the wireless masts1 everything was now ready for the sledging journey4 ,on the day when the wind abated1 a party set to work digging holes for the masts and stay-posts4 ,the former were to be fifty-two feet high1 four and a half feet being buried in the ice4 ,unfortunately1 a strong breeze with thick drift sprang up just as hoisting operations had started1 and in a few minutes the holes were filled up and the workers had to run for shelter4 ,meanwhile1 four men had succeeded in rescuing all the buried stores1 some being stowed alongside the hut1 and the remainder stacked up again on a new level4 ,on came another severe blizzard1 which continued with only a few minutes' interval until the evening of the #abth4 ,during the short lull1 ,jones1 ,dovers and ,hoadley took a sledge for a load of ice from a pressure-ridge rather less than two hundred yards from the hut4 ,while they were absent1 the wind freshened again1 and they had great difficulty in finding a way to the entrance4 ,it was very disappointing to be delayed in this manner1 but there was consolation in the fact that we were better off in the hut than on the glacier1 and that there was plenty of work inside4 ,the interior was thus put in order much earlier than it would otherwise have been4 ,in erecting the hut1 it was found that a case of nuts and bolts was missing1 and many places in the frame had in consequence to be secured with nails4 ,for a while ,i was rather doubtful how the building would stand a really heavy blow4 ,there was1 however1 no need for uneasiness1 as the first two blizzards drifted snow to such a depth in our immediate vicinity that1 even with the wind at hurricane force1 there was scarcely a tremor in the building4 ,the morning of ,wednesday ,march #ac was calm and overcast4 ,breakfast was served at six o'clock4 ,we then set to work and cleared away the snow from the masts and stay-posts1 so that by #h4cj ,a4,m4 both masts were in position4 ,before the job was over1 a singular sight was witnessed4 ,a large section of the glacier--many thousands of tons--calved off into the sea4 ,the tremendous waves raised by the fall of this mass smashed into fragments all the floe left in the bay4 ,with the sea-ice went the snow-slopes which were the natural roadway down4 ,a perpendicular cliff1 sixty to one hundred feet above the water1 was all that remained1 and our opportunities of obtaining seals and penguins in the future were cut off4 ,of course1 too1 the old landing-place no longer existed4 ,the whole of the sledging provisions and gear were brought out1 weighed and packed on the sledges2 the total weight being one thousand two hundred and thirty-three pounds4 ,dovers1 ,harrisson1 ,hoadley1 ,jones1 ,moyes and myself were to constitute the party4 ,it was necessary for two men to remain behind at the base to keep the meteorological records1 to wind chronometers1 to feed the dogs and to bring up the remainder of the stores from the edge of the ice-cliff4 ,kennedy1 the magnetician1 had to stay1 as two term days9999 were due in the next month4 ,it was essential that we should have a medical man with us1 so ,jones was included in the sledging party2 the others drawing lots to decide who should remain with ,kennedy4 ,the unlucky one was ,watson4 9999 ,days set apart by previous arrangement for magnetic quick runs4 ,to the south of the ,base1 seventeen miles distant at the nearest point1 the mainland was visible1 entirely ice-clad1 running almost due east and west4 ,it appeared to rise rapidly to about three thousand feet1 and then to ascend more gradually as the great plateau of the ,antarctic continent4 ,it was my intention to travel inland beyond the lower ice-falls1 which extended in an irregular line of riven bluffs all along the coast1 and then to lay a depot or depots which might be useful on the next season's journeys4 ,another reason for making the journey was to give the party some experience in sledging work4 ,the combined weight of both sledges and effects was one thousand two hundred and thirty-three pounds1 and the total amount of food carried was four hundred and sixty pounds4 ,while the sledges were being loaded1 ten skua gulls paid us a visit1 and1 as roast skua is a very pleasant change of food1 ,jones shot six of them4 ,at #a ,p4,m4 we left the hut1 making an east-south-east course to clear a pressure-ridge2 altering the course once more to south-east4 ,the coast in this direction looked accessible1 whereas a line running due south would have brought us to some unpromising ice-falls by a shorter route4 ,the surface was very good and almost free from crevasses2 only one1 into which ,jones fell to his middle1 being seen during the afternoon's march4 ,not wishing to do too much the first day1 especially after the soft days we had been forced to spend in the hut during the spell of bad weather1 ,i made two short halts in the afternoon and camped at #e ,p4,m41 having done seven and half miles4 ,on the #aath we rose at #e ,a4,m41 and at #g ,a4,m4 we were on the march4 ,for the two hours after starting1 the surface was tolerable and then changed for the worse2 the remainder of the day's work being principally over a hard crust1 which was just too brittle to bear the weight of a man1 letting him through to a soft substratum1 six or eight inches deep in the snow4 ,only those who have travelled in country like this can properly realize how wearisome it is4 ,at #i ,a4,m4 the course was altered to south1 as there appeared to be a fairly good track up the hills4 ,the surface of the glacier rose and fell in long undulations which became wider and more marked as the land approached4 ,by the time we camped1 they were three-quarters of a mile from crest to crest1 with a drop of thirty feet from crest to trough4 ,despite the heavy trudging we covered more than thirteen miles4 ,i made the marching hours #g ,a4,m4 to #e ,p4,m41 so that there was time to get the evening meal before darkness set in2 soon after #f ,p4,m4 ,the march commenced about seven o'clock on ,march #ae1 the thermometer registering -#h degrees ,f41 while a light southerly breeze made it feel much colder4 ,the exercise soon warmed us up and1 when the breeze died away1 the remainder of the day was perfectly calm4 ,a surface of pie-crust cut down the mileage in the forenoon4 ,at #aa ,a4,m4 we encountered many crevasses1 from two to five feet wide1 with clean-cut sides and shaky bridges4 ,hoadley went down to his head in one1 and we all got our legs in others4 ,it became evident after lunch that the land was nearing rapidly1 its lower slopes obscuring the higher land behind4 ,the crevasses also became wider1 so ,i lengthened the harness with an alpine rope to allow more room and to prevent more than two men from being over a chasm at the same time4 ,at #d ,p4,m4 we were confronted with one sixty feet wide4 ,crevasses over thirty feet in width usually have very solid bridges and may be considered safe1 but this one had badly broken edges and one hundred yards on the right the lid had collapsed4 ,so instead of marching steadily across1 we went over singly on the alpine rope and hauled the sledges along in their turn1 when all had crossed in safety4 ,immediately after passing this obstacle the grade became steeper1 and1 between three and five o'clock1 we rose two hundred feet1 traversing several large patches of neve4 ,that night the tent stood on a field of snow covering the lower slopes of the hills4 ,on either hand were magnificent examples of ice-falls1 but ahead the way seemed open4 ,with the exception of a preliminary stiffness1 every one felt well after the toil of the first few days4 ,in bright sunlight next morning all went to examine the ice-falls to the east1 which were two miles away4 ,roping up1 we made an ascent half-way to the top which rose five hundred feet and commanded a grand panorama of glacier and coast4 ,soon the wind freshened and drift began to fly4 ,when we regained the tents a gale was blowing1 with heavy drift1 so there was nothing to do but make ourselves as comfortable as possible inside4 ,all through ,saturday night the gale raged and up till #aa4cj ,a4,m4 on ,sunday ,march #af4 ,on turning out1 we found that the tents and sledges were covered deeply in snow1 and we dug continuously for more than two hours before we were able to pack up and get away4 ,both sledges ran easily for nearly a mile over neve1 when the gradient increased to one in ten1 forcing us to relay4 ,it was found necessary to change our finnesko for spiked boots4 ,relaying regularly1 we gradually mounted six hundred feet over neve and massive sastrugi4 ,with a steep slope in front1 a halt was made for the night4 ,the sunset was a picture of prismatic colours reflected over the undulating ice-sheet and the tumbling cascades of the glacier4 ,on the evening of ,march #ah the altitude of our camp was one thousand four hundred and ten feet1 and the slope was covered with sastrugi ridges1 three to four feet in height4 ,travelling over these on the following day we had frequent capsizes4 ,the outlook to the south was a series of irregular terraces1 varying from half a mile to two miles in breadth and twenty to two hundred feet in height4 ,these were furrowed by small valleys and traversed by ridges1 but there was not a sign of rock anywhere4 ,the temperature varied from #d degrees to #ad degrees ,f4 during the day1 and the minimum recorded at night was -#aa degrees ,f4 ,another nine miles of slow ascent brought us to two thousand feet1 followed by a rise of two hundred and twenty feet in seven and three-quarter miles on ,march #ba4 ,hauling over high broken sastrugi was laborious enough to make every one glad when the day was over4 ,the rations were found sufficient1 but the plasmon biscuits were so hard that they had to be broken with a geological hammer4 ,there now swept down on us a blizzard9999 which lasted for a whole week1 on the evening of ,march #ba4 ,according to my diary1 the record is as follows3 ,friday1 ,march #bb4 ,snowing heavily all day1 easterly wind3 impossible to travel as nothing can be seen more than ten to twelve yards away4 ,temperature high1 #g degrees to #ah degrees ,f4 9999 ,it is a singular fact that this blizzard occurred on the same date as that during which ,captain ,scott and his party lost their lives4 ,saturday1 ,march #bc4 ,blowing hard at turn-out time1 so did not breakfast until #h4cj4 ,dovers is cook in my tent this week4 ,he got his clothes filled up with snow while bringing in the cooker1 food-bag1 etc4 ,the wind increased to a fierce gale during the day1 and all the loose snow which fell yesterday was shifted4 ,about #e ,p4,m4 the snow was partially blown away from the skirt or ground cloth1 and the tent bulged in a good deal4 ,i got into burberries and went out to secure it2 it was useless to shovel on snow as it was blown off immediately4 ,i therefore dragged the food-bags off the sledge and dumped them on4 ,the wind and drift were so strong that ,i had several times to get in the lee of the tent to recover my breath and to clear the mask of snow from my face4 ,we are now rather crowded through the tent bulging in so much1 and having cooker and food-bag inside4 ,sunday1 ,march #bd4 ,had a very bad night4 ,the wind was chopping about from south-east to north and blowing a hurricane4 ,one side of the tent was pressed in past the centre1 and ,i had to turn out and support it with bag lashings4 ,then the ventilator was blown in and we had a pile of snow two feet high over the sleeping-bags2 this kept us warm1 but it was impossible to prevent some of it getting into the bags1 and now we are very wet and the bags like sponges4 ,there were quite two hundredweights of snow on us2 all of which came through a hole three inches wide4 ,according to report from the other tent they are worse off than we are2 they say they have four feet of snow in the tent4 ,all this is due to the change of wind1 making the ventilator to windward instead of leeward4 ,march #be1 #bf and #bg4 ,blizzard still continues1 less wind but more snowfall4 ,thursday1 ,march #bh4 ,heavy falling snow and drift1 south-east wind4 ,at noon1 the wind eased down and snow ceased falling1 so we slipped into our burberry over-suits and climbed out to dig for the sledges4 ,nothing could be seen except about two feet of the tops of the tents1 which meant that there was a deposit of five feet of freshly fallen snow4 ,the upper two feet was soft and powdery1 offering no resistance2 under that it was still soft1 so that we sank to our thighs every step and frequently to the waist4 ,by #d4cj ,p4,m4 both sledges were rescued1 and it was ascertained that no gear had been lost4 ,we all found that the week of idleness and confinement had weakened us1 and at first were only able to take short spells at the digging4 ,the sky and barometer promise fine weather to-morrow1 but what awful work it will be pulling6 ,at #e4cj ,a4,m4 on ,march #bi the weather was bright and calm4 ,as a strong wind had blown throughout the night1 a harder surface was expected4 ,outside1 we were surprised to find a fresh wind and thick1 low drift2 owing to the tents being snowed up so high1 the threshing of the drift was not audible4 ,to my disgust the surface was as soft as ever4 ,it appeared that the only resort was to leave the provisions for the depot on the nearest ridge and return to the ,base4 ,the temperature was -#bj degrees ,f41 and1 while digging out the tents1 ,dovers had his nose frost-bitten4 ,it took six of us well over an hour to drag the necessary food half a mile up a rise of less than one hundred feet2 the load1 sledge included1 not being five hundred pounds4 ,nearly all the time we were sinking thigh-deep1 and the sledge itself was going down so far that the instrument-box was pushing a mass of snow in front of it4 ,arriving on the ridge1 ,moyes found that his foot was frozen and he had to go back to camp1 as there was too much wind to bring it round in the open4 ,sufficient food and oil were left at this depot for three men for six weeks2 also a minimum thermometer4 ,in a fresh breeze and flying drift we were off at #aj ,a4,m4 next day4 ,at first we were ambitious and moved away with two sledges1 sinking from two to three feet all the time4 ,forty yards was as much as we could do without a rest1 and by lunch time nine hundred yards was the total4 ,now the course was downhill1 and the two sledges were pulled together1 creeping along with painful slowness1 as walking was the hardest work imaginable4 ,after one of the most strenuous days ,i have ever experienced1 we camped2 the sledge-meter recorded one mile four hundred and fifty yards4 ,a spell of two days' blizzard cooped us up once more1 but improved the surface slightly4 ,still1 it was dreadfully soft1 and1 but for the falling gradient1 we would not have made what we did2 five miles six hundred and ten yards1 on ,april #b4 ,on that and the following day it was fortunate that the road chosen was free of crevasses4 ,at the foot of the hills ,i had decided to reduce the rations but1 as the track had grown firm once more1 and we were only twenty-five miles from the hut1 with a week's food1 ,i thought it would be safe to use the full allowance4 ,soon after leaving the hills 7,april #d71 a direct course to the hut was made4 ,there was no mark by which to steer1 except a water-sky to the north1 the hinterland being clouded over4 ,during the afternoon1 the sun occasionally gleamed through a tract of cirro-stratus cloud and there was a very fine parhelion3 signs of an approaching blizzard4 ,at #d4cj ,p4,m4 we had done seventeen and a half miles1 and1 as all hands were fresh and willing1 ,i decided to have a meal and go on again1 considering that the moon was full and there were only six miles to be done4 ,after supper the march was continued till #h4cj ,p4,m41 by which time we were due for a rest4 ,i had begun to think that we had passed the hut4 ,april #e was far from being a ,good ,friday for us4 ,at #b ,a4,m4 a fresh breeze rose and rapidly increased to a heavy gale4 ,at #aj ,a4,m4 ,hoadley and ,i had to go out to secure the tent2 the weather-side bulged in more than half the width of the tent and was held by a solid load of drift1 but the other sides were flapping so much that almost all the snow had been shaken off the skirt4 ,though only five yards away from it we could not see the other tent4 ,at noon ,hoadley again went out to attend to the tent and entirely lost himself within six feet of it4 ,he immediately started to yell and ,i guessed what was the matter at once4 ,dovers and ,i shouted our best1 and ,hoadley groped his way in with a mask of snow over his face4 ,he told us that the wind which was then blowing a good eighty miles an hour1 knocked him down immediately he was outside1 and1 when he struggled to his feet again1 he could see nothing and had no idea in what direction lay the tent4 ,the space inside was now so limited by the combined pressure of wind and snow that we did not light the primus1 eating lumps of frozen pemmican for the evening meal4 ,the blizzard continued with unabated violence until eleven o'clock next morning1 when it moderated within an hour to half a gale4 ,we turned out and had a good hot meal4 ,then we looked to see how the others had fared and found that their tent had collapsed4 ,getting at once into wind-proof clothing1 we rushed out and were horrified to see ,harrisson in his bag on the snow4 ,he quickly assured us that he was all right4 ,after carrying him1 bag and all1 into our tent1 he emerged quite undamaged1 but very hungry4 ,jones and ,moyes now had to be rescued2 they were in a most uncomfortable position under the fallen tent4 ,it appears that the tent had blown down on the previous morning at ten o'clock1 and for thirty-six hours they had had nothing to eat4 ,we did not take long to dig them out4 ,the wind dropped to a moderate breeze1 and1 through the falling snow1 ,i could make out a water-sky to the west4 ,the three unfortunates said that they felt fit to travel1 so we got under way4 ,the surface was soft and the pulling very heavy1 and ,i soon saw that the strain was largely due to the weakness of the three who had been without food4 ,calling a halt1 ,i asked ,jones if it would do to go on2 he assured me that they could manage to go on with an effort1 and the march was resumed4 ,not long after1 ,dovers sighted the wireless mast1 and a quarter of an hour later we were safely in the hut1 much to the surprise of ,kennedy and ,watson1 who did not expect us to be travelling in such weather1 and greatly to our own relief4 ,according to the sledge-meter1 the last camp had only been two miles one hundred yards from home1 and if anything had been visible on the night of ,april #d1 we could have got in easily4 ,i was very pleased with the way all the party had shaped4 ,they had worked splendidly and were always cheerful1 although conditions had been exceptionally trying during this journey4 ,no one was any the worse for the hardships1 except for a few blistered fingers from frost-bites4 ,the party lost weight at the average of two and a half pounds2 ,harrisson was the greatest loser1 being reduced six pounds4 ,out of the twenty-five days we were away1 it was only possible to sledge on twelve days4 ,the total distance covered1 including relay work1 was nearly one hundred and twenty-two miles1 and the greatest elevation reached on the southern mainland was two thousand six hundred feet above sea-level4 ,kennedy and ,watson had been very busy during our absence4 ,in a few days they had trained five of the dogs to pull in harness1 and transported the remainder of the stores from the landing-place1 arranging them in piles round the hut4 ,the weather at the ,base had been quite as bad as that experienced by us on the land slopes4 ,in the first blizzard both wireless masts were broken down4 ,watson and ,kennedy managed to repair and re-erect one of the masts1 but it was only thirty-seven feet in height4 ,any final hopes of hearing wireless signals were dispelled by the discovery that the case containing the detector and several other parts necessary for a receiving-station were missing4 ,watson had fitted up a splendid dark-room1 as well as plenty of shelves and racks for cooking utensils4 ,kennedy was able to secure a series of observations on one of his term days1 but1 before the next one1 the tent he was using was blown to ribbons4 ,,chapter ,,xx ,,the ,,western ,,base--,,winter ,,and ,,spring ,on ,easter ,sunday1 ,april #g1 #aiab1 a furious blizzard kept us close prisoners4 ,to meet the occasion1 ,dovers prepared a special dinner1 the principal item being roast mutton1 from one of the six carcases landed with the stores4 ,divine service was held in the forenoon4 ,the blizzard raged with such force all ,sunday and ,monday that ,i dared not let any one go out to feed the dogs1 although we found1 later1 that a fast of three days did not hurt them at all4 ,i now thought it time to establish a winter routine4 ,each member had his particular duties to perform1 in addition to general work1 in which all hands were engaged4 ,harrisson took charge of the lamps and checked consumption of oil4 ,hoadley had the care of the provisions1 making out lists showing the amount the cook might use of each article of food1 besides opening cases and stowing a good assortment on convenient shelves in the veranda4 ,jones and ,kennedy worked the acetylene plant4 ,in connexion with this1 ,i should mention that several parts were missing1 including ,t-pieces for joints and connexions for burners4 ,however ,jones1 in addition to his ability as a surgeon1 showed himself to be an excellent plumber1 brazier and tinsmith1 and the ,hut was well lighted all the time we occupied it4 ,moyes's duties as meteorologist took him out at all hours4 ,watson looked after the dogs1 while ,dovers relieved other members when they were cooks4 ,the duty of cook was taken for a week at a time by every one except myself4 ,a night watch was kept by each in turn4 ,the watchman went on duty at #i ,p4,m41 usually taking advantage of this night to have a bath and wash his clothes4 ,he prepared breakfast1 calling all hands at #h4cj ,a4,m4 for this meal at nine o'clock4 ,the cook for the week was exempt from all other work4 ,in the case of ,kennedy1 whose magnetic work was done principally at night1 arrangements were made to assist him with the cooking4 ,work commenced during the winter months at ten o'clock and1 unless anything special had to be done1 finished at #a ,p4,m41 when lunch was served4 ,the afternoon was usually devoted to sport and recreation4 ,the frequent blizzards and heavy snowfall had by this time buried the ,hut so deeply that only the top of the pointed roof was visible and all the outside stores were covered4 ,my diary for ,april #i says3 ,the blizzard 7which had commenced on the evening of the #fth7 played itself out during the night and we got to work immediately after breakfast4 ,there was still a fresh breeze and low drift1 but this gradually died away4 ,we were an hour digging an exit from the ,hut4 ,the day has been occupied in cutting a tunnel entrance1 forty feet long1 through the drift1 so that driving snow cannot penetrate1 and we shall be able to get out with less trouble4 ,as we get time ,i intend to excavate caverns in the huge drifts packed round the house and stow all our stores inside2 also a good supply of ice for use during blizzards4 ,i had intended to make a trip to ,masson ,island before the winter properly set in1 but with the weather behaving as it does1 ,i don't think it would be wise4 ,the #ajth1 #aath and #abth being fine1 good progress was made in digging out store-rooms on either side of the tunnel1 but a blizzard on the #acth and #adth stopped us again4 ,on going to feed the dogs during the afternoon of the #adth1 ,watson found that ,nansen was dead2 this left us with seven1 as ,crippen had already died4 ,of the remainder1 only four were of any value2 ,sweep and the two bitches1 ,tiger and ,tich1 refusing to do anything in harness1 and1 as there was less than sufficient food for them1 the two latter had to be shot4 ,sweep would have shared the same fate but he disappeared1 probably falling down a crevasse or over the edge of the glacier4 ,until the end of ,april almost all our time was spent in making store-rooms and in searching for buried stores2 sometimes a shaft would have to be sunk eight to twelve feet4 ,bamboo poles stuck in the snow marked the positions of the different stacks4 ,the one marking the carbide was blown away1 and it was two days before ,dovers finally unearthed it4 ,by the #cjth1 caves roomy enough to contain everything were completed1 all being connected by the tunnel4 ,we were now self-contained1 and everything was accessible and immune from the periodic blizzards4 ,the entrance1 by the way1 was a trap-door built over the tunnel and raised well above the outside surface to prevent it being drifted over4 ,from below it was approached by a ladder1 but the end of the tunnel was left open1 so that in fine weather we could run sledges in and out with loads of ice4 ,with each blizzard the entrance was completely choked1 and it gave two men a day's work to clear it out once more4 ,on ,april #af ,kennedy had a term day4 ,a fresh breeze was blowing and the temperature was -#bj degrees ,f4 ,some of his observations had to be taken in the open and the remainder in a tent4 ,the series took three hours to complete and by that time he was thoroughly chilled through1 his feet and fingers were frost-bitten and his language had grown more incisive than usual4 ,between the #ajth and the #aith we made a search for penguins and seals4 ,hoadley and ,moyes staying behind1 the rest of us with tents and equipment journeyed along the edge of the glacier to the south1 without seeing the smallest sign of life4 ,the edge of the shelf-ice was very much fissured1 many of the breaches giving no sign of their presence1 in consequence of which several falls were sustained4 ,it should be remarked that the ,shackleton ,shelf-,ice runs mainly in a southerly direction from the ,winter ,quarters1 joining the mainland at a point1 afterwards named ,junction ,corner4 ,the map of ,queen ,mary ,land illustrates this at a glance4 ,from the #beth to the #bith1 ,kennedy1 ,harrisson and ,jones were employed building an igloo to be used as a magnetic observatory4 ,on the afternoon of the #cjth1 the magnetician invited every one to a tea-party in the igloo to celebrate the opening4 ,he had the place very nicely decorated with flags1 and after the reception and the formal inspection of the instruments1 we were served with quite a good tea4 ,the outside temperature was -#cc degrees ,f4 and it was not much higher inside the igloo4 ,as a result1 no one extended his visit beyond the bounds of politeness4 ,on ,may #a1 ,harrisson1 ,hoadley and ,watson went away south towards the land at the head of the bay1 which curved round to ,junction ,corner1 to examine icebergs1 take photographs and to search for seals4 ,they took the four dogs with them and1 as the load was a light one--three hundred and forty-two pounds--the dogs pulled it easily4 ,i went with the others to the north1 hoping that we might find a portion of the glacier low enough to give access to the sea-ice4 ,there were several spots where the ice-cliffs were not more than forty to fifty feet high1 but no convenient ramps led down from the cliffs4 ,in any case neither penguins nor seals were to be had in the vicinity4 ,a great1 flat sheet of frozen sea stretched away to the north for quite thirty miles4 ,may #b was fine1 but the #crd and #dth were windy once more and we had to remain indoors4 ,saturday1 the #dth1 was clean-up day1 when the verandas1 tunnel and cave were swept and tidied1 the stove cleaned1 the hut and darkroom scrubbed and the windows cleared4 ,the last was a job which was generally detested4 ,during the week1 the windows in the roof collected a coat of ice1 from an inch to three inches thick1 by condensation of moisture4 ,chipping this off was a most tedious piece of work1 while in the process one's clothes became filled with ice4 ,one ,sunday1 ,harrisson1 ,hoadley and ,watson returned from their short trip2 they had missed the strong winds which had been blowing at the ,base1 although less than twenty miles away4 ,some very fine old icebergs were discovered which were of interest to the two geologists and made good subjects for ,harrisson's sketches4 ,watson had had a nasty fall while crossing a patch of rough ice1 his nose being rather badly cut in the accident4 ,on ,may #g another blizzard stopped all outside work4 ,moyes ventured as far as the meteorological screen at noon and got lost1 but luckily only for a short time4 ,the barometer behaved very strangely during the blow1 rising abruptly during a little more than an hour1 and then slowly falling once more4 ,for a few hours on the #hth there was a lull and the store of ice was replenished1 but the #ith and #ajth were again spent indoors1 repairing and refitting tents1 poles and other sledging gear during the working hours1 and reading or playing chess and bridge in the leisure time4 ,harrisson carved an excellent set of chessmen1 distinguishing the black ones by a stain of permanganate of potash4 ,bridge was the favourite game all through the winter1 and a continuous record of the scores was kept4 ,two medals were struck3 a neat little thing for the highest scorer and a huge affair as large as a plate1 slung on a piece of three-and-a-half-inch rope1 with ,jonah inscribed on it1 to be worn by the player at the foot of the list4 ,divine service was held every ,sunday1 ,moyes and ,i taking it in turn4 ,there was only one hymn book amongst the party1 which made it necessary to write out copies of the hymns each week4 ,the sleeping-bags used on the first sledging journey had been hung up near the roof4 ,they were now taken down to be thoroughly overhauled4 ,as a consequence of their severe soaking1 they had shrunk considerably and required enlarging4 ,dovers's bag1 besides contracting a good deal1 had lost much hair and was cut up to patch the others4 ,he received a spare one to replace it4 ,may #ae was a beautiful bright morning and ,i went over to an icy cape two miles southward1 with ,harrisson1 ,hoadley1 ,dovers and ,watson1 to find a road down to the sea-ice4 ,here1 we had good fortune at last1 for1 by following down a crevasse which opened out at sea-level into a magnificent cave1 we walked straight out on to the level plain4 ,along the edge of the glacier there was not even a seal's blow-hole4 ,watson took some photos of the cave and cliff4 ,it was ,kennedy's term night2 the work keeping him in the igloo from #aj ,p4,m4 until #b4cj ,a4,m4 ,he had had some difficulty in finding a means of warming the observatory--an urgent necessity1 since he found it impossible to manipulate delicate magnetic instruments for three or four hours with the temperature from -#be degrees ,f4 to -#cj degrees ,f4 ,the trouble was to make a non-magnetic lamp and the problem was finally solved by using one of the aluminium cooking pots2 converting it into a blubber stove4 ,the stove smoked a great deal and the white walls were soon besmirched with a layer of soot4 ,the #agth1 #ahth and #aith were all calm but dull4 ,one day ,i laid out a ten-hole golf course and with some homemade balls and hockey sticks for clubs played a game1 not devoid of interest and excitement4 ,during a blizzard which descended on the evening of the #bjth1 ,zip and ,sweep disappeared and on the #bast1 a search on the glacier having been in vain1 ,dovers and ,hoadley made their way down to the floe4 ,they found ,zip well and hearty in spite of having had a drop of at least forty feet off the glacier4 ,a further search for ,sweep proved fruitless4 ,we were forced to conclude that he was either killed by falling over the precipice or he had gone far away hunting for penguins4 ,the regular blizzard immured us on ,may #bb1 #bc and #bd2 the wind at times of terrific force1 approaching one hundred miles per hour4 ,it was impossible to secure meteorological observations or to feed the dogs until noon on the #bdth4 ,moyes and ,i went out during a slight cessation and1 with the aid of a rope from the trap-door1 managed to find the dogs1 and gave them some biscuits4 ,the drift was then so thick that six feet was as far as one could see4 ,we did not forget ,empire ,day and duly spliced the mainbrace4 ,the most bigoted teetotaller could not call us an intemperate party4 ,on each ,saturday night1 one drink per man was served out1 the popular toast being ,sweethearts and ,wives4 ,the only other convivial meetings of our small symposium were on the birthdays of each member1 ,midwinter's ,day and ,king's ,birthday4 ,on the #beth we were able to make an inventory of a whole series of damages effected outside4 ,the dogs' shelter had entirely carried away2 a short mast which had been erected some weeks previously as a holdfast for sledges was snapped off short and the sledges buried1 and1 worst of all1 ,kennedy's igloo had parted with its roof1 the interior being filled with snow1 underneath which the instruments were buried4 ,the dogs were1 however1 all quite well and lively4 ,it was fortunate for them that the temperature always rose during the blizzards4 ,at this period1 when on fine days it was usual to experience -#be degrees to-#cg degrees ,f41 the temperature rose in the snowstorms to #be degrees or even #cj degrees ,f4 ,monday the #bgth was beautifully clear4 ,the tunnel entrance was opened and some of the party brought in ice while others undid the rope lashings which had been placed over the hut4 ,this was so compactly covered in snow that the lashings were not required and ,i wanted to make a rope ladder to enable us to get down to the sea-ice and also to be used by ,watson and ,hoadley1 who were about to dig a shaft in the glacier to examine the structure of the ice4 ,fine weather continued until ,june #b4 ,during this time we were occupied in digging a road from the glacier down to the sea-ice in the forenoons and hunting for seals or skiing in the afternoons4 ,kennedy and ,harrisson rebuilt the magnetic igloo4 ,a seal-hole was eventually found near the foot of the glacier and this was enlarged to enable the seals to come up4 ,at the end of ,may1 daylight lasted from #i ,a4,m4 until #c ,p4,m41 and the sunrise and sunset were a marvel of exquisite colour4 ,the nightly displays of aurora australis were not very brilliant as the moon was nearing the full4 ,on the days of blizzards1 there was usually sufficient work to be found to keep us all employed4 ,thus on ,june #b1 ,watson and ,i were making a ladder1 ,jones was contriving a harpoon for seals1 ,hoadley was opening cases and stowing stores in the veranda1 ,dovers cleaning tools1 ,moyes repairing a thermograph and writing up the meteorological log1 ,harrisson cooking and ,kennedy sleeping after a night-watch4 ,between ,june #d and #bb there was a remarkably fine spell4 ,it was not calm all the time1 as drift flew for a few days1 limiting the horizon to a few hundred yards4 ,an igloo was built as a shelter for those sinking the geological shaft1 and seal-hunting was a daily recreation4 ,on ,june #i1 ,dovers and ,watson found a ,weddell seal two and a half miles to the west on the sea-ice4 ,they killed the animal but did not cut it up as there were sores on the skin4 ,jones went over with them afterwards and pronounced the sores to be wounds received from some other animal1 so the meat was considered innocuous and fifty pounds were brought in1 being very welcome after tinned foods4 ,jones took culture tubes with him and made smears for bacteria4 ,the tubes were placed in an incubator and several kinds of organisms grew1 very similar to those which infect wounds in ordinary climates4 ,the snowstorms had by this time built up huge drifts under the lee of the ice-cliffs1 some of them more than fifty feet in height and reaching almost to the top of the ice-shelf4 ,an exhilarating sport was to ski down these ramps4 ,the majority of them were very steep and irregular and it was seldom that any of us escaped without a fall at one time or another4 ,several of the party were thrown from thirty to forty feet1 and1 frequently enough1 over twenty feet1 without being hurt4 ,the only accident serious enough to disable any one happened to ,kennedy on ,june #ai1 when he twisted his knee and was laid up for a week4 ,there were many fine displays of the aurora in ,june1 the best being observed on the evening of the #ahth4 ,curtains and streamers were showing from four o'clock in the afternoon4 ,shortly after midnight1 ,kennedy1 who was taking magnetic observations1 called me to see the most remarkable exhibition ,i have so far seen4 ,there was a double curtain #cj degrees wide unfolded from the eastern horizon through the zenith1 with waves shimmering along it so rapidly that they travelled the whole length of the curtain in two seconds4 ,the colouring was brilliant and evanescent4 ,when the waves reached the end of the curtain they spread out to the north and rolled in a voluminous billow slowly back to the east4 ,kennedy's instruments showed that a very great magnetic disturbance was in progress during the auroral displays1 and particularly on this occasion4 ,hoadley and ,watson set up a line of bamboos1 a quarter of a mile apart and three miles long1 on the #bjth1 and from thence onwards took measurements for snowfall every fortnight4 ,on ,midwinter's ,day the temperature ranged from -#ch degrees ,f4 to -#be degrees ,f4 and daylight lasted from #aj ,a4,m4 until #d ,p4,m4 ,we proclaimed a universal holiday throughout ,queen ,mary ,land4 ,being ,saturday1 there were a few necessary jobs to be done1 but all were finished by #aa ,a4,m4 ,the morning was fine and several of us went down to the floe for skiing1 but after twelve o'clock the sky became overcast and the light was dimmed4 ,a strong breeze brought along a trail of drift1 and at #f ,p4,m4 a heavy blizzard was in full career4 ,inside1 the hut was decorated with flags and a savoury dinner was in the throes of preparation4 ,to make the repast still more appetising1 ,harrisson1 ,hoadley and ,dovers devised some very pretty and clever menus4 ,speeches1 toasts and a gramophone concert made the evening pass quickly and enjoyably4 ,from this time dated our preparations for spring sledging1 which ,i hoped would commence about ,august #ae4 ,jones made some experiments with glaxo1 of which we had a generous supply4 ,his aim was to make biscuits which would be suitable for sledging1 and1 after several failures1 he succeeded in compressing with a steel die a firm biscuit of glaxo and butter mixed1 three ounces of which was the equivalent in theoretical food value to four and a half ounces of plasmon biscuit2 thereby affording a pleasant variety in the usual ration4 ,july came in quietly1 though it was dull and cloudy1 and we were able to get out on the first two days for work and exercise4 ,on the #bnd a very fine effect was caused by the sun shining through myriads of fog-crystals which a light northerly breeze had brought down from the sea4 ,the sun1 which was barely clear of the horizon1 was itself a deep red1 on either side and above it was a red mock sun and a rainbow-tinted halo connected the three mock suns4 ,on the #eth and #fth the wind blew a terrific hurricane 7judged to reach a velocity of one hundred miles per hour7 and1 had we not known that nothing short of an earthquake could move the hut1 we should have been very uneasy4 ,all were now busy making food-bags1 opening and breaking up pemmican and emergency rations1 grinding biscuits1 attending to personal gear and doing odd jobs many and various4 ,in addition to recreations like chess1 cards and dominoes1 a competition was started for each member to write a poem and short article1 humorous or otherwise1 connected with the ,expedition4 ,these were all read by the authors after dinner one evening and caused considerable amusement4 ,one man even preferred to sing his poem4 ,these literary efforts were incorporated in a small publication known as ,the ,glacier ,tongue4 ,watson and ,hoadley put in a good deal of time digging their shaft in the glacier4 ,as a roofed shelter had been built over the top1 they were able to work in all but the very worst weather4 ,while the rest of us were fitting sledges on the #agth and #ahth1 they succeeded in getting down to a level of twenty-one feet below the surface of the shelf-ice4 ,sandow1 the leader of the dogs1 disappeared on the #ahth4 ,zip1 who had been missed for two days1 returned1 but ,sandow never came back1 being killed1 doubtless1 by a fall of snow from the cliffs4 ,all along the edge of the ice-shelf were snow cornices1 some weighing hundreds of tons2 and these often broke away1 collapsing with a thunderous sound4 ,on ,july #ca1 ,harrisson and ,watson had a narrow escape4 ,after finishing their day's work1 they climbed down to the floe by a huge cornice and sloping ramp4 ,a few seconds later1 the cornice fell and an immense mass of hard snow crashed down1 cracking the sea-ice for more than a hundred yards around4 ,july had been an inclement month with three really fine and eight tolerable days4 ,in comparison with ,june's1 which was -#ad4e degrees ,f41 the mean temperature of ,july was high at -#a4e degrees ,f4 and the early half of ,august was little better4 ,sunday ,august #aa was rather an eventful day4 ,dovers and ,i went out in the wind to attend to the dogs and clear the chimney and1 upon our return1 found the others just recovering from rather an exciting accident4 ,jones had been charging the acetylene generators and by some means one of them caught fire4 ,for a while there was the danger of a general conflagration and explosion1 as the gas-tank was floating in kerosene4 ,throwing water over everything would have made matters worse1 so blankets were used to smother the flames4 ,as this failed to extinguish them1 the whole plant was pulled down and carried into the tunnel1 where the fire was at last put out4 ,the damage amounted to two blankets singed and dirtied1 ,jones's face scorched and hair singed1 and ,kennedy1 one finger jammed4 ,it was a fortunate escape from a calamity4 ,a large capsized berg had been noticed for some time1 eleven miles to the north4 ,on the #adth1 ,harrisson1 ,dovers1 ,hoadley and ,watson took three days' provisions and equipment and went off to examine it4 ,a brief account is extracted from ,harrisson's diary3 ,it was a particularly fine1 mild morning2 we made good progress1 three dogs dragging the loaded sledge over the smooth floe without difficulty1 requiring assistance only when crossing banks of soft snow4 ,one and a half miles from ',the ,steps1' we saw the footprints of a penguin4 ,following the cliffs of the shelf-ice for six and three quarter miles1 we sighted a ,weddell seal sleeping on a drift of snow4 ,killing the animal1 cutting off the meat and burying it in the drift delayed us for about one hour4 ,continuing our journey under a fine bluff1 over floe-ice much cracked by tide-pressure1 we crossed a small bay cutting wedge-like into the glacier and camped on its far side4 ,after our midday meal we walked to the berg three miles away4 ,when seen on ,june #bh1 this berg was tilted to the north-east1 but the opposite end1 apparently in contact with the ice-cliffs1 had lifted higher than the glacier-shelf itself4 ,from a distance it could be seen that the sides1 for half their height1 were wave-worn and smooth4 ,three or four acres of environing floe were buckled1 ploughed up and in places heaped twenty feet high1 while several large fragments of the broken floe were poised aloft on the old 'water-line' of the berg4 ,however1 on this visit1 we found that the berg had turned completely over towards the cliffs and was now floating on its side surrounded by large separate chunks2 all locked fast in the floe4 ,in what had been the bottom of the berg ,hoadley and ,watson made an interesting find of stones and pebbles--the first found in this dead land6 ,leaving them collecting1 ,i climbed the pitted wave-worn ice1 brittle and badly cracked on the higher part4 ,the highest point was fifty feet above the level of the top of the shelf-ice4 ,there was no sign of open water to the north1 but a few seals were observed sleeping under the cliffs4 ,next morning the weather thickened and the wind arose1 so a start was made for the ,base4 ,all that day the party groped along in the comparative shelter of the cliff-face until forced to camp4 ,it was not till the next afternoon in moderate drift that a pair of skis which had been left at the foot of ',the ,steps' were located and the hut reached once again4 ,after lunch on ,august #aa1 while we were excavating some buried kerosene1 ,jones sighted a group of seven ,emperor penguins two miles away over the western floe4 ,taking a sledge and camera we made after them4 ,a mile off1 they saw us and advanced with their usual stately bows4 ,it seemed an awful shame to kill them1 but we were sorely in need of fresh meat4 ,the four we secured averaged seventy pounds in weight and were a heavy load up the steep rise to the glacier2 but our reward came at dinner-time4 ,with several fine days to give us confidence1 everything was made ready for the sledge journey on ,august #bj4 ,the party was to consist of six men and three dogs1 the object of the journey being to lay out a food-depot to the east in view of the long summer journey we were to make in that direction4 ,hoadley and ,kennedy were to remain at the ,base1 the former to finish the geological shaft and the latter for magnetic work4 ,there remained also a good deal to do preparing stores for later sledge journeys4 ,the load was to be one thousand four hundred and forty pounds distributed over three sledges2 two hundred pounds heavier than on the ,march ,journey1 but as the dogs pulled one sledge1 the actual weight per man was less4 ,the rations were almost precisely the same as those used by ,shackleton during his ,expedition1 and the daily allowance was exactly the same--thirty-four ounces per man per day4 ,for his one ounce of oatmeal1 the same weighs of ground biscuit was substituted2 the food value being the same4 ,on the second depot journey and the main summer journeys1 a three-ounce glaxo biscuit was used in place of four and a half ounces of plasmon biscuit4 ,instead of taking cheese and chocolate as the luncheon ration1 ,i took chocolate alone1 as on ,shackleton's southern journey it was found more satisfactory than the cheese1 though the food value was practically the same4 ,the sledging equipment and clothing were identical with that used by ,shackleton4 ,jaeger fleece combination suits were included in the outfit but1 though excellent garments for work at the ,base1 they were much too heavy for sledging4 ,we therefore wore ,jaeger underclothing and burberry wind clothing as overalls4 ,the weather was not propitious for a start until ,thursday1 ,august #bb4 ,we turned out at #e4cj ,a4,m41 had breakfast1 packed up and left the ,hut at seven o'clock4 ,after two good days' work under a magnificently clear sky1 with the temperature often as low as -#cd degrees ,f41 we sighted two small nunataks among a cluster of pressure-ridges1 eight miles to the south4 ,it was the first land1 in the sense of rocks1 seen for more than seven months4 ,we hoped to visit the outcrops--,gillies ,nunataks--on our return4 ,the course next day was due east and parallel to the mainland1 then ten miles distant4 ,to the north was ,masson ,island1 while at about the same distance and ahead was a smaller island1 entirely ice-covered like the former--,henderson ,island4 ,a blizzard of three days' duration kept us in camp between ,august #bg and #cj4 ,jones1 ,moyes and ,i had a three-man sleeping-bag1 and the temperature being high1 #aa degrees to #ae degrees ,f41 we were very warm1 but thoroughly tired of lying down for so long4 ,harrisson1 ,dovers and ,watson had single bags and therefore less room in the other tent4 ,the last day of ,august was beautifully bright3 temperature -#ab degrees to -#ae degrees ,f4 ,we passed ,henderson ,island in the forenoon1 and1 hauling up a rise to the south of it1 had a good view of the surroundings4 ,on the right1 the land ran back to form a large bay1 seventeen miles wide4 ,this was later named the ,bay of ,winds1 as a blow was always encountered while crossing it4 ,in the centre of the bay was a nunatak1 which from its shape at once received the name of the ,alligator4 ,in front1 apparently fifteen miles off1 was another nunatak1 the ,hippo1 and four definite outcrops--,delay ,point and ,avalanche ,rocks--could be seen along the mainland4 ,the sight of this bare rock was very pleasing1 as we had begun to think we were going to find nothing but ice-sheathed land4 ,dovers took a round of angles to all the prominent points4 ,the ,hippo was twenty-two miles away1 so deceptive is distance in these latitudes2 and in one and a half days1 over very heavy sastrugi1 we were in its vicinity4 ,the sledges could not be brought very near the rock as it was surrounded by massive ridges of pressure-ice4 ,we climbed to the top of the nunatak which was four hundred and twenty feet high1 four hundred yards long and two hundred yards wide4 ,it was composed of gneissic granite and schists4 ,dovers took angles from an eminence1 ,watson collected geological specimens and ,harrisson sketched until his fingers were frost-bitten4 ,moss and lichens were found and a dead snow petrel--a young one--showing that the birds must breed in the vicinity4 ,to the south1 the glacier shelf appeared to be very little broken1 but to the north it was terribly torn and twisted4 ,at each end of the nunatak there was a very fine bergschrund49999 ,twenty miles to the east there appeared to be an uncovered rocky islet2 the mainland turning to the southward twelve miles away4 ,during the night the minimum thermometer registered -#dg degrees ,f4 9999 ,the term not used in the usual sense4 ,referring to a wide1 imposing crevasse caused by the division of the ice as it presses past the nunatak4--,,ed4 ,an attempt to get away next morning was frustrated by a strong gale4 ,we were two hundred yards from the shelter of the ,hippo and were forced to turn back1 since it was difficult to keep one's feet1 while the sledges were blown sideways over the neve surface4 ,i resolved to leave the depot in this place and return to the ,base1 for our sleeping-bags were getting very wet and none of the party were having sufficient sleep4 ,we were eighty-four miles from the hut2 ,i had hoped to do one hundred miles1 but we could make up for that by starting the summer journey a few days earlier4 ,one sledge was left here as well as six weeks' allowance of food for three men1 except tea1 of which there was sufficient for fifty days1 seventy days oil and seventy-eight days' biscuit4 ,the sledge was placed on end in a hole three feet deep and a mound built up around it1 six feet high2 a bamboo and flag being lashed to the top4 ,on ,september #d we were homeward bound1 heading first to the mainland leaving ,delay ,point on our left1 to examine some of the outcrops of rock4 ,reaching the coast about #c ,p4,m41 camp was shortly afterwards pitched in a most beautiful spot4 ,a wall of solid rock rose sheer for over four hundred feet and was crowned by an ice-cap half the thickness4 ,grand ice-falls surged down on either side4 ,the tents were erected in what appeared to be a sheltered hollow1 a quarter of a mile from ,avalanche ,rocks4 ,one tent was up and we were setting the other in position when the wind suddenly veered right round to the east and flattened out both tents4 ,it was almost as humorous as annoying4 ,they were soon raised up once more1 facing the other way4 ,while preparing for bed1 a tremendous avalanche came down4 ,the noise was awful and seemed so close that we all turned to the door and started out4 ,the fastening of the entrance was knotted1 the people from the other tent were yelling to us to come out1 so we dragged up the bottom of the tent and dived beneath it4 ,the cliff was entirely hidden by a cloud of snow1 and1 though the crashing had now almost ceased1 we stood ready to run1 ,dovers thoughtfully seizing a food-bag4 ,however1 none of the blocks had come within a hundred yards of us1 and as it was now blowing hard1 all hands elected to remain where they were4 ,several more avalanches1 which had broken away near the edge of the mainland1 disturbed our sleep through the night1 but they were not quite so alarming as the first one4 ,a strong breeze was blowing at daybreak2 still the weather was not too bad for travelling1 and so ,i called the party4 ,moyes and ,i lashed up our bags1 passed them out and strapped them on the sledge2 ,jones1 in the meantime1 starting the cooker4 ,suddenly a terrific squall struck the front of our tent1 the poles burst through the apex1 and the material split from top to bottom4 ,moyes and ,i were both knocked down4 ,when we found our feet again1 we went to the aid of the other men1 whose tent had survived the gust4 ,the wind rushed by more madly than ever1 and the only thing to do was to pull away the poles and allow the tent to collapse4 ,looking around for a lee where it could be raised1 we found the only available shelter to be a crevasse three hundred yards to windward1 but the wind was now so strong that it was impossible to convey the gear even to such a short distance4 ,all were frequently upset and blown along the surface twenty or thirty yards1 and1 even with an ice-axe1 one could not always hold his own4 ,the only resort was to dig a shelter4 ,setting to work1 we excavated a hole three feet deep1 twelve feet long and six feet wide2 the snow being so compact that the job occupied three hours4 ,the sledges and tent-poles were placed across the hole1 the good tent being laid on top and weighted down with snow and blocks of ice4 ,all this sounds very easy1 but it was a slow and difficult task4 ,many of the gusts must have exceeded one hundred miles per hour1 since one of them lifted ,harrisson who was standing beside me1 clean over my head and threw him nearly twenty feet4 ,everything movable was stowed in the hole1 and at noon we had a meal and retired into sleeping-bags4 ,at three o'clock a weighty avalanche descended1 its fearful crash resounding above the roar of the wind4 ,i have never found anything which gave me a more uncomfortable feeling than those avalanches4 ,the gale continued on ,september #f1 and we still remained packed in the trench4 ,if the latter had been deeper and it had been possible to sit upright1 we should have been quite comfortable4 ,to make matters worse1 several more avalanches came down1 and all of them sounded horribly close4 ,we were confined in our burrow for five days1 the wind continuing to blow with merciless force4 ,through being closed up so much1 the temperature of the hole rose above freezing-point1 consequently our sleeping-bags and clothes became very wet4 ,on ,sunday ,september #h1 ,moyes went out to feed the dogs and to bring in some biscuit4 ,he found a strong gusty wind with falling snow1 and drift so thick that he could not see five yards4 ,we had a cold lunch with nothing to drink1 so that the primus should not raise the temperature4 ,in the evening we sang hymns and between us managed to remember the words of at least a dozen4 ,the long confinement was over on the #ajth2 the sky was blue and the sun brilliant1 though the wind still pulsated with racking gusts4 ,as soon as we were on the ice1 away from the land1 two men had to hold on to the rear of each sledge1 and even then capsizes often occurred4 ,the sledge would turn and slide broadside-on to leeward1 tearing the runners badly on the rough ice4 ,still1 by #i4cj ,a4,m4 the surface changed to snow and the travelling improved4 ,that night we camped with twenty miles one hundred yards on the meter4 ,there was a cold blizzard on the #aath with a temperature of -#cj degrees ,f4 ,confined in the tents1 we found our sleeping-bags still sodden and uncomfortable4 ,with a strong beam wind and in moderate drift big marches were made for two days1 during which the compass and sastrugi determined our course4 ,my diary of ,september #ad runs as follows3 ,on the march at #g ,a4,m42 by noon we had done twelve miles one thousand five hundred yards4 ,lunch was hurried1 as we were all anxious to get to the hut to-night1 especially we in the three-man bag1 as it got so wet while we were living underground that we have had very little sleep and plenty of shivering for the last four nights4 ,last night ,i had no sleep at all4 ,by some means1 in the afternoon1 we got on the wrong course4 ,either the compass was affected or a mistake had been made in some of the bearings1 as instead of reaching home by #e ,p4,m4 we were travelling till #h ,p4,m4 and have done thirty-two miles one thousand one hundred yards4 ,light loads1 good surface and a fair wind account for the good travelling1 the sail doing almost all the work on the man-hauled sledge4 ,the last two hours we were in the dark1 except for a young moon1 amongst a lot of crevasses and pressure-ridges which none of us could recognize4 ,at one time1 we found ourselves on a slope within a dozen yards of the edge of the glacier2 this decided me to camp4 ,awfully disappointing2 anticipating another wretched night4 ,temperature-#ce degrees ,f4 ,next day we reached home4 ,the last camp had been four and a half miles north of the hut4 ,i found that we had gone wrong through using #adi degrees as the bearing of ,masson ,island from the ,base1 when it should have been #aci degrees4 ,i believe it was my own mistake1 as ,i gave the bearing to ,dovers and he is very careful4 ,before having a meal1 we were all weighed and found the average loss to be eight pounds4 ,in the evening1 ,moyes and ,i weighed ourselves again2 he had gained seven pounds and ,i five and three-quarter pounds4 ,comparing notes with ,hoadley and ,kennedy1 ,i found that the weather at the ,base had been similar to that experienced on the sledging journey4 ,it was now arranged that ,jones was to take charge of the main western journey in the summer4 ,while looking for a landing-place in the ',aurora'1 we had noted to the west an expanse of old1 fast floe1 extending for at least fifty miles4 ,the idea was for ,jones and party to march along this floe and lay a depot on the land as far west as was possible in four weeks4 ,the party included ,dovers1 ,harrisson1 ,hoadley and ,moyes4 ,they were to be assisted by the dogs4 ,it was my intention to take ,kennedy and ,watson up to the depot we had left on the hills in ,march1 bringing back the minimum thermometer and probably some of the food4 ,watson was slightly lame at the time1 as he had bruised his foot on the last trip4 ,until ,jones made a start on ,september #bf1 there were ten days of almost continuous wind and drift4 ,the equinox may have accounted for this prolonged period of atrocious weather4 ,no time1 however1 was wasted indoors4 ,weighing and bagging food1 repairing tents1 poles1 cookers and other gear damaged on the last journey and sewing and mending clothes gave every man plenty of employment4 ,at #f ,a4,m4 on the #bfth1 ,jones reported that there was only a little low drift and that the wind was dying away4 ,all hands were therefore called and breakfast served4 ,watson1 ,kennedy and ,i assisted the others down to the sea-ice by a long sloping snow-drift and saw them off to a good start in a south-westerly direction4 ,we found that the heavy sledge used for carrying ice had been blown more then five hundred yards to the edge of the glacier1 capsized among the rough pressure-slabs and broken4 ,two heavy boxes which were on the sledge had disappeared altogether4 ,the rest of the day was devoted to clearing stores out of the tunnels4 ,it was evident to us that with the advent of warmer weather1 the roof of the caves or grottoes 7by the way1 the hut received the name of ,the ,grottoes7 would sink1 and so it was advisable to repack the cases outside rather than dig them out of the deep snow4 ,by #f ,p4,m4 nearly two hundred boxes were passed up through the trap-door and the caverns were all empty4 ,after two days of blizzard1 ,watson1 ,kennedy and ,i broke trail with loads of one hundred and seventy pounds per man4 ,right from the start the surface was so soft that pulling became very severe4 ,on the first day1 ,september #bi1 we managed to travel more than nine miles1 but during the next six days the snow became deeper and more impassable1 and only nineteen miles were covered4 ,crevasses were mostly invisible1 and on the slope upwards to the ice-cap more troublesome than usual4 ,the weather kept up its invariable wind and drift4 ,finally1 after making laborious headway to two thousand feet1 ,kennedy strained his ,achilles tendon and ,i decided to return to ,the ,grottoes4 ,at #b ,p4,m4 on ,october #h1 the mast was sighted and we climbed down into the ,hut1 finding it very cold1 empty and dark4 ,the sun had shone powerfully that day and ,kennedy and ,watson had a touch of snow-blindness4 ,two weeks went by and there was no sign of the western depot party4 ,in fact1 out of sixteen days1 there were thirteen of thick drift and high wind1 so that our sympathies went out to the men in tents with soaking bags1 waiting patiently for a rift in the driving wall of snow4 ,on ,october #bc they had been away for four weeks2 provisions for that time having been taken4 ,i had no doubt that they would be on reduced rations1 and1 if the worst came1 they could eat the dogs4 ,during a lull on ,october #bd1 ,i went to the masthead with the field-glasses but saw nothing of the party4 ,on that day we weighed out provisions and made ready to go in search of them4 ,it was my intention to go on the outward track for a week4 ,i wrote instructions to ,jones to hoist a large flag on the mast1 and to burn flares each night at #aj ,p4,m4 if he should return while ,i was away4 ,there was a fresh gale with blinding drift early on the following morning2 so we postponed the start4 ,at #d ,p4,m4 the wind subsided to a strong breeze and ,i again went up the mast to sweep the horizon4 ,westward from an icy cape to the south a gale was still blowing and a heavy cloud of drift1 fifty to sixty feet high1 obscured everything4 ,an hour later ,watson saw three ,adelie penguins approaching across the floe and we went down to meet them1 bringing them in for the larder4 ,four ,antarctic petrels flew above our heads3 a sign of returning summer which was very cheering4 ,the previous night had promised a fine day and we were not disappointed on ,october #bf4 ,a sledge was packed with fourteen days' provisions for eight men and we started away on a search expedition at #aj ,a4,m4 ,after doing a little over nine miles we camped at #e4cj ,p4,m4 ,before retiring to bag1 ,i had a last look round and was delighted to see ,jones and his party about a mile to the south4 ,it was now getting dark and we were within two hundred yards of them before being seen1 and1 as they were to windward1 they could not hear our shouts4 ,it was splendid to find them all looking well4 ,they were anxious to get back to ,the ,grottoes1 considering there was only one serviceable tent between them4 ,kennedy and ,i offered to change with any of them but1 being too eager for warm blankets and a good bed1 they trudged on1 arriving at the ,base at midnight4 ,briefly told1 their story was that they were stopped in their westerly march1 when forty-five miles had been covered1 by a badly broken glacier--,helen ,glacier--on the far side of which there was open sea4 ,there was only one thing to do and that was to set out for the mainland by a course so circuitous that they were brought a long way eastward1 back towards ,the ,grottoes4 ,they had very rough travelling1 bad weather1 and were beset with many difficulties in mounting on to the land-ice1 where the depot had to be placed4 ,their distance from the ,base at this point was only twenty-eight miles and the altitude was one thousand feet above sea-level4 ,on the ice-cap they were delayed by a blizzard and for seventeen days--an unexampled time--they were unable to move from camp4 ,one tent collapsed and the occupants1 ,jones1 ,dovers and ,hoadley1 had to dig a hole in the snow and lower the tent into it4 ,these are a few snatches from ,jones's diary3 ,the next sixteen days 7following ,wednesday1 ,october #i7 were spent at this camp4444 ,harrisson and ,moyes occupied one tent and ,dovers1 ,hoadley and myself the other4 ,on ,saturday1 the third day of the blizzard1 the wind which had been blowing steadily from the east-south-east veered almost to east and the tents commenced to flog terrifically4 ,this change must have occurred early in the night1 for we awoke at #e ,a4,m4 to find clouds of snow blowing under the skirt on one side3 the heavy pile on the flounce having been cut away by the wind4 ,as it would have been impossible to do anything outside1 we pulled the tent poles together and allowed the tent to collapse4 ,the rest of the day was spent in confined quarters1 eating dry rations and melting snow in our mugs by the warmth of our bodies4444 ,although ,harrisson and ,moyes were no more than twenty feet from us1 the noise of the gale and the flogging of our tents rendered communication impossible4 ,the terrible flapping at last caused one of the seams of our tent to tear2 we sewed it as well as we were able and hoped that it would hold till daylight4 ,on ,monday morning1 the same seam again parted and we decided to let the tent down again1 spending the day in a half-reclining position4444 ,at #f4cj ,p4,m4 the gale eased and1 during a comparative lull1 ,moyes came out to feed the dogs4 ,noticing our position1 he helped us to re-erect the tent and ,dovers then went out and piled snow over the torn seam4 ,moyes said that ,harrisson and he had been fairly comfortable1 although the cap of their tent was slowly tearing with the pressure of the wind and snow on the weather panels4444 ,on ,friday1 the #ahth1 ,swiss1 one of the dogs1 returned very thin after six days' absence from the camp4 ,on the following ,monday the blizzard moderated somewhat and we proceeded to make our quarters more roomy by digging out the floor and undercutting the sides1 thus lowering the level about eighteen inches4 ,our tent now looks as if it were half blown over4 ,to relieve the tremendous strain on the cap1 we lowered the feet of the two lee poles on to the new floor4 ,the tent now offered very little resistance to the wind4 ,we were able to communicate with ,harrisson and ,moyes and they said they were all right4 ,when the snow and wind at last held up1 they immediately made down to the sea-ice and back towards home1 and1 when they met us1 had done nineteen miles4 ,all were stiff next day1 and no wonder2 a march of twenty-eight miles after lying low for seventeen days is a very strenuous day's work4 ,preparations were made on ,october #bh for the main eastern summer journey1 the object of which was to survey as much coast-line as possible and at the same time to carry on geological work1 surveying and magnetics4 ,the party was to consist of ,kennedy1 ,watson and myself4 ,jones1 ,dovers and ,hoadley were to start on the main western journey on ,november #b4 ,i arranged that ,harrisson and ,moyes should remain at the ,hut1 the latter to carry on meteorological work1 and ,harrisson biology and sketching4 ,later1 ,harrisson proposed to accompany me as far as the ,hippo depot1 bringing the dogs and providing a supporting party4 ,at first ,i did not like the idea1 as he would have to travel one hundred miles alone1 but he showed me that he could erect a tent by himself and1 as summer and better weather were in sight1 ,i agreed that he should come4 ,each party was taking fourteen weeks' provisions1 and ,i had an additional four weeks' supply for ,harrisson and the dogs4 ,my total load came to nine hundred and seventy pounds2 the dogs pulling four hundred pounds with the assistance of one man and three of us dragging five hundred and seventy pounds4 ,,chapter ,,xxi ,,the ,,western ,,base--,,blocked ,,on ,,the ,,shelf-,,ice by ,f4 ,wild ,we started away on the main eastern journey with a spurt of eleven miles on a calm and cloudless day1 intending to follow our former track over the shelf-ice to the ,hippo ,nunatak4 ,the surface varied2 soft patches putting a steady brake on the ardour of the first1 fresh hours of marching4 ,in the afternoon1 it was only necessary to wear a shirt1 singlet1 heavy pyjama trousers1 finnesko and socks1 and even then one perspired freely4 ,the temperature stood at #ag degrees ,f4 ,the dogs pulled their load well1 requiring help only over loose snow4 ,the evening of ,friday ,november #a1 #aiab1 saw us past ,masson ,island and about ten miles from the mainland4 ,all day there had been a chill easterly breeze1 the temperature being well below zero4 ,the sky was hazy with cirro-stratus and a fine halo ringed the sun4 ,looking out from the tent in the morning we saw that the clouds were dense and lowering1 but the breezes were light and variable until #e ,p4,m41 when an east-north-east wind arose1 bringing snow in its train4 ,travelling through foggy drift1 we could just ascertain that the ,bay of ,winds had opened up on the right4 ,the day's march was a good one of sixteen miles thirty-five yards4 ,the ,bay of ,winds did not belie its name4 ,throughout ,november #c the wind veered about in gusts and after lunch settled down to a hard south-easter4 ,we had made a good start2 more than sixty-two miles in a little over four days4 ,the camp was half-way across the ,bay of ,winds1 with the ,alligator ,nunatak six miles off on the starboard bow and the ,rock of the ,avalanches seventeen miles straight ahead4 ,passing glimpses were caught of the ,hippo twenty-four miles distant4 ,on ,november #e1 after a day's blizzard1 there was much accumulated snow to shovel away from tents and sledges4 ,finding the hauling very arduous1 we headed in for the land to find a better surface1 passing the ,alligator ,nunatak close on its southern side4 ,at noon on the #fth1 the sledges were running parallel to the ,rock of the ,avalanches1 three miles away1 and soon afterwards we came to a large boulder2 one of four in a line from the rock-cliffs1 from which they had been evidently transported1 as they were composed of the same gneiss4 ,the ,hippo was close at hand at four o'clock and1 on nearing the shattered ice about the depot1 we released the dogs and pulled the sledge ourselves4 ,on being freed1 they galloped over to the rock and were absent for over an hour4 ,when they returned1 ,amundsen's head was daubed with egg-yolk1 as we thought4 ,this was most probable as scores of snow petrels were flying about the rocks4 ,a nasty shock was awaiting us at the depot4 ,the sledge1 which had been left on end1 two feet buried in hard snow and with a mound six feet high built round it1 had been blown completely away4 ,the stays1 secured to foodbags1 were both broken2 one food-bag weighing sixty-eight pounds having been lifted ten feet4 ,this was a very serious loss as the total load to be carried now amounted to one thousand one hundred and eighty pounds1 which was too great a weight to be supported by one sledge4 ,it appeared1 then1 that the only thing to do was to include ,harrisson in the party1 so that we could have his sledge4 ,this would facilitate our progress considerably1 but against that was the fact that ,moyes would be left alone at the ,base under the belief that ,harrisson had perished4 ,a gale was blowing on the #gth1 but as we were partly under the lee of the ,hippo1 it was only felt in gusts4 ,a visit was made to the ,nunatak2 ,harrisson to examine the birds1 ,watson for geology and photography1 while ,i climbed to the summit with the field-glasses to look for the missing sledge4 ,kennedy remained at the camp to take a series of magnetic observations4 ,there were hundreds of snow petrels pairing off1 but no eggs were seen in any of the nest-crevices4 ,they were so tame that it was quite easy to catch them1 but they had a habit of ejecting their partially digested food1 a yellow oily mess1 straight at one4 ,this was the stuff we had thought was egg-yolk on ,amundsen's head the previous night4 ,upon returning to camp1 the search for the sledge was continued4 ,after prospecting with a spade in possible snow-drifts and crevasse-lids1 we walked out fanwise1 in the direction of the prevailing wind1 but with no result4 ,i decided1 therefore1 to take ,harrisson with me4 ,i was extremely sorry for ,moyes1 but it could not be helped4 ,on the way back towards the land to the south1 we found that the surface had improved in the morning's gale4 ,camp was finally pitched on a slope close to the high land4 ,the coast1 from the ,base to this spot--,delay ,point--runs almost due east and west and with no deep indentations except the ,bay of ,winds4 ,to the west1 the slope from the inland plateau is fairly gradual and therefore not badly broken1 but still farther west it is much steeper1 coming down from two thousand feet in a very short distance1 over tumbling ice-fields and frozen cascades4 ,several outcrops of dark rock lay to the east1 one of them only two miles away4 ,the wind-velocity fluctuated between sixty and eighty miles per hour1 keeping us securely penned4 ,harrisson and ,kennedy1 after battling their way to our tent for a meal1 used the second primus and cooker1 brought for ,harrisson1 in their own tent4 ,all we could do was to smoke and listen to the fierce squalls and lashing drift4 ,i had brought nothing to read on the trip1 making up the weight in tobacco4 ,watson had ,palgrave's ',golden ,lyrics'1 ,kennedy1 an engineer's hand-book1 and ,harrisson1 a portion of the ',reign of ,mary ,tudor'4 ,there was a tiny pack of patience cards1 but they were in the instrument-box on the sledge and none of us cared to face the gale to get them4 ,the wind1 on the #ajth1 saw fit to moderate to half a gale2 the drift creeping low and thick over the ground2 the land visible above it4 ,donning burberrys1 we made an excursion to the rocks ahead4 ,two miles and a climb of six hundred feet were rather exhausting in the strong wind4 ,there were about eighty acres of rock exposed on the edge of the ice-cap1 mainly composed of mica schists and some granite2 the whole extensively weathered4 ,a line of moraine ran from the rocks away in an east-north-east direction4 ,most of the next day was broken by a heavy gale and1 since the prospect ahead was nothing but bare1 rough ice1 we passed the day in making everything ready for a start and repaired a torn tent4 ,the rent was made by ,amundsen1 who dragged up the ice-axe to which he was tethered and1 in running round the tent1 drove the point of the axe through it1 narrowly missing ,kennedy's head inside4 ,tuesday ,november #ab was an interesting day4 ,the greater part of the track was over rippled1 level ice1 thrown into many billows1 through devious pressure-hummocks and between the inevitable crevasses4 ,the coast was a kaleidoscope of sable rocks1 blue cascades1 and fissured ice-falls4 ,fifteen miles ahead stood an island twenty miles long1 rising in bare peaks and dark knolls4 ,this was eventually named ,david ,island4 ,the dogs were working very well and1 if only a little additional food could be procured for them1 ,i knew they could be kept alive4 ,zip broke loose one night and ate one of my socks which was hanging on the sledge to dry2 it probably tasted of seal blubber from the boots4 ,switzerland1 too1 was rather a bother1 eating his harness whenever he had a chance4 ,on the #adth1 a depot was formed1 consisting of one week's provisions and oil2 the bags being buried and a mound erected with a flag on top4 ,kennedy took a round of angles to determine its position4 ,at the end of two snowy days1 after we had avoided many ugly crevasses1 our course in an east-south-east line pointed to a narrow strait between ,david ,island and the mainland4 ,on the southern side of the former1 there was a heaped line of pressure-ice1 caused by the flow from a narrow bay being stopped by the ,island4 ,after lunch1 on the #afth1 there was an hour's good travelling and then we suddenly pulled into a half-mile of broken surface--the confluence of the slowly moving land-ice and of the more rapidly moving ice from a valley on our right1 from which issued ,reid ,glacier4 ,it was impossible to steer the dogs through it with a load1 so we lightened the loads on both sledges and then made several journeys backwards and forwards over the more broken areas1 allowing the dogs to run loose4 ,the crevasses ran tortuously in every direction and falls into them were not uncommon4 ,one large lid fell in just as a sledge had cleared it1 leaving a hole twelve feet wide1 and at least a hundred feet deep4 ,once over this zone1 the sledges were worked along the slope leading to the mainland where we were continually worried by their slipping sideways4 ,ahead was a vast sea of crushed ice1 tossed and piled in every direction4 ,on the northern horizon rose what we concluded to be a flat-topped1 castellated berg4 ,ten days later1 it resolved itself into a tract of heavy pressure ridges4 ,camping after nine and a half miles1 we were surprised1 on moving east in the morning1 to sight clearly the point--,cape ,gerlache--of a peninsula running inland to the southwest4 ,a glacier from the hinterland1 pushing out from its valley1 had broken up the shelf-ice on which we were travelling to such an extent that nothing without wings could cross it4 ,our object was to map in the coastline as far east as possible1 and the problem1 now1 was whether to go north or south4 ,from our position the former looked the best1 the tumbled shelf-ice appearing to smooth out sufficiently1 about ten miles away1 to afford a passage east1 while1 to the south1 we scanned the ,denman ,glacier1 as it was named1 rolling in magnificent cascades1 twelve miles in breadth1 from a height of more than three thousand feet4 ,to get round the head of this ice-stream would mean travelling inland for at least thirty miles4 ,so north we went1 getting back to our old surface over a heavy cross sea1 honeycombed with pits and chasms2 many of them with no visible bottom4 ,there was half a mile to safety1 but the area had to be crossed five times2 the load on the twelve-foot sledge being so much1 that half the weight was taken off and the empty sledges brought back for the other half4 ,last of all came the dogs' sledge4 ,kennedy remarked during the afternoon that he felt like a fly walking on wire-netting4 ,the camp was pitched in a line of pressure1 with wide crevasses and hell-holes within a few yards on every side4 ,altogether the day's march had been a miserable four miles4 ,on several occasions1 during the night1 while in this disturbed area1 sounds of movement were distinctly heard2 cracks like rifle shots and others similar to distant heavy guns1 accompanied by a weird1 moaning noise as of the glacier moving over rocks4 ,november #ah was a fine1 bright day3 temperature #h degrees to #bj degrees ,f4 ,until lunch1 the course was mainly north for more than five miles4 ,then ,i went with ,watson to trace out a road through a difficult area in front4 ,at this point1 there broke on us a most rugged and wonderful vision of ice-scenery4 ,the ,denman ,glacier moving much more rapidly than the ,shackleton ,shelf1 tore through the latter and1 in doing so1 shattered both its own sides and also a considerable area of the larger ice-sheet4 ,at the actual point of contact was what might be referred to as gigantic bergschrund3 an enormous chasm over one thousand feet wide and from three hundred feet to four hundred feet deep1 in the bottom of which crevasses appeared to go down for ever4 ,the sides were splintered and crumpled1 glittering in the sunlight with a million sparklets of light4 ,towering above were titanic blocks of carven ice4 ,the whole was the wildest1 maddest and yet the grandest thing imaginable4 ,the turmoil continued to the north1 so ,i resolved to reconnoitre westward and see if a passage were visible from the crest of ,david ,island4 ,the excursion was postponed till next day1 when ,kennedy1 ,watson and ,i roped up and commenced to thread a tangled belt of crevasses4 ,the island was three and a half miles from the camp1 exposing a bare ridge and a jutting bluff1 nine hundred feet high--,watson ,bluff4 ,at the ,bluff the rock was almost all gneiss1 very much worn by the action of ice4 ,the face to the summit was so steep and coarsely weathered that we took risks in climbing it4 ,moss and lichens grew luxuriantly and scores of snow petrels hovered around1 but no eggs were seen4 ,owing to an overcast sky1 the view was not a great deal more enlightening than that which we had had from below4 ,the ,denman ,glacier swept down for forty miles from over three thousand feet above sea-level4 ,for twenty miles to the east torn ice-masses lay distorted in confusion1 and beyond that1 probably sixty miles distant1 were several large stretches of bare rock-like islands4 ,on ,november #bj1 a strong north-east wind blew1 with falling snow4 ,nothing could be seen but a white blanket1 above1 below and all around2 so1 with sudden death lurking in the bottomless crevasses on every hand1 we stayed in camp4 ,a blizzard of great violence blew for two days and the tent occupied by ,kennedy and myself threatened to collapse4 ,we stowed all our gear in the sleeping-bags or in a hole from which snow had been dug for cooking4 ,by the second day we had become extremely tired of lying down4 ,one consolation was that our lips1 which were very sore from exposure to the sun and wind1 had now a chance of healing4 ,next afternoon1 the gale moderated sufficiently for us to go once more to ,david ,island1 in clearer weather1 to see the outlook from the bluff4 ,this time the sun was shining on the mainland and on the extension of the glacier past the bluff to the north4 ,the distant southern slopes were seamed with a pattern of crevasses up to a height of three thousand feet4 ,to the north1 although the way was certainly impassable for twelve miles1 it appeared to become smoother beyond that limit4 ,we decided to try and cross in that direction4 ,we persevered on the #bdth over many lines of pressure-ice and then camped near an especially rough patch4 ,watson had the worst fall on that day1 going down ten feet vertically into a crevasse before his harness stopped him4 ,after supper1 we went to locate a trail ahead1 and were greatly surprised to find salt water in some of the cracks4 ,it meant that in two days our descent had been considerable1 since the great bergschrund farther south was well over three hundred feet in depth and no water had appeared in its depths4 ,a few extracts from the diary recall a situation which daily became more serious and involved3 ,monday1 ,november #be4 ,a beautiful day so far as the weather and scenery are concerned but a very hard one4 ,we have been amongst ',pressure1' with a capital ,p1 all day1 hauling up and lowering the sledges with an alpine rope and twisting and turning in all directions1 with waves and hills1 monuments1 statues1 and fairy palaces all around us1 from a few feet to over three hundred feet in height4 ,it is impossible to see more than a few hundred yards ahead at any time1 so we go on for a bit1 then climb a peak or mound1 choose a route and struggle on for another short stage4 ,we have all suffered from the sun to-day2 ,kennedy has caught it worst1 his lips1 cheeks1 nose and forehead are all blistered4 ,he has auburn hair and the tender skin which frequently goes with it4444 ,tuesday1 ,november #bf4 ,another very hard day's work4 ,the first half-mile took three hours to cover2 in several places we had to cut roads with ice-axes and shovels and also to build a bridge across a water-lead4 ,at #a ,p4,m4 we had done just one mile4 ,i never saw or dreamt of anything so gloriously beautiful as some of the stuff we have come through this morning4 ,after lunch the country changed entirely4 ,in place of the confused jumble and crush we have had1 we got on to neve slopes2 huge billows1 half a mile to a mile from crest to crest1 meshed with crevasses444 ,we all had falls into these during the day3 ,harrisson dropping fifteen feet4 ,i received rather a nasty squeeze through falling into a hole whilst going downhill1 the sledge running on to me before ,i could get clear1 and pinning me down4 ,so far as we can see1 the same kind of country continues1 and one cannot help thinking about having to return through this infernal mess4 ,the day's distance--only one thousand and fifty yards4 ,wednesday1 ,november #bg4 ,when ,i wrote last night about coming back1 ,i little thought it would be so soon4 ,we turn back to-morrow for the simple reason that we cannot go on any farther4 ,in the morning1 for nearly a mile along a valley running south-east1 the travelling was almost good2 then our troubles commenced again4 ,several times we had to resort to hand-hauling with the alpine rope through acres of pitfalls4 ,the bridges of those which were covered were generally very rotten1 except the wide ones4 ,just before lunch we had a very stiff uphill pull and then a drop into a large basin1 three-quarters of a mile in diameter4 ,the afternoon was spent in vain searching for a road4444 ,on every side are huge waves split in every direction by crevasses up to two hundred feet in width4 ,the general trend of the main crevasses is north and south4444 ,i have1 therefore1 decided to go back and if possible follow the road we came by1 then proceed south on to the inland ice-cap and find out the source of this chaos4 ,if we are able to get round it and proceed east1 so much the better2 but at any rate1 we shall be doing something and getting somewhere4 ,we could push through farther east from here1 but it would be by lowering the gear piecemeal into chasms fifty to one hundred feet deep1 and hauling it up on the other side2 each crevasse taking at least two hours to negotiate4 ,for such slow progress ,i don't feel justified in risking the lives of the party4 ,snow fell for four days1 at times thickly1 unaccompanied by wind4 ,it was useless to stir in our precarious position4 ,being a little in hand in the ration of biscuits1 we fed the dogs on our food1 their own having run out4 ,i was anxious to keep them alive until we were out of the pressure-ice4 ,from this1 our turning-point out on the shelf-ice1 the trail lay over eighteen inches of soft snow on ,december #c1 our former tracks1 of course1 having been entirely obliterated4 ,the bridged crevasses were now entirely hidden and many weak lids were found4 ,at #i ,a4,m4 ,harrisson1 ,watson and ,i roped up to mark a course over a very bad place1 leaving ,kennedy with the dogs4 ,we had only gone about one hundred yards when ,i got a very heavy jerk on the rope and1 on looking round1 found that ,watson had disappeared4 ,he weighs two hundred pounds in his clothes and the crevasse into which he had fallen was fifteen feet wide4 ,he had broken through on the far side and the rope1 cutting through the bridge1 stopped in the middle so that he could not reach the sides to help himself in any way4 ,kennedy brought another rope over and threw it down to ,watson and we were then able to haul him up1 but it was twenty minutes before he was out4 ,he reappeared smiling1 and1 except for a bruise on the shin and the loss of a glove1 was no worse for the fall4 ,at #b4cj ,p4,m4 we were all dead-beat1 camping with one mile one thousand seven hundred yards on the meter4 ,one-third of this distance was relay work and1 in several places1 standing pulls with the alpine rope4 ,the course was a series of ,z's1 ,s's1 and hairpin turns1 the longest straight stretch one hundred and fifty yards1 and the whole knee-deep in soft snow1 the sledges sinking to the cross-bars4 ,the #dth was a repetition of the previous day--a terribly hard two and a half miles4 ,we all had hangman's drops into crevasses4 ,one snow-bridge1 ten feet wide1 fell in as the meter following the twelve-foot sledge was going over behind it4 ,the #eth was a day of wind1 scurrying snow and bad light4 ,harrisson went out to feed the dogs in the morning and broke through the lid of a crevasse1 but fortunately caught the side and climbed out4 ,the diary again3 ,friday1 ,december #f4 ,still bad light and a little snowfall1 but we were off at ten o'clock4 ,i was leading and fell into at least a dozen crevasses1 but had to be hauled out of one only4 ,at #a4cj ,p4,m4 we arrived at the open lead we had crossed on the outward journey and found the same place4 ,there had been much movement since then and we had to make a bridge1 cutting away projections in some places and filling up the sea-water channels with snow and ice4 ,then ,harrisson crossed with the aid of two bamboo poles1 and hauled me over on a sledge4 ,harrisson and ,i on one side and ,kennedy and ,watson on the other then hauled the sledges backwards and forwards1 lightly loaded one way and empty the other1 until all was across4 ,the shelf-ice is without doubt afloat1 if the presence of sea-water and diatomaceous stains on the ice is of any account4 ,we camped to-night in the same place as on the evening of ,november #be1 so with luck we should be out of this mess to-morrow4 ,switzerland had to be killed as ,i cannot afford any more biscuit4 ,amundsen ate his flesh without hesitation1 but ,zip refused it4 ,sure enough1 two days sufficed to bring us under the bluff on ,david ,island4 ,as the tents were being pitched1 a skua gull flew down4 ,i snared him with a line1 using dog's flesh for bait and we had stewed skua for dinner4 ,it was excellent4 ,while ,i was cooking the others climbed up the rocks and brought back eight snow petrels and five eggs1 with the news that many more birds were nesting4 ,after supper we all went out and secured sixty eggs and fifty-eight birds4 ,it seemed a fearful crime to kill these beautiful1 pure white creatures1 but it meant fourteen days' life for the dogs end longer marches for us4 ,fresh breeze1 light snow and a bad light on the #ith2 we remained in camp4 ,two more skuas were snared for the evening's dinner4 ,the snow petrels' eggs were almost as large as hens' eggs and very good to eat when fresh4 ,many of them had been under the birds rather too long1 but although they did not look so nice1 there was little difference in the taste4 ,i was very glad to get this fresh food1 as we had lived on tinned meat most of the year and there was always the danger of scurvy4 ,the light was too changeable to make a satisfactory start until the evening of ,december #aa1 when we managed to dodge through four and a half miles of broken ice1 reaching the mainland close to our position on ,november #af1 and camping for lunch at midnight4 ,in front was a clear mile on a peninsula and then the way led across ,robinson ,bay1 seven miles wide1 fed by the ,northcliffe ,glacier4 ,another night march was commenced at #h ,p4,m4 ,the day had been cloudless and the sun very warm1 softening the surface1 but at the time of starting it was hardening rapidly4 ,crossing the peninsula we resolved to head across ,robinson ,bay as the glacier's surface was still torn up4 ,we ended with a fine march of twelve miles one thousand two hundred yards4 ,the fine weather continued and we managed to cross three and a half miles of heavy sastrugi1 pressure-ridges and crevasses1 attaining the first slopes of the mainland at #aj ,p4,m4 on ,december #ad4 ,the discovery of two nunataks springing out of the piedmont glacier to the south1 lured us on4 ,the first rock--,possession ,nunataks--loomed ahead1 two hundred feet above1 up a slope of half a mile4 ,here a depot of provisions and spare gear was made1 sufficient to take us back to the ,hippo4 ,the rock was found by ,watson to be gneiss1 rich in mica1 felspar and garnets4 ,we lunched in this place and resumed our march at midnight4 ,the second nunatak was on the course2 a sharp peak in the south1 hidden by the contour of the uprising ridges4 ,in four miles we steadily ascended eight hundred feet4 ,while we were engaged pitching camp1 a ,cape pigeon flew overhead4 ,there were advantages in travelling at night4 ,the surface was firmer1 our eyes were relieved from the intense glare and our faces no longer blistered4 ,on the other hand1 there were disadvantages4 ,the skirt of the tent used to get very wet through the snow thawing on it in the midday sun1 and froze solid when packed up2 the floor-cloths and sleeping-bags1 also1 never had a chance of drying and set to the same icy hardness4 ,when we had mounted higher ,i intended to return to work by day4 ,it was not till the altitude was three thousand feet that we came in sight of the far peak to the south4 ,we were then pulling again in daylight4 ,the ice-falls of the ,denman ,glacier on the left were still seen descending from the plateau1 while down on the plain we saw that the zone of disrupted ice1 into which the short and intricate track of our northern attempt had been won1 extended for quite thirty miles4 ,the surface then softened in a most amazing fashion and hauling became a slow1 dogged strain with frequent spells4 ,a little over four miles was the most we could do on the #ahth1 and on the #aith the loads were dragging in a deluge of dry1 flour-like snow4 ,a long halt was made at lunch to repair a badly torn tent4 ,the peak ahead was named ,mount ,barr-,smith4 ,it was fronted by a steep rise which we determined to climb next day4 ,on the eastern margin of the ,denman ,glacier were several nunataks and higher1 rising ground4 ,following a twenty-four hours' blizzard1 the sky was overcast1 with the usual dim light filtering through a mist of snow4 ,we set off to scale the mountain1 taking the dip-circle with us4 ,the horizon was so obscured that it was useless to take a round of angles4 ,fifteen miles south of ,mount ,barr-,smith1 and a little higher there was another peak1 to be subsequently called ,mount ,strathcona2 also several intervening outcrops4 ,not a distinct range of mountains as we had hoped4 ,the ,denman ,glacier sweeps round these projecting rocks from the south-west1 and the general flow of the ice-sheet is thereby concentrated within the neck bounded by the two peaks and the higher land to the east4 ,propelled by the immense forces of the hinterland1 this stream of ice is squeezed down through a steep valley at an accelerated speed1 and1 meeting the slower moving ,shackleton ,shelf1 rends it from top to bottom and presses onward4 ,thus chaos1 icequake1 and ruin4 ,our tramp to ,mount ,barr-,smith was through eighteen inches of soft snow1 in many places a full two feet deep4 ,hard enough for walking1 we knew from experience what it was like for sledging4 ,there was only sufficient food for another week and the surface was so abominably heavy that in that time1 not allowing for blizzards1 it would have been impossible to travel as far as we could see from the summit of ,mount ,barr-,smith1 while four miles a day was the most that could have been done4 ,our attempt to make east by rounding the ,denman ,glacier to the south had been foiled1 but by turning back at that point1 we stood a chance of saving our two remaining dogs1 who had worked so well that they really deserved to live4 ,sunday ,december #bb broke with a fresh breeze and surface drift2 overhead a clear sky4 ,we went back to ,mount ,barr-,smith1 ,kennedy taking an observation for latitude1 ,watson making a geological survey and collecting specimens1 ,harrisson sketching4 ,the rocks at the summit were granites1 gneisses and schists4 ,the latitude worked out at #fg degrees #aj4d' ,s41 and we were a little more than one hundred and twenty miles in an air-line from the hut4 ,in the next two days1 downhill1 we bullocked through eleven miles1 reaching a point where the depot at ,possession ,nunataks was only sixteen miles away4 ,the surface snow was very sticky in places1 clogging the runners badly1 so that they had to be scraped every half-mile4 ,stewed skua was the feature of our ,christmas ,eve supper4 ,from the diary3 ,christmas ,day1 ,wednesday4 ,turned out and got away at #h ,a4,m41 doing nine miles before lunch down a steep descent4 ,the sun was very hot1 and after lunch the surface became sticky1 but at #e ,p4,m4 we reached the depot1 having done fifteen miles one hundred yards and descended two thousand three hundred feet4 ,i am afraid ,i shall have to go back to travelling by night1 as the snow is so very soft down here during the day2 not soft in the same way as the freshly fallen powdery stuff we had on the hills1 but half-thawed and wet1 freezing at night into a splendid surface for the runners4 ,the shade temperature at #e4cj ,p4,m4 to-day was #bi degrees ,f41 and a thermometer laid in the sun on the dark rocks went up to #hg degrees ,f4 ,some time ago1 a plum-pudding was found in one of our food-bags1 put there1 ,i believe1 by ,moyes4 ,we ate it to-night in addition to the ordinary ration1 and1 with a small taste of spirits from the medical store1 managed to get up quite a festive feeling4 ,after dinner the ,union ,jack and ,australian ,ensign were hoisted on the rocks and ,i formally took possession of the land in the name of the ,expedition1 for ,king ,george ,v4 and the ,australian ,commonwealth4 ,queen ,mary ,land is the name which1 by gracious sanction1 was eventually affixed to that area of new land4 ,night marches commenced at #a ,a4,m4 on ,december #bg4 ,the sail was hoisted for the first time and the fresh breeze was of great assistance4 ,we were once more down on the low peninsula and on its highest point1 two hundred feet above the shelf-ice1 ,kennedy took a round of angles4 ,along the margin of the shelf the crevasses were innumerable and1 as the sun was hot and the snow soft and mushy1 we pitched camp about six miles from the bluff on ,david ,island4 ,at #f ,a4,m4 on the #bhth we rounded the bluff and camped under its leeward face4 ,after lunch there was a hunt for snow petrels4 ,fifty-six were caught and the eggs1 which all contained chicks1 were given to the dogs4 ,it was my intention to touch at all the rocks on the mainland on the way home1 as time and weather permitted4 ,under a light easterly breeze we scudded along with sail set and passed close to several outcrops4 ,watson examined them1 finding gneiss and granite principally1 one type being an exceptionally coarse granite1 very much weathered4 ,a mile of bad crevasses caused some delay2 one of the dogs having a fall of twelve feet into one abyss4 ,next day1 the ,hippo hove in sight and we found the depoted food in good condition4 ,the course had been over high pressure-waves and in some places we had to diverge on account of crevasses and--fresh water6 ,many of the hollows contained water from thawed snow1 and in others there was a treacherous crust which hid a slushy pool4 ,the march of eighteen miles landed us just north of the ,avalanche ,rocks4 ,while we were erecting the tents there were several snow-slips1 and ,watson1 ,kennedy and ,i walked landwards after supper to try for a snap of one in the act of falling1 but they refused to oblige us4 ,it was found that one or more avalanches had thrown blocks of ice1 weighing at least twenty tons1 two hundred yards past the hole in which we spent five days on the depot journey4 ,they had1 therefore1 travelled six hundred yards from the cliff4 ,the ,alligator ,nunatak was explored on ,january #b1 #aiac4 ,it was found to be half a mile long1 four hundred feet high and four hundred and fifty feet in width1 and1 like most of the rock we had seen1 mainly gneiss4 ,there was half a gale blowing on the #dth and though the wind was abeam1 the sail was reefed and we moved quickly4 ,the dogs ran loose1 their feet being very sore from pulling on rough1 nobbly ice4 ,the day's run was the record up to that time--twenty-two miles4 ,our camp was in the vicinity of two small nunataks discovered in ,august #aiab4 ,we reckoned to be at the ,base in two days and wondered how poor ,moyes was faring4 ,early on the #eth1 the last piece of broken country fell behind1 and one sledge being rigged with full sail1 the second sledge was taken in tow4 ,both dogs had bleeding feet and were released1 running alongside4 ,during the halt for lunch a sail was raised on the dogs' sledge1 using tent poles as a mast1 a floor-cloth for a sail1 an ice-axe for an upper yard and a bamboo for a lower yard4 ,getting under way we found that the lighter sledge overran ours2 so we cast off and ,harrisson took the light sledge1 the sail working so well that he rode on top of the load most of the time4 ,later in the afternoon the wind increased so much that the dogs' sledge was dismasted and taken in tow once more1 the sail on the forward sledge being ample for our purpose4 ,at #d ,p4,m4 we had done twenty miles1 and1 everybody feeling fresh1 ,i decided to try and reach ,the ,grottoes1 fifteen miles away4 ,the wind increasing to a gale with hurtling drift1 the sail was reefed1 and even then was more than enough to push along both sledges4 ,two of us made fast behind and maintained a continual brake to stop them running away4 ,at #i ,p4,m4 the gale became so strong that we struck sail and camped4 ,altogether1 the day's run was thirty-five miles4 ,an hour's march next morning1 and1 through the glasses1 we saw the mast and soon afterwards the hut4 ,just before reaching home1 we struck up a song1 and in a few seconds ,moyes came running out4 ,when he saw there were four of us1 he stood on his head4 ,as we expected1 ,moyes had never thought of ,harrisson coming with me and had quite given him up as dead4 ,when a month had elapsed--the time for which ,harrisson had food--,moyes packed a sledge with provisions for ,harrisson1 himself and the dogs and went out for six days4 ,then1 recognizing the futility of searching for any one in that white waste of nothingness1 he returned4 ,he looked well1 after his lonely nine weeks1 but said that it was the worst time he had ever had in his life4 ,moyes reported that the ,western party were delayed in starting by bad weather until ,november #g4 ,the total distance sledged during our main summer eastern journey was two hundred and thirty-seven miles1 including thirty-two of relay work1 but none of the many reconnoitring miles4 ,out of seventy days1 there were twenty-eight on which the weather was adverse4 ,on the spring depot journey the travelling had been so easy that ,i fully expected to go four hundred or five hundred miles eastward in the summer4 ,it was therefore1 a great disappointment to be blocked as we were4 ,,chapter ,,xxii ,,the ,,western ,,base--,,linking ,,up ,,with ,,kaiser ,,wilhelm ,,ii ,,land by ,dr4 ,s4 ,e4 ,jones ,on our return from the ,western ,depot journey towards the end of ,october #aiab1 we found preparations completed for the long western trip1 towards ,gaussberg in ,kaiser ,wilhelm ,,ii ,land1 which was discovered by the ,german ,antarctic ,expedition of #aijb4 ,the departure was delayed for several days1 but came at last on ,november #g1 ,moyes bidding us adieu and wishing us good luck4 ,the party consisted of ,dovers 7surveyor71 ,hoadley 7geologist71 and myself 7surgeon74 ,we were hauling one sledge with rations for nine weeks4 ,our course1 which was almost due south lay over the glacier shelf practically parallel to the sea-cliffs4 ,the surface was good1 and we covered eleven miles by nightfall1 reaching a point some two or three miles from the rising land slopes4 ,as the high land was approached closer1 the surface of the glacier-shelf1 which farther north was practically level1 became undulating and broken by pressure-ridges and crevasses4 ,these1 however1 offered no obstacle to sledging4 ,proceeding in the morning and finding that an ascent of the slopes ahead was rendered impracticable by wide patches of ice1 we turned more to the west and steered for ,junction ,corner4 ,upon our arrival there1 it was discovered that several bergs lay frozen within the floe close to where the seaward wall of the glacier-shelf joined that of the land ice-sheet4 ,some of these bergs were old and rotten1 but one seemed to have broken away quite recently4 ,from the same place we could see several black points ahead2 our course was altered towards them1 almost due westward1 about halt a mile from the sea-cliffs4 ,they proved to be rocks1 six in number1 forming a moraine4 ,as it was then half-past five1 we camped in order that ,hoadley might examine them4 ,there had been a halo visible all day1 with mock suns in the evening4 ,in the morning a high wind was blowing4 ,everything went well for a little over a mile1 when we found ourselves running across a steep slope4 ,the wind having increased and being abeam1 the sledge was driven to leeward when on a smooth surface1 and when amongst soft sastrugi1 which occurred in patches1 was capsized4 ,accordingly camp was pitched4 ,the next day being less boisterous1 a start was made at #i ,a4,m4 ,there was still a strong beam wind1 however1 which carried the sledge downhill1 with the result that for one forward step two had to be taken to the right4 ,we were more fortunate in the afternoon and reached the depot laid on the earlier journey at #e4cj ,a4,m4 ,from this position we had a fine view of the ,helen ,glacier running out of a bay which opened up ahead4 ,having picked up the depot next morning1 we were disappointed to find that we should have to commence relay work4 ,there were then two sledges with rations for thirteen weeks2 the total weight amounting to one thousand two hundred pounds4 ,by making an even division between the two sledges the work was rendered easy but slow4 ,when we camped at #f ,p4,m41 five and a half miles had been covered4 ,the surface was good1 but a strong beam wind hindered us while approaching the head of ,depot ,bay4 ,the ice-cap to the west appeared to be very broken1 and it seemed inevitable that we should have to ascend to a considerable altitude towards the south-west to find a good travelling surface4 ,in the morning we were delayed by heavy wind1 but left camp at ten o'clock after spending an hour digging out the sledges and tent4 ,at lunch time the sun became quite obscured and each of us had many falls stumbling over the invisible sastrugi4 ,at five o'clock the weather became so thick that camp was pitched4 ,hoadley complained of snow-blindness and all were suffering with cracked lips2 there was consequently a big demand for hazeline cream in the evening4 ,on ,wednesday ,november #ac1 we started early1 and1 finding a good firm track over a gently rising plateau1 made fair progress4 ,at three o'clock a gale sprang up suddenly2 and fortunately the sledges were only a quarter of a mile apart as we were relaying them in stages up the rising plateau4 ,the tent was pitched hurriedly1 though with difficulty1 on account of the high wind and drift4 ,the distance for the day was four miles one thousand five hundred yards1 the last mile and a half being downhill into a valley at the head of the bay4 ,the morainic boulders visible from the camp at the depot were now obscured behind a point to the west of ,depot ,bay4 ,the next sixty hours were spent in sleeping-bags1 a heavy snowstorm making it impossible to move4 ,owing to the comparatively high temperature1 #bj degrees to #bf degrees ,f41 the snow melted readily on the lee side of the tent1 and1 the water running through1 things became uncomfortably wet inside4 ,at midday of the #afth1 however1 we were able to go out1 and1 after spending two and a half hours digging out the tent and sledges1 we made a start1 travelling two and three-quarter miles on a south-westerly course4 ,during the morning of the #agth a slight descent was negotiated1 but in the afternoon came the ascent of the slopes on the western side of ,depot ,bay4 ,the ice-cap here was very badly crevassed1 and spiked boots had to be worn in hauling the sledges up the steep neve slopes4 ,in the latter part of the afternoon a course was made more to the west1 and about the same time the south-east wind freshened and we travelled for a couple of hours through thick drift4 ,the night's camp was situated approximately at the eastern edge of the ,helen ,glacier4 ,the portion of the ice-cap which contributes to the glacier below is marked off from the general icy surface on either side by a series of falls and cascades4 ,these appeared quite impassable near sea-level1 but we hoped to find a smooth passage at an altitude of about one thousand feet4 ,a start was made at #g ,a4,m4 ,the surface consisted of ice and neve and was badly broken by pressure-mounds1 ten to twenty feet high1 and by numerous crevasses old and recent2 many with sunken or fallen bridges4 ,while crossing a narrow crevasse1 about forty feet of the bridge collapsed lengthwise under the leading man1 letting him fall to the full extent of his harness rope4 ,hoadley and myself had passed over the same spot1 unsuspecting and unroped1 a few minutes previously1 while looking for a safe track4 ,we were now nearing the approximate western edge of the ,helen ,glacier1 and the broken condition of the ice evidently indicated considerable movement4 ,later in the morning a more southerly course was kept over an improving surface4 ,at midday ,dovers took observations of the sun and found the latitude to be #ff degrees #dg' ,s4 ,owing to the heat of the sun the fat in the pemmican had been melting in the food-bags1 so after lunch the provisions were repacked and the pemmican was put in the centre of the large tanks4 ,in the afternoon we hoisted the sail1 and by evening had done four miles4 ,from our camp the eye could range across the ,helen ,glacier eastward to the shelf-ice of ,the ,grottoes4 ,far away in the north-west was a wide expanse of open water1 while a multitude of bergs lay scattered along the coast to the west of the ,helen ,glacier4 ,the next day was gloriously bright1 with a breeze just strong enough to make hauling pleasant4 ,erecting a sail1 we made an attempt to haul both sledges1 but found that they were too heavy4 ,it was soon discovered that a considerable detour would have to be made to cross the broken ice on the western edge of the ,helen ,glacier4 ,by keeping to the saddles and valleys as much as possible and working to the south1 we were able to avoid the rougher country1 but at #d ,p4,m4 we arrived at what at first appeared an impasse4 ,at this point three great crevassed ridges united to form the ice-falls on the western side of the glacier4 ,the point of confluence was the only place that appeared to offer any hope of a passage1 and1 as we did not want to retrace our steps1 we decided to attempt it4 ,the whole surface was a network of huge crevasses1 some open1 the majority from fifty to one hundred feet or more in width4 ,after many devious turns1 a patch of snow between two large abysses was reached4 ,as the ice in front seemed even more broken than that behind1 camp was pitched4 ,after tea a search was made for a way out1 and it was found that by travelling along a narrow1 knife-edge ridge of ice and neve1 with an open crevasse on each side1 a good surface could be reached within a mile of the camp4 ,this ridge had a gradient of one in ten1 and1 unfortunately1 also sloped down towards one of the open crevasses4 ,during the next four days a heavy blizzard raged4 ,there was a tremendous snowfall accompanied by a gale of wind1 and1 after the second day1 the snow was piled four feet high round the tent1 completely burying the sledges and by its pressure greatly reducing the space inside the tent4 ,on the #bcrd1 the fourth day1 we dug out the floor1 lowering the level of the tent about two feet1 and this made things more comfortable4 ,while digging1 a crack in the ice was disclosed running across the floor1 and from this came a considerable draught4 ,by midday the weather had improved sufficiently to allow us to move4 ,the sledge and tent were excavated from beneath a great mass of soft snow2 the new level of the snow's surface being four to five feet above that on which the camp had been made four days earlier4 ,the wind having fallen1 we went ahead with the sledges4 ,while crossing the ridge of ice which led into the valley below1 one man hauled the sledges while the other two prevented them from sliding sideways downhill into the open crevasse4 ,that afternoon we noticed very fine iridescent colouring in cirro-cumulus clouds as they crossed the sun4 ,the next day gave us a pleasant surprise1 there being a strong breeze dead aft1 while the travelling surface ahead looked distinctly favourable4 ,sail was hoisted and the two sledges were coupled together4 ,the course for a short distance was downhill1 and we had to run to keep up with the sledges4 ,the slopes on the far side of the valley we had entered on the previous afternoon were not so formidable as they had looked1 for by lunch time six and a half miles had been covered4 ,the surface was good1 with occasional long undulations4 ,after lunch a turn to the north was made for a short distance in order to come in touch with the coastline4 ,then the march west was resumed by travelling parallel to the shore at a distance of five to ten miles4 ,at halting-time the extreme western edge of ,helen ,glacier was passed1 and below lay young floe-ice1 studded with numerous bergs4 ,in the morning1 ,dovers called attention to what appeared to be an ice-covered island lying to the north-north-west1 thirty to forty miles away4 ,we watched this carefully during the day1 but found its form to be constant4 ,through binoculars1 icy patches and bluff points at the eastern and western ends were distinguishable49999 9999 ,this was examined in detail from the ',aurora' in ,january #aiac and found to be an island1 which was named ,drygalski ,island1 for it is evidently the ice-covered high-land observed by ,professor ,drygalski 7,german ,expedition1 #aijb7 from his balloon4--,,ed4 ,as soon as camp was struck the march was resumed direct for what every one thought was a rocky outcrop1 though nearer approach proved it to be merely the shady face of an open crevasse4 ,the same course was maintained and the ridge of ice that runs down to the western point of ,depot ,bay was soon close at hand4 ,from its crest we could see a group of about a dozen rocky islands1 the most distant being five miles off the coast4 ,all were surrounded by floe4 ,descending steeply from the ridge into a valley which ran out to the sea-cliffs1 we pitched camp for lunch4 ,the meal completed1 ,hoadley and ,i descended to the edge of the glacier in order to see if there were a passable route to the sea-ice4 ,crossing wide areas of badly crevassed ice and neve during a descent of nine hundred feet1 we reached the sea-front about one and a half miles from the camp4 ,below us there was a chaos of bergs and smaller debris1 resulting from the disintegration of the land-ice1 which were frozen into the floe and connected to one another by huge ramparts of snow4 ,following a path downward with great difficulty1 we approached a small berg which was discovered to be rapidly thawing under the action of the heat absorbed by a pile of stones and mud4 ,the trickling of the falling water made a pleasant relief in the otherwise intense silence4 ,as it seemed impossible to haul sledges through this jumble of ice and snow1 ,hoadley suggested that he should walk across the floe and make a brief geological examination of at least the largest islet4 ,i therefore returned to the camp and helped ,dovers take observations for longitude and magnetic variation4 ,hoadley returned at #i ,p4,m4 and reported that he had seen an immense rookery of ,emperor penguins near the largest islet1 besides ,adelie penguins1 silver-grey1 ,wilson and ,antarctic petrels and skua gulls4 ,he also said that he thought it possible to take a sledge1 lightly laden1 through the drifts below the brink of the glacier4 ,accordingly in the morning the eleven-foot sledge was packed with necessaries for a week's stay1 although we intended to remain only for a day in order to take photographs and search for specimens4 ,erecting a depot flag to mark the big sledge1 we broke camp at midday and soon reached the sea-front4 ,our track then wound among the snow-drifts until it emerged from the broken ice which was observed to border the land ice-sheet for miles4 ,the travelling became unexpectedly good for a time over highly polished1 green sea-ice1 and thence on to snow1 amid a field of numerous small bergs4 ,many of these showed a marked degree of ablation1 and1 in places1 blocks of ice perched on eminences had weathered into most grotesque forms4 ,there were numerous streams of thaw-water running from mud-covered bergs4 ,perspiring in the heat1 we more than once stopped to slake our thirst4 ,approaching the largest rock--,haswell ,island1 as it was called later--we saw more distinctly the immense numbers of ,emperor penguins covering several acres of floe4 ,the birds extended in rows even on to the lower slopes of several bergs4 ,the sound of their cries coming across the ice reminded one of the noise from a distant sports' ground during a well-contested game4 ,we camped at #e ,p4,m4 on a snow-drift at the southern end of the island4 ,a large rookery of ,adelie penguins on a long1 low rock1 about a mile distant1 soon made itself evident4 ,although the stay was intended to occupy only about twenty-four hours1 we were compelled to remain five days on the island on account of a snowstorm which continued for practically the whole of the time4 ,this did not prevent us from leaving the tent and wandering about2 ,hoadley keen on the geology and ,dovers surveying whenever the light was good enough4 ,the temperature of the rock was well above freezing-point where it was exposed1 and snow melted almost as soon as it fell4 ,our sleeping-bags and gear soon became very wet1 but we rejoiced in one compensation1 and that was a change in diet4 ,it was agreed that five ,adelie penguins or ten ,cape pigeons' eggs made a good tasty entree to the monotonous ration4 ,the camp was situated on the largest of a group of about twelve small islets1 lying within five or six miles of the coast1 on the lower slopes of which several outcrops of rock could be observed4 ,haswell ,island was found to be roughly diamond-shaped2 three-quarters of a mile in length1 the same in width1 and about three hundred feet on the highest point4 ,it was surrounded by one season's floe1 raised in pressure-ridges on the eastern side4 ,on the northern1 southern1 and especially the eastern face1 the rock was steep2 on the western aspect1 there was a more gentle slope down to the floe1 the rock being almost concealed by big snow-drifts4 ,there were signs of previous glaciation in the form of erratics and many examples of polishing and grooving4 ,the rock was very rotten1 and in many places1 especially about the penguin rookeries1 there were collections of soil4 ,two deep gorges cut through the island from north-west to south-east1 in both of which there were small ponds of fresh water4 ,the most marked feature was the wonderful abundance of bird life1 for almost all the birds frequenting the shores of the continent were found nesting there4 ,adelie penguins were in greatest numbers4 ,besides the large rookery on one of the smaller islets1 there were numerous rookeries of fifty to one hundred birds each on ,haswell ,island4 ,in most cases the penguins made their nests on the rock itself1 but1 failing this1 had actually settled on snow-drifts1 where they presented a peculiar sight1 as the heat of their bodies having caused them to sink in the snow1 their heads alone were visible above the surface4 ,one bird was observed carrying an egg on the dorsal surface of his feet as the ,emperor penguins do4 ,feathers were scattered broadcast around each rookery4 ,these result from the numerous fights which occur and are also partly derived from the bare patch of skin at the lower part of the abdomen which provides the necessary heat for incubation when the bird is sitting4 ,most of the birds had two eggs in a well-advanced stage of incubation1 and it was a difficult task to find a sufficient number fresh enough for culinary purposes4 ,attached to each rookery was a pair of skua gulls1 who swooped down and quickly flew off with any eggs left for a moment untended4 ,the ,emperor penguins had their rookery on the floe1 about a mile from the island4 ,the birds covered four to five acres1 but there were undoubted signs that a much larger area had been occupied4 ,we estimated the numbers to be seven thousand five hundred1 the great majority being young birds4 ,these were well grown1 most of them standing as high as the shoulders of the adults4 ,they were all very fat1 covered by a grey down1 slightly darker on the dorsal than on the ventral surface1 with dark tails and a black1 straight beak4 ,the eyes were surrounded by a ring of grey plumage1 and this again by a black band which extended over the skull to the root of the beak4 ,thus the markings on the young do not correspond with those of the adults4 ,a few of the larger chicks had commenced to moult1 the change of plumage being observed on the flippers4 ,daily we watched large numbers of adults departing from and returning to the rookery4 ,the direction in which they travelled was north1 towards open water1 estimated to be twenty miles distant4 ,although more than once the adults' return to the rookery was carefully noted1 we never saw the young birds being fed1 old birds as they entered the rookery quietly going to sleep4 ,hoadley1 on his first visit to the island1 had seen ,antarctic petrels flying about1 and a search revealed a large rookery of these on the eastern side4 ,the nesting-place of this species of petrel had never before been discovered1 and so we were all elated at the great find4 ,about three hundred birds were found sitting in the gullies and clefts1 as close together as they could crowd4 ,they made no attempt to form nests1 merely laying their eggs on the shallow dirt4 ,each bird had one egg about the same size as that of a domestic fowl4 ,incubation was far advanced1 and some difficulty was experienced in blowing the specimens with a blow-pipe improvised from a quill4 ,neither the ,antarctic nor any other petrels offered any resistance when disturbed on their nests1 except by the expectoration of large quantities of a pink or green1 oily fluid4 ,the ,cape pigeons had just commenced laying when we arrived at the island4 ,on the first day only two eggs were found1 but1 on the fourth day after our arrival1 forty were collected4 ,these birds make a small shallow nest with chips of stone4 ,the silver-grey or ,southern ,fulmar petrels were present in large numbers1 especially about the steep north-eastern side of the island4 ,though they were mated1 laying had scarcely commenced1 as we found only two eggs4 ,they made small grottoes in the snow-drifts1 and many pairs were seen billing and cooing in such shelters4 ,the small ,wilson petrels were found living in communities under slabs of rock1 and ,hoadley one afternoon thought he heard some young birds crying4 ,skua gulls were present in considerable force1 notably near the penguin rookeries4 ,they were breeding at the time1 laying their eggs on the soil near the summit of the island4 ,the neighbourhood of a nest was always betrayed by the behaviour of these birds who1 when we intruded on them1 came swooping down as if to attack us4 ,although many snow petrels were seen flying about1 we found only one with an egg4 ,the nests were located in independent rocky niches but never in rookeries4 ,vegetable life existed in the form of algae1 in the pools1 lichens on oversell rocks and mosses which grew luxuriantly1 chiefly in the ,adelie penguin rookeries4 ,weddell seals were plentiful about the island near the tide-cracks2 two of them with calves4 ,though the continuous bad weather made photography impossible1 ,hoadley was able to make a thorough geological examination of the locality4 ,on ,december #b the clouds cleared sufficiently for photography1 and after securing some snapshots we prepared to move on the next day4 ,dovers built a small cairn on the summit of the island and took angles to the outlying rocks4 ,on the #crd we packed our specimens and left for the mainland at #i4cj ,a4,m41 arriving at the land ice-cliffs at #b ,p4,m4 ,the snow surface was soft1 even slushy in places1 and the heat amongst the bergs along the coast of the mainland was very oppressive4 ,after we had dug out the second sledge and re-arranged the loads1 the hour was too late for sledging1 so ,dovers took another observation in order to obtain the rate of the half-chronometer watch4 ,while on the island1 we had examined the coast to the west with glasses and concluded that the only way to get westward was to ascend to a considerable altitude on the ice-cap1 which1 as far as the eye could reach1 descended to the sea-level in long cascades and falls4 ,we had expected to place a depot somewhere near ,haswell ,island1 but such procedure was now deemed inadvisable in view of its distance from what would probably be our direct return route4 ,a start was made next day against an opposing wind1 the sledges being relayed up a steep hillside4 ,later on1 however1 a turn was made more to the west1 and it was then possible to haul both sledges at the same time4 ,the surface was soft1 so that after every halt the runners had to be cleared4 ,the distance for the day was five and a half miles1 and the night's camp was at an altitude of about one thousand five hundred feet1 located just above the broken coastal ice4 ,during ,december #e and #f a snowstorm raged and confined us to our tent4 ,the high temperature caused the falling snow to melt as it touched the tent1 and1 when the temperature fell1 the cloth became thickly coated with ice4 ,on the #gth the march was resumed1 by skirting a small valley at an approximate altitude of two thousand feet4 ,the ice-cap ahead descended in abrupt falls to the floe4 ,having a fair wind and a smooth surface1 we made good headway4 ,in the afternoon we ran into a plexus of crevasses1 and the surface was traversed by high ridges4 ,the snowbridges in many cases were weak and several gave way while the sledge was crossing them4 ,a chasm about fifty feet deep and one hundred feet long was passed1 evidently portion of a crevasse1 one side of which had been raised4 ,later in the afternoon the surface became impassable and a detour to the south was rendered necessary4 ,this difficulty arose near the head of the valley1 in which situation the ice-cap fell in a series of precipitous terraces for about one thousand feet4 ,at midday on the #hth we were compelled to continue the detour over a badly crevassed surface1 ascending most of the time4 ,on that night1 camp was pitched again amongst crevasses4 ,the sledge-meter showed only two miles one thousand one hundred yards for the afternoon1 relaying having been necessary4 ,the sledges slipped along in the morning with a fresh breeze in their favour4 ,the sky was covered with rapidly scudding1 cirro-cumulus clouds which1 by midday1 quite obscured the sun1 making surrounding objects and even the snow at our feet indistinguishable4 ,after continuing for four and a half miles1 we were forced to camp4 ,in the afternoon a heavy snowstorm commenced and persisted throughout the following day4 ,though snow was still falling on the morning of the #aath1 camp was broken at #aj ,a4,m41 and we moved off rapidly with a strong wind4 ,during the morning the surface was gently undulating1 but it mounted in a gradual ascent until nightfall4 ,in the latter part of the afternoon the sun was clouded over1 and steering had to be done by the aid of the wind4 ,to the north we had a fine view of ,drygalski's ,high ,land 7,drygalski ,island71 perceiving a distinct seaward ice-cliff of considerable height4 ,as there were no prominences on the ice-cap that could be used for surveying marks1 ,dovers had considerable difficulty in keeping a reckoning of our course4 ,the trouble was overcome by building snow-mounds and taking back-angles to them with the prismatic compass4 ,at this juncture we were about ten miles from the shore and could see open water some thirty miles to the north4 ,frozen fast within the floe were great numbers of bergs4 ,we started off early on ,december #ab with the aid of a fair breeze over a good surface1 so that both sledges were easily hauled along together4 ,the course was almost due west1 parallel to the coast4 ,open water came within a few miles of the ice-cliffs1 and1 farther north1 a heavy belt of pack was observed4 ,when the sun sank lower1 the bergs on the northern horizon were refracted up to such a degree that they appeared to be hanging from the sky4 ,the aid rendered by the sail under the influence of a fair breeze was well shown on the following day4 ,in four hours1 on a good surface1 both sledges were transported seven miles4 ,when we moved off1 the wind was blowing at ten to fifteen miles an hour4 ,by #aj ,a4,m4 the sky became overcast and the wind freshened4 ,camp was pitched for lunch at #aa ,a4,m41 as we hoped that the weather would clear again later1 but the wind increased and snow began to fall heavily in the afternoon1 so we did not stir4 ,the storm continued throughout the following day and it was impossible to march until the #aeth4 ,continuing the ascent on the #afth out of a valley we had crossed on the previous day1 we halted on the top of a ridge within view of ,german territory--a small1 dark object bearing due west1 evidently bare rock and presumably ,gaussberg4 ,the course was altered accordingly towards this object and everything went smoothly for ten miles4 ,then followed an area where the ice fell steeply in waves to the sea1 crossed by crevasses which averaged fifty feet in width4 ,the snow-bridges were deeply concave1 and the lower side of each chasm was raised into a ridge five to ten feet high4 ,making fast the alpine rope on to the sledges1 one of us went ahead to test the bridge1 and then the sledges1 one at a time1 were rushed down into the trough and up on the other side4 ,after crossing ten or more crevasses in this fashion1 we were forced to camp by the approach of a rapidly moving fog driven before a strong westerly wind4 ,while camp was being prepared1 it was discovered that a tin of kerosene on the front sledge had been punctured causing the loss of a gallon of fuel4 ,fortunately1 we were well within our allowance1 so the accident was not serious4 ,soon after tea our attention was drawn to a pattering on the tent like rain1 caused by a fall of sago snow4 ,in the morning the weather was clearer1 and we saw that it was impossible to reach ,gaussberg by a direct route4 ,the ice ahead was cleft and split in all directions1 and1 in places1 vertical faces stood up to a height of one hundred feet4 ,the floe was littered with hundreds of bergs1 and in several localities there were black spots which resembled small rocks1 but it was impossible to approach close enough to be certain4 ,retracing the way out of the broken ice1 we steered in a south-westerly direction1 just above the line of serac and crevassed ice4 ,the coast here trended to the south-west1 forming the eastern side of ,drygalski's ,posadowsky ,bay4 ,the going was heavy1 the surface being covered by a layer of frost-crystals deposited during the night4 ,a fog came up again early in the afternoon and had quite surrounded us at camping time4 ,during the day there were fine clouds of ice-crystals in the air1 and at #h ,p4,m4 a fog-bow was seen in the east4 ,turning out in the morning we saw ,gaussberg peeping over a ridge to the west1 but were still prevented from steering directly towards it by the broken surface4 ,when we had advanced ten miles1 a heavy fog brought us to a halt at #e ,p4,m4 ,on ,friday the #bjth1 in spite of a sticky surface1 thirteen miles was covered on a west-south-west course4 ,the ice-cap continued to be undulating but free of crevasses4 ,the altitude was between two thousand five hundred and three thousand feet4 ,in the morning1 after travelling two miles1 we came in sight of ,gaussberg again and steered directly towards it4 ,the surface was good with a downward grade4 ,at five and a quarter miles a depot was made of the small sledge and most of the food1 in expectation of a clear run to the mountain4 ,not far ahead1 however1 were two broken-backed ridges intersecting the course1 and a detour had to be made to the south to cross them higher up4 ,midsummer's day1 ,december #bb1 was spent in the tent1 a move being impossible on account of the high wind4 ,in the afternoon we walked ahead a short distance and reconnoitred six or seven crumpled ridges4 ,though the barometer had been falling ominously for twenty-four hours1 the bad weather did not continue4 ,gaussberg was reached in the afternoon1 after our track had passed through seventeen miles of dangerous country4 ,for the first few miles the surface consisted of a series of steep1 buckled ice-ridges2 later1 it was snow-covered1 but at times literally cut into a network of crevasses4 ,the only approach to ,gaussberg from the plateau is from the south4 ,to the east and west there are magnificent ice-falls1 the debris from which litters the floe for miles around4 ,december #bd and ,christmas ,day were devoted to examining the mountain4 ,dovers made a long series of observations for longitude1 latitude and magnetic variation1 while ,hoadley examined the rocks and took photographs4 ,on the southern side1 the ice-cap abuts against this extinct volcano at an elevation of about four hundred feet above sea-level2 the summit of the mountain rises another eight hundred feet4 ,on the north1 the rock descends to the floe4 ,gaussberg is pyramidal in shape1 falling steeply1 from a ridge at the summit4 ,the sides are covered with a loose rubble of volcanic fragments1 square yards of which commence to slide at the slightest disturbance4 ,this renders climbing difficult and accounts for the large numbers of isolated blocks fringing the base4 ,at the summit two cairns were found1 the bamboo poles which had previously marked them having blown over4 ,further examination revealed many other bamboos which had been used as marks1 but no other record of the visit of the ,german expedition1 ten years before1 was met4 ,bird life was not plentiful1 being limited to a few skuas1 ,wilson petrels and snow petrels2 the latter nesting under slabs of rock4 ,there were large quantities of moss where thaw-water had been running4 ,the ice and snow near the mountain showed evidences of marked thawing1 and we had difficulty in finding a favourable spot for our camp4 ,christmas ,day was gloriously fine1 with just sufficient wind to counteract the heat of the sun4 ,at midday the ,christmas hamper was opened1 and it was not long before the only sign of the plum-pudding was the tin4 ,in the afternoon we ascended the mountain and left a record in a cairn at the top4 ,by the route followed1 ,gaussberg was two hundred and fifteen miles from ,the ,grottoes but relay work had made the actual distance covered three hundred miles4 ,we had been away from home seven weeks1 and1 though there was sufficient food for an outward journey of another week1 there was no indication that the country would change4 ,further1 from the summit of ,gaussberg one could see almost as far as could be marched in a week4 ,accordingly it was decided to commence our return on the #bfth1 making a course almost due east1 thus cutting out numerous detours which had to be taken on the outward journey4 ,we left the mountain on ,december #bf1 pursuing a course to the south of our outward track so as to avoid some crevassed ridges4 ,ascending steadily against a continuous headwind1 we picked up the second sledge at midday on the #bhth4 ,next day all the gear was transferred to one sledge and a course made direct to the ,helen ,glacier2 the other sledge being abandoned4 ,on ,december #ca1 after a day's blizzard1 the surface was found to be covered with sastrugi of soft snow eighteen inches to two feet in depth4 ,in crossing a wide crevasse1 the sledge became bogged in the soft snow of a drift which had a deceptive appearance of solidity4 ,it took us ten minutes to extricate ourselves1 and1 after this1 crevasses were negotiated at a run4 ,a violent blizzard raged during the following day--the first of the ,new ,year #aiac4 ,this proved to be a blessing1 for it made the surface more crisp and firm4 ,in the morning the sun was obscured and nothing was visible but the snow at our feet1 so that steering was very difficult4 ,in the afternoon the sun broke through1 a strong westerly wind sprang up and we moved along at a good pace1 covering more than thirteen miles before camping4 ,on ,january #c the track bordered on the edge of the plateau1 the surface being almost level1 rising gently towards the south4 ,after a violent blizzard of three days' duration1 which confined us in the tent1 we continued on the same course for four days1 averaging about eleven miles each day4 ,the surface was good1 but a strong south-easter blew practically all the time and reduced our speed considerably4 ,at #aj ,a4,m4 on ,january #i1 a fog-bank was observed in the east4 ,this rapidly approached1 and in fifteen minutes was quite close4 ,there was now a splendid display of rings and arcs1 caused apparently by minute ice-crystals which filled the air without obscuring the sun or sky4 ,first an arc of prismatic colours appeared in the east1 and in a few seconds the sky seemed literally to be covered with other arcs4 ,at first they seemed to be scattered indiscriminately1 but after a short time several arcs joined and we could discern a symmetrical arrangement4 ,the sun was surrounded by a ring1 the lower portion of which was broken by an inverted arc2 two other arcs were visible on either side4 ,a large ring appeared encircling the zenith1 intersecting the first and passing through the sun4 ,two pairs of arcs were also seen1 one pair in each ring4 ,excepting the arcs and ring about the zenith1 which was grayish-white against the blue sky1 the arcs showed prismatic colouring4 ,the display lasted ten minutes and ended with the disappearance of the ice-crystals4 ,,illustration ,,in ,,text ,the diagram shows the arrangement of the arcs3 ,s ,sun4 ,z ,zenith4 ,at ,a1 ,b1 ,c1 mock suns could be seen4 ,from our camp on the night of ,january #aj1 broken country could be seen ahead4 ,to the north1 open water was visible1 and to the north-east the ,shackleton ,shelf1 so that we were nearing home at last4 ,here1 a heavy snowstorm delayed us for two and a half days1 and it was not till the afternoon of ,january #ac that we were able to move ahead4 ,the next day was dull1 the sun being quite obscured2 and the only check upon the steering was the south-easterly wind4 ,at midday the thermometer registered #ce degrees ,f4 in the shade1 and the surface became quite sticky4 ,after tea we walked ahead for a couple of hundred yards to the summit of a ridge where the full extent of the ,helen ,glacier was laid before us4 ,it was evident that our position was some miles north of the true course1 but1 considering the absence of steering marks and the constant overcast weather1 we considered ourselves lucky in being so close to it4 ,the bad weather continued and snow fell during the following day4 ,on the #afth the light was better1 and we pushed into a strong wind which freshened to the force of a moderate gale before we had travelled two miles4 ,approaching a steep ascent we were compelled to camp4 ,the morning brought an improvement1 and the crossing of the ,helen ,glacier was commenced a mile or two above the outward course4 ,at midday on ,january #ah1 over treacherous ice1 in the face of strong winds1 we were making good headway towards ,junction ,corner4 ,almost daily for a fortnight a ,wilson petrel had visited us1 the only form of life seen on the return journey4 ,on the #aith we were not able to move until #h4hj ,p4,m41 when the wind1 which had been blowing with the force of a gale1 subsided4 ,during the afternoon a magnificent view of the ,helen ,glacier was obtained1 and in the west we could see ,haswell ,island and ,drygalski ,island4 ,continuing on the same course1 throughout the following day1 we picked up the hut with the binoculars at #e ,p4,m4 ,there now came a quick descent to ,junction ,corner4 ,on the lower levels there was clear evidence of thawing having occurred4 ,the firm surface of snow which had been present on the outward journey was now converted into rough ice1 over which we walked painfully in finnesko4 ,neve and ice surfaces were covered with sharp spicules1 and the sides and bridges of crevasses were unmistakably thawed4 ,leaving ,junction ,corner at #f ,a4,m41 we steered a course for the hut1 running parallel to the edge of the glacier4 ,at #c ,p4,m4 the mast was sighted1 and1 later1 the hut itself4 ,when within half a mile of ,the ,grottoes we saw three figures on the floe and guessed that the eastern party had returned4 ,in a few minutes greetings were heartily exchanged and they had welcomed us home4 ,instructions had been given that the ,western ,base should be in readiness to embark on the ',aurora' not later than ,january #cj1 #aiac4 ,when ,wild's party had arrived1 preparations for departure were immediately made4 ,geological and biological collections were packed1 stores were sorted out and cases containing personal gear were sledged to the edge of the glacier4 ,harrisson contrived a winch for sounding and fishing4 ,fourteen-gauge copper wire was wound on it and1 through a crack in the sea-ice a quarter of a mile from the glacier1 bottom was reached in two hundred and sixty fathoms4 ,as the water was too deep for dredging1 ,harrisson manufactured cage-traps and secured some fish1 a squid1 and other specimens4 ,at this time there was abundant evidence of life4 ,skua gulls frequently flew about the hut1 as well as ,cape pigeons1 ,antarctic1 snow1 ,wilson1 giant and silver-grey petrels4 ,out on the sea-ice1 there were ,adelie and ,emperor penguins2 the latter moulting4 ,hundreds of seals were seen with glasses on the edge of the floe1 ten miles to the north4 ,on the whole1 ,january was a very fine month4 ,some of the days seemed really hot2 the shade temperature on one occasion reaching #cg degrees ,f41 and1 in several instances1 #cc degrees ,f4 ,it was quite a common thing for a man to work outside in loose1 light garments2 in fact1 with nothing more than a singlet on the upper part of the body4 ,on ,january #bf1 while ,kennedy took observations1 ,wild and the others went for a walk towards the open water4 ,the surface was very rough and broken by leads1 along which ,weddell seals lay in great numbers4 ,three miles of ice were found to have drifted out1 reducing the northern expanse to seven miles4 ,in view of the possibility of the ',aurora' not relieving them1 the party went through their food-supplies1 finding that these were sufficient for another year1 with the exception of meat4 ,with regard to coal1 two tons of briquettes remained1 which1 augmented by good stock of seal-blubber1 would provide sufficient fuel4 ,laying in a store of seals' flesh and blubber now became the principal work1 and every fine day saw a party out with a sledge4 ,unfortunately1 the nearest crack on the sea-ice was nearly two miles away1 so that the return journey1 with a heavily laden sledge1 was long and tedious4 ,two holes were dug in the glacier near the hut1 one for blubber and the other for meat4 ,on ,january #ca six miles of sea-ice still remained1 and1 if the ship had arrived to time1 a good deal of sledging would have been required to transport all the gear aboard4 ,in ,february1 the weather altered for the worse1 and there was not a single fine day until the #bjth4 ,a strong east-southeast wind with falling snow prevailed4 ,as the days were shortening rapidly1 all were beginning to feel anxious about the ',aurora'4 ,wild erected a flagstaff on the highest ice-pinnacle near ,the ,grottoes and flew a large flag on it whenever the wind moderated4 ,on the #afth1 a lamp-screen and reflector were fitted at the mast-head and each night a hurricane lamp was placed there1 which could be seen eight miles with the naked eye4 ,on the #bjth ,dovers and ,wild made a large signboard1 taking it out to a prominent point on the glacier1 three and a half miles to the north4 ,it was lashed to a bamboo pole with a flag flying on it4 ,the open water was then only three miles distant4 ,wild writes3 ,the #bbnd ,february was the anniversary of the day the ',aurora' left us1 but the weather was very different4 ,a heavy blizzard was raging1 the wind's velocity ranging up to eighty miles per hour4 ,as it was ,saturday1 we kept the usual routine1 scrubbing out and cleaning up the hut4 ,we could not help speculating as to whether we should have to do it for another whole year4 ,but every one had great faith in 'good old ,davis1' and nobody was at all downhearted4 ,when we 'turned out' on ,sunday there was still a strong wind and drift1 but this died away to a light breeze before breakfast was over1 and the sun came out4 ,i had a look round with the glasses and saw that the ice had broken away beyond a limit of one and a half miles4 ,as there was a sledge1 which ,harrisson had been using for sounding1 within a few yards of the water's edge1 ,jones and ,i went off to bring it in4 ,we had gone less than half a mile when we saw what at first appeared to be a penguin1 standing on some pack-ice in the distance1 but which we soon saw was the mast-head of the ',aurora'4 ,it was evident that she could not be alongside for some time1 so ,jones went back to the hut to tell the others to bring down a load of gear1 and ,i went on to meet the ship4 ,before the ',aurora' had reached the fast ice1 all the party were down with two sledge loads1 having covered the mile and a half in record time4 ,we were all anxious1 of course1 for news1 and the first we received was the sad account of the deaths of ,ninnis and ,mertz2 then of the wonderful march made by ,dr4 ,mawson4 ,before closing1 ,i should like to pay a tribute to the good-fellowship1 unfailing industry1 enthusiasm and unswerving loyalty which characterized my comrades4 ,during the whole of the ,expedition1 whether carrying out monotonous routine work at the ,base or under the trying conditions of sledging1 all duties were performed with never-failing good temper and perseverance4 ,should it ever be my lot to venture on a like expedition ,i hope to have some1 if not all1 of the same party with me4 ,but whether we meet again or not1 ,i shall always think of every man of them with the greatest affection and respect4 ,,chapter ,,xxiii ,a ,,second ,,winter ,during the first busy year in ,adelie ,land1 when the ,hut was full of life and work1 there were few moments for reflection4 ,yet1 over the speculative pipe at home after a successful day's labour on the wireless masts1 or out on the turbulent plateau when the hour of hoosh brought the strenuous day to a close1 more than one man was heard to say1 ,one year in this country is enough for me4 ,still1 in the early days1 no one could predict what would happen1 and therefore a change in the perverse climate was always considered probable4 ,so great was the emulation1 and so keen were all to extend our geographical boundaries1 that the year sped away almost before the meagre opportunity came4 ,with the cheery support of numbers1 we did not find it a difficult matter to drive dull care away4 ,now there were only seven of us2 we knew what was ahead2 the weather had already given ample proof of the early approach of winter2 the field of work which once stretched to the west1 east and south had no longer the mystery of the unknown2 the ,ship had gone and there was scant hope of relief in ,march4 ,against all this4 ,there remained the ,hut--a proven shelter from the wind2 and1 most vital of all1 there was abundant food for another year4 ,every avenue of scientific work was not yet closed4 ,even the routine of meteorological and magnetic work was adding in no slight degree to the sum of human knowledge4 ,our short mile of rocks still held some geological secrets1 and there were biological discoveries yet to make4 ,a wireless telegraphic station had at last been established1 and we could confidently expect communication with the outside world at an early date4 ,these were some of the obvious assurances which no one had the heart to think about at first2 and then there was always our comradeship1 most enduring of all4 ,february1 during #aiab1 was a tolerable month with a fair proportion of sunny1 moderately calm days4 ,a year later1 the first eight days of this month were signalized by the blizzard in which the ',aurora' had such a perilous experience4 ,while the winter began in #aiab with the advent of ,march1 now in #aiac it came on definitely in early ,february4 ,autumn was a term which applied to a few brilliant days which would suddenly intervene in the dense rack of drift-snow4 ,we set to work to make the ,hut1 if anything1 safer and snugger4 ,bage put finishing touches to the break-wind of rock and cases1 and with ,hodgeman and ,mc,lean nailed battens of wood over a large sheet of canvas which had been stretched across the windward side of the roof1 overlapping rolls of black paper1 scraps of canvas and bagging1 which were also battened down to make the eastern and western faces more air-tight4 ,before the ,ship left us1 the remaining coal briquettes had been dug out of a bed of ice and carefully piled on a high point of the rocks4 ,round them all the spare timber and broken cases were gathered to provide sufficient fuel for the ensuing winter4 ,the penguins' eggs1 which had been stored in boxes1 were stacked together on the windward side of the ,hut1 and a choice selection of steaks of seal and penguin for our own use were at the storeman's disposal in the veranda4 ,madigan1 in addition to his meteorological duties1 took charge of the new sledging-dogs which had been presented by ,captain ,amundsen4 ,a good many seals had been already killed1 and a big cache of meat and blubber was made alongside the ,hut to last throughout the winter4 ,bickerton found many odd jobs to occupy his time in connexion with the petrol-engine and the wireless installations4 ,he was also busied with the anemometer1 which had broken down and needed a strong start for its second year of usefulness4 ,bage1 following the parting instructions of ,webb1 became the owner of the ,magnetograph ,house and the ,absolute ,hut1 continuing to keep the magnetic records4 ,as storeman1 ,bage looked after the food-supplies4 ,the canvas coverings had made the veranda drift-tight1 so the storeman could arrange his tins and cases on the shelves with some degree of comfort1 and the daily task of shovelling out snow was now at an end4 ,further1 ,hodgeman and he built an annex out of spare timber to connect the entrance veranda with the store4 ,this replaced the old snow-tunnel which had melted away1 and1 when completed and padded outside with old mattresses1 was facetiously styled the ,north-,west ,passage4 ,the only thing which later arose to disturb the composure of the storeman was the admission of the dogs to a compartment in the veranda on the eastern side4 ,his constant care then became a heap of mutton carcases which the dogs in passing or during the occasional escapades from their shelter were always eager to attack4 ,hodgeman helped to change the appearance of the living-hut by cutting the table in two and1 since there was now plenty of room1 by putting in more shelves for a larder on which the storeman displayed his inviting wares to the cook1 who could think of nothing original for the next meal4 ,mc,lean undertook the duties of ice-cutting and coal-carrying throughout the year1 kept the biological log and assisted in general observations4 ,he also sent off sealed messages in bottles1 regularly1 on the chance of their being picked up on the high seas1 thereby giving some indication of the direction of currents4 ,jeffryes was occupied regularly every night listening attentively for wireless signals and calling at intervals4 ,the continuous winds soon caused many of the wire stays of the main wireless mast to become slack1 and these ,jeffryes pulled taut on his daily rounds4 ,looking back and forward1 we could not but feel that the sledging programme of the previous summer had been so comprehensive that the broad features of the land were ascertained over a wide radius2 beyond what we1 with our weakened resources of the second year1 could reach4 ,the various observations we were carrying on were adding to the value of the scientific results1 but we could not help feeling disappointed that our lot was not cast in a new and more clement region4 ,it was to be a dreary and difficult time for the five men who had volunteered to remain behind in order to make a thorough search for myself and comrades4 ,they were men whom ,i had learned to appreciate during the first year1 and ,i now saw their sterling characters in a new light4 ,to ,jeffryes all was fresh1 and we envied him the novelties of a new world1 rough and inhospitable though it was4 ,as for me1 it was sufficient to feel that 444,he that tossed thee down into the ,field1 ,he knows about it all--,he knows1 ,he knows4 ,on the night of ,february #ae1 ,jeffryes suddenly surprised us with the exciting intelligence that he had heard ,macquarie ,island send a coded weather report to ,hobart4 ,the engine was immediately set going1 but though repeated attempts were made1 no answer could be elicited4 ,each night darkness was more pronounced and signals became more distinct1 until1 on the #bjth1 our call reached ,sawyer at ,macquarie ,island1 who immediately responded by saying ,good evening4 ,the insulation of a ,leyden jar broke down at this point1 and nothing more could be done until it was remedied4 ,at last1 on ,february #ba1 signals were exchanged1 and by the #bcrd a message had been dispatched to ,lord ,denman1 ,governor-,general of the ,commonwealth1 acquainting him with our situation and the loss of our comrades and1 through him1 one to his ,majesty the ,king requesting his royal permission to name a tract of newly discovered country to the east1 ,king ,george ,v ,land4 ,special messages were also sent to the relatives of ,lieutenant ,b4 ,e4 ,s4 ,ninnis and ,dr4 ,x4 ,mertz4 ,the first news received from the outside world was the bare statement that ,captain ,scott and four of his companions had perished on their journey to the ,south ,pole4 ,it was some time before we knew the tragic details which came home1 direct and poignant1 to us in ,adelie ,land4 ,to ,professor ,david a fuller account of our own calamity was sent and1 following this1 many kind messages of sympathy and congratulation were received from all over the world4 ,on ,february #bf ,lord ,denman sent an acknowledgment of our message to him1 expressing his sorrow at the loss of our two companions2 and on ,march #g his ,majesty the ,king added his gracious sympathy1 with permission to affix the name1 ,king ,george ,v ,land1 to that part of the ,antarctic continent lying between ,adelie ,land and ,oates ,land4 ,on ,february #bc there was a spell of dead calm2 heavy nimbus clouds and fog lowering over sea and plateau4 ,fluffy grains of sago snow fell most of the day1 covering the dark rocks and the blue glacier4 ,a heaving swell came in from the north1 and many seals landed within the boat harbour1 where a high tide lapped over the ice-foot4 ,the bergs and islands showed pale and shadowy as the snow ceased or the fog lifted4 ,then the wind arose and blew hard from the east-south-east for a day1 swinging round with added force to its old quarter--south-by-east4 ,march began in earnest with much snow and monotonous days of wind4 ,by contrast1 a few hours of sunny calm were appreciated to the full4 ,the face of the landscape changed2 the rocky crevices filling flush with the low mounds of snow which trailed along and off the ridges4 ,on ,march #af every one was relieved to hear that the ',aurora' had arrived safely in ,hobart1 and that ,wild and his party were all well4 ,but the news brought disappointment too1 for we had always a lingering ray of hope that there might be sufficient coal to bring the vessel back to ,adelie ,land4 ,later on we learned that on account of the shortage of funds the ,ship was to be laid up at ,hobart until the following summer4 ,in the meantime1 ,professors ,david and ,masson were making every effort to raise the necessary money4 ,in this they were assisted by ,captain ,davis1 who went to ,london to obtain additional donations4 ,it was now a common thing for those of us who had gone to bed before midnight to wake up in the morning and find that quite a budget of wireless messages had been received4 ,it took the place of a morning paper and we made the most of the intelligence1 discussing it from every possible point of view4 ,jeffryes and ,bickerton worked every night from #h ,p4,m4 until #a ,a4,m41 calling at short intervals and listening attentively at the receiver4 ,in fact1 notes were kept of the intensity of the signals1 the presence of local atmospheric electrical discharges--static--or intermittent sounds due to discharges from snow particles--,st4 ,elmo's fire--and1 lastly1 of interference in the signals transmitted4 ,the latter phenomenon should lead to interesting deductions1 for we had frequent evidence to show that the wireless waves were greatly impeded or completely abolished during times of auroral activity4 ,listening at the wireless receiver must have been very tedious and nerve-racking work1 as so many adventitious sounds had to be neglected4 ,there was1 first of all1 the noise of the wind as it swept by the ,hut2 then there was the occasional crackling of ,st4 ,elmo's fire2 the dogs in the veranda shelter were not always remarkable for their quietness2 while within the ,hut it was impossible to avoid slight sounds which were often sufficient to interrupt the sequence of a message4 ,at times1 when the aurora was visible1 signals would often die away1 and the only alternative was to wait until they recurred1 meanwhile keeping up calls at regular intervals in case the ether was not blocked4 ,so ,jeffryes would sometimes spend the whole evening trying to transmit a single message1 or1 conversely1 trying to receive one4 ,by experience it was found easier to transmit and receive wireless messages between certain hours in the evening1 while not infrequently1 during the winter months1 a whole week would go by and nothing could be done4 ,during such a period auroral displays were usually of nightly occurrence4 ,then a freak night would come along and business would be brisk at both terminals4 ,it was often possible for ,jeffryes to hear ,wellington1 ,sydney1 ,melbourne and ,hobart1 and once he managed to communicate directly with the last-named4 ,then there were numerous ships passing along the southern shores of ,australia or in the vicinity of ,new ,zealand whose calls were audible on good nights4 ,the warships were at times particularly distinct1 and occasionally the chatter in the ether was so confusing that ,sawyer1 at ,macquarie ,island1 would signal that he was jammed4 ,the wireless gave us another interest in life1 and plenty of outside occupation when the stays became loose or an accident occurred4 ,it served to relieve some of the tedium of that second year3 ,day after day the same ,only a little worse4 ,on ,march #ac there was a tremendous fall of snow1 and worst pea-souper we had had during the previous year4 ,next day everything was deluged1 and right up the glacier there were two-foot drifts1 despite a sixty-mile wind4 ,it was very interesting to follow the changes which occurred from day to day4 ,first of all1 under the flail of the incessant wind1 a crust would form on the surface of the snow of the type we knew as piecrust1 when out sledging4 ,it was never strong enough to bear a man1 but the sledge-runners would clear it fairly well if the load were not too heavy4 ,next day the crust would be etched1 and small flakes and pellets would be carried away until the snow was like fleece4 ,assuming that the wind kept up 7which it always did7 long1 shallow concavities would now be scooped out as the lobules of the fleece were carried away piecemeal4 ,these concavities became deeper1 hour by hour and day by day1 becoming at last the troughs between the crests of the snow-waves or sastrugi4 ,all this time the surface would be gradually hardening and1 if the sun chanced to shine for even a few hours every day1 a shining glaze would gradually form on the long1 bevelled mounds4 ,it was never a wise thing to walk on these polished areas in finnesko and this fact was always learnt by experience4 ,above the ,hut1 where the icy slopes fell quickly to the sea1 the snow would lie for a few days at the very most1 but1 lower down1 where the glacier ran almost level for a short distance to the harbour ice1 the drifts would lie for months at the mercy of the wind1 furrowed and cut into miniature canyons2 wearing away in fragments until the blue ice showed once more1 clear and wind-swept4 ,towards the end of ,march the wind gave a few exhibitions of its power1 which did not augur well for the maximum periods of the winter4 ,a few diary jottings are enough to show this3 ,march #bc4 ,during the previous night the wind steadily rose to an eighty-mile 'touch' and upwards4 ,it was one of those days when it is a perpetual worry to be outside4 ,march #bd4 ,doing at least seventy miles per hour during the morning4 ,about #h ,p4,m4 there was a temporary lull and a rise of4#ae in the barometer4 ,now1 #i4cj ,p4,m41 it is going 'big guns4' ,the drift is fairly thick and snow is probably falling4 ,march #be4 ,much the same as yesterday4 ,march #bh4 ,in a seventy-five-mile wind1 ,hodgeman had several fingers frost-bitten this morning while attending to the anemograph4 ,march #bi4 ,it was quite sunny when we opened the trap-door1 though it blew about sixty miles per hour with light drift4 ,march #cj4 ,the wind is doing itself full justice4 ,about #h ,p4,m4 it ranged between ninety-five and one hundred miles per hour1 and now the whole hut is tremulous and the stove-pipe vibrates so that the two large pots on the stove rattle4 ,at the beginning of ,april1 ,mc,lean laid the foundations of ,the ,adelie ,blizzard which recorded our life for the next seven months4 ,it was a monthly publication1 and contributions were invited from all on every subject but the wind4 ,anything from light doggerel to heavy blank verse was welcomed1 and original articles1 letters to the ,editor1 plays1 reviews on books and serial stories were accepted within the limits of our supply of foolscap paper and type-writer ribbons4 _/ _/ ,,the ,,adelie ,,blizzard _/ ,registered at the ,general ,plateau ,office _/ _/ for transmission by wind as a newspaper _/ -o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o- ----,,contents---- o-o-o-o- ,editorial444444444444444444444444444444 ,page #a ,southern ,sledging ,song44444444444444444 #b ,a ,phantasm of the ,snow44444444444444444 #c ,the ,romance of ,exploration ,first ,crossing of ,greenland 7,nansen74 #h ,ode to ,tobacco44444444444444444444444444 #aj ,punch1 the dinner epilogue44444444444444 #aa ,to the ,editor444444444444444444444444444 #ab ,scott's ,british ,antarctic ,expedition4444 #ac ,statics and ,antarctics444444444444444444 #ad ,wireless--the realization444444444444444 #af ,birth's1 ,deaths and ,marriages44444444444 #ag ,the ,evolution of ,women444444444444444444 #ah ,a ,concise ,narrative444444444444444444444 #ba ,the ,daylight ,proposition4444444444444444 #bc ,meteorological and ,magnetic ,notes4444444 #bd ,calendar ,rhymes4444444444444444444444444 #be ,answers to ,correspondents444444444444444 #bf o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o- ,,vol-,i--,no4 ,i ,april1 #aiac ,,text ,,illustration ,it was the first ,antarctic publication which could boast a real cable column of news of the day4 ,extracts from the ,april number were read after dinner one evening and excited much amusement4 ,an ,ode to ,tobacco was very popular1 and seemed to voice the enthusiasm of our small community1 while ,the ,evolution of ,women introduced us to a once-familiar subject4 ,the ,editor was later admitted by wireless to the ,journalists' ,association 7,sydney74 ,many have asked the question1 ,what did you do to fill in the time during the second year8 ,the duties of cook and night-watchman came to each man once every week1 and meteorological and magnetic observations went on daily4 ,then we were able to devote a good deal of time to working up the scientific work accomplished during the sledging journeys4 ,the wireless watches kept two men well occupied1 and in spare moments the chief recreation was reading4 ,there was a fine supply of illustrated journals and periodicals which had arrived by the ',aurora'1 and with papers like the ',daily ,graphic'1 ',illustrated ,london ,news'1 ',sphere' and ',punch'1 we tried to make up the arrears of a year in exile4 ,the ,encyclopaedia ,britannica was a great boon1 being always the last word in the settlement of a debated point4 ,chess and cards were played on several occasions4 ,again1 whenever the weather gave the smallest opportunity1 there were jobs outside1 digging for cases1 attending to the wireless mast and1 in the spring1 geological collecting and dredging4 ,if the air was clear of drift1 and the wind not over fifty miles per hour1 one could spend a pleasant hour or more walking along the shore watching the birds and noting the changes in scenery which were always occurring along our short selection of rocks4 ,during #aiab we had been able to study all the typical features of our novel and beautiful environment1 but #aiac was the period of intensive cultivation and we would have gladly forgone much of it4 ,divine service was usually held on ,sunday mornings1 but in place of it we sometimes sang hymns during the evening1 or arranged a programme of sacred selections on the gramophone4 ,there was a great loss in our singing volume after the previous year1 which ,hodgeman endeavoured to remedy by striking up an accompaniment on the organ4 ,cooking reached its acme1 according to our standard1 and each man became remarkable for some particular dish4 ,bage was the exponent of steam puddings of every variety1 and ,madigan could always be relied upon for an unfailing batch of puff-pastry4 ,bickerton once started out with the object of cooking a ginger pudding1 and in an unguarded moment used mixed spices instead of ginger4 ,the result was rather appetizing1 and mixed-spice pudding was added to an original list4 ,mc,lean specialized in yeast waffles1 having acquired the art of tossing pancakes4 ,jeffryes had come on the scene with a limited experience1 but his first milk scones gained him a reputation which he managed to make good4 ,hodgeman fell back on the cookery book before embarking on the task of preparing dinner1 but the end-product1 so to speak1 which might be invariably expected for sweets was tapioca pudding4 ,penguin meat had always been in favour4 ,now special care was devoted to seal meat1 and1 after a while1 mainly owing to the rather copious use of onion powder1 no one could say for certain which was which4 ,during the previous year1 yeast had been cultivated successfully from ,russian stout4 ,the experiments were continued1 and all available information was gathered from cookery books and the ,encyclopaedia4 ,russian stout1 barley wine1 apple rings1 sugar1 flour and mould from potatoes were used in several mixtures and eventually fermentation was started4 ,bread-making was the next difficulty1 and various instructions were tried in succession4 ,the method of trial and error was at last responsible for the first light spongy loaf1 and then every night-watchman cultivated the art and baked for the ensuing day4 ,on ,april #h the snow had gathered deeply everywhere and we had some exercise on skis4 ,several of the morainic areas were no longer visible1 and it was possible to run between the rocks for a considerable distance4 ,a fresh breeze came up during the afternoon and provided a splendid impetus for some good slides4 ,during the short calm1 twenty-six seals landed on the harbour-ice4 ,on the morning of the same day ,mary gave birth to five pups in the ,transit ,house4 ,the place was full of cracks1 through which snow and wind were always driving1 and so we were not surprised when four of them were found to have died4 ,the survivor was named ,hoyle 7a cognomen for our old friend ,hurley7 and his doings gave us a new fund of entertainment4 ,the other dogs had been penned in the veranda and in tolerable weather were brought outside to be fed4 ,carrying an axe1 ,madigan usually went down to the boat harbour1 followed by the expectant pack1 to where there were several seal carcases4 ,these lay immovably frozen to the ice1 and were cut about and hacked so that the meat in section reminded one of the grain of a log of red gum1 and it was certainly quite as hard4 ,when ,madigan commenced to chop1 the dogs would range themselves on the lee side and field the flying chips4 ,on ,april #af the last penguin was seen on a ledge overhanging an icy cove to the east4 ,apparently its moulting time had not expired1 but it was certainly a very miserable bird1 smothered in small icicles and snow and partly exposed to a sixty-five mile wind with the temperature close to -#aj degrees ,f4 ,petrels were often seen flying along the foreshores and no wind appeared to daunt them4 ,it was certainly a remarkable thing to witness a snow-petrel1 small1 light and fragile1 making headway over the sea in the face of an eighty-mile hurricane1 fluttering down through the spindrift to pick up a morsel of food which it had detected4 ,close to the western cliffs there was a trail of brash-ice where many birds were often observed feeding on ,euphausia 7crustaceans7 in weather when it scarcely seemed possible for any living creature to be abroad4 ,,text ,,illustration ,the meteorological chart for ,april #ab1 #aiac1 compiled by the ,commonwealth ,meteorological ,bureau ,mr4 ,hunt appends the following explanation3 ,a very intense cyclone passing south of ,macquarie ,island1 where the barometer fell on the #aath from #bi4di at #i ,a4,m4 to #bi4ac at #f ,p4,m41 and the next day to #bh4cd at #i ,a4,m4 and #bg4ia at #f ,p4,m4 ,at ,adelie ,land the barometer was not greatly affected1 but rose in sympathy with the passage of the 'low' from #bh4gj to #bh4ij during the twenty-four hours4 ,the influence of this cyclone was very wide and probably embraced both ,adelie ,land and ,tasmania4 ,throughout ,april news by wireless came in slowly and spasmodically1 and ,jeffryes was becoming resigned to the eccentricities of the place4 ,as an example of the unfavourable conditions which sometimes prevailed3 on ,april #ad the wind was steady1 in the nineties1 with light drift and1 at times1 the aurora would illumine the north-west sky4 ,still1 during quiet intervals1 two messages came through and were acknowledged4 ,a coded weather report1 which had priority over all other messages1 was sent out each night1 and it is surprising how often ,jeffryes managed to transmit this important intelligence4 ,on evenings when receiving was an impossibility1 owing to a continual stream of ,st4 ,elmo's fire1 the three code words for the barometric reading1 the velocity and direction of the wind were signalled repeatedly and1 on the following night1 perhaps1 ,macquarie ,island would acknowledge them4 ,of course we had to use new signs for the higher wind velocities1 as no provision had been made for them in our meteorological code-book4 ,the reports from ,macquarie ,island and ,adelie ,land were communicated to ,mr4 ,hunt of the ,commonwealth ,weather ,bureau and to ,mr4 ,bates of the ,dominion ,meteorological ,office1 who plotted them out for their daily weather forecasts4 ,it was very gratifying to learn that the ,macquarie ,island party to a man had consented to remain at their lonely post and from ,ainsworth1 their leader1 ,i received a brief report of the work which had been accomplished by each member4 ,we all could appreciate the sacrifice they were making4 ,then1 too1 an account was received of the great sledging efforts which had been made by ,wild and his men to the west4 ,but it was not till the end of the year that their adventurous story was related to us in detail4 ,on the #bcrd ,lassie1 one of the dogs1 was badly wounded in a fight and had to be shot4 ,quarrels amongst the dogs had to be quelled immediately1 otherwise they would probably mean the death of some unfortunate animal which happened to be thrown down amongst the pack4 ,whenever a dog was down1 it was the way of these brutes to attack him irrespective of whether they were friends or foes4 ,among our dogs there were several groups whose members always consorted together4 ,thus1 ,george and ,lassie were friends and1 when the latter was killed1 ,george1 who was naturally a miserable1 downtrodden creature1 became a kind of pariah1 morose and solitary and at war with all except ,peary and ,fix1 with whom he and ,lassie had been associated in fights against the rest4 ,the other dogs lived together in some kind of harmony1 ,jack and ,amundsen standing out as particular chums1 while the pups1 as we called them--,d',urville1 ,ross and ,wilkes 7,monkey7--were a trio born in ,adelie ,land and1 therefore1 comrades in misfortune4 ,hoyle1 as a pup1 was treated benevolently by all the others1 and entered the fellowship of the other three when he grew up4 ,among the rest1 ,mikkel stood out as a good fighter1 ,colonel as the biggest dog and ringleader against the ,peary-,fix faction1 ,fram as a nervous intractable animal1 and ,mary as the sole representative of the sex4 ,it was remarkable that ,peary1 ,fix and ,george in their hatred of the others1 who were penned up in the dog shelter during bad weather1 would absent themselves for days on a snow ramp near the ,magnetograph ,house1 where they were partly protected from the wind by rocks4 ,george1 from being a mere associate of ,peary and ,fix1 became more amiable as the year went by1 and at times it was quite pathetic to see his attempts at friendliness4 ,we became very fond of the dogs despite their habit of howling at night and their wolfish ferocity4 ,they always gave one a welcome1 in drift or sunshine1 and though ruled by the law of force1 they had a few domestic traits to make them civilized4 ,may was a dreaded month because it had been the period of worst wind and drift during #aiab4 ,on this occasion the wind velocities over four weeks were not so high and constant1 though the snowfall was just as persistent4 ,on the #agth and #ahth1 however1 there was an unexpected jump to the nineties4 ,the average over the first twenty-four hours was eighty-three1 and on the #ahth it attained #ic4g miles per hour4 ,one terrific rise between #f4cj and #g4cj on the night of the #agth was shown as one hundred and three miles on the anemometer--the record up to that time4 ,madigan was thrown over and had a hard fall on his arm1 smashing a bottle of the special ink which was used for the anemograph pen4 ,bage related how he had sailed across the ,magnetic ,flat by sitting down and raising his arms in the air4 ,he was accompanied by ,fix1 ,peary and ,george1 who were blown along the slippery surface for yards4 ,mc,lean had a lively time cutting ice and bringing in the big blocks4 ,often he would slide away with a large piece1 and pull up on a snow patch twenty yards to leeward4 ,on the #bbnd there were hours of gusts which came down like thunderbolts1 making us apprehensive for the safety of the wireless masts2 we had grown to trust the stability of the ,hut4 ,every one who went outside came back with a few experiences4 ,jeffryes was roughly handled through not wearing crampons1 and several cases of kerosene1 firmly stacked on the break-wind1 were dislodged and thrown several yards4 ,empire ,day was celebrated in ,adelie ,land with a small display4 ,at #b4cj ,p4,m4 the ,union ,jack was hoisted to the topmast and three cheers were given for the ,king4 ,the wind blew at fifty miles an hour with light drift1 temperature -#c degrees ,f4 ,empire greetings were sent to the ,colonial ,secretary1 ,london1 and to ,mr ,fisher1 ,prime ,minister of ,australia4 ,these were warmly reciprocated a few days afterwards4 ,preceded by a day of whirlies on the #gth and random gusts on the same evening1 the wind made a determined attack next morning and carried away the top and part of the middle section of the main wireless mast4 ,it was a very unexpected event1 lulled as we were into security by the fact that ,may1 the worst month1 had passed4 ,on examination it was found that two of the topmast wire stays had chafed through1 whilst another had parted4 ,at first it seemed a hopeless task to re-erect the mast1 but gradually ways and means were discussed1 and we waited for the first calm day to put the theories into execution4 ,meanwhile1 it was suggested that if a heavy kite were made and induced to fly in the continuous winds1 the aerial thus provided would be sufficient to receive wireless messages4 ,to this end1 ,bage and ,bickerton set to work1 and the first invention was a ,venesta-box kite which was tried in a steady seventy-mile wind4 ,despite its weight1--at least ten pounds --the kite rose immediately1 steadied by guys on either side1 and then suddenly descended with a crash on to the glacier ice4 ,after the third fall the kite was too battered to be of any further use4 ,another device1 in which an empty carbide tin was employed1 and still another1 making use of an old propeller1 shared the same fate4 ,on the evening of the #aith a perfect coloured corona1 three degrees in diameter1 was observed encircling the moon in a sky which lit up at intervals with dancing auroral curtains4 ,coronae or glories1 which closely invest the luminary1 are due to diffraction owing to immense numbers of very minute water or ice particles floating in the air between the observer and the source of light4 ,the larger the particles the smaller the corona1 so that by a measurement of the diameter of a corona the size of the particles can be calculated4 ,earlier in the year1 a double corona had been seen when the moon was shining through cirro-cumulus clouds4 ,haloes1 on the other hand1 are wide circles 7or arcs of circles7 in the sky surrounding the sun or moon1 and arising from light-refraction in myriads of tiny ice-crystals suspended in the atmosphere4 ,they were very commonly noted in ,adelie ,land where the conditions were so ideal for their production4 ,midwinter's ,day #aiac6 we had reached a turning-point in the season4 ,the ,astronomer ,royal told us that at eight o'clock on ,june #bb the sun commenced to return1 and every one took note of the fact4 ,the sky was overcast1 the air surcharged with drifting snow1 and the wind was forty miles an hour--a representative day as far as the climate was concerned4 ,the cook made a special effort and the menu bore the following foreword3 ,now is the winter of our discontent ,made glorious summer4444 ,on ,july #f the wind moderated1 and we set about repairing once more the fortunes of the wireless4 ,the shattered topmast used to sway about in the heavy winds1 threatening to bring down the rest of the mast4 ,bickerton1 therefore1 climbed up with a saw and cut it almost through above the doubling4 ,all hands then pulled hard1 and the upper part cracked off1 the lower section being easily removed from the cross-trees4 ,the mast now looked shipshape and ready for future improvements4 ,it was decided to use as a topmast the mast which had been formerly employed to support the northern half of the aerial4 ,so on the #bith this was lowered and removed to the veranda to be fitted for erection4 ,almost a fortnight now elapsed1 during which the weather was impossible4 ,in fact1 the wind was frightful throughout the whole month of ,july1 surpassing all its previous records and wearing out our much-tried patience4 ,all that one could do was to work on and try grimly to ignore it4 ,on ,july #b we noted3 ,thick as a wall outside with an eighty-five miler4 ,and so it commenced and continued for a day1 subsiding slowly through the seventies to the fifties and then suddenly redoubling in strength1 rose to a climax about midnight on the #eth--one hundred and sixteen miles an hour6 ,for eight hours it maintained an average of one hundred and seven miles an hour1 and the timbers of the ,hut seemed to be jarred and wrenched as the wind throbbed in its mightier gusts4 ,these were the highest wind-velocities recorded during our two years' residence in ,adelie ,land and are probably the highest sustained velocities ever reported from a meteorological station4 ,with the exception of a few ,antarctic and snow petrels flying over the sea on the calmer days1 no life had been seen round the ,hut during ,june4 ,so it was with some surprise that we sighted a ,weddell seal on ,july #i attempting to land on the harbour-ice in a seventy-five-mile wind4 ,several times it clambered over the edge and on turning broadside to the wind was actually tumbled back into the water4 ,eventually it struggled into the lee of some icy hummocks1 but only remained there for a few minutes1 deciding that the water was much warmer4 ,on the #aath there was an exceptionally low barometer at #bg4gid inches4 ,at the same time the wind ran riot once more--two hundred and ninety-eight miles in three hours4 ,the highest barometric reading was recorded on ,september #c1 #cj4d inches1 and the comparison indicates a wide range for a station at sea-level4 ,to show how quickly conditions would change1 it was almost calm next morning1 and all hands were in readiness to advance the wireless mast another stage4 ,previously there had been three masts1 one high one in three lengths1 and two smaller ones of one length each1 between which the aerial stretched2 the lead-in wires being connected to the middle of the aerial4 ,this is known as an umbrella aerial4 ,since we were without one short mast it was resolved to erect a directive capital gamma gjc-shaped aerial4 ,the mainmast was to be in two instead of three lengths1 and we wondered if the aerial would be high enough4 ,in any case1 it was so calm early on the #aath that we ventured to erect the topmast and had hauled it half-way1 when the wind swooped down from the plateau1 and there was just time to make fast the stays and the hauling rope and to leave things snug for the next spell of bad weather4 ,in eight days another opportunity came1 and this time the topmast was hoisted1 wedged and securely stayed4 ,bickerton had fixed a long bolt through the middle of the topmast and just above it three additional wire stays were to be placed4 ,another fine day and we reckoned to finish the work4 ,from ,july #bf onwards the sky was cloudless for a week1 and each day the northern sun would rise a fraction of a degree higher4 ,the wind was very constant and of high velocity4 ,it was a grand sight to witness the sea in a hurricane on a driftless1 clear day4 ,crouched under a rock on ,azimuth ,hill1 and looking across to the west along the curving brink of the cliffs1 one could watch the water close inshore blacken under the lash of the wind1 whiten into foam farther off1 and then disappear into the hurrying clouds of spray and sea-smoke4 ,over the ,mackellar ,islets and the ,pianoforte ,berg columns of spray would shoot up like geysers1 and fly away in the mad race to the north4 ,early in ,july ,jeffryes became ill1 and for some weeks his symptoms were such as to give every one much anxiety4 ,his work on the wireless had been assiduous at all times1 and there is no doubt that the continual and acute strain of sending and receiving messages under unprecedented conditions was such that he eventually had a nervous breakdown4 ,unfortunately the weather was so atrocious1 and the conditions under which we were placed so peculiarly difficult1 that nothing could be done to brighten his prospects4 ,mc,lean considered that as the spring returned and it became possible to take more exercise outside1 the nervous exhaustion would pass off4 ,in the meantime ,jeffryes took a complete rest1 and slowly improved as the months went by1 and our hopes of relief came nearer4 ,it was a great misfortune for our comrade1 especially as it was his first experience of such a climate1 and he had applied himself to work with enthusiasm and perhaps in an over-conscientious spirit4 ,july concluded its stormy career with the astonishing wind-average of #fc4f miles an hour4 ,we were all relieved to see ,friday1 ,august #a1 appear on the modest calendar1 which it was the particular pleasure of each night-watchman to change4 ,more light filtered day by day through the ice on the kitchen window1 midwinter lay behind1 and we were ready to hail the first signs of returning spring4 ,,chapter ,,xxiv ,,nearing ,,the ,,end ,seven men from all the world1 back to town again1 ,seven men from out of hell4 ,kipling ,it is wonderful how quickly the weeks seemed to pass4 ,situated as we were1 ,time became quite an object of study to us and its imperceptible drift was almost a reality1 considering that each day was another step towards liberty--freedom from the tyranny of the wind4 ,in a sense1 the endless surge of the blizzard was a slow form of torture1 and the subtle effect it had on the mind was measurable in the delight with which one greeted a calm1 fine morning1 or noted some insignificant fact which bespoke the approach of a milder season4 ,thus in ,august1 although the weather was colder1 there were the merest signs of thawing along the edges of the snow packed against the rocky faces which looked towards the sun2 ,weddell seals came back to the land1 and the petrels would at times appear in large flocks2 all of which are very commonplace events which any one might have expected1 but at the time they had more than their face value4 ,august #e was undoubtedly a great day from our very provincial point of view4 ,on the #dth there had been a dense drift1 during which the ,hut was buttressed round with soft snow which rose above the eaves and half filled the entrance-veranda4 ,the only way in which the night-watchman could keep the hourly observations was to dig his way out frequently with a shovel4 ,in the early morning hours of the #eth the wind abated and veered right round from south through east to north-east1 from which quarter it remained as a fresh breeze with falling snow4 ,by #g ,a4,m4 the air was still1 and outside there was a dead world of whiteness2 flocculent heaps of down rolling up to where glimpses of rock streaked black near the skyline of the ridges1 striated masses of livid cloud overhead1 and to the horizon the dark berg-strewn sea1 over which the snow birds fluttered4 ,we did not linger over the scenery1 but set to work to hoist to the head of the mainmast the aerial1 which had been hurriedly put together4 ,the job occupied till lunch-time1 and then a jury-mast was fixed to the southern supporting mast1 and by dusk the aerial hung in position4 ,bickerton was the leading spirit in the work and subsequently steadied the mainmast with eighteen wire stays1 in the determination to make it stable enough to weather the worst hurricane4 ,the attempt was so successful that in an ordinary fifty-mile blow the mast vibrated slightly1 and in higher winds exhibited the smallest degree of movement4 ,at eight o'clock that night1 ,jeffryes1 who felt so benefited by his rest that he was eager to commence operating once more1 had soon attuned his instrument to ,macquarie ,island1 and in a few minutes communication was reestablished4 ,we learned from the ,governor-,general1 ,lord ,denman1 that her ,majesty the ,queen was graciously pleased to consent to the name ',queen ,mary ,land' being given to newly discovered land4 ,the message referred to the tract of ,antarctic coast which had been discovered and mapped by ,wild and his party to the west4 ,on ,august #f ,macquarie ,island signalled that they had run short of provisions4 ,the message was rather a paradox3 ,food done1 but otherwise all right4 ,however1 on ,august #aa1 we were reassured to hear that the ',tutanekai'1 a ,new ,zealand ,government steamer1 had been commissioned to relieve the party1 and that ,sawyer through ill-health had been obliged to return to ,australia4 ,a sealing-ship1 the ',rachel ,cohen'1 after battling for almost the whole month of ,july against gales1 in an endeavour to reach the island1 with stores for our party and the sealers1 had returned damaged to port4 ,marvellous to relate we had two calm days in succession1 and on the #fth the snow lay so deeply round the ,hut that progression without skis was a laborious flounder4 ,the dogs plunged about in great glee1 rolling in the snow and playing off their surplus energy after being penned for a long spell in the shelter4 ,on skis one could push up the first slopes of the glacier for a long distance4 ,soft snow had settled two feet thick even on the steep icy downfalls4 ,the sea to the north was frozen into large cakes between which ran a network of dark water leads4 ,with glasses we could make out in the near distance five seals and two tall solitary figures which were doubtless ,emperor penguins4 ,during the whole day nimbus clouds had hung heavily from the sky1 and snow had fallen in grains and star-like crystals4 ,gradually the nimbus lightened1 a rift appeared overhead1 and1the edges of the billowy cumulus were burnished in the light of the low sun4 ,the sea-horizon came sharply into sight through fading mist4 ,bergs and islands1 from being ghostly images1 rose into sharp-featured reality4 ,the masts and ,hut1 with a dark riband of smoke floating from the chimney1 lay just below1 and two of the men were walking out to the harbour-ice where a seal had just landed1 while round them scampered the dogs in high spirits4 ,that was sufficient to set us sliding downhill1 ploughing deep furrows through the soft drift and reaching the ,hut in quick time4 ,during ,august we were able to do more work outside1 thus enlarging our sphere of interest4 ,bage1 who had been busy up till ,august #h with his daily magnetograph records1 ran short of bromide papers and now had to be contented with taking quick runs at intervals1 especially when the aurora was active4 ,his astronomical observations had been very disappointing owing to the continuous wind and drift4 ,still1 in ,september1 which was marked by periods of fine weather1 a few good star observations were possible4 ,shafts were sunk in the sea-ice and up on the glacier1 just above the zone where the ice was loaded with stones and debris--the lower moraine4 ,the glacier shaft was dug to a depth of twenty-four feet1 and several erratics were met with embedded in the ice4 ,in this particular part the crystalline structure of the ice resembled that of a gneiss1 showing that it had flowed under pressure4 ,i was able to make measurements of ablation on the glacier1 to take observations of the temperature and salinity of the sea-water1 and to estimate the forward movement of the seaward cliffs of the ice-cap4 ,geological collecting now became quite a popular diversion4 ,with a slight smattering of gneiss1 felspar1 weathered limestone1 garnets1 and glacial markings the amateurs went off and made many finds on the moraines1 and the specimens were cached in heaps1 to be later brought home by the dogs1 some of which were receiving their first lessons in sledge-pulling4 ,rather belated1 but none the less welcome1 our midwinter wireless greetings arrived on ,august #ag from many friends who could only imagine how much they were appreciated1 and from various members of the ,expedition who had spent the previous year in ,adelie ,land and who knew the meaning of an ,antarctic winter4 ,a few evenings later1 ,macquarie ,islanders had their reward in the arrival of the ',tutanekai' from ,new ,zealand with supplies of food1 and1 piecing together a few fragments of evidence dropped in the ether1 we judged that they were having a night of revelry4 ,the wind was in a fierce humour on the morning of ,august #af1 mounting to one hundred and five miles per hour between #i and #aj ,a4,m41 and carrying with it a very dense drift4 ,we were now in a position to sit down and generalize about the wind4 ,it is a tiresome thing to have it as the recurring insistent theme of our story1 but to have had it as the continual obstacle to our activity1 the opposing barrier to the simplest task1 was even more tedious4 ,a river1 rather a torrent1 of air rushes from the hinterland northward year after year1 replenished from a source which never fails4 ,we had reason to believe that it was local in character1 as apparently a gulf of open water about one hundred miles in width--the ,d',urville ,sea--exists to the north of ,adelie ,land4 ,thus1 far back in the interior--back to the ,south ,geographical ,pole itself--across one thousand six hundred miles of lofty plateau--is a zone of high barometric pressure1 while to the north lies the ,d',urville ,sea and beyond it the ,southern ,ocean--a zone of low pressure4 ,as if through a contracted outlet1 thereby increasing the velocity of the flow1 the wind sweeps down over ,adelie ,land to equalize the great air-pressure system4 ,and so1 in winter1 the chilling of the plateau leads to the development of a higher barometric pressure and1 as the open water to the north persists1 to higher winds4 ,in summer the suns shines on the ,pole for six months1 the uplands of the continent are warmed and the northern zone of low pressure pushes southward4 ,so1 in ,adelie ,land1 short spells of calm weather may be expected over a period of barely three months around the summer solstice4 ,this explanation is intentionally popular4 ,the meteorological problem is one which can only be fully discussed when all the manifold observations have been gathered together1 from other contemporary ,antarctic expeditions1 from our two stations on the ,antarctic continent1 and from ,macquarie ,island2 all taken in conjunction with weather conditions around ,australia and ,new ,zealand4 ,then1 when all the evidence is arrayed and compared1 some general truths of particular value to science and1 maybe1 to commerce1 should emerge4 ,of one thing we were certain1 and that was that ,adelie ,land was the windiest place in the world4 ,to state the fact more accurately3 such wind-velocities as prevail at sea-level in ,adelie ,land are known in other parts of the world only at great elevations in the atmosphere4 ,the average wind-velocity for our first year proved to be approximately fifty miles per hour4 ,the bare figures convey more when they are compared with the following average annual wind-velocities quoted from a book of reference3 ,europe1 #aj4c miles per hour2 ,united ,states1 #i4e miles per hour2 ,southern ,asia1 #f4e miles per hour2 ,west ,indies1 #f4b miles per hour4 ,reference has already been made to the fact that often the high winds ceased abruptly for a short interval4 ,many times during #aiac we had opportunities of judging this phenomenon and1 as an example1 may be quoted ,september #f4 ,,text ,,illustration ,a diagrammatic sketch illustrating the meteorological conditions at the main base1 noon1 ,september #f1 #aiac ,on that day a south-by-east hurricane fell off and the drift cleared suddenly from about the ,hut at #aa4bj ,a4,m4 ,on the hills to the south there was a dense grey wall of flying snow4 ,whirlies tracked about at intervals and overhead a fine cumulus cloud formed1 revolving rapidly4 ,over the recently frozen sea there was an easterly breeze1 while about the ,hut itself there were light northerly airs4 ,later in the day the zone of southern wind and drift crept down and once more overwhelmed us4 ,evidently the eye of a cyclonic storm had passed over4 ,during ,september the sea was frozen over for more than two weeks1 and the meteorological conditions varied from their normal phase4 ,it appeared as if we were situated on the battlefield1 so to speak1 of opposing forces4 ,the pacific influence of the north would hold sway for a few hours1 a whole day1 or even for a few days4 ,then the vast energies of the south would rise to bursting-point and a through blizzard would be the result4 ,on ,september #aa1 although there was a wind of seventy miles per hour1 the sea-ice which had become very solid during a few days of low temperature was not dispersed4 ,next day we found it possible to walk in safety to the ,mackellar ,islets4 ,on the way rushes of southerly wind accompanied by a misty drift followed behind us4 ,then a calm intervened1 and the sun momentarily appeared and shone warmly4 ,suddenly from the north-west came breezy puffs which settled into a light wind as we went north4 ,on the way home we could not see the mainland for clouds of drift1 and1 when approaching the mouth of the boat-harbour1 these clouds were observed to roll down the lower slopes of the glacier and1 reaching the shore1 rise into the air in columns4 ,they then sailed away northward at a higher altitude1 almost obscuring the sun with a fine fog4 ,on the same night the south had gained the mastery1 and the wind blew with its accustomed strength4 ,again1 on ,september #bd1 ,mc,lean had a unique experience4 ,he was digging ice in a fifty-mile wind with moderate drift close to the ,hut and1 on finishing his work1 walked down to the harbour-ice to see if there were any birds about4 ,he was suddenly surprised to leave the wind and drift behind and to walk out into an area of calm4 ,the water lapped alongside the ice-foot1 blue in the brilliant sunlight4 ,away to the west a few miles distant a fierce wind was blowing snow like fine spume over the brink of the cliffs4 ,towards the north-west one could plainly see the junction between calm water and foam-crested waves4 ,to the south the drift drove off the hills1 passed the ,hut1 and then gyrated upwards and thinned away seawards at an altitude of several hundred feet4 ,the wind average for ,september was #cf4h miles per hour1 as against #ec4g for ,september of the previous year4 ,there were nine pleasant days1 that is1 days on which it was possible to walk about outside and enjoy oneself4 ,on the #bgth there was a very severe blizzard4 ,the wind was from the south-east3 the first occasion on which it had blown from any direction but south-by-east at a high velocity4 ,the drift was extremely dense1 the roof of the ,hut being invisible at a distance of six feet4 ,enormous ramps of snow formed in the vicinity1 burying most of the cases and the air-tractor sledge completely4 ,the anemograph screen was blown over and smashed beyond all repair4 ,so said the ,meteorological ,notes in the ,october number of the ',adelie ,blizzard'4 ,speaking of temperature in general1 it was found that the mean-temperature for the first year was just above zero2 a very low temperature for a station situated near the ,circle4 ,the continual flow of cold air from the elevated interior of the continent accounts for this4 ,if ,adelie ,land were a region of calms or of northerly winds1 the average temperature would be very much higher4 ,on the other hand1 the temperature at sea-level was never depressed below-#bh degrees ,f41 though with a high wind we found that uncomfortable enough1 even in burberrys4 ,during the spring sledging in #aiab the lowest temperature recorded was -#ce degrees ,f4 and it was hard to keep warm in sleeping-bags4 ,the wind made all the difference to one's resistance4 ,there was an unusually heavy snowfall during #aiac4 ,when the air was heavily charged with moisture1 as in midsummer1 the falls would consist of small 7sago7 or larger 7tapioca7 rounded pellets4 ,occasionally one would see beautiful complicated patterns in the form of hexagonal flakes4 ,when low temperatures were the rule1 small1 plain1 hexagonal stars or spicules fell4 ,often throughout a single snowfall many types would be precipitated4 ,thus1 in ,september1 in one instance1 the fall commenced with fluffy balls and then passed to tapioca snow1 sago snow1 six-rayed stars and spicules4 ,wireless communication was still maintained1 though ,september was found to be such a disturbed month--possibly owing to the brilliant aurorae--that not a great many messages were exchanged4 ,jeffryes was not in the best of health1 so that ,bickerton took over the operating work4 ,though at first signals could only be received slowly1 ,bickerton gradually improved with practice and was able to keep up his end until ,november #bj1 when daylight became continuous4 ,one great advantage1 which by itself justified the existence of the wireless plant1 was the fact that time-signals were successfully received from ,melbourne ,observatory by way of ,macquarie ,island1 and ,bage was thus able to improve on his earlier determinations and to establish a fundamental longitude4 ,during this same happy month of ,september1 whose first day marked the event of ,one hundred days to the coming of the ,ship there was a great revival in biological work4 ,hodgeman made several varieties of bag-traps which were lowered over the edge of the harbour-ice1 and many large worms and crustaceans were caught and preserved4 ,on ,september #ad ,bickerton started to construct a hand-dredge1 which was ready for use by the next evening4 ,it was a lovely1 cloudless day on the #afth and the sea-ice1 after more than two weeks1 still spread to the north in a firm1 unbroken sheet4 ,we went out on skis to reconnoitre1 and found that the nearest lead was too far away to make dredging a safe proposition4 ,so we were contented to kill a seal and bring it home before lunch1 continuing to sink the ice-shaft above the moraine for the rest of the day4 ,the wind rose to the seventies on ,september #ag1 and the sea-ice was scattered to the north4 ,on the #aith--a fine day--there were many detached pieces of floe which drifted in with a northerly breeze1 and on one of these1 floating in an ice-girt cove to the west1 a sea-leopard was observed sunning himself4 ,he was a big1 vicious-looking brute1 and we determined to secure him if possible4 ,the first thing was to dispatch him before he escaped from the floe4 ,this ,madigan did in three shots from a ,winchester rifle4 ,a long steel-shod sledge was then dragged from the ,hut and used to bridge the interval between the ice-foot and the floe4 ,after the specimen had been flayed1 the skin and a good supply of dogs' meat were hauled across and sledged home4 ,on the #cjth another sea-leopard came swimming in near the harbour's entrance1 apparently on the look-out for seals or penguins4 ,including the one seen during #aiab1 only three of these animals were observed during our two years' sojourn in ,adelie ,land4 ,dredgings in depths up to five fathoms were done inside the boat harbour and just off its entrance on five separate occasions between ,september #bb and the end of the month4 ,many worms1 crustaceans1 pteropods1 asteroids1 gastropods and hydroids were obtained1 and ,mc,lean and ,i had many interesting hours classifying the specimens4 ,the former preserved and labelled them1 establishing a small laboratory in the loft above the dining-room4 ,the only disadvantage of this arrangement was that various foreign bodies would occasionally come tumbling through the interspaces between the flooring boards of the loft while a meal was in progress4 ,some ,antarctic petrels were shot and examined for external and internal parasites4 ,fish were caught in two traps made by ,hodgeman and myself in ,october1 but unfortunately the larger of the two was lost during a blizzard4 ,however1 on ,october #aa a haul of fifty-two fish was made with hand-lines off the boat harbour1 and we had a pleasant change in the menu for dinner4 ,they were of the type known as ,notothenia1 to which reference has already been made4 ,by ,october #ac1 when a stray silver-grey petrel appeared1 every one was on the qui vive for the coming of the penguins4 ,in #aiab they had arrived on ,october #ab1 and as there was much floating ice on the northern horizon1 we wondered if their migration to land had been impeded4 ,the winds were very high for the ensuing two days1 and on the #agth the horizon was clearer and more water sky was visible4 ,before lunch on that day there was not a living thing along the steep1 overhanging ice-foot1 but by the late afternoon thirteen birds had effected a landing1 and those who were not resting after their long swim were hopping about making a survey of the nearest rookeries4 ,one always has a soft spot for these game little creatures--there is something irresistibly human about them--and1 situated as we were1 the wind seemed of little account now that the foreshores were to be populated by the penguins--our harbingers of summer and the good times to be4 ,three days later1 at the call of the season1 a skua gull came flapping over the ,hut4 ,it was rather a singular circumstance that on the evening of the #agth1 coincident with the disappearance of the ice on the horizon1 wireless signals suddenly came through very strongly in the twilight at #i4cj ,p4,m41 and for many succeeding nights continued at the same intensity4 ,on the other hand1 during ,september1 when the sea was either firmly frozen or strewn thickly with floe-ice1 communication was very fitful and uncertain4 ,the fact is therefore suggested that wireless waves are for some reason more readily transmitted across a surface of water than across ice4 ,the weather during the rest of ,october and for the first weeks of ,november took on a phase of heavy snowfalls which we knew were inevitable before summer could be really established4 ,the winds were very often in the eighties and every four or five days a calm might be expected4 ,the penguins had a tempestuous time building their nests1 and resuming once more the quaint routine of their rookery life4 ,in the hurricanes they usually ceased work and crouched behind rocks until the worst was over4 ,a great number of birds were observed to have small wounds on the body which had bled and discoloured their feathers4 ,in one case a penguin had escaped1 presumably from a sea-leopard1 with several serious wounds1 and had staggered up to a rookery1 dying there from loss of blood4 ,almost immediately the frozen carcase was mutilated and torn by skua gulls4 ,on ,october #ca the good news was received that the ',aurora' would leave ,australia on ,november #ae4 ,there were a great number of things to be packed1 including the lathe1 the motor and dynamos1 the air-tractor engine1 the wireless set and magnetic and meteorological instruments4 ,outside the ,hut1 many cases of kerosene and provisions1 which might be required for the ,ship1 had been buried to a depth of twelve feet in places during the southeast hurricane in ,september4 ,so we set to work in great spirits to prepare for the future4 ,mc,lean was busy collecting biological specimens1 managing to secure a large number of parasites from penguins1 skua gulls1 giant petrels1 snow petrels1 ,wilson petrels1 seals and an ,emperor penguin1 which came up on the harbour-ice4 ,on several beautiful days1 with a sea-breeze wafting in from the north1 large purple and brown jelly-fish came floating to the ice-foot4 ,many were caught in a hand-net and preserved in formalin4 ,in his shooting excursions ,mc,lean happened on a small rocky ravine to the east where1 hovering among nests of snow and ,wilson petrels1 a small bluish-grey bird199 not unlike ,prion ,banksii1 was discovered4 ,four specimens were shot1 and1 later1 several old nests were found containing the unhatched eggs of previous years4 9999 ,on arrival in ,australia this bird proved to be new to science4 ,on the highest point of ,azimuth ,hill1 overlooking the sea1 a ,memorial ,cross was raised to our two lost comrades4 ,a calm evening in ,november6 ,at ten o'clock a natural picture in shining colours is painted on the canvas of sea and sky4 ,the northern dome is a blush of rose deepening to a warm terra-cotta along the horizon1 and the water reflects it upward to the gaze4 ,tiny ,wilson petrels flit by like swallows2 seals shove their dark forms above the placid surface2 the shore is lined with penguins squatting in grotesque repose4 ,the south is pallid with light--the circling sun4 ,adelie ,land is at peace6 ,for some time ,madigan1 ,hodgeman and ,i had been prepared to set out on a short sledging journey to visit ,mount ,murchison and to recover if possible the instruments cached by the ,eastern ,coastal and the ,southern ,parties4 ,it was not until ,november #bc that the weather broke definitely1 and we started up the old glacier trail assisted by a good team of dogs4 ,aladdin's ,cave was much the same as we had left it in the previous ,february1 except that a fine crop of delicate ice-crystals had formed on its walls4 ,we carried with us a small home-made wireless receiving set1 and arrangements were made with ,bickerton and ,bage to call at certain hours4 ,as an aerial a couple of lengths of copper wire were run out on the surface of the ice4 ,at the first call ,madigan heard the signals strongly and distinctly1 but beyond five and a half miles nothing more was received4 ,resuming the journey on the following day1 we made a direct course for ,madigan ,nunatak and then steered southeast for ,mount ,murchison1 pitching camp at its summit on the night of ,november #bh4 ,on the #bith ,madigan and ,hodgeman made a descent into the valley1 on whose southern side rose ,aurora ,peak4 ,the former slid away on skis and had a fine run to the bottom1 while ,hodgeman followed on the sledge drawn by ,monkey and ,d',urville1 braking with an ice-axe driven into the snow between the cross-bars4 ,their object was to find the depot of instruments and rocks which the ,eastern ,coastal ,party were forced to abandon when fifty-three miles from home4 ,they were unsuccessful in the search1 as an enormous amount of snow had fallen on the old surface during the interval of almost a year4 ,indeed1 on the knoll crowning ,mount ,murchison1 where a ten-foot flagpole had been left1 snow had accumulated so that less than a foot of the top of the pole was showing4 ,nine feet of hard compressed snow scarcely marked by one's footsteps--the contribution of one year6 ,to such a high isolated spot drift-snow would not reach1 so that the annual snowfall must greatly exceed the residuum found by us1 for the effect of the prevailing winds would be to reduce it greatly4 ,on the third day after leaving ,mount ,murchison for the ,southern ,party's depot1 sixty-seven miles south of ,winter ,quarters1 driving snow commenced1 and a blizzard kept us in camp for seven days4 ,when the drift at last moderated we were forced to make direct for the ,hut1 as the time when the ,ship was expected to arrive had passed4 ,descending the long blue slopes of the glacier just before midnight on ,december #ab1 we became aware of a faint black bar on the seaward horizon4 ,soon a black speck had moved to the windward side of the bar--and it could be nothing but the smoke of the ',aurora'4 ,the moment of which we had dreamt for months had assuredly come4 ,the ,ship was in sight6 ,there were wild cheers down at the ,hut when they heard the news4 ,they could not believe us and immediately rushed up with glasses to the nearest ridge to get the evidence of their own senses4 ,the masts1 the funnel and the staunch hull rose out of the ocean as we watched on the hills through the early hours of a superb morning4 ,the sun was streaming warmly over the plateau and a cool land breeze had sprung up from the south1 as the ',aurora' rounded the ,mackellar ,islets and steamed up to her old anchorage4 ,we picked out familiar figures on the bridge and poop1 and made a bonfire of kerosene1 benzine and lubricating oil in a rocky crevice in their honour4 ,the indescribable moment was when ,davis came ashore in the whale-boat1 manned by two of the ,macquarie ,islanders 7,hamilton and ,blake71 ,hurley and ,hunter4 ,they rushed into the ,hut1 and we tried to tell the story of a year in a few minutes4 ,on the ,ship we greeted ,gillies1 ,gray1 de la ,motte1 ,ainsworth1 ,sandell and ,correll4 ,it was splendid to know that the world contained so many people1 and to see these men who had stuck to the ,expedition through thick and thin4 ,then came the fusillade of letters1 magazines and mysterious parcels and boxes4 ,at dinner we sat down reunited in the freshly painted ward-room1 striving to collect our bewildered thoughts at the sight of a white tablecloth1 ,australian mutton1 fresh vegetables1 fruit and cigars4 ,the two long years were over--for the moment they were to be effaced in the glorious present4 ,we were to live in a land where drift and wind were unknown1 where rain fell in mild1 refreshing showers1 where the sky was blue for long weeks1 and where the memories of the past were to fade into a dream--a nightmare8 ,,chapter ,,xxv ,,life ,,on ,,macquarie ,,island ,by ,g4 ,f4 ,ainsworth ,left on an island in mid-ocean6 ,it suggests the romances of youthful days--,crusoe1 ,sindbad and all their glorious company4 ,still1 when this narrative is completed1 imagination will be seen to have played a small part4 ,in fact1 it is a plain tale of our experiences1 descriptive of a place where we spent nearly two years and of the work accomplished during our stay4 ,the island was discovered in #ahaj by ,captain ,hasselborough of the ship ',perseverance'1 which had been dispatched by ,campbell and ,sons1 of ,sydney1 under his command to look for islands inhabited by fur seals4 ,macquarie ,islands1 named by ,hasselborough after the ,governor of ,new ,south ,wales1 were found to be swarming with these valuable animals1 and for two years after their discovery was made known1 many vessels visited the place1 landing gangs of men to procure skins and returning at frequent intervals to carry the proceeds of their labours to the markets of the world4 ,the slaughter of the seals was so great that the animals were almost exterminated within a few years4 ,one ship is known to have left ,macquarie ,island with a cargo of #ce1jjj skins during the first year of operations4 ,high prices were obtained for them in ,london and ,china1 and many ,american1 ,british and ,sydney firms were engaged in the enterprise4 ,the value of a skin is determined by the condition of the fur1 which is often damaged by the animals fighting amongst themselves4 ,furthermore1 at a certain season of the year1 the seals moult1 and if taken within a certain time of this natural process1 the skin is almost valueless4 ,these facts were ignored by the sealers1 who killed without discrimination4 ,again1 both male and female1 old and young were ruthlessly slaughtered1 with the obvious result--the extermination of the species4 ,if supervision had been exercised and restrictions imposed1 there is no doubt that the island would still have been used by the fur seal as a breeding-ground4 ,during our stay none were seen1 but ,mr4 ,bauer1 who acts as sealing herdsman and who had visited the island in that capacity each summer for eleven years1 stated that he had seen odd ones at infrequent intervals4 ,associated as the island has been since the year #ahab with sealing and oil ventures1 it follows that a history has been gradually developed2 somewhat traditional1 though many occurrences to which we shall refer are well authenticated4 ,it might be supposed from the foregoing1 that a good deal is known about the place1 but such is not the case1 except in a general sense4 ,several scientific men from ,new ,zealand1 recognizing the importance of the island as a link between ,australasia and ,antarctica1 visited it at different times within the past twenty years1 only remaining long enough to make a cursory examination of the eastern side4 ,they had to depend on the courtesy of the sealing ships' captains for a passage1 and the stormy conditions which are ever prevalent made their stay too brief for any exhaustive work4 ,a ,russian ,antarctic expedition1 under ,bellingshausen's command1 called there in #ahba and stayed for two days1 collecting a few bird and animal specimens4 ,they referred to the island as being half-cooled down1 in a short but interesting account of their visit1 and remarked upon the large number of sea-elephants lying on the shores4 ,in #ahdj the ship ',peacock'1 one of the exploring vessels of the ,american ,expedition under ,wilkes1 landed several men after much difficulty on the south-west of the island1 but they remained only a few hours1 returning to their ship after securing some specimens of birds4 ,expressing astonishment at the myriad of birds1 they remarked1 ,macquarie ,islands offer no inducement for a visit1 and as far as our examination showed1 have no suitable place for landing with a boat4 ,the next call of an ,antarctic expedition was made by ,captain ,scott in the ',discovery' in ,november #aija4 ,he1 with several naturalists1 landed on the eastern side to collect specimens1 but remained only a few hours4 ,he refers to the penguins1 kelp-weed and tussock grass2 certainly three characteristic features4 ,captain ,davis1 during his search for charted sub-antarctic islands1 when connected with ,sir ,ernest ,shackleton's expedition1 called there in the ',nimrod' in #aiji4 ,he landed a party of men who secured several sea-elephants and some penguins4 ,it will thus be seen that very little had been done which was scientifically important or generally interesting4 ,sealers came and went as a matter of business1 and probably the arduous nature of their work and the rugged topography of the island combined to prevent the more curious from exploring far afield4 ,captain ,scott was desirous of establishing a base on ,macquarie ,island in #aiaj1 but circumstances compelled him to abandon the idea4 ,and so it came that we five men of ,dr4 ,mawson's ,expedition were landed on ,december #bb1 #aiaa1 with a programme of work outlined by our leader4 ,h4 ,hamilton was biologist1 ,l4 ,r4 ,blake surveyor and geologist1 ,c4 ,a4 ,sandell and ,a4 ,j4 ,sawyer were wireless operators1 the former being also a mechanic1 and ,i was appointed meteorologist and leader of the party4 ,we stood on the beach in the dusk1 watching the boat's party struggle back to the ',aurora'1 which lay at anchor one and a half miles from the north-west shore4 ,having received a soaking landing in the surf and being tired out with the exertions of the day1 we started back to our temporary shelter4 ,we had not gone very far when a mysterious sound1 followed by a shaking of the earth1 made us glance at each other and exclaim1 ,an earthquake6 ,the occurrence gave rise to a discussion which carried us to bed4 ,seeing that we were to spend a long time on the island1 the question of building a hut was the first consideration4 ,through the kindness of ,mr4 ,bauer1 who had just left the island in the s4s4 ',toroa'1 we were able to live for the time being in the sealers' hut4 ,it was urgent to get the wireless station into working order as soon as possible4 ,the masts and operating-hut had been erected during the stay of the ',aurora'1 but there yet remained the building of the engine-hut and the installation of the machinery and instruments1 as well as the construction and erection of the aerial4 ,accordingly we proceeded with the living-hut and the job on ,wireless ,hill at the same time1 working on the hill most of the day and at the hut in the evening4 ,wireless ,hill rose to three hundred and fifty feet in height1 and formed part of a peninsula running in a northeasterly direction from the main island4 ,it had been chosen by ,mr4 ,hannam of the ,adelie ,land party because of its open northerly aspect1 and because wireless waves would probably have a good set-off1 southward to the ,main ,base in ,antarctica4 ,just a few yards from the base of the hill on its southwestern side was a huge rock1 upon the easterly side of which we decided to build our dwelling4 ,the timbers for the hut had been cut and fitted in ,hobart1 so all that remained for us was to put them together4 ,after working at high pressure until ,december #cj1 we were able to establish ourselves in a home4 ,the doorway faced to the east1 and the rock protected the small place from the strong westerly weather which is invariable in these latitudes4 ,the dimensions were twenty feet by thirteen feet1 the front wall being nine feet six inches high1 sloping to seven feet six inches at the back4 ,all the timbers were of oregon and deal1 and particular attention was paid to bracing and strengthening the building1 which rested on piles just clear of the sandy surface4 ,the inside was lined and ceiled1 and the roof of galvanized iron was set flush with the front wall1 fascia boards along the front and sides being designed to keep the fine snow from blowing under the corrugations and lodging on the ceiling4 ,george ,v ,villa was fixed upon as the name1 but the hut was never at any time referred to as the villa1 and in future will always be known as the ,shack4 ,,text ,,illustration ,plan of ,hut--,macquarie ,island ,twelve live sheep had been landed1 and these had been driven on to ,wireless ,hill so as to be accessible4 ,we decided to kill one for ,christmas1 so on ,december #bd ,sandell and ,i1 leaving the others at work on the ,shack1 started out4 ,the hillsides are deeply ravined and the slopes covered with a dense growth of tussock1 which renders progress uncertain and laborious4 ,our experience was a foretaste of many to come4 ,we found the sheep huddled together in a deep gully on the eastern side1 and drove them round to the front of the hill1 where one was caught1 killed and dressed4 ,christmas ,day dawned fine and sunny1 and we decided to make some attempt at a dinner4 ,blake produced a plum pudding1 and this1 together with roast mutton and several kinds of vegetables1 washed down with a little claret1 constituted our first ,christmas dinner4 ,the sealing schooner1 ,clyde1 had been wrecked without loss of life on ,november #ad1 #aiaa1 on the east coast1 and was now lying on the beach nearly half a mile away4 ,a two-hundred-gallon tank had been saved from the wreck and we managed on ,christmas morning1 after two hours of carrying and trundling1 to place it at the end of the ,shack4 ,this was a valuable find1 ensuring in the future a constant1 convenient supply of rain water4 ,further1 we made use of the timber of the wreck for building1 and the broken pieces strewn about were stored up as firewood4 ,on the #bfth we all went to the wireless station1 and1 as ,sandell had the aerial made1 we pulled it into position4 ,in the afternoon ,i unpacked all my instruments and started them off so as to make sure that all were working correctly4 ,i did not intend to record any observations till ,january #a1 #aiab1 and therefore did not erect the meteorological screen until the #bhth4 ,on moving into our abode domestic arrangements were made4 ,with regard to cooking1 each man took duty for a week1 during which he was able to write up his work and to wash and mend clothes4 ,to ,hamilton and ,sandell1 who had had previous experience1 frequent appeals were made as to methods of cooking various dishes1 but by degrees each one asserted his independence4 ,there were several cookery books for reference and each week saw the appearance of some new pudding1 in each instance prefaced by the boast3 ,this is going to be the best pudding ever turned out on the island6 ,the promise was not always made good4 ,we had a good deal of difficulty at first in making bread and several batches were very heavy failures4 ,this difficulty1 however1 was soon overcome and1 after the first few months1 the cooking standard was high and well maintained4 ,our stove was very small and only two loaves of bread could be cooked at once4 ,it frequently happened1 therefore1 that the others1 which would go on rising in the tins1 overflowed2 a matter which could only be set right by experience4 ,on ,new ,year's ,day1 #aiab1 we carried timber in relays from the wreck to the top of ,wireless ,hill1 so that the building of the engine-hut could be started4 ,the next few days were occupied in getting food-stuffs1 medicines1 stationery1 clothing and other necessaries over to the ,shack from the landing-place on the beach4 ,blake and ,hamilton unpacked their instruments and appliances1 fitting up a small laboratory and photographic dark-room in one corner of the hut4 ,some kind ,hobart friend had sent four fowls to me on the day of sailing1 requesting me to take them to ,macquarie island4 ,they were housed in one of the meteorological screens1 but on the third day from ,hobart a heavy sea broke on board1 upset the temporary fowl-house and crushed the rooster's head4 ,the three hens were landed safely and appeared to be thoroughly reconciled to their strange surroundings1 though the presence of so many large birds soaring about overhead had a terrifying effect on them for several days4 ,they did not appear to pick up much food amongst the grass1 but scratched away industriously all the same4 ,i must say that they were very friendly and gave the place quite a homely aspect4 ,one of them was christened ,ma on account of her maternal and somewhat fussy disposition4 ,on the first ,sunday in the new year all except myself went along the coast towards ,west ,point4 ,the party reported immense numbers of sea-elephants1 especially young ones4 ,they also saw many wekas and three ducks1 shooting nine of the former for the kitchen4 ,the wekas or ,maori hens are small1 flightless birds1 averaging when full grown about two and three-quarter pounds4 ,they were introduced twenty-five years ago by ,mr4 ,elder1 of ,new ,zealand1 a former lessee of the island1 and multiplied so fast that they are now very numerous4 ,they live among the tussocks1 and subsist for the most part upon the larvae of the kelp-fly1 small fish and other marine life which they catch under the stones along the rocky shores at low tide4 ,they are exceedingly inquisitive and pugnacious and may easily be caught by hand4 ,usually1 when disturbed1 they will pop under a rock1 and on being seized immediately commence to squeak4 ,this is sufficient to bring every weka within a quarter of a mile hurrying to the spot1 and1 in a few minutes1 heads may be seen poking out of the grass in every direction4 ,the man holding the bird then crouches down1 preferably just on the border of the tussock1 holding the protesting bird in one hand4 ,soon there will be a rustle1 then a rush1 and another furious weka will attack the decoy4 ,the newcomer is grabbed and1 if the birds are plentiful1 five or six of them may be taken in one spot4 ,their call is peculiarly plaintive and wild and may be heard night and day4 ,though we saw and caught innumerable young ones of all sizes1 we were never able to find the nests of these ,maori hens4 ,a depot of stores had been laid by the ',aurora' at ,caroline ,cove1 twenty miles from the ,shack at the south end of the island1 and it was deemed advisable to lay several more intermediate food-depots along the east coast4 ,the sealers had a motor-launch which they kindly placed at our disposal1 and a supply of stores was put on board for transport4 ,at #h ,a4,m41 ,january #i1 ,sandell1 ,blake1 ,sawyer and ,hamilton started out accompanied by two sealers who offered to point out the positions of several old huts along the coast4 ,these huts had been built by sealing gangs many years ago and were in a sad state of disrepair4 ,the first call was made at ,sandy ,bay1 about five miles from the ,shack4 ,stores were landed and placed in the hut1 and the party proceeded to ,lusitania ,bay1 eleven miles farther on1 where they stayed for the night4 ,at this place 7named after an old sealing craft1 the ',lusitania'7 there were two huts1 one being a work-hut and the other a living-hut4 ,they had not been used for sixteen years and1 as a result1 were found to be much dilapidated4 ,in the locality is a large ,king penguin rookery1 the only one on the island1 and two dozen eggs were obtained on this visit1 some fresh and some otherwise4 ,as the next morning was squally1 it was decided that the stores should be deposited in the hut at the south end2 a distance of five miles across country4 ,through bog and tussock it took the party four hours to accomplish this journey4 ,the hut was found in the same condition as the others and a rather miserable night was spent4 ,a short distance from this spot is situated the largest penguin rookery on the island4 ,on returning to the launch1 the six men had a quick run of three hours back to the north end4 ,during the absence of the party ,i had been busy erecting a stand for the anemo-biagraph4 ,ordinarily1 such an instrument is kept in a house1 the upper section only being exposed through the roof4 ,the ,shack was in a position too sheltered for my purpose1 so ,i built a place for the anemo-biagraph behind a low rock well out on the isthmus4 ,sandell and ,sawyer reported on the #afth that the wireless station was ready for testing4 ,therefore1 on the following day1 the three of us erected a small set on the farthest point of the peninsula--,north ,head4 ,the set had been made in order to test the large station4 ,sawyer then returned to the operating-hut and received signals sent from ,north ,head by ,sandell1 who in return received ,sawyer's signals1 thus showing that so far everything was satisfactory4 ,it was thought1 after the tests1 that the earth was not by any means good and ,sawyer erected a counterpoise1 which1 however1 failed to give anything like the earth results4 ,more earths 7connexions by wire with the ground7 were now put in from day to day1 and on the #bgth ,sawyer noted an improvement4 ,successful tests were again made on the #cjth4 ,the wireless men now expected communication with ,australia4 ,blake and ,hamilton were soon making inroads1 each on his own particular sphere of work4 ,on the #agth a baseline was laid down on the plateau1 and ,blake was able to commence his survey of the island4 ,he had already made some geological investigations in the vicinity of ,north ,head and ,west ,point1 as well as for a short distance along the east coast4 ,hamilton had visited nearly all the penguin rookeries in the vicinity1 and already had several fine specimens4 ,marine collecting occupied part of his time and plant life promised to provide an interesting field4 ,,text ,,illustration ,the north end of ,macquarie ,island ,from the intermediate position that ,macquarie ,island occupies relative to ,australasia and the ,antarctic continent1 it was highly important that its biology should be fully determined4 ,investigation of the marine and terrestrial fauna and flora shows several facts indicating the part this island has played in the supposed connexion of the great land masses of the southern hemispheres4 ,it is an established fact that the flora of ,new ,zealand has strong sub-antarctic and ,south ,american affinities and the problem is to account for this distribution4 ,many forms of plant and animal life are circumaustral1 being found in all suitable sub-antarctic situations4 ,to account for this fact two theories have been advanced1 namely1 the ,relict theory 7,dahl1 ,schenck and others7 and the ,antarctic theory4 ,the first theory supposes that the inhabitants of the sub-antarctic islands are the remnants of groups of animals developed in some northern land-mass1 and driven south by more highly developed forms4 ,again1 that these sub-antarctic islands have always been separated from continents1 and that the distribution of life on the former must have proceeded over wide stretches of sea4 ,the ,antarctic theory accounts for the distribution and similarity of sub-antarctic fauna and flora by establishing a connexion between the sub-antarctic islands and the ,antarctic continent4 ,at the same period1 the ,antarctic continent was assumed to be connected by land with ,south ,america1 ,south ,africa and ,australia1 and the similar life forms now found in these continents were driven northward by a subsequent colder period4 ,this theory is strengthened by several facts1 chief of which are1 7#a7 the existence of an ,antarctic continent1 and 7#b7 the comparatively shallow waters between it1 ,south ,africa1 ,australia and ,south ,america4 ,whichever theory is adopted1 it is evident that our scientific opportunities were unique4 ,on the #bhth1 ,sandell1 ,sawyer and ,i decided to climb on to the main ridge or plateau of the island4 ,we had already discovered that the easiest way to get on to the hills was to follow up one of the many ravines or gullies which run down to the sea4 ,this necessitates walking in water most of the way1 but one soon gets accustomed to wet feet on ,macquarie ,island4 ,the slopes rise in a series of terraces which are generally soggy and covered with tussock 7pleurophyllum7 and with scattered cushions of ,azorella4 ,the summit of the ridge is a barren waste1 over which loose rocks are scattered in every direction1 while a wavy effect due to the action of wind is plainly visible over the surface of the ground4 ,the steep1 descending sides are very soft and sodden1 supporting a scanty growth of vegetation1 including the small burr known as the biddy-bid4 ,hundreds of tarns and lakes are visible along the plateau-like ridge which extends throughout the length of the island4 ,several of the lakes are half a mile long and very deep4 ,the tarns are1 for the most part1 shallow with hard stony bottoms4 ,the water is beautifully fresh and apparently contains no life4 ,skua gulls were plentiful and washed themselves1 with a great flapping of wings1 in the shallow waters at the edge of the lakes4 ,they paid particular attention to our dog ,mac1 swooping down and attempting to strike her with their wings4 ,a yelp at intervals came from ,mac if they were successful1 though the former1 if she were quick enough1 would spring at the bird and retaliate by getting a mouthful of feathers4 ,we eventually came out on to a point about seven hundred feet high1 overlooking the west coast1 and it could be seen that the space between the base of the hills and the ocean was occupied by a plain which sloped very gradually to the beach4 ,here and there across its surface were huge mounds of earth and rock and1 occasionally1 a small lakelet fringed with a dense growth of tussock and ,maori cabbage4 ,a descent was made to explore the place4 ,a fairly large volume of water flowed rapidly downward by several deep gullies and1 coming to the terrace1 cut narrow1 sinuous channels which were soon lost to view in the tussocks4 ,examination of the watercourses revealed that this tract was simply a raised beach covered with sodden peat and carrying a rather coarse vegetation4 ,the ground was decidedly springy and shook to our tread2 moreover1 one sank down over the ankles at each step4 ,occasionally a more insecure area was encountered1 where one of us would go down to the thighs in the boggy ground4 ,as the shore approached we came to thick tussock and ,maori cabbage1 and the travelling became much rougher4 ,a group of earthy mounds and rock was sighted some distance away and we decided to reach them and have our lunch4 ,a nearer view showed us a large opening in one of these prominences and we scrambled up to examine it4 ,inside there was a small cave1 high in front but sloping sharply towards the back for a distance of thirty-five feet4 ,the roof and walls were blackened by smoke1 and spikes and nails driven into crevices were evidences that the place had once been occupied4 ,eagle ,cave it is called and its story was afterwards related to us4 ,between thirty and forty years ago the schooner ',eagle'1 in attempting to make the island1 had been caught in a gale and wrecked on the rock-bound western coast4 ,as far as can be learned1 there were nine men and a woman on board1 all of whom were saved4 ,they lived in this cave for almost two years1 subsisting upon what they could catch4 ,decayed tussock grass1 a foot in depth1 now covers the floor1 showing that some attempt had been made to improve the comfort of the place1 while bones lying strewn about in all directions indicate that gulls1 penguins and cormorants must have supplied a good deal of their food4 ,it is presumed that some of them made a journey to ,north ,head periodically to look out for relief1 as a well-defined track to that point is still visible in places4 ,the tale1 however1 has its tragic side1 for the woman died on the very day when the rescuing ship called at the island4 ,she was buried on the isthmus1 not far from our ,shack4 ,one would think that death was rather a relief from such an existence as this unfortunate woman must have endured1 but1 at the same time1 it seems hard that she did not live to participate in the joy of deliverance4 ,we ate our lunch and had a smoke1 after which we decided to walk homewards along ,feather ,bed terrace4 ,a few minutes after leaving the cave1 ,sawyer and ,sandell caught three young ducks1 which they carried back1 intending to rear them1 but they died several days later4 ,a weary tramp brought us1 thoroughly tired1 to the ,shack1 where ,hamilton had an excellent meal awaiting us4 ,the weather during ,january was rather trying4 ,precipitation in the form of either rain1 hail1 sleet or snow occurred on twenty-six days1 sometimes all forms being experienced on the same day4 ,as a result1 the supply of water was well maintained2 in fact1 the amount caught exceeded the consumption and we finished the month with the tank almost full4 ,gales were experienced on eight days1 the maximum wind-force being forty-two miles an hour4 ,the sky was mostly heavily clouded or absolutely overcast and on many days the sun was not seen4 ,fog hung about the hills almost continuously1 and driving mist accompanied the northerly winds4 ,january #bd was a glorious day1 calm and sunny1 with a maximum temperature of #ea4c degrees ,f4 ,the habit of former days induced ,sandell and myself to have a dip in the surf1 but as the temperature of the water was about #db degrees ,f41 we stayed in as many seconds4 ,the mean temperature for the month was #dd4i degrees ,f42 the minimum being #ce4e degrees ,f4 ,my first view of the island when the ',aurora' arrived in ,december #aiaa left rather an agreeable impression4 ,the day of our approach was marked by fine calm weather and the dark-green tussock-clad hillsides were rather attractive4 ,on the other hand1 one was immediately struck with the entire absence of trees1 the steep precipices1 cliffs and the exceedingly rugged nature of the coastline4 ,closer scrutiny shows that the tussock grass radiates closely from a semi-decayed mass of leaf-sheaths1 with the blades of grass shooting upwards and outwards as high as three or four feet4 ,scattered through it are patches of ,stilbocarpa polaris1 locally known as ,maori cabbage4 ,it is of a more vivid green than the tussock and is edible1 though somewhat stringy and insipid4 ,our sheep ate it readily1 even nibbling the roots after the plant had been cropped down4 ,there were several ,victoria penguin colonies round about the rocky faces of the hills in the vicinity of the ,shack1 and their hubbub and cackling uproar were something to remember4 ,the rearing of the young appeared to be rather a busy process4 ,the young ones look like bundles of down and seem to grow at a remarkable rate1 while the attempt of the parent to shelter the usual two chicks is a very ludicrous thing to watch4 ,the material for the nest made by these birds seems to depend almost entirely on its immediate surroundings4 ,the rookery is established on a broken rocky face close to the water's edge and the nests are made under rocks1 in niches and passages1 as well as amongst the tussock growing on the rocks4 ,those under the rocks are constructed of small stones and a few blades of grass1 while those in the passages and fissures are usually depressions in soft mud4 ,amongst the tussock a hole is first made in the soft earth and then neatly lined with blades of grass4 ,the birds lay two or three eggs of a white or greenish-white colour1 but ,i have never seen three chicks hatched4 ,the eggs are edible1 and we used many dozens of them during our stay4 ,the period of incubation is about five weeks1 and male and female take turns at sitting4 ,a young one is fed by placing its beak within that of the parent bird where the food--mainly crustaceans--is taken as it regurgitates from the stomach of the latter4 ,although the smallest species on the island1 the ,victoria penguins are the most spiteful1 and a scramble through the rookery invites many pecks and much disturbance4 ,they have a black head and back1 white breast and yellow crest1 the feathers of which spread out laterally4 ,during the moulting season they sit in the rookery or perched on surrounding rocks1 living apparently on their fat1 which is found to have disappeared when at last they take to the sea4 ,they come and go with remarkable regularity1 being first seen about the middle of ,october1 and leaving during the first week of ,may4 ,the same rookeries are occupied year after year1 and the departure of the birds adds to the general desolation during the winter months4 ,their destination on leaving the land is still a mystery4 ,although they are never seen1 it is conjectured that they spend the winter at sea4 ,their natural enemy in the waters round ,macquarie ,island is the sea-leopard1 and the stomachs of all specimens of this animal taken by us during the penguin season contained feathers4 ,the presence of numerous bones just at the rear of the ,shack pointed to the fact that here must have been at one time the site of a ,king penguin rookery4 ,as many of our potatoes and onions were sprouting in the bags1 ,i determined to dig a portion of this area and plant the most progressive of these vegetables4 ,the sandy soil did not appear to contain much nutriment1 but ,i thought that something might be gained by giving it a trial4 ,on the night of ,february #b1 ,sawyer reported that he had heard the ,wellington wireless operator calling ,suva station1 but1 as no further signals were heard from anywhere1 he was inclined to the idea that it was the experience of a freak night4 ,in explanation of this term1 ,i may say that it is used in reference to nights on which the atmospheric conditions are abnormally favourable for wireless work4 ,the news was particularly encouraging1 and for the next few days we were on the tip-toe of expectation4 ,in the early morning of the #eth a howling gale sprang up and1 increasing in force as the day wore on1 rendered work impossible4 ,a tremendous sea worked up1 and the ocean for a distance of a mile from shore was simply a seething boil of foam4 ,huge waves dashed on shore1 running yards beyond the usual marks1 and threatening to sweep across the isthmus4 ,masses of tangled kelp1 torn from the outlying rocks1 washed backwards and forwards in the surf or were carried high up among the tussocks4 ,the configuration of the shingly beach changed while one looked at it4 ,the tops of the waves could be seen flying over ,anchor ,rock1 seventy feet high1 and spray was blowing right across the isthmus4 ,on the advice of the sealers we had shifted our stores farther back from the beach and it was just as well we did so1 as the waves reached to within a few feet of the nearest box4 ,meanwhile ,i began to wonder how our benzine and lubricating oil were faring4 ,both had been stacked in cases among the tussock and rocks1 well back from the waters of ,aerial ,cove on the western side of ,wireless ,hill4 ,accordingly1 ,hamilton1 ,sandell and ,i went round in that direction the following morning1 while ,sawyer made his way up to the wireless station to see if there were any damages there4 ,we worked along round the cliff-front through a cave rejoicing in the name of ,catch ,me1 from the fact that the waves rushed into it1 frequently catching and thoroughly wetting any unfortunate taken off his guard4 ,a massive rock1 evidently broken from the roof1 lay right across its centre1 while on either side of the obstruction were masses of greasy decaying kelp4 ,we were caught and floundered about in the kelp while the water surged around us4 ,arriving at the ,cove1 we found that several cases were missing4 ,one was discovered buried in kelp1 and a little later we came upon a tin battered almost out of recognition4 ,the loss was not serious1 but the precaution was taken to shift the oil still farther back4 ,while we were engaged on this task1 ,sawyer appeared on the front of the hill above and signalled to us that the aerial had been blown down4 ,the three-inch rope keeping the aerial taut had broken off close to the bridle and torn the halyard with it4 ,it meant that some one would have to climb the mast to pass a rope through the block1 and the wind was at this time too strong for anything to be done4 ,on ,february #g1 ,blake and ,hamilton1 who had been making preparations for several days past1 set out for ,sandy ,bay1 intending to do some work in that locality4 ,their blankets1 sleeping-bag1 instruments and other gear made rather heavy swags1 but they shouldered them in true ,murrumbidgee style and tramped away4 ,sandell1 ,sawyer and ,i went up ,wireless ,hill to fix the aerial4 ,sandell1 the lightest of the three1 was being hoisted up the first section of the mast with some one-and-a-half-inch rope when the hauling-line gave way4 ,fortunately1 he had a strap securing him to the mast1 otherwise his fall would have been from twenty feet4 ,this was the only rope we had1 so we had to think of some other means of reaching the top4 ,after a short discussion1 ,i suggested that decking-spikes should be secured from the wreck of the ,clyde and driven into the mast at intervals4 ,the idea was followed with great success1 and ,sandell was able to run the halyard through the block at the top 7ninety feet74 ,the aerial was then hauled into position1 the stay-wires were tightened1 an extra dead man was put in and the station was once more ready for work4 ,hamilton returned from ,sandy ,bay on the #aath laden with botanical trophies and four specimens of a small land bird which we had never before seen4 ,he and ,blake1 who remained behind1 had fixed up the hut there so that it afforded decent shelter4 ,on the night of the #acth what we had long expected happened4 ,wireless communication was established for the first time1 with a ship--s4s4 ',ulimaroa'4 ,sandell and ,sawyer were complimented on their success4 ,on the following night communication was held with ,sydney1 s4s4 ',westralia'1 s4s4 ',ulimaroa' and ,h4,m4,s4 ',drake'2 the latter very courteously sending us time-signals4 ,we heard that a wireless station had just been established in ,melbourne1 and that the ,hobart station would be working in about one month4 ,it was with the latter station that we expected to do most of our business4 ,there was great joy in the camp now that this stage of practical efficiency was reached and because we were no longer isolated from the world4 ,blake came back from ,sandy ,bay on the #afth with news that he had almost finished the survey of that section4 ,foggy or misty weather gave him a good deal of trouble in getting sights with the theodolite1 and it became part of his future programme to devote the impossible days to plotting data1 writing up field-notes1 and making geological collections4 ,the afternoon of the #agth was fine1 and ,i went along the beach towards ,west ,point and found it very rough travelling4 ,hundreds of sea elephants1 mostly of the season's young1 lay about in the tussock or amongst the rocks4 ,the young1 silver-grey in colour1 looked very sleek and fat4 ,the adults consorted in groups of from eight to ten1 packed closely and fast asleep4 ,they seemed to fairly luxuriate in a soft1 swampy place and were packed like sardines in some of the wallows4 ,large numbers of skua gulls1 creating a dreadful din1 drew my attention to a spot amongst the rocks1 and1 on nearing it1 ,i found them squabbling around the carcase of a xiphoid whale1 about sixteen feet long1 which had been cast up apparently only a few hours before4 ,the skuas1 as they are commonly called1 are large brown birds which resort to the island in great numbers for the purpose of breeding4 ,they stay longer than any other migrant1 being absent only three months during the depth of winter4 ,returning early in ,august1 they do not start nesting until the beginning of ,october4 ,the nests1 nicely made of grass and plant leaves1 are generally built on the terraces and slopes amongst the hills4 ,the ideal site1 however1 is a pleurophyllum flat adjoining a penguin rookery4 ,two or three eggs of a brown or greenish-brown colour with darker spots or blotches are laid about the end of ,october1 and1 from this time till the chicks are reared1 the parent exhibits much annoyance at the presence of any person in the vicinity4 ,they utter shrill cries and swoop down continuously in an attempt to strike the invader with their wings4 ,several of our party received black eyes as a result of attacks by skuas4 ,the young grow rather quickly1 and not much time elapses before they leave the nest to stagger round and hide amongst the vegetation4 ,the parents fly down and disgorge food1 which is immediately devoured by the young ones4 ,the skuas are bare-faced robbers and most rapacious1 harassing the penguins in particular4 ,they steal the eggs and young of the latter and devour a great number of prions--small birds which live in holes in the ground4 ,the skuas are web-footed1 but are very rarely seen in the water4 ,towards the end of the month1 ,blake spent two days at ,sandy ,bay and then returned to work up his results4 ,hamilton1 in order to get into close touch with another species of penguin1 stayed several days at ,the ,nuggets1 two and a half miles down the eastern coast4 ,a creek flows into the sea at this point1 and many ,royal penguin rookeries are established along its course4 ,meanwhile1 many improvements had been effected in the interior of the ,shack4 ,shelves lined the walls wherever it was convenient to have them1 and many perishable foodstuffs had been brought inside4 ,comfort1 after all1 is but a relative matter1 and1 as far as we were concerned1 it was sufficient4 ,our clothing was all that could be desired1 with the exception1 perhaps1 of the boots4 ,in the equipment were included one pair of sea-boots1 one pair of raw hide kneeboots and two pairs of rawhide hunting boots4 ,the latter were not heavy enough1 and soon showed the effect of travelling from a water-logged surface to one of rock and vice versa4 ,in fact1 our boots were very rarely dry on ,macquarie ,island4 ,an event of some moment occurred on the #bhth4 ,the fowls1 in order to justify our confidence in them and as a return for our constant care1 commenced to lay and1 strange to say1 all began to lay at the same time4 ,ma1 who was greatly concerned during the turn of affairs1 suffered from prolonged attacks of cackling4 ,during the opening days of ,march1 ,blake and ,hamilton were engaged in field work down the island4 ,they went as far as ,the ,brothers1 a rocky promontory about two miles south of ,sandy ,bay4 ,wekas were so plentiful that they lived almost entirely on them4 ,blake1 on returning to the ,shack1 had a badly blistered heel which kept him indoors for a few days4 ,hamilton1 who had secured a goodly number of specimens1 had to attend immediately to their preservation4 ,there were many rats on the island and we frequently heard them scuttling about on the ceiling of the ,shack and slithering down between the lining and the wall4 ,hitherto they had contented themselves by doing this1 but on the night of the #gth several of them flopped one after another into the hut1 awakening the inmates4 ,on getting out to investigate ,i found a hole through the lining1 about seven feet from the floor1 and two or three were rustling about on the shelves4 ,after much shifting of boxes and searching behind tins1 the intruders were killed4 ,on ,march #aj our station held communication with ,suva at a distance of two thousand four hundred miles2 a remarkable performance for a one-and-a-half-kilowatt wireless set4 ,hamilton and ,i set out for ,west ,point and ,eagle ,cave on the #aath with the object of examining the flora of the locality and1 incidentally1 to shoot ducks which frequent the pools on the ,feather ,bed terrace4 ,the weather was dull and misty and the walk very uncomfortable4 ,we made our way across this treacherous tract1 often sinking kneedeep4 ,as we neared the first pool a duck rose and immediately paid the penalty4 ,although we saw at least two hundred1 only one was shot1 owing to the fact that there is no cover about and the ducks are too easily scared4 ,close to ,eagle ,cave ,hamilton gathered some plant specimens and1 after lunching1 we set off home4 ,light1 steady rain set in about #c ,p4,m4 and wet us thoroughly4 ,we travelled back along the coast1 finding it fearfully rough but not so tiring as walking on the terrace4 ,heavy snow fell during the night of the #aath4 ,among other things we learnt by wireless that ,amundsen had returned to ,hobart with the news that he had reached the ,south ,pole4 ,blake had just recovered from his blistered heel when he had the misfortune to meet with a slight accident4 ,he and ,hamilton were engaged cutting a track through the tussock from the ,shack to the beach1 when the spade wielded by ,hamilton struck ,blake's foot1 cutting through the boot and inflicting a wound on the great toe4 ,it was treated antiseptically and bound up2 ,blake being laid up for a few days4 ,cooking was still on the up grade4 ,everybody1 as his turn arrived1 embarked on something new4 ,blake turned out a magnificent meat pudding during his week1 and ,sawyer manufactured a salmon kedgeree4 ,sandell's treacle pudding and ,hamilton's soda rolls and date pudding were all equally good1 while ,i fairly surpassed myself with a roly-poly and some pancakes4 ,hitherto1 ,sawyer and ,sandell had been coming down to the ,shack each night after finishing the wireless work1 but on account of the bad weather they determined to sleep up there and1 with that end in view1 each built a bunk for himself2 ,sawyer1 in the operating-hut1 had ample room for the improvement1 but ,sandell had more difficulty in the engine-hut1 finding it necessary to add a small structure to the original one4 ,good wireless work was now being done1 and almost every ship trading to eastern ,australian ports gave us a call up4 ,much difficulty was experienced with the mast's stays1 which frequently required tightening on account of the deadmen working loose in the yielding peaty soil4 ,there were seven stays required for each mast1 and ,sandell spent much time in attending to them4 ,hamilton had found1 some weeks previously1 several nests of the sooty albatross along the cliff-front on the eastern side of ,wireless ,hill1 and on the #bast he visited them for the purpose of photographing the young in the nest4 ,they were still in the downy stage1 and vomited vigorously on being approached4 ,these birds build their nests on ledges along the face of a steep cliff and always betray the whereabouts of their nesting-place by wheeling and soaring around the vicinity4 ,when sitting1 the bird utters piercing calls for its mate and is thereby easily located4 ,they make a nest of grass1 generally at the root of a tussock growing on the cliff-front1 and when the building is in progress the two birds sit side by side entwining their necks1 rubbing beaks and at intervals uttering their harsh cries4 ,one can approach and catch them quite easily1 either at this time or when sitting4 ,the female lays one large white egg1 which has a peculiar and rather disagreeable odour4 ,they have beautiful slaty or bluish-gray plumage with a dark soot-black head1 while encircling the eye is a white ring which stands out conspicuously from the dark feathers surrounding it4 ,like most other sea-birds they have the rather revolting habit of vomiting quantities of partly digested food and fluid when an attempt is made to get close to them4 ,in this respect old and young are alike4 ,their food is procured at sea1 and consists of the small forms of marine life4 ,sandell and ,hamilton went round to ,aerial ,cove on the #beth to collect shells and to search for the missing lubricating oil4 ,when coming home1 after a successful day1 they discovered a cave quite close to ,catch ,me4 ,a lantern was secured from the ,shack and they went back to examine it4 ,it penetrated for a considerable distance and opened out on the hill side about eighty feet above sea-level4 ,many rocks hung down from overhead1 and altogether it appeared a very unsafe place4 ,blake went along later and collected specimens from its floor4 ,we built a kind of annex to the ,shack out of the cases of provisions2 each case being numbered and a list being drawn out setting forth the contents of the case4 ,this list was nailed on to the wall inside1 and besides being convenient for procuring the provisions1 gave the cook1 in a coup-d'oeil1 exact information and afforded him a glorious scope4 ,with regard to the coal-supply1 our allowance at ,macquarie ,island had been reduced by one-half1 on account of the large amount of wreckage lying on the beach4 ,the weekly cook limited himself to three briquettes1 and these he supplemented with sea elephant blubber and wood1 which he gathered and cut up for use4 ,each man commenced his cooking week on ,saturday morning1 and continued until the following ,friday night1 when1 after having cleared up1 washed the towels and cleaned the stove1 he retired4 ,the incoming cook1 who for half an hour had been prowling about keenly observant of overlooked dirty things and betraying every sign of impatience to make a start1 proceeded at once to set a batch of bread1 sufficient for one week1 which was baked early on ,saturday morning4 ,five loaves had to be baked1 and as only two could be dealt with at a time1 the chance of producing at least one doughy loaf was reasonably high until every one became a master baker4 ,for a time we had been rather hard put to it in the matter of having baths1 but the disability had been overcome by means of sawing a cask in two2 an expedient which answered very well4 ,the bath was also used as a wash-tub1 each man taking charge as his cooking week came round4 ,the clothes were dried inside the ,shack along a number of strings arranged at the back of the stove4 ,darning and mending took a little time1 and our experiences in this direction were such as to demonstrate the wisdom of putting in a stitch in time4 ,in going over to the meteorological screen one morning ,i saw a giant petrel flapping about in the tussock1 gorged to such an extent that it could not rise4 ,i killed the loathsome bird with the rib-bone of a sea elephant1 and ,hamilton made a fine specimen of it later on4 ,these birds1 properly called giant petrels1 are usually known as nellies or stinkers2 the latter title being thoroughly justified on account of the disagreeable smell which comes from them4 ,as may be inferred from the name1 they are the largest of all the petrels1 and measure about seven feet from tip to tip when on the wing4 ,the colour ranges through various shades from almost pure white to a dark greyish-brown2 some even appearing almost black4 ,very large and ungainly when on the ground1 they become most graceful when in the air1 and soar about without the slightest effort even on the stormiest days4 ,i have seen them flying into a forty-mile wind with absolute ease1 never moving a wing1 but occasionally adjusting their balance4 ,they are gross scavengers1 and eat apparently for the sake of eating4 ,a carcase on the rocks or beach attracts them in large numbers1 and very soon they can be seen pulling and tearing at it until thoroughly gorged1 when they waddle away into the water and sit there wholly unable to rise till digestion takes place4 ,if disturbed1 they immediately disgorge and fly off4 ,they nest on the ground and lay one large white egg4 ,when sitting1 they are reluctant to leave the nest and will squat there1 vomiting evil-smelling1 partly digested food and fluid at any intruder4 ,the young1 even in the downy stage1 have the same habit4 ,when mating they go on with a queer kind of performance1 which consists of running around each other on the shore with wings outspread as if displaying their charms1 finally flying off or waddling into the water4 ,the persistently windy weather during ,march had an effect on everything exposed to its force4 ,sandell discovered on the #bith that the rope holding the wireless aerial had cut through1 leaving only one strand1 which now bore all the strain4 ,it was just a matter of days before it would part1 and1 with a view to preventing a repetition of ,february's happening1 we went up to lower the aerial1 but the frayed portion of the rope would not pass through the block1 so we had to leave it as it was and wait for the inevitable4 ,exceptionally low tides at the end of the month gave ,hamilton a fine opportunity of collecting marine specimens1 and he secured amongst many other things some striking anemones4 ,some difficulty was experienced in preserving them1 as they lost colour and shrivelled up4 ,but a special line of treatment was attended by fairly successful results4 ,they were put in shallow dishes into which sea-water was poured4 ,very soon they attached themselves to the bottom and began to expand1 finally opening out to the fullest extent4 ,with a view to narcotizing them while in this condition1 menthol was applied to the water but did not seem to have much effect4 ,chloral hydrate was found to give the best results4 ,it killed them all1 but1 before dying1 they elongated and detached themselves from the bottom of the dish2 after which they were taken out and placed in formalin for preservation4 ,blake had very little opportunity of doing much survey work during the month1 as he was hampered by a sore foot and the weather was wretched4 ,he therefore spent most of his time plotting data1 making geological investigations and collecting and naming specimens4 ,he and ,hamilton had so far confined their attention to the northern half of the island1 and had resolved to complete the study of this area before tackling the southern half4 ,the weather throughout the month was rather severe1 and only two days were really appreciated4 ,precipitation occurred on twenty-five days1 but the worst feature was the continuity of strong winds1 which however did not reach gale-force on more than three occasions4 ,much snow and hail fell1 the former accompanying winds with a southerly component1 while with the north-westers came the depressing mist or misty rain which is such a characteristic of the place4 ,temperatures1 as might have been expected1 were beginning to go down1 and we experienced several very cold days4 ,the average temperature for ,march was #da4h degrees1 while the highest was #df4i degrees and the lowest #ce4c degrees ,f4 on the #bdth4 ,at #aj ,p4,m4 on ,april #a the rope supporting the aerial parted4 ,sawyer and ,sandell were on duty at the time1 but of course suspended operations immediately4 ,as before1 the halyard also carried away and ,sandell henceforth resolved to shackle one end of the aerial to the mast1 using a short length of chain instead of the rope4 ,the wreck of the ,clyde was once more our standby1 providing a suitable length of chain and four shackles4 ,after completing this job1 they had very little subsequent trouble with the aerial4 ,hamilton and ,sawyer caught several three-pound fish on ,april #b1 and ,sandell served them in good style4 ,they were good eating1 but1 unfortunately1 were very much worm-infested4 ,these parasitical worms are about an inch and a half long and taper to a point at each end4 ,they penetrate right through the flesh and are plainly noticeable after the fish is cooked4 ,one has to dodge the worms as the meal proceeds3 either that or persuade oneself that they do not matter4 ,the flowing contours of the land in the vicinity of ,the ,nuggets suggested glacial action to ,blake1 and on the #dth1 while making geological investigations in that locality1 he lit upon a well-defined basal moraine4 ,needless to say he was very interested in the discovery1 and brought home a number of polished1 striated boulders as convincing evidence of his theory4 ,it was rather disappointing to find that the vegetables we had planted were making little progress4 ,they would shoot up at first very strongly1 like the seed which fell on stony ground1 but1 as soon as a gale arose1 the tops turned black and shortly afterwards withered away4 ,it was apparently an effect of the salt spray which1 in rough weather1 used to blow across the isthmus4 ,hamilton planted some willows and other cuttings1 which shared the same fate4 ,the winter had now arrived in real earnest1 and the months which followed were punctuated by a succession of gales1 while we came to recognize that it was an exceptional day when the hills were not shrouded in mist4 ,the only thing to do was to brace oneself up for the ordeal and to put a good foot forward4 ,,chapter ,,xxvi ,a ,,land ,,of ,,storm ,,and ,,mist by ,g4 ,f4 ,ainsworth ,a ,heavy north-west gale was experienced on ,april #ab1 the wind attaining a force of over fifty miles an hour4 ,as usual1 a tremendous sea worked up very quickly1 and sheets of spray shredded across the isthmus4 ,about #b ,p4,m4 the wind shifted to west and later to south-west2 these changes being accompanied by fierce hail and squalls of snow4 ,during the night the wind moderated1 heavy snow fell and1 when morning dawned1 all the pools were frozen over and the island was draped in white4 ,it was the heaviest fall we had so far experienced4 ,on the #aeth ,hamilton and ,i shot several gulls for specimens4 ,the ,dominican or black-backed gulls are very numerous and remain on the island all the year round4 ,they are rather pretty1 being snow-white1 except on the upper part of the wings and back4 ,ordinarily their food is obtained from the water1 but at ,macquarie ,island they live almost entirely upon the carcases left by the sealers1 and are usually seen defending their rights against skuas and giant petrels4 ,they build nests of tussock on rocks close to the water or maybe on the ground4 ,three eggs1 much like those of the skua in colour1 but with a greener tint and smaller1 are laid1 but generally only two are hatched4 ,the young leave the nest early and hide amongst the rocks1 whither the old ones come to feed them4 ,we now considered it advisable to prepare for the winter1 and with that end in view papered the inside of the ,shack in various places4 ,as the cold winds were particularly searching1 all faulty joints in the lining were pasted over with any kind of paper we could find4 ,a leak down the outside of the stove-pipe was remedied1 after a good deal of trouble1 by soldering a collar round the pipe where it passed through the roof4 ,firing was an important consideration1 so each man now brought home several loads of driftwood every day1 until we had enough to keep us going for some months4 ,there was a complete boot-mending outfit which was put to a good deal of use1 for the weathered rocks cut the soles of our boots and knocked out the hobnails4 ,our supply of the last-named did not last long1 and several of the party used strips of hoop-iron in their stead4 ,blake found it necessary to make a kind of work-desk in his section1 and accordingly had a thorough rearrangement4 ,he shifted his bunk up to a height of about five and a half feet1 very close to the ceiling2 a fact which necessitated some wriggling and squirming on his part to get into the sleeping-bag4 ,there was a fine open space left underneath1 and he managed to fix up his table very neatly4 ,although they had intended to leave the work on the southern half of the island until the spring1 ,hamilton and ,blake set out for ,lusitania ,bay on ,april #bh to make a short reconnoitring trip4 ,it was thought advisable to spend a few days down there1 to improve the hut and generally speaking to have a look-round4 ,both men had already visited the place and depoted some provisions there4 ,at #h ,a4,m4 they started off1 carrying their blankets1 sleeping-bags and a few other articles4 ,their proposal was to go along the coast as far as ,sandy ,bay and from thence along the hill-tops for the remaining ten miles4 ,hail and snow-squalls succeeded each other at frequent intervals1 and by the time they reached ,sandy ,bay1 all hope of proceeding along the hill-tops was dissipated4 ,they therefore kept near the coast4 ,the going was frightfully rough and the weather was very bad1 so on making ,green ,valley they camped in a small cave for the night4 ,the floor was covered with tussock1 and1 by searching amongst the rocks1 enough pieces of wreckage were found to keep the fire going4 ,on the whole they passed a fairly comfortable night4 ,mac proved a bit troublesome by persisting in her attempts to curl up on or between the sleeping-bags1 and by finally eating the jam which had been saved for breakfast4 ,the weather was quite as bad next morning1 but1 after a meal of dry biscuit and cocoa1 they pushed on1 taking four and a half hours to do the six miles4 ,the next day was spent making the hut weather-proof and fixing up a couple of bunks4 ,the provisions which had been cached were in good order and abundance of firewood lay around1 in the shape of old barrel-staves4 ,just close to the living-hut was a works-hut containing boilers and digestors which years ago had been used for procuring penguin oil1 while there was a rookery a few yards away from which the victims had come4 ,this rookery was the resort of ,king penguins1 the largest of the four species which are to be found on the island4 ,they are magnificently coloured birds1 being bluish-grey on the back while the head is greenish-black and on each side of the neck there is a brilliant yellow band1 shading to a greenish-yellow on the upper part of the breast1 and gradually merging into the glossy white of the lower part of the body4 ,they attain to a height of about three feet and weigh thirty pounds approximately4 ,the site of their rookery is a stony flat about a hundred yards from the water1 and here are collected between five and six thousand--all that remain on the island4 ,they make no nest1 the single egg laid being supported on the feet1 and kept in position and incubated in a kind of skin pouch which conceals it from view4 ,one would never guess the egg was there1 for1 on being disturbed1 the bird shuffles along1 carrying it in the manner described4 ,the egg is large1 tapering very much at one end and resembling a pear in shape4 ,they lay during ,december and ,january1 and the young are hatched in about six weeks4 ,a peculiar feature about the young birds is that the parents feed them for two seasons4 ,they are covered with a coarse1 greyish-brown furry growth1 and a year-old chick looks bigger than the old bird4 ,this furry growth is lost during the second year and the adult plumage replaces it4 ,the young utter a peculiar sound1 something between a squeak and a whistle4 ,it is probable that the ,king penguins were never so numerous as the ,royal or ,victoria penguins1 but the fact remains that they have not yet recovered from the wholesale slaughter to which they must have been subjected over sixteen years ago4 ,down on a strip of shingly beach the birds parade1 when not in the rookery or at sea getting food4 ,their proceedings strike one as being extraordinarily human1 while the dignity and gravity of the participants are beyond description4 ,on one occasion1 a large number marching along the beach were seen to halt suddenly and talk excitedly4 ,three birds then left the main body1 consulted together for a short time1 and then separated4 ,the other birds immediately separated into three companies1 and each company stood behind one of the three already mentioned1 who were now some distance apart4 ,the individuals of each party then talked among themselves for several minutes1 after which two parties joined forces and marched off1 leaving the third party staring after them4 ,i have lost myself for the time being amongst the penguins and shall now return to ,blake and ,hamilton1 who climbed on to the hill-tops the following morning to spy out the land4 ,the island is generally speaking higher1 and all the more elevated peaks are on the southern half4 ,they saw numerous rabbits1 of which many were black1 and ,mac had the day of her life amongst them4 ,these animals were introduced to the island about twenty-five years ago1 and have gradually withdrawn to the lonelier southern part1 though occasionally odd ones are seen about the northern end4 ,they are very tame and live in holes amongst the rocks or make burrows in the gully banks and broken hill sides4 ,many lakes1 frozen over1 were seen1 several of which were fairly large4 ,altogether1 the topography is similar to that of the northern end4 ,in an endeavour to improve the evening fare1 a sweet broth consisting of biscuit1 milk1 jam and sugar was tried but it was not a success2 ,hamilton remarking that even ,blake had only one helping4 ,on the following morning they started for the ,shack and chose the route on the hilltops1 as the ground was frozen hard2 and1 though there were frequent snow-drifts into which they floundered occasionally1 the surface for travelling was much better than along the coast4 ,hamilton slipped and hurt his ankle on the trip1 and the boots of both were just about worn out4 ,they apprehended no difficulty in completing their prospective work4 ,blake pointed out that the chart of the island shows ,lusitania ,bay as being rather a large indentation1 whereas in reality it is almost a straight stretch of coast4 ,an earthquake shock was felt at #i4ae ,p4,m4 on the #bgth4 ,i was sitting in the ,shack writing up records at the time1 and it seemed as if somebody had struck the south-west end of the place a severe blow with a bag of sand4 ,immediately afterwards a crashing sound1 apparently some distance away on the eastern side1 indicated that some rocks on the cliff-front had been dislodged4 ,much rough weather was experienced during the month1 and it rained1 hailed and snowed on twenty-five days4 ,the wind attained moderate to fresh gale-force on six days1 and fog and mist were almost invariable4 ,the lowest temperature recorded was #cb4g degrees ,f4 ,the average relative humidity for the four months ending ,april #cj was #ic per cent41 leading to copious condensation on the instruments exposed to the air4 ,it was necessary1 therefore1 constantly to attend and frequently clean the thermographs1 hygrometers and the wireless plant4 ,in the case of the latter1 loss of power occurred in the form of brush discharge1 and ,sawyer had to take great care in order to guard against this accident4 ,he shellacked the condensers and other exposed parts and found the proceeding rather effective4 ,i noticed that the drifting snow and misty rain managed to get down the opening leading to the liquid surface of the anemobiagraph1 thus altering the zero of the recording apparatus4 ,when this happened the instrument had to be dismantled and set right4 ,we found it necessary to use sea elephant blubber in the stove in order to warm the ,shack1 and a very small piece put on the fire at intervals always ensured a good heat4 ,sea elephants had become scarce1 so1 in order to lay in a supply of fuel for the next few weeks1 we went round to ,aerial ,cove on the #crd and killed the largest animal we could find1 afterwards carrying the blubber round to the ,shack4 ,we came through ,catch ,me and had the same old experience4 ,hamilton examined the contents of the stomach of the sea elephant and found gravel1 stones1 cuttlefish1 beaks and worms in abundance4 ,a violent north-west gale during the early morning hours of the #dth reached a maximum velocity of fifty-two miles an hour at #e4bj ,a4,m41 but at #h ,a4,m4 it began to weaken rapidly and an hour later had shifted to west-south-west1 coming from that point as a moderate gale for the rest of the day4 ,as was usual with winds having any southerly component1 snow and squalls of soft hail were experienced4 ,with the exception of the wind-vane1 which was blown a few yards into the tussock1 nothing was damaged4 ,in the afternoon ,blake and ,i had a trip down to the moraine which he had found a few days previously4 ,after a heavy one and a half hours' walk1 the last half-mile of which was along a creek bed1 with water ankle-deep all the way1 we reached the spot3 the site of one of the large penguin rookeries up on the hills at the back of ,the ,nuggets4 ,the sun showed between squalls1 and ,blake took some interesting photographs of rocks showing striae and other glacial characteristics4 ,we battled with one enormous boulder for some time before getting it into a suitable position for the camera1 and afterwards walked right through the glacial area4 ,the ,u-shaped character of the valleys was very pronounced1 while boulder-clay obtruded itself everywhere on our notice4 ,hobart wireless station was by this time in working order1 a fact which greatly facilitated wireless business4 ,sandell took the engine to pieces early in the month and gave it1 as well as the fittings1 a thorough overhaul and cleaning4 ,we received a message on the #gth1 saying that the ',aurora' was leaving ,hobart on the #acth for a sub-antarctic cruise and would call at the island4 ,at the same time ,i was requested to send a list of articles required4 ,i found1 after going through the stock and consulting each member1 that we needed nothing but strong boots1 cartridges1 dungaree trousers1 coarse salt1 cigarettes and fresh vegetables4 ,a persistent area of high pressure affected the weather conditions of the island to the extent of shrouding us in fog from the #fth to the #ajth inclusive1 and we did not catch a glimpse of the sun during that period4 ,the average daily temperature-range during this time was only #b4c degrees4 ,such conditions have a rather depressing effect on the spirits1 but the cheering news we received on the #gth made some amends for the lack of sunshine4 ,the sun appeared at last on the #aath and shone strongly1 so ,blake and ,i went up to ,wireless ,hill to take some shots with the theodolite4 ,i noticed four of our sheep on the front of the hill1 and1 as there should have been nine1 ,sandell and ,i1 after finishing with ,blake1 walked out to ,north ,head to see if the others were all right4 ,we found them on the north-east side of the hill and drove them up to the rest of the flock4 ,from the hill-top we could see ,hamilton engaged in skinning a large sea leopard on the coast1 so we climbed down to render any necessary assistance4 ,it was a beautifully marked animal1 about eleven feet long1 and made a fine specimen4 ,sea leopards frequent ,macquarie ,island in great numbers from the late winter to the early summer1 and may be seen lying about1 sleeping close to the water and apparently always very tired4 ,they do not give birth to the young there1 and from observations ,i concluded that they were born at sea4 ,we had taken female specimens on several occasions1 apparently within a few hours of parturition1 and as none had been seen with newly born young1 and no islands lay within several hundred miles1 it was presumed that the birth took place in the water4 ,until the young one is weaned1 its habitat is evidently in the water as we never saw an adult suckling its offspring4 ,sea leopards--long1 lithe creatures with a reptilian cast of head--are remarkably quick in the water4 ,if one is disturbed on shore it opens its mouth very wide1 revealing a wicked-looking row of teeth in each jaw2 the canine teeth or tusks being very long and slightly curved4 ,unlike sea elephants and seals they are solitary animals1 and should several of them be found on a small gravelly patch of beach they are seen to be as far as possible from one another4 ,we have never seen them attempt to fight on the shore1 but the gaping wounds and scars with which they are frequently covered indicate that they treat each other very severely in the water4 ,they live on penguins1 gulls1 shags and fish4 ,i saw several shags on one occasion very busy fishing1 and between diving intervals they would sit on the water4 ,suddenly one disappeared under the water and the rest flew off2 but in a few seconds the one which had disappeared was thrown into the air and caught by a sea leopard1 who played in this fashion with the maimed bird for several minutes before devouring it4 ,a few days previously we had received a request from ,mr4 ,d4 ,c4 ,bates1 the ,new ,zealand ,meteorologist1 for a daily weather report1 and from the #abth onwards a message was sent nightly to ,wellington1 a distance of about eleven hundred miles4 ,in acknowledging these reports1 subsequently1 the office referred to their immediate value in the issue of daily forecasts1 and expressed indebtedness to the ,expedition4 ,the two species of penguins which leave the island during the winter months had disappeared1 and silence now reigned where formerly were busy1 noisy colonies4 ,the departure of the migrants made the place seem lonelier and1 during the depths of winter when snow covers the ground and the birds and animals are few in number1 a more dreary spot would be difficult to find4 ,the weather conditions were now rather severe1 and as ,sawyer and ,sandell worked from #h ,p4,m4 till #b or #c ,a4,m4 every night and slept at the wireless station1 they were exempted from the necessity of coming down to get breakfast during their cooking weeks4 ,they now rested till about noon1 and arrived at the ,shack every day in time for lunch4 ,hamilton1 ,blake and ,i1 each outside his own cooking week1 took it in turns to prepare breakfast4 ,blake's fieldwork at the north end1 more particularly in the vicinity of ,west ,point and ,north ,head1 was just about finished4 ,west ,point proved to be an area of gabbro1 a coarse-grained eruptive rock representative of basic rocks1 while ,north ,head was composed of basic agglomerate1 and volcanic bombs were numerous4 ,hamilton had got together a good collection of bird specimens1 and was now in quest of skeletons4 ,on the night of the #acth we witnessed a rather pretty auroral manifestation4 ,it assumed the appearance of a ,noah's ark cloud1 that is1 stretching from opposite points on the horizon and appearing to converge at each one of these points4 ,the light was a pale yellow1 no other tint being visible4 ,in addition1 a nebulous glow appeared at intervals in the south4 ,we heard on the #afth that the ',aurora' had sailed on that day from ,hobart and would arrive at ,macquarie ,island in about three weeks2 oceanographical work being carried out on the trip down4 ,this was indeed cheerful news1 and we began to look forward to her arrival4 ,a fresh west-south-west gale during the early morning hours of the #agth was accompanied by soft hail and snow-squalls1 and the temperature at #i ,a4,m4 was #ca4b degrees ,f4 ,the ground was covered with snow and all the pools were frozen over1 but at #i ,p4,m4 there was a rapid shift of the wind to the north-west and the snow almost disappeared4 ,soft hail1 generally a little larger than tapioca and of the same shape1 frequently fell4 ,these little pellets are formed of compressed snow and are commonly supposed to be frozen cloud-particles mixed with raindrops compacted by a high wind4 ,on the following night1 ,blake and ,i went up to wireless ,hill to take star observations4 ,it was very dark and the hill-front was slippery1 frequent falls being the rule4 ,just after setting up the instrument1 the wind freshened to such an extent that it was impossible to do anything1 so we descended very wet and muddy to the ,shack1 having had a rough passage4 ,the reason for this was that ,i fell on the lantern and extinguished the light4 ,we were supplied with two hurricane lamps which do not by any means deserve their title as they blow out in even a moderately strong wind4 ,sandell made a lantern for his own use1 declaring that it was impossible for any wind to blow it out4 ,i firmly believed him1 as it was a little binnacle lamp placed inside a small oatmeal tin into which a cleaned photographic plate had been fixed and with holes punched in the bottom and top of the tin for ventilation4 ,it was thus a lamp with two covers1 and frequent demonstrations of its ability to survive heavy blows were made by the inventor4 ,during the next three days a forty-mile wind accompanied by snow1 hail and sleet was experienced and the maximum temperature on the #beth did not reach freezing-point1 the ground being firmly frozen and snow-covered4 ,during the evening of the last-named date the wind shifted to north-west1 and by noon on the #bfth no snow remained1 except on the hills4 ,in anticipation of the ',aurora's arrival1 ,blake and ,hamilton collected some stores together in the hope that ,captain ,davis would transport them down to ,lusitania ,bay1 thus obviating the necessity of carrying them down on foot4 ,as ,blake reckoned that he would remain there fully three months and ,hamilton about two months1 it was thought that such another opportunity might not present itself4 ,through the courtesy of the naval officials1 ,h4,m4,s4 ,drake sent us time-signals twice a week1 and though we had so far heard no sound from ,adelie ,land1 there was a possibility that they could receive messages from us4 ,sawyer therefore sent out time-signals as a matter of routine4 ,hamilton made a trip to the west coast on the #bhth and returned with thirteen wekas4 ,sawyer did not care for these birds1 but each of the others could account for one at a meal4 ,they seem to be better eating if plucked like a fowl and roasted1 but the plucking takes too long and we generally skinned and boiled them4 ,it is advisable to hang them for several days before cooking as it certainly makes them tender4 ,rough1 stormy weather prevailed during the greater part of the month and the wind reached the force of a gale on nine days4 ,much snow1 soft hail and sleet fell and some very cold days were experienced4 ,the average temperature was #dj degrees1 the maximum being #dd4g degrees and the minimum #bg4h degrees ,f4 ,a heavy snowfall occurred during the early morning hours of ,june #c1 and the temperature was below freezing-point all day4 ,in the afternoon we had rather an enjoyable time tobogganing down a steep talus-slope on the east coast4 ,a considerable struggle was necessary in order to get the sledge to the top1 but the lightning slide to the bottom more than compensated for the labour4 ,we made wireless inquiries concerning the ',aurora' at night1 and were informed by ,hobart that a search for the ,royal ,company ,islands was included in her programme4 ,it was therefore presumed that she was engaged in prosecuting this search and would probably not reach us for some days4 ,hamilton killed a very fine sea leopard on the #eth and the skin1 apart from being unscarred1 was handsomely marked4 ,it should make a splendid specimen4 ,the stomach contained more than the usual number of worms and one specimen of tape-worm1 seven inches long and three-eighths of an inch wide1 was preserved4 ,everything was going along in the usual placid manner on the #gth1 when1 as we were just taking our seats for lunch1 some one rushed in with the information that the ',aurora' was in sight4 ,there was a scramble to various points of vantage and she was soon observed coming up the east coast very slowly4 ,at #b4cj ,p4,m4 she dropped anchor in ,north-,east ,bay1 but1 as it was blowing strongly and a nasty sea was running1 no boat was launched1 though one may imagine how anxiously we watched for some movement in that direction4 ,as soon as it became dark a message was ,morsed to us to the effect that a boat would bring mails and goods ashore in the morning if the weather moderated1 and with that we had to be content4 ,needless to say1 business ashore was for the time being paralysed1 but a message was sent to the ,secretary in ,hobart advising him of the ,ship's arrival4 ,true to his intimation of the previous night1 ,captain ,davis brought a boat ashore at #i4cj ,a4,m4 and with him came several visitors who were to be our guests for some days4 ,they were ,mr4 ,e4 ,r4 ,waite1 ,curator of the ,canterbury ,museum and his taxidermist1 and ,mr4 ,primmer1 a cinematographer4 ,conspicuous in the boat was a well-laden mail bag and no time was lost in distributing the contents4 ,letters1 papers1 and magazines were received by every member of the party1 and all the news was good4 ,some stores were brought along and1 after getting these ashore1 we took the visitors across to the ,shack and invited them to make themselves at home4 ,captain ,davis also came along to the ,shack and afterwards looked over the wireless station4 ,he returned to the ship just after lunch1 and ,sandell1 ,sawyer and ,blake took the opportunity of going on board4 ,hamilton1 in the meantime1 piloted the visitors on a short trip round to ,aerial ,cove1 introducing them to ,catch ,me1 where they were duly baptized4 ,they afterwards climbed up ,wireless ,hill and had a look at the station1 returning to the ,shack much impressed with the rough nature of the country4 ,blake went off to the ship again1 taking the stores which had been got ready for transport to ,lusitania ,bay1 as the captain had agreed to land them when he visited there in a few days' time4 ,amongst the cases which were landed was one containing the recording apparatus for the tide-gauge4 ,the other parts of this instrument had been left on the island in ,december1 but for some reason the clock and charts had gone astray and were not found till the vessel was being unloaded in ,adelie ,land4 ,some thermometers and a ,robinson anemometer had also been overcarried and1 when they came to light1 the latter was immediately placed in commission4 ,captain ,davis sent a boat ashore on the morning of the #abth with an invitation to come on board and lunch4 ,i accordingly went out to the vessel and1 after lunching1 had a thorough look over her1 mentally contrasting her spick-and-span appearance at the time with what it had been when ,i left her in ,december4 ,i went ashore again in the afternoon and assisted the visitors to get their loads down to the boat1 as they were returning to the ship1 which was leaving next morning on a sounding trip down the island4 ,on the #adth we started to carry the stores across to the ,shack on our backs4 ,we soon realized that seventy or eighty pounds was not a light load over a half-mile stretch of rough1 shingly beach1 but succeeded in transporting the onions1 apples and potatoes before finishing for the night4 ,the other articles were brought over during the next two afternoons4 ,the tide-gauge pipe1 weighing about six hundredweights1 and the box for the housing of the recording gear had been landed in ,december round in ,aerial ,cove1 where a site had been chosen for the erection of the gauge4 ,experience showed me that the place was unsuitable1 so ,i took ,hamilton1 ,sandell and ,sawyer round to the cove on the #aeth and we decided1 as we had no boat1 that it was impossible to carry the pipe round to the east coast4 ,i had been making some tidal observations on an upright1 fixed in a comparatively quiet spot on the east coast1 and it was here that ,i contemplated erecting the gauge4 ,two snow-gauges1 eight inches each in diameter1 were amongst the meteorological equipment and it appeared that if these two were soldered together a suitable pipe could be made4 ,further1 the pipe was to be protected from the violence of the seas by planks fixed round it4 ,sandell agreed with the idea and forthwith set about soldering the two together and making a suitable float1 the one supplied being too wide4 ,all that now remained was to erect the gauge4 ,the two following afternoons were devoted to stowing the new stores4 ,we carried everything across and stacked them at the south-west end of the ,shack4 ,unfortunately1 the boots which we had ordered did not come1 but ,captain ,davis let us have five pairs of light bluchers out of the ship's stores1 and we reckoned that these with extra soles and a few hobnails would hold out till ,august or ,september1 when a sealing vessel was expected4 ,the ',aurora' returned from the south of the island on the #aith and reported having had a rough experience in the north-east to south gale which blew on the two previous days4 ,the wind came out of the north-east very suddenly on the #agth1 and some very strong squalls were experienced4 ,a calm prevailed for several hours in the evening1 but a south-east gale then sprang up and blew all day on the #ahth1 gradually working into the south and dying away during the night4 ,early on the #bjth the ',aurora' steamed out of the bay1 bound north as we thought1 but she returned again in the evening1 and we signalled to know if anything were wrong4 ,they replied1 ,all well1 but weather very bad outside4 ,she lay at anchor in the bay all next day as it was snowing and blowing very hard from the south-west1 but at #h4de ,a4,m4 on the #bbnd she disappeared in the north and we did not see her again for some months4 ,a few hours after her departure the wind increased in force1 and a continuous gale raged for the next five days4 ,sandell and ,i now made a start at erecting the tide-gauge1 and after the lapse of five days got the instrument into position4 ,we could work on it only at low tide1 for much rock had to be chipped away and numerous wire stays fixed4 ,the work was therefore of a disagreeable character4 ,its appearance when finished did not by any means suggest the amount of trouble we experienced in setting it up1 but the fact that it stood the heavy seas for the following eighteen months without suffering material damage was a sufficient guarantee that the work had been well done4 ,a tremendous sea was running on the #beth as a result of the previous two days' blow and a heavy gale still persisting4 ,spray was scudding across the isthmus1 and the sea for a mile from the shore was just a seething cauldron4 ,the wind moderated somewhat on the #bfth1 but strong squalls were experienced at intervals throughout the day1 and on the #bgth a strong wind from the south-west brought rather heavy snow4 ,on the following day a westerly gale sprang up which shifted suddenly to south-south-west and south-west in the evening and was accompanied by fierce hail and snow-squalls throughout the night4 ,without moderating to any extent the gale continued to blow on the #bith and passed through west to west-north-west1 finally lasting till the end of the month4 ,something in the nature of a tidal wave occurred during the night of the #bhth1 for1 on rising the following morning1 ,i was considerably astonished to see that the sea-water had been almost across the isthmus4 ,to effect this1 a rise of twenty or twenty-five feet above mean sea-level must have taken place and such a rise appeared abnormally high4 ,our coal heap1 which we had hitherto regarded as perfectly safe from the sea1 was submerged1 as shown by the kelp and sand lying on top of it1 and the fact that seven or eight briquettes were found fifteen feet away from the heap4 ,nothing at the wireless station was damaged and work went on as usual4 ,the wind used to make a terrific noise in the aerial wires1 but this did not affect the transmission of messages4 ,the howling of the wind round the operating-hut interfered with the receiving1 at times making it extremely difficult to hear signals2 particularly on nights not favourable for wireless work4 ,hamilton was at this time concentrating his attention on shags or cormorants4 ,this species of cormorant is peculiar to the island1 being found nowhere else4 ,they are blue-black1 with a white breast1 and on the head they have a small black crest4 ,at the top of the beak are golden lobes1 while the skin immediately round the eye is pale blue4 ,they remain on the shores of the island all the year and nest on the rocks in or very close to the water4 ,they form rookeries and build nests of grass1 laying three eggs about the end of ,november4 ,the period of incubation is six weeks4 ,they live entirely on fish1 and1 on that account1 neither the birds nor the eggs are palatable4 ,they are very stupid1 staring curiously till one gets almost within reach of them1 when they flap heavily into the water4 ,they are easily caught when sitting on the nest1 but a shag rookery1 like most other rookeries1 is by no means a pleasant place in which to linger4 ,i had the satisfaction of getting the first record from the tide-gauge on the first day of ,july1 but the clock worked erratically1 requiring some attention4 ,hamilton had a lobster-pot set some distance from the shore and anchored to a float1 but unfortunately the pot was lost in the rough seas at the end of ,june4 ,he had a couple of fish-traps also1 but1 in view of this disaster1 he decided to set these in ,aerial ,cove1 where the water was quieter4 ,having a couple of sea leopard heads which required macerating1 he baited the trap with them and lowered it into the water1 securing it to the rock with a steel wire4 ,taking advantage of a bright sun on the following day1 ,blake and ,hamilton went to ,the ,nuggets and took some geological and biological photographs1 which on being developed turned out well4 ,they had occasion to enter one of the unoccupied huts down there and found a wild cat a little more than half grown1 which they caught and carried home with them4 ,he was of the usual tabby colour and by no means fierce1 quickly yielding to the coaxing treatment of his captors4 ,he made himself quite at home in the ,shack1 and we looked forward to a display of his prowess as a rat-catcher4 ,a bright display of the aurora occurred on the night of ,july #d1 the ribbons and streamers of light being well defined and occasionally slightly coloured4 ,we could establish no connexion between this extraordinary outburst and the fact that it occurred on ,american ,independence night1 but it was certainly the most energetic manifestation of the phenomenon we had so far witnessed4 ,many glows had been seen1 and also a few displays of the arch-shaped form1 but none had shown much activity or rapid movement4 ,the operator was requested by the ,pennant ,hills high-power wireless station at ,sydney to listen for signals tapped out during the daytime1 and ,sawyer spent a couple of hours on certain mornings assisting in these tests1 which were attended with some success4 ,we occasionally received press news from land stations or from ships passing across the ,tasman ,sea1 but it was only a brief summary of the cable news3 enough to whet one's curiosity1 rarely ever satisfying it4 ,very cold1 rough weather was experienced on the #fth and #gth and a temperature of #bf degrees ,f4 occurred on the latter date1 while the maximum did not reach freezing-point4 ,much snow and soft hail fell1 and the ground set hard4 ,the weather interfered to some extent with the tide-gauge clock1 and it became so unsatisfactory that ,i took it to pieces on the #ith and gave it a thorough cleaning1 after which it had a new lease of life4 ,we received a message on the #aath saying that the ',aurora' had arrived in ,dunedin1 all well1 but had experienced a very rough voyage which greatly interfered with the dredging and sounding programme4 ,our tank water gave out for the first time on the #abth4 ,the precipitation for a fortnight had been in the form of dry powdery snow and soft hail1 the wind blowing it off the roof before it had a chance to thaw1 thus robbing us of our usual water-supply4 ,for a while we had to use swamp water1 which contained a good many insects of various kinds and had a distinctly peaty flavour4 ,finding good water running from the hill-tops down a deep gully on the east coast1 three-quarters of a mile away1 we carried drinking water from there1 using the other for washing up4 ,the #acth was a most delightful day--bright sun1 very little wind and fresh exhilarating air4 ,blake and ,hamilton went out early on a photographing excursion1 and1 later on1 the latter shot and skinned a white giant petrel4 ,during the third week of ,july a very low tide exposed rocks1 ordinarily submerged1 and ,hamilton was occupied all the week in collecting marine organisms1 worms and plants and then preserving1 bottling and labelling them4 ,a most peculiar sight was witnessed on the #agth4 ,aerial ,cove is a favourite nesting-place for shags1 and they may be seen in twos and threes flying round in that direction almost any time during the day2 but on this particular day a kind of wholesale exodus from the cove took place1 and large flocks of them followed each other for a couple of hours4 ,they congregated on the rocks along the east coast1 or settled in the water in scores2 the latter fact suggesting that the probable reason for this extraordinary behaviour was the presence of unusual shoals of fish4 ,we used to relax and have a game of cards occasionally1 while our small organ became a medium of much enjoyment4 ,all the members except one played well enough to enjoy themselves and to give pleasure to the others4 ,there was a distinct predilection in favour of ragtime and ,i must say ,i liked to hear that music at frequent intervals4 ,any one who plays a musical instrument knows that the mood of the player is generally reflected in the character of the music1 particularly when he sits down and plays in a casual way4 ,the pursuit and killing of a sheep had now become something in the nature of an experience1 and when ,sandell and ,i went hunting for one on the #bjth1 we realized it before we reached home4 ,the flock was very timid1 and when disturbed on ,north ,head invariably came past the wireless station close to the engine-hut4 ,sandell concealed himself there with a gun1 while ,i went out to startle the animals4 ,they did not fail to do their part1 but ,sandell missed and the shot frightened them4 ,he then rushed out and fired another shot as they were running1 managing to hit one1 which immediately dropped behind and ran to the edge of the cliff4 ,we did not want to shoot the sheep at this moment1 as it would have fallen about two hundred feet1 so we cautiously approached to drive it away4 ,the poor creature simply took a leap out into space and landed on the talus below1 down which it rolled to the water's edge4 ,we scrambled down and skinned it1 having to carry the carcase along the rocks at the base of the cliffs1 and getting many duckings on the way4 ,on ,july #bf ,i went round to ,aerial ,cove with ,hamilton to have a look at the fish-trap1 but it had disappeared1 the wire having broken1 apparently through the continual friction against rock4 ,he had previously caught some fish in it1 and it was rather a misfortune to lose it so soon4 ,during the last week of the month we all had our hair cut4 ,on arrival at the island1 several of us had it shorn very closely with the clippers and had not trimmed it since then1 growth being very slow4 ,we had a proper hair-cutting outfit and either ,blake1 ,hamilton or ,sandell acted as barber4 ,blake was an expert with the needle and did some really neat mending1 while with the aid of some woollen thread and a mug he darned holes in his socks most artistically4 ,he was the authority on how1 when and where to place a patch or on the only method of washing clothes4 ,the appearance of his articles when washed1 compared with mine1 made me wonder4 ,hamilton was busy1 about this time1 dredging in swamp pools and securing specimens of the rockhopper or gentoo penguin4 ,the small gentoo penguins1 like the ,king penguins1 do not migrate and are few in numbers4 ,they form diminutive colonies1 which are always established on mounds amongst the tussock1 or on the hill sides not far from the water4 ,their eggs1 which are globular in shape1 are about the best of the penguin eggs for eating1 and if their nests are robbed the birds will generally lay again1 although ,i think they could not lay more than four eggs4 ,they build their nests of grass and plant leaves1 and occasionally have been known to establish a fresh rookery after their first one has been robbed4 ,they are more timid than any other species of penguin1 and leave the nests in a body when one ventures into the rookery4 ,the skuas take advantage of this peculiarity to the length of waiting about till a chance presents itself1 when they swoop down1 pick up an egg with their beak and fly off4 ,the penguin makes a great fuss on returning to find that the eggs are gone1 but generally finishes up by sitting on the empty nest4 ,we have frequently put ten or a dozen eggs into one nest and watched the proprietress on her return look about very doubtfully and then squat down and try to tuck the whole lot under herself with her beak4 ,weather conditions were rough enough during ,july1 but occasionally a fairly quiet day would occur4 ,high winds were experienced on ten days1 the greatest hourly average for any twenty-four hours being thirty-two miles1 but no day averaged less than ten miles4 ,precipitation occurred on twenty-one days1 mostly in the form of snow and soft hail4 ,the mean temperature was #cg4g degrees1 with extremes of #dc4c degrees and #bf degrees ,f4 ,the average percentage of cloud was #gh2 somewhat less than usual and due to the greater frequency of south-west winds1 which almost always bring a broken sky4 ,now that our life was one of smooth routine ,i devoted a good deal of time to reducing the meteorological observations4 ,hourly pressure and temperature readings as well as descriptive remarks1 averages and other details required to be summarized1 and this occupied a considerable amount of time1 so ,i made a practice of spending a couple of hours each day on the work1 whenever possible1 hoping thereby to pick up the leeway4 ,i did not take too kindly to inactive writing in the ,shack1 but the weather conditions were such that ,i was glad to stay indoors1 though that meant enduring the inevitable cold feet4 ,the floor of the ,shack was never warm1 and of course there were no carpets4 ,mac developed a great animosity against the rats and thoroughly enjoyed rooting them out on all occasions4 ,the only explanation of their presence on the island is that they had arrived in the ships which were wrecked along the coasts4 ,they got into the ,shack several times1 and we simply brought in ,mac and shifted things about till she caught them4 ,rough weather occurred during the first week of ,august1 and with occasional temporary weakenings a gale blew throughout1 reaching fifty miles an hour at different times4 ,snow1 hail and sleet fell every day1 and on the #crd the temperature was below freezing-point all day4 ,the ,shack1 which always shook a little in exceptionally heavy gales1 now vibrated a good deal in a forty-mile wind1 no doubt feeling the effects of the beating it had undergone4 ,blake found a cave running through ,north ,head and went round1 on the #eth1 to examine it4 ,he proved it to be about sixty yards from opening to opening1 and to widen out very much inside2 the roof being about fifteen feet above the floor4 ,hamilton and ,sandell went along the coast on the #fth and brought home a dozen ,maori hens for the pot4 ,hamilton secured some spiders1 parasites on birds and many beetles under the moss and stones on the site of a penguin rookery1 besides shooting a few terns4 ,the tern is a very pretty bird with light grey plumage1 a black head and red beak and feet4 ,we found no nests on the island1 though the fact that the birds remain throughout the year implies that they breed there4 ,they fly very fast while not appearing to do so1 but their movements are by no means graceful4 ,they flit about over the water close to the shore1 every now and then dipping down picking up morsels and keeping up a constant1 shrill squeaking4 ,the sea was so high on the #gth that it reached the weight of the tide-gauge and1 lifting it up1 unshipped the recording gear1 as the steel wire flew off the wheel before the latter could take up the slack4 ,i deemed it advisable to use stout cord instead of wire in the future and made a protective slot for the weight4 ,i had blocked up the seaward side of the pipe with rocks1 but found that these caused a deposit of silt so ,i had to get into the water at low tide and shift them all out again to clean away the accumulation of sand4 ,very heavy snow fell during the afternoon1 the flakes being the size of half a crown4 ,a fresh north-north-west wind dropped to a calm at #d ,p4,m4 and almost immediately it began to snow1 the island being quite white by #e4cj ,p4,m4 ,bright sunny intervals alternated with light snow-squalls on the #ajth1 and the temperature was below freezing-point all day4 ,it was pleasant to be out of doors1 and ,i walked along to the west coast to see if there were any signs of activity amongst the sea elephants4 ,an unmistakable sign of the near approach of the breeding season was the presence of an enormous old bull1 almost too fat to move1 lying on the beach4 ,very few small ones were seen1 as1 on the arrival of the adult males and females for the breeding season1 the young ones leave for a while1 presumably in order to get fat for the moulting period1 or because they are afraid of the bulls1 who are particularly savage at this time4 ,the full-grown bulls attain to a length of twenty feet1 and have a fleshy proboscis about eight or ten inches in length hanging over the mouth1 suggesting the trunk of an elephant4 ,it is from this fact that they derive the name of sea elephant4 ,there is a considerable disparity in size between the adult male and female1 the latter very rarely exceeding eleven feet1 though we have seen a few twelve and thirteen feet long4 ,the females have no snout development and some of them facially very much resemble a bull terrier4 ,the adults are called bulls and cows1 while1 curiously enough1 in the sealers' phrase1 the offspring are referred to as pups4 ,the places where large numbers of them gather together during the breeding season are known as rookeries6 ,rookery appears to me to be inapplicable to a herd of sea elephants1 though pup supplies a more apt description of the young4 ,the pups1 born during ,september or early ,october1 are covered with a long1 black1 wavy fur1 which they lose when about two months old1 and in its place comes a growth of silver-grey hair1 which changes later into the ordinary brown colour of the full-grown animal4 ,the old males and females leave the island about the end of ,january1 and are not seen again 7except a few stray ones7 till ,august in the case of the males1 and until ,september in the case of the females4 ,the fact that the bulls arrive first leads one to the conclusion that their feeding-grounds must lie at a considerable distance and1 in the journey therefrom1 the males1 being the stronger1 should arrive before the females1 who are heavy with young and probably make a somewhat leisurely progress1 feeding by the way4 ,the rookeries vary in size1 containing from half a dozen to four or five hundred cows2 in the last case1 of course1 being an aggregation of smaller rookeries1 each with its proprietor1 in the shape of an old bull1 lying in or somewhere near the centre4 ,the normal rookery1 as far as ,i could judge1 seemed to be one that contained about forty cows1 but once the nucleus was formed1 it was hard to say how many cows would be there before the season ended1 as females keep arriving for a period of about three weeks4 ,the young vary in length from three and a half to four and a half feet1 are born within a few days of arrival and suckled for about a month1 becoming enormously fat4 ,the cow1 who has not eaten during the whole of this time and has become very thin1 then leaves the pup1 but remains in the rookery for about two days1 after which she escapes to sea1 remaining there till the beginning of ,january1 when she returns to the island to moult4 ,the pups when weaned get such rough usage in the rookery that they soon make off into the tussock and sleep for about a month1 living on their fat and acquiring a new coat4 ,the noise in one of the large rookeries is something to remember--the barking of the pups1 the whimpering and yelping of the mothers and the roaring of the bulls4 ,another feature in connexion with the rookery is the presence of what may be called unattached bulls1 which lie around at a little distance from the cows1 and well apart1 forming a regular ring through which any cow wishing to desert her pup or leave the rookery before the proper time has very little chance of passing1 as one of these grips her firmly with his powerful flipper and stays her progress4 ,the lord of the harem1 in the meantime1 hastens to the scene of the disturbance1 whereupon the other bull decamps4 ,the sea immediately in the vicinity of a large rookery is generally swarming with unattached bulls1 who may be seen with their heads out of the water eyeing each other and keeping a bright look out for escaping cows4 ,now and again one may see a bull in the water gripping a cow with his flipper1 despite her struggles1 and roaring at a couple of others who show up menacingly quite close to him4 ,it may be remarked that towards the end of the season changes in the proprietorship of a rookery are rather rapid1 as continuous raids are made by individuals from the outside4 ,the need of continuous vigilance and the results of many encounters eventually lead to the defeat and discomfiture of the once proud proprietor4 ,i have never seen two bulls fight without first indulging in the usual preliminaries1 that is1 roaring and advancing a few yards and repeating the performance till within striking distance4 ,then both animals rear high up1 supporting themselves on the lower part of the body1 and lunge savagely with their whole weight each at his opponent's head or neck1 tearing the thick skin with their teeth and causing the blood to flow copiously4 ,several lunges of this kind generally finish the battle1 whereupon the beaten one drops to his flippers and makes all haste towards the water1 glancing fearfully behind him on the way4 ,we have seen bulls with their snouts partly torn off and otherwise injured1 but worse injuries must occur in the rare1 desperate battles which sometimes take place between two very much enraged animals4 ,when a bull in the centre of a rookery has occasion to rush at an interloper1 he does so without regard to anything in his way1 going over cows and pups alike and very often crushing some of the latter to death4 ,again1 it seems as if all the outlying bulls recognize the noise of the rookery bull1 because each time he roars they all lift up their heads and take notice1 whereas others who have just been roaring have not the slightest regard paid to them1 except perhaps by one immediately concerned4 ,the bull1 during the breeding season1 will on provocation attack a man1 and it is surprising how quickly the former covers the ground4 ,but on the whole he is an inoffensive animal4 ,it is1 of course1 impossible to venture into a rookery1 as the cows are very savage when they have the pups with them1 but one can approach within a few yards of its outskirts without danger4 ,their food consists of cuttlefish1 crabs and fish1 and it is probable that they frequent the ocean where this food is plentiful1 when they are absent from the island4 ,it has been stated that these animals are nearly extinct1 but a visit to ,macquarie ,island during the breeding season would be enough to convince anybody to the contrary4 ,there are thousands of them1 and though about seven hundred are killed during a season1 the increase in numbers each year1 on ,macquarie ,island alone1 must be very great4 ,the skuas were now returning to the island and their numbers and corresponding clamour were daily increasing4 ,they were the noisiest and most quarrelsome birds we had1 but their advent1 we hoped1 marked the return of less rigorous weather4 ,blake left for ,lusitania ,bay on the #agth1 intending to spend several months there in order to survey and geologically examine the southern end1 so we gave him a send-off dinner4 ,he had a very rough trip to the place1 having to spend two nights in a cave about six miles from his destination1 as a result of getting lost in a dense fog4 ,hamilton made a wire fish-trap to replace the one which he had lost1 and succeeded in getting a few fish on lowering it for the first time4 ,he discovered parasitical mites all over them on the outside1 and the flesh contained many worms4 ,a heavy north-north-west gale was experienced on the #bfth1 but the weather during the last three days of ,august was very quiet1 either calms or light winds prevailing1 and we took the opportunity to do some work on ,wireless ,hill4 ,all the wire stays were tightened1 and various ropes which appeared to require attention were renewed1 while1 as a final improvement1 the aerial was hauled as tight as we could make it4 ,we heard on ,july #ca that the ',rachel ,cohen'1 a sealing-vessel1 had sailed for ,macquarie ,island and was bringing a few articles for us1 so there was something to which we could look forward in the immediate future4 ,the most remarkable feature of the month's weather was the wind1 as gales blew on eleven days1 and on seven other days the velocity reached twenty-five miles per hour4 ,precipitation occurred on twenty-seven days1 and the average percentage of cloud was eighty-four4 ,the mean temperature was #ch4a degrees with extremes of #de4c degrees and #bf degrees ,f4 ,a prolonged display of auroral light occurred on the night of the #agth1 though no colours other than the light lemon-yellow of the arch and streamers could be seen4 ,bull elephants were now arriving in great numbers1 and these monsters could be seen lying everywhere on the isthmus1 both up in the tussock1 on the beaches1 and among the heaps of kelp4 ,now and again one would lazily lift a flipper to scratch itself or heave its great bulk into a more comfortable position4 ,the island is the habitat of two kinds of night-birds1 one kind--a species of petrel 7,lesson's7--being much larger than the other1 both living in holes in the ground4 ,they fly about in the darkness1 their cries resembling those made by a beaten puppy4 ,the smaller bird 7apparently indigenous and a new species7 was occasionally seen flying over the water during the day1 but the larger ones come out almost exclusively at night4 ,a light attracts them and ,hamilton1 with the aid of a lantern and a butterfly-net1 tried to catch some4 ,others swooped about1 well out of range1 shrieking the while in an uncanny way4 ,numbers of them were secured afterwards by being dug out of their holes1 ,mac being just as keen to locate them as ,hamilton was to secure them4 ,they cannot see well during the day1 and seem to have almost lost the use of their feet4 ,they lay two small1 white1 thin-shelled eggs at the end of their burrow2 and in certain parts of the island1 where the burrows are numerous1 the sound made by hundreds of them at once1 during the nesting season1 somewhat resembles that made by a high-power ,marconi wireless set at close range4 ,before ,blake left ,lusitania ,bay1 ,i promised to see that the hut on ,sandy ,bay was re-stocked with provisions by the middle of the month1 so1 on the #hth1 ,hamilton1 ,sandell and ,i carried a supply of stores down there1 leaving a note which informed him that we expected the ',rachel ,cohen' to arrive any day1 and asking him to return to the ,shack4 ,on the way down we came upon a vast quantity of wreckage piled up on the beach1 midway between ,the ,nuggets and ,sandy ,bay4 ,this was all that remained of the sealing schooner1 ',jessie ,nichol'1 which had been wrecked on ,december #ba1 #aiaj4 ,three men were drowned1 their bodies being interred among the tussock1 each marked by a life belt and a small board on which the name was roughly carved4 ,on our homeward trip we caught some wekas for the pot and duly arrived at the ,shack1 tired1 wet and hungry4 ,next day1 while sitting in the ,shack reducing records1 ,i heard a yell from ,hamilton to the effect that the ',rachel ,cohen' was in sight1 and about an hour later she dropped anchor in ,north-,east ,bay4 ,the sea was fairly smooth and no time was lost in bringing a boat ashore with the mails1 of which each man received a share4 ,a gang of sealers was landed with a view to obtaining sea elephant and penguin oil4 ,i had wirelessed asking for a dinghy to be sent down1 which would enable ,hamilton to do more marine work2 and it now came to hand4 ,further1 we received an additional supply of photographic material and some rubber tubing for the anemometer1 but the much needed boots did not arrive4 ,on the #ahth a strong southerly gale sprang up and compelled the ',rachel ,cohen' to seek safety in flight2 so she slipped her cable and put to sea4 ,she had not yet landed all the sealers' stores and was forced to hang about the island till the weather moderated sufficiently for her to return to an anchorage4 ,the gentoo penguins1 which had been observed at the beginning of the month building their nests1 commenced to lay1 and the first ten eggs were collected by us on ,september #ah4 ,many sea elephant rookeries were now well-formed as the cows began to arrive about the #aath and were soon landing in large numbers4 ,the first pups were heard on the #bjth1 and ,bauer and ,i walked along to the rookery from which the barking came and had a look at the newcomers4 ,there were only four1 none of which was more than a few hours old1 but they yapped their displeasure1 and the mothers made frantic lunges at us when we approached to get a close view of them4 ,the sealers always gave the animals time to form their rookeries and then killed the bulls for oil4 ,a well-conditioned full-grown animal yields about half a tun of oil1 and as the commodity when refined has a market value of from ,l#bj to ,l#be per tun1 it will be seen that the industry is a profitable one4 ,the cows being small never have a very thick coating of blubber1 but ,i have seen bulls with blubber to a depth of eight inches1 and some of them yield nearly two thousand pounds1 though ,i should estimate the average yield at about one thousand one hundred pounds4 ,the sealers in the early days used to obtain the oil by cutting the blubber up into very small pieces and melting it down in try pots4 ,these pots1 many of which may be still seen about the island1 were made of very thick iron and the fuel used was the refuse taken from the pot itself4 ,in the present method steam digestors are used1 and the oil from the melted blubber is drawn off1 after steam has been passing for twelve hours4 ,coal is brought down by the sealing-vessel to be used as fuel4 ,the elephant season lasts only about three months1 and within about four weeks of its conclusion1 the penguin season begins2 the same gang of men being employed as a rule4 ,the most difficult operation in connexion with both of these industries is undoubtedly the loading and unloading of the vessel4 ,if auxiliary power were used1 the ship could then steam to within half a mile of the shore1 but as it is1 a sailing-vessel has to anchor about two miles off and the oil is towed in rafts over that distance4 ,we heard sounds from ,adelie ,land wireless station for the first time on ,september #be1 #aiab1 but the signals were very faint and all that we could receive was3 ,please inform ,pennant ,hills4 ,sawyer called them repeatedly for several hours1 but heard no acknowledgment4 ,every effort was made to get in touch with them from this time forward1 ,sawyer remaining at the instrument until daylight every morning4 ,the ,royal penguins returned to the island on the #bgth and immediately commenced to make their way to the rookeries4 ,they had been absent since ,april and were very fat after their long migration4 ,on the #bhth ,blake and ,hamilton started out in the dinghy for ,lusitania ,bay4 ,they had already made a step and sprit1 and1 with a calico sail hoisted1 the frail craft ran before a light breeze4 ,having a fair wind they made good headway along the coast1 dropping in at a gentoo penguin rookery en route1 and collecting about two hundred and twenty eggs4 ,mac was a passenger and was a very sick dog all the trip4 ,shortly after their departure1 the ',rachel ,cohen'1 which had been blown away on the #ahth1 reappeared and again anchored4 ,the captain reported having seen numerous icebergs1 some of which were very large1 about thirty miles to the eastward of the island4 ,the sealers immediately commenced to get away the rest of their stores and coal and also to put some oil aboard the vessel1 but on the following day the wind increased to such an extent that1 in attempting to reach the ship with a raft of oil1 they were blown down the coast and had to beach the boat several miles away4 ,on the night of the #bith ,adelie ,land wireless station was again heard tapping out a message apparently with the hope that some station would receive it4 ,all we got was3 ,having a hell of a time waiting for calm weather to put up more masts4 ,sawyer again repeatedly called1 but they evidently could not hear him as no reply was received1 and the above message was repeated time after time4 ,the weather during ,september was not quite so rough as that of the previous two or three months1 but misty days were very frequent4 ,gales were experienced on six days and strong winds on nine days1 but several quiet periods occurred4 ,the average temperature was #ch4f degrees1 with extremes of #dd4g degrees and #bf degrees ,f4 ,october was ushered in by a strong gale and rather heavy rain-squalls4 ,the ',rachel ,cohen' had a severe buffeting1 though she was lying on the lee side of the island4 ,just about three-quarters of a mile to the west of the ,shack were two large sea elephant rookeries1 very close to each other1 and on the #crd ,sandell and ,i went along to see what was happening there4 ,we found about two hundred and fifty cows in the nearer one1 and1 as closely as we could count1 about five hundred in the adjacent colony4 ,the babel of sounds made one feel thankful that these noisy creatures were some distance from the ,shack4 ,nearly all the cows had pups1 some of which had reached a fair size1 while others were only a few hours old4 ,we saw several dead ones1 crushed out almost flat1 and some skuas were busily engaged gorging themselves on the carcases4 ,these birds are indeed professional plunderers1 and will venture almost anywhere in pursuit of food4 ,during the evening we again heard ,adelie ,land station working1 and the burden of their message to an apparently chance audience was3 ,we do not seem able to get ,macquarie ,island1 all is well1 though bad weather has so far prevented any attempt at sledging4 ,sawyer again called them at regular intervals for the rest of the night1 but1 as before1 got no response4 ,hamilton and ,blake were busy at ,lusitania ,bay during the first two weeks of ,october securing sea elephant specimens and collecting eggs4 ,they visited ,caroline ,cove where is established a giant petrel rookery containing about four hundred birds1 and gathered a large number of eggs--purely specimens1 as they are no use otherwise4 ,the ',rachel ,cohen' finally left us on the #hth1 expecting to pay another visit in ,december for the purpose of taking off the sea elephant oil procured by the sealers4 ,sandell and ,i visited the gentoo penguin colony in ,aerial ,cove during the afternoon1 for the purpose of getting a few eggs4 ,we found plenty there and collected as many as we required4 ,on returning to the empty nests1 the birds would first of all peer round to assure themselves that the eggs were really missing1 and then throw their heads back1 swaying them from side to side to the accompaniment of loud1 discordant cries4 ,several of us started out on the #ajth to visit the west coast for the purpose of getting some wekas and1 incidentally1 to make any observations possible4 ,we saw thousands of sea elephants along the coast and passed many rookeries of various sizes4 ,there were a large number of wekas about1 but after shooting fourteen we were satisfied with our bag4 ,a westerly gale during the night proved too much for the aerial1 and down it came4 ,blake and ,hamilton were away1 so ,sawyer1 ,sandell and ,i went up1 and after much battling and frequent use of the handy billy succeeded in fixing things4 ,we also re-tightened the wire stays and thoroughly overhauled the ropes4 ,snow and sleet fell all the time1 making the task most disagreeable4 ,about the middle of the month the ,royal penguins commenced to lay1 and on the #agth ,sandell and ,i went to their rookeries at ,the ,nuggets and collected about fifteen dozen eggs1 which we buried in a hole in the bank of the creek for preservation4 ,this species of penguin is the one which is killed for oil1 not because it is any fatter than the others1 but because it lives in such large colonies4 ,there is one rookery of these birds on the south end of the island which covers an area of sixteen and a half acres1 whilst at ,the ,nuggets there are numbers of them scattered along the banks of a creek which reaches the sea1 aggregating ten acres4 ,at the latter place are situated the oil works belonging to the sealers4 ,from careful observation ,i should say that the number of birds killed during the season would not total one hundred and fifty thousand4 ,the method of killing--by blows from a heavy club--is about as humane as any that could be adopted1 and the yearly increase in numbers in the only rookeries that are being worked is certainly greater than the decrease due to the depredations of the sealers4 ,apart from this1 there are acres of rookeries on the island from which not a single bird is taken1 and they go on year after year adding thousands upon thousands to their already vast numbers4 ,this species resembles the others in habits1 and ,i shall not describe them at any length4 ,they are of the same colour as the ,victoria penguins1 but have a more orderly crest4 ,their rookeries are always on or very close to a running stream which forms the highway along which they travel to and fro4 ,there is no policeman on duty1 but a well-ordered procession is somehow arranged whereby those going up keep to one side and those coming down keep to the other4 ,once they are in the rookery1 however1 different conditions obtain4 ,here are fights1 squabbles and riots1 arising from various causes1 the chief of which appears to be a disposition on the part of some birds to loiter about4 ,during the nesting time much disorder prevails1 and fights1 in which beaks and flippers are energetically used1 may be seen in progress at various places throughout the rookery4 ,the nests are made of small stones1 and occasionally1 a bone or two from the skeleton of some long-dead relative forms part of the bulwarks4 ,the attempt on the part of some birds to steal stones from surrounding nests is about the most fruitful cause of a riot1 and the thief generally gets soundly thrashed1 besides which all have a peck at him as he makes his way with as much haste as possible from the danger-zone4 ,as the season advances1 these rookeries become covered with filthy slush1 but it seems to make no difference to the eggs1 as the chicks appear in due course4 ,when the moulting process is in full swing the rookeries are very crowded1 and feathers and slush then become mixed together1 making the place anything but fragrant4 ,a fifty-four mile gale from the west-north-west blew down on us on the #bjth1 but shortly after noon it weakened1 and1 towards evening1 with the shifting of the wind to southwest1 came squalls of sleet and snow and a drop in temperature4 ,hamilton returned from ,lusitania ,bay in the dinghy on the #bast1 but ,blake stopped there as he had not yet finished his work in that locality4 ,the dinghy was well laden with specimens of various kinds and1 on the way up1 some wood and pickets were left at ,green ,valley for future requirements4 ,on the #beth ,sandell and ,i visited the west coast1 but1 instead of going the usual way1 we walked down the east coast and went up the creek at ,the ,nuggets with a view to having a look at the penguin colonies along its course1 finally crossing over the hills and getting into another creek1 which we followed all the way down to the west coast4 ,along this creek were numerous waterfalls1 one of which was quite sixty feet in height with wind-blown spray frozen white on the rocks on either side4 ,we came across several giant petrel rookeries1 and were treated to a display of the stinker's ability to make himself objectionable4 ,a pair of sooty albatrosses were seen nesting on the front of a rocky steep1 but on climbing up we found that they had not yet laid4 ,after catching some wekas and taking a few photographs we returned to the ,shack4 ,on the last day of the month several of us crossed the hills to the west coast in search of plants and birds' eggs4 ,we secured a number of plant specimens--a further sign of the arrival of spring--including two which bore a very small flower1 and were most successful in obtaining skuas'1 giant petrels' and sooty albatrosses' eggs4 ,during the evening ,i received a message from ,captain ,davis stating that the ',aurora' would visit us in about three weeks' time and inquiring if we needed any supplies4 ,this was entirely unexpected1 as we thought that no more would be seen of the ,ship until she came to take us home at the end of ,march #aiac4 ,earthquake shocks were felt at #a4ee ,a4,m4 and #i4ce ,a4,m4 on ,october #bh1 but did no damage other than to bring down some loose rock4 ,auroral displays were rather frequent but not very pronounced1 and in most cases could only be classed as glows4 ,a bright sunny morning on the #crd induced ,hamilton and me to make a photographic excursion along the coast4 ,hitherto only still-life photos had been taken1 but with the sunlight we were then having1 any work was possible1 so we determined to have some shots at the sea elephants4 ,they were rather difficult subjects1 strange to say1 but we spent some time amongst them and did famously1 till a snow-squall made us suspend operations4 ,we heard the discordant but mournful cry of a sooty albatross coming from the cliff-front1 so ,hamilton climbed up and1 after scrambling about for a while1 succeeded in finding a nest1 which contained one egg4 ,this led him to look along the cliffs fronting the east coast1 and on the following morning he found several nests and caught two birds1 both of which were taken by hand while on the nest4 ,they had beautiful plumage and made very fine specimens4 ,blake returned from ,lusitania ,bay during the afternoon of the #dth and reported that he required only four or five days to complete the survey4 ,the configuration of the island at the southern end is vastly different to that shown in the published charts1 and this became more apparent as ,blake's figures were plotted4 ,the news that ,piastre had won the ,melbourne ,cup was flashed about all over the southern ocean during the evening1 and we picked it up2 but as this was the first we had heard of the animal1 nobody seemed much interested4 ,it certainly gave a turn to the conversation1 and quite a sporting tone permeated the discussions of the ensuing two or three days4 ,the subjects of discussion were usually those of environment1 and most of our talk centred round sea elephants1 sea-leopards1 penguins1 temperatures1 wind1 wireless telegraphy1 fish1 aurorae1 exploration1 ships1 ,queensland and ,new ,zealand4 ,sea elephants and penguins do offer scope for a considerable amount of conversation1 as one observes them under such different circumstances1 and they are so odd that something remarkable is always associated with the sight of them4 ,the weather1 being practically the bete noire of our existence1 came in for a good deal of abuse4 ,wireless telegraphy is a mighty interesting subject at all times1 and we passed many hours of our stay in discussing its future4 ,all the members were1 allegedly1 fishermen of some calibre1 and when ,i have said that1 anybody with a knowledge of the man who claims ability as an angler will know what all the others1 in turn1 had to receive with restrained and respectful admiration4 ,the advantages of settlement in ,queensland were so apparent to at least one member of the party that he simply could not understand why thousands were not annually killed in the rush to get to this1 the greatest of all the ,australian ,states4 ,good old silky oak6 ,the scenery of ,new ,zealand was almost as well known to us as to anybody who has lived in the country all his life1 and three of us had never been there4 ,we have sat round the ,shack sometimes and only the roar of a sea elephant outside reminded us that we were not1 as we imagined1 at a ,maori tangi4 ,the wages to be earned there1 the delights of travelling1 the legislators1 ,rotorua1 kauri pine1 and the moon they've got in ,auckland--we've heard of all these and marvelled at them4 ,kapai te ,maori6 ,blake and ,hamilton went to ,sandy ,bay in the dinghy on the #fth in order to complete some work4 ,they improved the hut there1 to the extent of making a fire-place and laying barrel-staves on the floor1 afterwards bringing a boat-load of timber from the ',jessie ,nichol' wreck and rigging up a board bunk sufficiently large to accommodate both of them4 ,while walking down to the ',clyde' wreck for some wood on the #gth ,i saw a strange bird on the beach1 and1 returning to the ,shack for the gun1 ,i got him at the second shot4 ,he was a land bird and had evidently been blown out of his course1 as none of his kind had been seen before on the island4 ,on getting up on the following morning ,i found poor old ,ma lying dead1 and the feathers which lay about indicated that she had been the victim of a savage assault1 but whether at the teeth of a dog or the beak of a skua ,i was unable to determine4 ,this was most unfortunate1 as the hens had all started to lay again two days previously2 but apart from this she was a funny old creature and one could almost hold a conversation with her1 so we regretted her loss4 ,however1 to make amends for this disaster the ,victoria penguins started to lay on the same day1 and as several of their rookeries were only a few minutes' walk from the ,shack1 the position was much the same as if we owned a poultry farm4 ,hamilton returned from ,sandy ,bay on the #agth and immediately set about collecting shags' eggs4 ,he visited ,aerial ,cove for the purpose but did not get enough1 and was compelled to go to ,west ,point1 where he gathered twenty-four dozen for specimens4 ,he now had a collection of eggs of all birds which nest on the island1 with the exception of the weka and the tern4 ,at #f4cj ,p4,m4 on ,november #bb the ',aurora' steamed into ,north-,east ,bay and dropped anchor4 ,hamilton1 ,blake and ,sawyer launched the dinghy and pulled out to receive the mails1 which they brought ashore for distribution4 ,all on board were well and ,captain ,davis sent word to say he would land in the morning1 bringing our goods and some visitors--,professor ,flynn of ,hobart and ,mr4 ,denny4 ,the ',aurora' next day steamed round ,north ,head and took a series of soundings between the main island and the ,judge and ,clerk4 ,these latter islets lie about eight miles to the north of ,north ,head1 and are merely rocks about eighty feet high upon which thousands of shags and other birds have established rookeries4 ,on the following morning we said good-bye to the ,ship1 which weighed anchor and steamed away1 leaving us once more to our own devices4 ,all the flowering plants were now showing their extremely modest blooms1 and the tussock looked like a field of wheat1 each stem having a decided ear4 ,the gentoo penguins1 as well as the giant petrels1 had hatched their eggs1 and the parent birds were shouldering full responsibilities4 ,blake and ,hamilton were now prepared for another visit to the southern end4 ,blake had almost completed the chart of the island1 and the difference between it and the published chart was very striking4 ,in the latter case the south end was shown as being six miles wide1 whereas it is in reality only a little more than two miles across1 and the width of the island is nowhere more than three and a half miles4 ,about twenty miles from the southern end lie two islets known as the ,bishop and ,clerk4 ,the former1 which is the larger1 is covered with a growth of tussock1 while the latter is mainly bare rock4 ,a distinct rise in temperature was noticeable during ,november and the mean worked out at #da4f degrees1 while the extremes were #di degrees and #hb degrees ,f4 ,strong winds were recorded on thirteen days and six short-lived gales occurred4 ,we had less precipitation than during any previous month1 as thirteen dry days were experienced4 ,the average cloudiness was #ic per cent42 largely due to the frequent foggy or misty weather4 ,on ,december #b1 at #aj ,a4,m41 ,blake and ,i packed our sleeping-bags and blankets and started for ,sandy ,bay4 ,the swags weighed only thirty-five pounds each and we made a rather quick trip4 ,after repairing the dilapidated shack1 we sallied out for the purpose of catching our evening meal1 and with the aid of ,mac soon succeeded in getting eight wekas4 ,a sea elephant was then killed1 and the blubber1 heart and tongue taken2 the first-named for use as fuel and the others for food4 ,we cleaned the wekas and put them in the pot1 cooking the whole lot together1 a proceeding which enabled us to forgo cooking a breakfast in the morning4 ,the beach was swarming with young sea elephants and many could be seen playing about in a small1 shallow lagoon4 ,just south of the hut there is a sandy spit and one of the only stretches of beach on the island1 where thousands of penguins from the adjacent rookeries were congregated1 amongst them being three ,king penguins1 which were easily distinguishable on account of their great size4 ,feeling a little weary1 ,i sought the hut about #i ,p4,m4 and turned into the sleeping-bag1 which was placed on a board bottom covered with tussock1 which was by no means uncomfortable4 ,the old place smoked so much that we decided to let the fire die down1 and as soon as the smoke had cleared away1 the imperfections of the hut became apparent2 rays of moonlight streaming through countless openings in the walls and roof4 ,we rose at #f4cj ,a4,m4 ,while ,blake lit the fire1 ,i went out to fill the billy at a small stream running out of the hills about sixty yards away4 ,after breakfast we set out for ,green ,valley1 but had not gone very far when it began to blow very hard from the south1 straight in our faces1 and we scrambled on towards our destination amidst squalls of snow1 hail and sleet4 ,eventually we reached the valley and had a somewhat meagre lunch in a small cave4 ,the title cave rather dignifies this hole in the rock1 but it was the only friendly spot in a most inhospitable locality1 and we were inclined to be generous1 ,on the whole1 the length of coast we had traversed was found to be as rough as any on the island4 ,there is not a stretch of one hundred yards anywhere that can be termed good going4 ,in many places we found that the steep cliffs approached very close to the water1 and the mournful cry of the sooty albatross could be heard coming from points high on the face of the cliffs1 while the wekas were so tame that one could almost walk up and catch them4 ,a large creek whose banks are overhung with a coarse growth of fern makes its way out of the hills and runs into ,sandy ,bay4 ,just a little to the south of this creek ,blake discovered a terminal moraine about two hundred yards in length and fifty feet wide4 ,it rests on sandstone about fifteen feet above the present sea-level and the boulders consist of polished and sub-angular blocks of sandstone and porphyry of various sizes4 ,it evidently belongs to the valley or to a later stage of glaciation4 ,the rocks along the coast are all a volcanic series1 and basic dykes are visible in many places4 ,we arose at #g ,a4,m4 next day and breakfasted on porridge1 weka1 fried heart1 hard-tack and cocoa4 ,leaving the hut shortly afterwards we climbed on to the hills and travelled south for several miles in order to fix the position of some lakes and creeks4 ,there was one lake in the vicinity about half a mile long and to all appearances very deep4 ,it lay between two steep hills1 and the grassy bank at one end and the small sloping approach at the other gave it an artificial appearance1 while the water was beautifully clear and perfectly fresh4 ,at the sloping end1 dozens of skuas were busily engaged washing themselves and the flapping of their wings in the water made a remarkable noise1 audible at a considerable distance on the hill-tops4 ,on returning to the hut at ,sandy ,bay several rabbits secured by ,mac were cleaned and put on to boil4 ,next morning a dense mist shrouded the island till about #aa ,a4,m41 but the weather becoming fine and bright1 we started for the west coast about noon4 ,during our progress along the bed of a creek1 ,blake discovered what was believed to be a glacial deposit containing fossil bones1 and considerable time was spent in examining this and attempting to extract whole specimens1 thereby making it too late to proceed to the west4 ,on returning to the hut we decided to pack the swags4 ,we reached home just in time for tea1 finding that nothing unusual had occurred during our four days' absence4 ,hamilton and ,blake went out fishing in the dinghy on the #ith and made a remarkable haul of fish1 sixty in number1 ranging in size from a few ounces to twelve and a half pounds4 ,they were all of the same species1 somewhat resembling rock cod1 but as usual they were covered with external parasites1 and their flesh was full of worm-cysts4 ,hamilton preserved a number of them and the rest were cooked1 but we did not relish them very much and the one meal was enough4 ,on ,december #aa we had a hard gale all day1 the anemometer recording bursts of over fifty miles an hour frequently1 while the average exceeded forty miles an hour throughout4 ,twelve months ago on that day we had made our first landing on the island from the ',aurora'1 but vastly different weather conditions prevailed at the time4 ,christmas ,day was now very close at hand1 and as ,blake and ,hamilton were going to celebrate at the other end of the island1 whence they had gone on the #ajth1 ,sawyer1 ,sandell and ,i arranged a little spread for ourselves4 ,sawyer produced a cake which he had received in the recent mail1 and some friend had forwarded a plum pudding to ,sandell1 so on ,christmas ,day these1 with a boiled ham1 some walnuts1 mince rolls and a bottle of stout were spread on the table1 which had been decorated with tussock stuck in sea elephants' tusks4 ,the highest temperature registered on the island during our stay--#ea4h degrees ,f4--was recorded on ,christmas ,day1 and the sun seemed so warm that ,sandell and ,i ventured into the sea for a dip1 but the temperature of the water was not high enough to make it an agreeable experience4 ,during the evening of the #bfth we received a message saying that the ',aurora' had left ,hobart on her trip south to bring back the two parties from ,antarctica1 but no mention of picking us up on the return journey was made4 ,the ,king penguins and night birds had laid by this time1 and ,hamilton added more eggs to his collection4 ,he found for the first time a colony of mutton birds near the south end4 ,he also came upon a mollymawk rookery on the south-western point of the island1 and managed to take one of the birds by hand4 ,blake and he had an accident in the dinghy on the #bith1 fortunately attended by no serious results4 ,they had gone from ,lusitania ,bay to the south end1 and1 while attempting to land through the surf1 the boat struck a rock and capsized1 throwing them into the water4 ,they had many things in the boat but lost only two billies1 two pannikins1 a sounding line and ,hamilton's hat1 knife and pipe4 ,their blankets floated ashore in a few minutes1 and the oars came floating in later in the day4 ,after the capsize ,hamilton managed to reach the boat and turn her over1 and ,blake made for a kelp-hung rock1 but1 after pulling himself up on to it1 was immediately washed off and had to swim ashore4 ,the boat was afterwards found to be stove-in in two places1 though the breaks were easily patched up subsequently4 ,new ,year's ,eve came and with keen anticipations we welcomed the advent of #aiac4 ,,chapter ,,xxvii ,,through ,,another ,,year by ,g4 ,f4 ,ainsworth ,we had now thrown a year behind and the work we set out to accomplish was almost finished2 so it was with pleasurable feelings that we took up the burden of completion1 looking forward to the arrival of ,april #aiac which should bring us final relief and the prospects of civilisation4 ,i shall deal with the first three months of the year as one period1 since almost all the field-work1 except photography1 had been done1 and1 after the return of ,blake and ,hamilton from ,lusitania ,bay on ,january #h1 our life was one of routine2 much time being devoted to packing and labelling specimens in anticipation of departure4 ,the first business of the year was to overhaul the wireless station1 and on the #fth1 ,sawyer1 ,sandell and ,i spent the day laying in a supply of benzine from ,aerial ,cove1 changing worn ropes1 tightening stay-wires1 straightening the southern masts and finally hauling the aerial taut4 ,these duties necessitated much use of the handy billy1 and one has but to form an acquaintance with this desirable person to thoroughly appreciate his value4 ,blake and ,hamilton returned on ,january #h and reported that their work was finished at the southern end4 ,thenceforth they intended to devote their time to finishing what remained to be done at the northern end and in adding to their collections4 ,blake1 for instance1 resolved to finish his chart of the island1 and1 if time permitted1 to make a topographical survey of the locality1 as it was of great geological interest4 ,hamilton made the discovery that a number of bird specimens he had packed away were mildewed1 and as a result he was compelled to overhaul the whole lot and attend to them4 ,he found another colony of mutton birds on ,north ,head1 the existence of which was quite unexpected till he dug one out of a burrow thought to contain night-birds4 ,about the middle of ,january ,i endeavoured to do a little meteorological work with the aid of some box-kites manufactured by ,sandell4 ,but though a number of them were induced to fly1 we had no success in getting them up with the instruments attached4 ,they all had a habit of suddenly losing equilibrium and then indulging in a series of rapid dives and plunges which usually ended in total wreckage4 ,the ',rachel ,cohen' again visited the island on ,january #bf1 but this time she anchored off ,the ,nuggets1 whither the sealers had gone to live during the penguin season4 ,we could see the ship lying about a mile offshore1 and walked down to get our mails and anything else she had brought along for us4 ,i received a letter from the ,secretary of the ,expedition saying that he had made arrangements for us to return by the ',rachel ,cohen' early in ,april1 and the news caused a little excitement1 being the only definite information we had had concerning relief4 ,the end of the first month found ,blake and ,hamilton both very busy in making suitable boxes for specimens4 ,many of the larger birds could not be packed in ordinary cases1 so ,hamilton had to make specially large ones to accommodate them1 and ,blake's rock specimens being very heavy1 extra strong boxes had to be made1 always keeping in view the fact that each was to weigh not more than eighty pounds1 so as to ensure convenient handling4 ,after a silence of about four months1 we again heard ,adelie ,land on ,february #c1 but the same old trouble existed1 that is1 they could not hear us4 ,sawyer called them again and again1 getting no reply1 but we reckoned that conditions would improve in a few weeks1 as the hours of darkness increased4 ,hamilton and ,i made a trip to the hill-tops on the #dth for the purpose of taking a series of plant and earth temperatures which were of interest biologically1 and while there ,i took the opportunity of obtaining temperatures in all the lakes we saw4 ,hamilton also took some panoramic photographs from the various eminences and all of them turned out well4 ,during the evening ,adelie ,land sent out a message saying that ,dr4 ,mawson had not yet returned to the ,base from his sledging trip and ,sawyer received it without difficulty1 but though he pounded away in return for a considerable time1 he was not heard1 as no reply or acknowledgment was made4 ,the ',rachel ,cohen' remained till the #eth1 when a northerly gale arose and drove her away4 ,as she had a good cargo of oil on board no one expected her to return4 ,we had sent our mail on board several days previously as experience had shown us that the sailing date of ships visiting the island was very uncertain4 ,sandell met with a slight though painful accident on the #gth4 ,he was starting the engine1 when it backfired and the handle flying off with great force struck him on the face1 inflicting a couple of nasty cuts1 loosening several teeth1 and lacerating the inside of his cheek4 ,a black eye appeared in a day or two and his face swelled considerably1 but nothing serious supervened4 ,in a few days the swelling had subsided and any anxiety we felt was at an end4 ,we now had only two sheep left1 and on the #hth ,blake and ,i went to kill one4 ,mac accompanied us4 ,seeing the sheep running away1 she immediately set off after them1 notwithstanding our threats1 yells and curses4 ,they disappeared over a spur1 but shortly afterwards ,mac returned1 and1 being severely thrashed1 immediately left for home4 ,we looked for the sheep during the rest of the day but could find no trace of them1 and though we searched for many days it was not till five weeks had elapsed that we discovered them on a small landing about half-way down the face of the cliff4 ,they had apparently rushed over the edge and1 rolling down1 had finally come to a stop on the ledge where they were found later1 alive and well4 ,on the #hth ,adelie ,land was heard by us calling the ',aurora' to return at once and pick up the rest of the party1 stating also that ,lieutenant ,ninnis and ,dr4 ,mertz were dead4 ,all of us were shocked at the grievous intelligence and every effort was made by ,sawyer to call up ,adelie ,land1 but without success4 ,on the following day we received news from ,australia of the disaster to ,captain ,scott's party4 ,blake1 who was now geologizing and doing topographical work1 discovered several lignite seams in the hills on the east coast2 he had finished his chart of the island4 ,the mainland is simply a range of mountains which have been at some remote period partly submerged4 ,the land meets the sea in steep cliffs and bold headlands1 whose general height is from five hundred to seven hundred feet1 with many peaks ranging from nine hundred and fifty to one thousand four hundred and twenty feet1 the latter being the height of ,mount ,hamilton1 which rears up just at the back of ,lusitania ,bay4 ,evidence of extreme glaciation is everywhere apparent1 and numerous tarns and lakes are scattered amongst the hills1 the tops of which are barren1 wind-swept and weather-worn4 ,the hill sides are deeply scored by ravines1 down which tumble small streams1 forming cascades at intervals on their hurried journey towards the ocean4 ,some of these streams do not reach the sea immediately1 but disappear in the loose shingly beaches of peaty swamps4 ,the west coast is particularly rugged1 and throughout its length is strewn wreckage of various kinds1 some of which is now one hundred yards from the water's edge4 ,very few stretches of what may be called beach occur on the island2 the foreshores consisting for the most part of huge water-worn boulders or loose gravel and shingle1 across which progress is slow and difficult4 ,,text ,,illustration ,a ,section across ,macquarie ,island through ,mt4 ,elder ,apparently the ground shelves very rapidly under the water1 as a sounding of over two thousand fathoms was obtained by the ',aurora' at a distance of eight miles from the east coast4 ,the trend of the island is about eleven degrees from true north2 the axis lying north by east to south by west4 ,at either end are the island-groups already referred to1 and their connexion with the mainland may be traced by the sunken rocks indicated by the breaking seas on the line of reef4 ,a very severe storm about the middle of the month worked up a tremendous sea1 which was responsible for piling hundreds of tons of kelp on the shore1 and for several days tangled masses could be seen drifting about like small floating islands4 ,on the #bjth an event occurred to which we had long looked forward1 and which was now eagerly welcomed4 ,communication was established with the ,main ,base in ,adelie ,land by wireless6 ,a message was received from ,dr4 ,mawson confirming the deaths of ,ninnis and ,mertz1 and stating that the ',aurora' had not picked up the whole party4 ,sawyer had a short talk with ,jeffryes1 the ,adelie ,land operator1 and among other scraps of news told him we were all well4 ,hamilton killed a sea elephant on the #bbnd4 ,the animal was a little over seventeen feet long and thirteen and a half feet in girth just at the back of the flippers1 while the total weight was more than four tons4 ,it took ,hamilton about a day to complete the skinning1 and1 during the process1 the huge brute had to be twice turned over1 but such is the value of the nautical handy-billy that two men managed it rather easily4 ,when the skin had been removed1 five of us dragged it to the sealers' blubber-shed1 where it was salted1 spread out1 and left to cure4 ,we had communication with ,adelie ,land again on the #bfth1 and messages were sent and received by both stations4 ,dr4 ,mawson wirelessed to the effect that the ',aurora' would1 after picking up ,wild's party1 make an attempt to return to ,adelie ,land if conditions were at all favourable4 ,finding that provisions were running rather short on the last day of ,february1 we reduced ourselves to an allowance of one pound of sugar per week each1 which was weighed out every ,thursday4 ,altogether there were only forty-five pounds remaining4 ,thenceforth it was the custom for each to bring his sugar-tin to the table every meal4 ,the arrangement had its drawbacks1 inasmuch as no sugar was available for cooking unless a levy were made4 ,thus puddings became rareties1 because most of us preferred to use the sugar in tea or coffee4 ,march came blustering in1 accompanied by a sixty-four-mile gale which did damage to the extent of blowing down our annexe1 tearing the tarpaulin off the stores at the back and ripping the spouting off the ,shack4 ,a high sea arose and the conformation of the beach on the north-western side of the isthmus was completely changed4 ,numbers of sea elephants' tusks and bones were revealed1 which had remained buried in the shingle probably for many years1 and heaps of kelp were piled up where before there had been clean1 stony beach4 ,kelp is a very tough weed1 but after being washed up and exposed to the air for a few days1 begins to decay1 giving forth a most disagreeable smell4 ,at this time we caught numerous small fish amongst the rocks at the water's edge with a hand line about four feet long4 ,it was simply a matter of dropping in the line1 watching the victim trifle with destiny and hauling him in at the precise moment4 ,wireless business was now being done nightly with ,adelie ,land1 and on the #gth ,i received a message from ,dr4 ,mawson saying that the party would in all probability be down there for another season1 and stating the necessity for keeping ,macquarie ,island station going till the end of the year4 ,this message ,i read out to the men1 and gave them a week in which to view the matter4 ,the alternatives were to return in ,april or to remain till the end of the year4 ,i went through the whole of the stores on the #ajth1 and found that the only commodities upon which we would have to draw sparingly were milk1 sugar1 kerosene1 meats and coal4 ,the flour would last till ,may1 but the butter allowance would have to be reduced to three pounds per week4 ,it was on the #abth that we found the lost sheep1 but as we had some wekas1 sufficient to last us for several days1 ,i did not kill one till the #aeth4 ,on that day four of us went down towards the ledge where they were standing1 and shot one1 which immediately toppled off and rolled down some distance into the tussock1 the other one leaping after it without hesitation4 ,while ,blake and ,hamilton skinned the dead sheep1 ,sandell and ,i caught the other and tethered it at the bottom of the hill amongst a patch of ,maori cabbage1 as we thought it would probably get lost if left to roam loose4 ,however1 on going to the spot next day1 the sheep was nearly dead1 having got tangled up in the rope4 ,so we let it go free1 only to lose the animal a day or two later1 for it fell into a bog and perished4 ,on ,march #bb a lunar eclipse occurred1 contact lasting a little over three hours from #i4de ,p4,m4 till within a few minutes of #a ,a4,m4 on the #bcrd4 ,the period of total eclipse was quite a lengthy one1 and during the time it lasted the darkness was intense4 ,cloud interfered for a while with our observations in the total stage4 ,no coronal effect was noted1 though a pulsating nebulous area appeared in front of the moon just before contact4 ,a message came on the #bgth saying that the ',rachel ,cohen' was sailing for ,macquarie ,island on ,may #b1 and would bring supplies as well as take back the men who wished to be relieved1 and this was forwarded in turn to ,dr4 ,mawson4 ,he replied1 saying that the ',aurora' would pick us up about the middle of ,november and convey us to ,antarctica1 thence returning to ,australia2 but if any member wished to return by the ',rachel ,cohen' he could do so1 though notification would have to be given1 in order to allow of substitutes being appointed4 ,all the members of the party elected to stay1 and ,i asked each man to give an outline of the work he intended to pursue during the extended period4 ,during ,march strong winds were recorded on fourteen days1 reaching gale-force on six occasions4 ,the gale at the beginning of the month was the strongest we had experienced1 the velocity at #e4dj ,a4,m4 on the #ast reaching sixty-four miles per hour4 ,precipitation occurred on twenty-six days and the average amount of cloud was #he per cent4 ,a bright auroral display took place on the #fth1 lasting from #aa4bj till #aa4de ,p4,m4 ,it assumed the usual arch-form stretching from the south-east to south-west1 and streamers and shafts of light could be observed pulsating upwards towards the zenith4 ,we now started on what might be called the second stage of our existence on the island4 ,in the preceding pages ,i have endeavoured to give some idea of what happened during what was to have been our full period2 but unforeseen circumstances compelled us to extend our stay for eight months more1 until the ',aurora' came to relieve us in ,november4 ,as the routine was similar in a good many respects to that which we had just gone through1 ,i shall now refer to only the more salient features of our life4 ,the loyalty of my fellows was undoubted1 and though any of them could have returned if he had felt so inclined1 ,i am proud to say that they all decided to see it through4 ,when one has looked forward hopefully to better social conditions1 more comfortable surroundings and reunion with friends1 it gives him a slight shock to find that the door has been slammed1 so to speak1 for another twelve months4 ,nevertheless1 we all found that a strain of philosophy smoothed out the rough realities1 and in a short time were facing the situation with composure1 if not actual contentment4 ,we decided now to effect a few improvements round about our abode1 and all set to work carrying gravel from the beach to put down in front of the ,shack1 installing a sink-system to carry any waste water1 fixing the leaking roof and finally closing up the space between the lining and the wall to keep out the rats4 ,we expected the ',rachel ,cohen' to leave ,hobart with our stores on ,may #b1 and reckoned that the voyage would occupy two weeks4 ,thus1 it would be six weeks before she arrived4 ,i was therefore compelled on the #ajth to reduce the sugar allowance to half a pound per week4 ,we were now taking it in turns to go once a week and get some wekas1 and it was always possible to secure about a dozen1 which provided sufficient meat for three dinners4 ,breakfast consisted generally of fish1 which we caught1 or sea elephant in some form1 whilst we had tinned fish for lunch4 ,sandell installed a telephone service between the ,shack and the wireless station about the middle of ,april1 the parts all being made by himself2 and it was certainly an ingenious and valuable contrivance4 ,i1 in particular1 learned to appreciate the convenience of it as time went on4 ,the buzzer was fixed on the wall close to the head of my bunk and ,i could be called any time during the night from the wireless station1 thus rendering it possible to reply to communications without loss of time4 ,further1 during the winter nights1 when auroral observations had to be made1 ,i could retire if nothing showed during the early part of the night1 leaving it to ,sandell1 who worked till #b or #c ,a4,m4 to call me if any manifestation occurred4 ,we had heavy gales from the #abth to the #agth inclusive1 the force of the wind during the period frequently exceeding fifty miles per hour1 and1 on the first-mentioned date1 the barometer fell to #bg4h inches4 ,the usual terrific seas accompanied the outburst4 ,finding that there were only eight blocks of coal left1 ,i reduced the weekly allowance to one4 ,we had a good supply of tapioca1 but neither rice nor sago1 and as the sealers had some of the latter two1 but none of the former1 we made an exchange to the extent of twelve pounds of tapioca for eight pounds of rice and some sago4 ,only fifteen pounds of butter remained on the #bjth1 and ,i divided this equally1 as it was now one of the luxuries1 and each man could use his own discretion in eating it4 ,as it was nearing the end of ,april1 and no further word concerning the movements of the ',rachel ,cohen' had been received1 ,i wirelessed asking to be immediately advised of the exact date of the vessel's departure4 ,a reply came that the ship would definitely reach us within two months4 ,i answered1 saying we could wait two months1 but certainly no longer4 ,with a view to varying the menu a little1 ,blake and ,i took ,mac up on the hills on ,april #bf to get some rabbits and1 after tramping for about six hours1 we returned with seven4 ,in our wanderings we visited the penguin rookeries at ,the ,nuggets1 and one solitary bird sat in the centre of the vast area which had so lately been a scene of much noise and contention4 ,on ,may #a ,i took an inventory of the stores and found that they would last for two months if economically used4 ,of course1 ,i placed confidence in the statement that the ',rachel ,cohen' would reach the island within that time4 ,with the coming of ,may wintry conditions set in1 and at the end of the first week the migrants had deserted our uninviting island4 ,life with us went on much the same as usual1 but the weather was rather more severe than that during the previous year1 and we were confined to the ,shack a good deal4 ,the sealers who were still on the island had shifted back to the ,hut at the north end so that they were very close to us and frequently came over with their dog in the evenings to have a yarn4 ,the majority of them were men who had knocked about the world and had known many rough1 adventurous years4 ,one of them in particular was rather fluent1 and we were often entertained from his endless repertoire of stories4 ,on the #bcrd1 finding that there were seventy-seven and a half pounds of flour remaining1 and ascertaining that the sealers could let us have twenty-five pounds1 if we ran short1 ,i increased the allowance for bread to twelve and a half pounds per week1 and this1 when made up1 gave each man two and three-quarter pounds of bread4 ,our supply of oatmeal was very low1 but in order to make it last we now started using a mixture of oatmeal and sago for breakfast2 of course1 without any milk or sugar4 ,just about this time ,mac gave birth to six pups and could not help us in obtaining food4 ,she had done valuable service in this connexion1 and the loss in the foraging strength of the party was severely felt for several weeks4 ,she was particularly deadly in hunting rabbits and wekas1 and though the first-named were very scarce within a few miles of the ,shack1 she always managed to unearth one or two somewhere4 ,hut-slippers were made out of the rabbit skins and they were found to be a great boon1 one being able to sit down for a while without his feet going4 ,june arrived and with it much rough1 cold weather4 ,a boat was expected to come to our relief1 at the very latest1 by the #cjth4 ,we had a very chilly period during the middle of the month1 and it was only by hand-feeding the jacket of the wireless motor that any work could be done by the station1 as the tank outside was almost frozen solid4 ,the tide-gauge clock broke down towards the end of the month1 and though ,i tried for days to get it going ,i was not successful4 ,one of the springs had rusted very badly as a result of the frequent duckings the clock had experienced1 and had become practically useless4 ,we had ascertained that the ',rachel ,cohen' was still in ,hobart1 so on the #bcrd ,i wirelessed asking when the boat was to sail4 ,the reply came that the ',rachel ,cohen' was leaving ,hobart on ,thursday1 ,june #bf4 ,our supply of kerosene oil was exhausted by the end of the month1 despite the fact that the rule of lights out at #aj ,p4,m4 had been observed for some time4 ,thus we were obliged to use sea elephant oil in slush lamps4 ,at first we simply filled a tin with the oil and passed a rag through a cork floating on the top1 but a little ingenuity soon resulted in the production of a lamp with three burners and a handle4 ,this was made by ,sandell out of an old tea-pot and one1 two or three burners could be lit as occasion demanded4 ,during meal times the whole three burners were used1 but1 as the oil smoked and smelt somewhat1 we generally blew out two as soon as the meal was finished4 ,this was the general lamp1 but each man had1 as well1 one of his own invention4 ,mine was scornfully referred to as the house-boat1 since it consisted of a jam tin1 which held the oil1 standing in a herring tin which caught the overflow4 ,at the end of ,june1 ,blake and ,i surveyed all the penguin rookeries round about ,the ,nuggets and1 allowing a bird to the square foot1 found that there must have been about half a million birds in the area4 ,the sealers kill birds from these rookeries to the number of about one hundred and thirty thousand yearly1 so that it would seem reasonable to suppose that1 despite this fact1 there must be an annual increase of about one hundred thousand birds4 ,the end of the month arrived and1 on making inquiries1 we found that there was no news of the ',rachel ,cohen' having left ,hobart4 ,we had enough flour to last a fortnight1 and could not get any from the sealers as they possessed only three weeks' supply themselves4 ,however1 on ,july #h1 ,bauer came across and offered to let us have some wheatmeal biscuits as they had a couple of hundredweights1 so ,i readily accepted twenty pounds of them4 ,we now had soup twice a day1 and managed to make it fairly thick by adding sago and a few lentils4 ,cornflour and hot water flavoured with cocoa made a makeshift blanc-mange1 and this1 with sago and tapioca1 constituted our efforts towards dessert4 ,on the #abth ,i received a message stating that the ',rachel ,cohen' had sailed on ,july #g2 news which was joyfully received4 ,we expected her to appear in ten or twelve days4 ,on the #ahth we used the last ounce of flour in a small batch of bread1 having fully expected the ship to arrive before we had finished it4 ,next day ,bauer lent us ten pounds of oatmeal and showed us how to make oatmeal cakes4 ,we tried some and they were a complete success1 though they consisted largely of tapioca1 and1 according to the respective amounts used1 should rather have been called tapioca cakes4 ,when the #bbnd arrived and no ship showed up1 ,i went across to see what the sealers thought of the matter1 and found that they all were of opinion that she had been blown away to the eastward of the island1 and might take a considerable time to make back4 ,on this date we came to the end of our meats1 which ,i had been dealing out in a very sparing manner1 just to provide a change from sea elephant and weka4 ,we had now to subsist upon what we managed to catch4 ,there were still thirty-five tins of soup1 of which only two tins a day were used1 so that there was sufficient for a few weeks4 ,but we found ourselves running short of some commodity each day1 and after the #bcrd reckoned to be without bread and biscuit4 ,at this juncture many heavy blows were experienced1 and on the #bdth a fifty-mile gale accompanied by a tremendous sea beat down on us1 giving the ',rachel ,cohen' a very poor chance of making the island4 ,our last tin of fruit was eaten2 twelve tins having lasted us since ,march #ca1 and ,i also shared the remaining ten biscuits amongst the men on the #bdth4 ,we were short of bread1 flour1 biscuits1 meats1 fish1 jam1 sugar and milk1 but had twenty tins of ,french beans1 thirty tins of cornflour1 some tapioca1 and thirty tins of soup1 as well as tea1 coffee and cocoa in abundance4 ,we had not been able to catch any fish for some days as the weather had been too rough1 and1 further1 they appeared to leave the coasts during the very cold weather4 ,sea elephants were very scarce1 and we invariably had to walk some distance in order to get one2 each man taking it in turn to go out with a companion and carry home enough meat for our requirements4 ,we were now eating sea elephant meat three times a day 7all the penguins having migrated7 and our appetites were very keen4 ,the routine work was carried on1 though a great deal of time was occupied in getting food4 ,bauer very generously offered to share his biscuits with us1 but we fellows1 while appreciating the spirit which prompted the offer1 unanimously declined to accept them4 ,we now concluded that something had happened to the ship1 as at the end of ,july she had been twenty-four days out4 ,on ,august #c we had a sixty-three-mile gale and between #a and #b ,a4,m4 the velocity of the wind frequently exceeded fifty miles per hour4 ,needless to say there was a mountainous sea running1 and the ,rachel ,cohen1 if she had been anywhere in the vicinity1 would have had a perilous time4 ,a message came to me on ,august #f from the ,secretary of the ,expedition1 saying that the ',rachel ,cohen' had returned to ,new ,zealand badly damaged1 and that he was endeavouring to send us relief as soon as possible4 ,i replied1 telling him that our food-supply was done1 but that otherwise we were all right and no uneasiness need be felt1 though we wished to be relieved as soon as possible4 ,splendid news came along on the #ith to the effect that the ,new ,zealand ,government's steamer ',tutanekai' would tranship our stores from the ',rachel ,cohen' on the #aeth and sail direct for the island4 ,sawyer now became ill and desired me to make arrangements for his return4 ,i accordingly wired to the ,secretary1 who replied asking if we could manage without an operator4 ,after consulting ,sandell1 ,i answered that ,sandell and ,i together could manage to run the wireless station4 ,everybody now looked forward eagerly to the arrival of the ',tutanekai'1 but things went on as before4 ,we found ourselves with nothing but sea elephant meat and sago1 with a pound-tin of ,french beans once a week and two ounces of oatmeal every morning4 ,we heard that the ,tutanekai did not leave as expected on the #aeth1 but sailed on the afternoon of the #agth1 and was coming straight to ,macquarie ,island4 ,she was equipped with a wireless telegraphy outfit1 which enabled us on the #ahth to get in touch with her2 the operator on board stating that they would reach us early on the morning of the #bjth4 ,on the evening of the #aith we gave ,sawyer a send-off dinner2 surely the poorest thing of its kind1 as far as eatables were concerned1 that has ever been tendered to any one4 ,the fare consisted of sea elephant's tongue straight1 after which a bottle of claret was cracked and we drank heartily to his future prosperity4 ,at #g4cj ,a4,m4 on the #bjth the ',tutanekai' was observed coming up the east coast1 and as we had elephanted at #f ,a4,m4 we were ready to face the day4 ,i went across to the sealers' hut and accompanied ,bauer in the launch to the ship1 which lay at anchor about a mile from the shore4 ,we scrambled on board1 where ,i met ,captain ,bollons4 ,he received me most courteously1 and1 after discussing several matters1 suggested landing the stores straight away4 ,i got into the launch to return to the shore1 but the wind had freshened and was soon blowing a fresh gale4 ,still1 ,bauer thought we should have no difficulty and we pushed off from the ship4 ,the engine of the launch failed after we had gone a few yards1 the boat was blown rapidly down the coast1 and we were eventually thrown out into the surf at ,the ,nuggets4 ,the ,captain1 who witnessed our plight1 sent his launch in pursuit of us1 but its engines also failed4 ,it now became necessary for the crew of the whale-boat to go to the assistance of the launch4 ,however1 they could do nothing against the wind1 and1 in the end1 the ship herself got up anchor1 gave the two boats a line and towed them back to the former anchorage4 ,the work of unloading now commenced1 though a fairly heavy surf was running4 ,but the whaleboat of the ',tutanekai' was so dexterously handled by the boatswain that most of our stores were landed during the day4 ,sawyer went on board the ',tutanekai' in the afternoon1 thus severing his connexion with the ,expedition1 after having been with us on the island since ,december #aiaa4 ,on the following morning1 some sheep1 coal and flour were landed1 and1 with a whistled good-bye1 the ',tutanekai' started north on her visit to other islands4 ,our short period of stress was over and we all felt glad4 ,from that time onwards we ate no more elephant meat straight4 ,a sheep was killed just as the ',tutanekai' left1 and we had roast mutton1 scones1 butter1 jam1 fruit and rice for tea4 ,it was a rare treat4 ,all the stores were now brought up from the landing-place1 and as ,i had put up several extra shelves some weeks previously1 plenty of room was found for all the perishable commodities inside the ,shack4 ,the beginning of ,september found me fairly busy4 ,in addition to the meteorological work1 the results of which were always kept reduced and entered up1 ,i had to work on ,wireless ,hill during the evening and make auroral observations on any night during which there was a display1 attending to the stores and taking the week of cooking as it came along4 ,blake and ,hamilton went down the island for several days on ,september #c1 since they had some special observations to make in the vicinity of ,sandy ,bay4 ,the sea elephant season was now in progress1 and many rookeries were well formed by the middle of the month4 ,the skuas had returned1 and on the #aith the advance-guard of the ,royal penguins arrived4 ,the gentoos had established themselves in their old claims1 and since the #abth we had been using their eggs for cooking4 ,early in ,september time-signals were received from ,melbourne1 and these were transmitted through to ,adelie ,land4 ,this practice was kept up throughout the month and in many cases the signals were acknowledged4 ,blake and ,hamilton returned to the ,shack on the #bdth1 but left again on the #cjth1 as they had some more photographic work to do in the vicinity of ,green ,valley and ,sandy ,bay4 ,blake made a special trip to ,sandy ,bay on ,october #cj to bring back some geological specimens and other things he had left there1 but on reaching the spot found that the old hut had been burned to the ground1 apparently only a few hours before1 since it was still smouldering4 ,many articles were destroyed1 among which were two sleeping-bags1 a sextant1 gun1 blankets1 photographic plates1 bird specimens and articles of clothing4 ,it was presumed that rats had originated the fire from wax matches which had been left lying on a small shelf4 ,on ,november #i we heard that the ',aurora' would leave ,hobart on the #aith for ,antarctica1 picking us up on the way and landing three men on the island to continue the wireless and meteorological work4 ,we sighted the ',rachel ,cohen' bearing down on the island on ,november #ah1 and at #e4ae ,p4,m4 she came to an anchorage in ,north-,east ,bay4 ,she brought down the remainder of our coal and some salt for ,hamilton for the preservation of specimens4 ,on the next night it was learned that the ',aurora' had left ,hobart on her way ,south1 expecting to reach us about the #bhth1 as some sounding and dredging were being done en route4 ,everybody now became very busy making preparations for departure4 ,time passed very quickly1 and ,november #bh dawned fine and bright4 ,the ',rachel ,cohen'1 which had been lying in the bay loading oil1 had her full complement on board by #aj ,a4,m41 and shortly afterwards we trooped across to say good-bye to ,bauer and the other sealers1 who were all returning to ,hobart4 ,it was something of a coincidence that they took their departure on the very day our ship was to arrive4 ,their many acts of kindness towards us will ever be recalled by the members of the party1 and we look upon our harmonious neighbourly association together with feelings of great pleasure4 ,a keen look-out was then kept for signs of our own ship1 but it was not until #h ,p4,m4 that ,blake1 who was up on the hill side1 called out1 ,here she comes1 and we climbed up to take in the goodly sight4 ,just visible1 away in the north-west1 there was a line of thin smoke1 and in about half an hour the ',aurora' dropped anchor in ,hasselborough ,bay4 ,,chapter ,,xxviii ,,the ,,homeward ,,cruise ,we bring no store of ingots1 ,of spice or precious stones2 ,but what we have we gathered ,with sweat and aching bones4 ,,kipling4 ,as we sat in the wardroom of the ',aurora' exchanging the news of months long gone by1 we heard from ,captain ,davis the story of his fair-weather trip from ,hobart4 ,the ship had left ,australian waters on ,november #ai1 and1 from the outset1 the weather was quite ideal4 ,nothing of note occurred on the run to ,macquarie ,island1 where a party of three men were landed and ,ainsworth and his loyal comrades picked up4 ,the former party1 sent by the ,australian ,government1 were to maintain wireless communication with ,hobart and to send meteorological reports to the ,commonwealth ,weather ,bureau4 ,a week was spent at the island and all the collections were embarked1 while ,correll was enabled to secure some good colour photographs and ,hurley to make valuable additions to his cinematograph film4 ,the ',aurora' had passed through the fifties without meeting the usual gales1 sighting the first ice in latitude #fc degrees #cc' ,s41 longitude #aej degrees #bi' ,e4 ,she stopped to take a sounding every twenty-four hours1 adding to the large number already accumulated during her cruises over the vast basin of the ,southern ,ocean4 ,all spoke of the clear and beautiful days amid the floating ice and of the wonderful coloured sunsets2 especially the photographers4 ,the pack was so loosely disposed1 that the ship made a straight course for ,commonwealth ,bay1 steaming up to ,cape ,denison on the morning of ,december #ad to find us all eager to renew our claim on the big world up ,north4 ,there was a twenty-five-knot wind and a small sea when we pulled off in the whale-boat to the ship1 but1 as if conspiring to give us for once a gala-day1 the wind fell off1 the bay became blue and placid and the sun beat down in full thawing strength on the boundless ice and snow4 ,the ,adelians1 if that may be used as a distinctive title1 sat on the warm deck and read letters and papers in voracious haste1 with snatches of the latest intelligence from the ,macquarie ,islanders and the ship's officers4 ,no one could erase that day from the tablets of his memory4 ,late in the afternoon the motor-launch went ashore1 and the first of the cargo was sent off4 ,the weather remained serene and calm1 and for the next six days1 with the exception of a sixty-miler for a few hours and a land breeze overnight1 there was nothing to disturb the embarkation of our bulky impedimenta which almost filled the outer ,hut4 ,other work went on apace4 ,the skua gulls1 snow and ,wilson petrels were laying their eggs1 and ,hamilton went ashore to secure specimens and to add to our already considerable collection of bird skins4 ,hunter had a fish-trap lowered from the forecastle1 used a hand dredge from the ship1 and did tow-netting occasionally from the launch in its journeys to and from the land4 ,hurley and ,correll had bright sunshine to ensure good photographic results4 ,bage and ,hodgeman looked after the transport of stores from the ,hut1 and ,gillies1 ,bickerton and ,madigan ran the motor-launch4 ,mc,lean1 who was now in possession of an incubator and culture tubes1 grew bacteria from various sources--seals and birds1 soils1 ice and snow4 ,ainsworth1 ,blake and ,sandell1 making their first acquaintance with ,adelie ,land1 were most often to be seen quarrying ice on the glacier or pulling loaded sledges down to the harbour4 ,,text ,,illustration ,mackellar ,islets ,on the #ahth a party of us went off to the ,mackellar ,islets in the motor-launch1 taking a tent and provisions1 intending to spend two days there surveying and making scientific observations4 ,these islets1 over thirty in number1 are clustered mainly in a group about two miles off shore4 ,the group is encircled by rocky outposts1 and there are several links to the southern mainland4 ,under a brilliant sun1 across the pale blue water1 heaving in a slow northerly swell1 the motor-launch threaded her way between the granite knobs1 capped with solid spray4 ,the waves had undermined the white canopies so that they stood immobile1 perched on the dark1 kelp-fringed rocks1 casting their pallid reflections in the turquoise sea4 ,steaming into a natural harbour1 bordered by a low ice-foot on which scores of ,weddell seals lay in listless slumber1 we landed on the largest islet--a succession of salt-encrusted ridges covered by straggling penguin rookeries4 ,the place just teemed with the sporadic life of an ,antarctic summer4 ,it was calculated that the ,adelie penguins exceeded one hundred and fifty thousand in number over an area of approximately one hundred acres4 ,near the landing-place there were at least sixty seals and snow petrels2 skua gulls and ,wilson petrels soon betrayed their nests to the biologists4 ,the islets are flat1 and afford evidence that at one time the continental ice-cap has ridden over them4 ,the rock is a hard grey gneiss4 ,a rough plane-table map of the group was made by ,hodgeman and myself4 ,our scheme of local exploration was now continued to the west4 ,for two years we had looked curiously at a patch of rocks protruding beneath the ice-cap eight miles away1 within ,commonwealth ,bay4 ,it had been inaccessible to sledging parties1 and so we reserved ,cape ,hunter1 as it was ultimately called1 for the coming of the ,ship4 ,the anchor was raised on the forenoon of the #bbnd1 and by midday the ',aurora' steamed at half-speed along the ramparts of the glacier1 stopping about four miles from the ,cape1 after sounding in four hundred and twenty-four fathoms4 ,through field-glasses much had already been seen2 enough to arouse an intense interest4 ,one could not but respond to the idea that here was a new world1 flawless and unblemished1 into which no human being had ever pried4 ,here were open secrets to be read for the first time4 ,it was not with the cold eye of science alone that we gazed at these rocks--a tiny spur of the great unseen continent2 but it was with an indefinable wonder4 ,in perfect weather a small party set off in the launch towards a large grounded berg which appeared to lie under the ice-cliffs4 ,approaching it closely1 after covering two miles1 we could see that it was still more than a mile to the rocks4 ,penguins soon began to splash around2 ,wilson petrels came glancing overhead and we could descry great flocks of ,antarctic petrels wheeling over cliff and sea4 ,reefs buried in frothing surge showed their glistening mantles1 and the boat swerved to avoid floating streamers of brash-ice4 ,the rocky cliffs1 about eighty feet in height at the highest point1 were formed of vertically lying slate rocks--a very uniform series of phyllite and sericite-schist4 ,at their base lay great clinging blocks of ice deeply excavated by the restless swell4 ,one island was separated from the parent mass by a channel cut sheer to the deep blue water4 ,behind the main rocks and indenting the ice-cliff was a curving bay into which we steered1 finding at its head a beautiful cove fringed with a heavy undermined ice-foot and swarming with ,adelie penguins4 ,overhanging the water was a cavern hollowed out of a bridge of ice thrown from the glacier to the western limit of the rock outcrop4 ,hurley had before him a picture in perfect proportion4 ,the steel-blue water1 paled by an icy reflection1 a margin of brown rocks on which the penguins leapt through the splashing surf1 a curving canopy of ice-foot and1 filling the background1 the cavern with pendent icicles along its cornice4 ,the swell was so great that an anchor had to be thrown from the stern to keep the launch off shore1 and two men remained on board to see that no damage was done4 ,at last we were free to roam and explore4 ,over the first ridge of rocks we walked suddenly into the home of the ,antarctic petrels6 ,there had always been much speculation as to where these birds nested4 ,jones' party at our western base had the previous summer at ,haswell ,island happened upon the first rookery of ,antarctic petrels ever discovered4 ,here was another spot in the great wilderness peopled by their thousands4 ,every available nook and crevice was occupied along a wide slope which shelved away until it met the vertical cliffs falling to the ocean4 ,one could sit down among the soft1 mild birds who were fearless at the approach of man4 ,they rested in pairs close to their eggs laid on the bare rock or among fragments of slate loosely arranged to resemble a rest4 ,many eggs were collected1 and the birds1 losing confidence in us1 rose into the air in flocks1 gaining in feathered volume as they circled in fear above this domain of rock and snow which had been theirs for generations4 ,in adjoining rookeries the ,adelie penguins1 with their fat1 downy cheeks1 were very plentiful and fiercer than usual4 ,skuas1 snow and ,wilson petrels were all in their accustomed haunts4 ,down on the low ice-foot at the mouth of a rocky ravine1 a few seals had effected a landing4 ,algae1 mosses and lichens made quite a display in moist localities4 ,before leaving for the ship1 we boiled the billy on a platform of slate near the cove where the launch was anchored and had a small picnic1 entertained by the penguins playing about in the surf or scaling the ice-foot to join the birds which were laboriously climbing to the rookeries on the ridge4 ,the afternoon was so peaceful and the calm hot weather such a novelty to us that we pushed off reluctantly to the ',aurora' after an eventful day4 ,those on board had had a busy time dredging1 and their results were just as successful as ours4 ,a haul was made in two hundred and fifty fathoms of ascidians1 sponges1 crinoids1 holothurians1 fish and other forms of life in such quantity that ,hunter and ,hamilton were occupied in sorting the specimens until five o'clock next morning4 ,meanwhile the ',aurora' had returned to her old anchorage close to ,cape ,denison4 ,the sky banked up from the south with nimbus1 and early on the #bcrd a strong breeze ruffled the water4 ,there were a few things to be brought off from the shore1 while ,ainsworth1 ,sandell and ,correll were still at the ,hut1 so that1 as the weather conditions pointed to a coming blizzard1 ,i decided to cut the painter with the land4 ,an hour later the motor-launch1 with ,madigan and ,bickerton1 sped away for the last load through falling snow and a rising sea4 ,hodgeman had battened down the windows of the ,hut1 the chimney was stuffed with bagging1 the veranda-entrance closed with boards1 and1 inside1 an invitation was left for future visitors to occupy and make themselves at home4 ,after the remainder of the dogs and some miscellaneous gear had been shipped1 the launch put off and came alongside in a squally wind through thick showers of snow4 ,willing hands soon unloaded the boat and slung it in the davits4 ,every one was at last safe on board1 and in future all our operations were to be conducted from the ship4 ,during the night the wind rose and the barometer fell1 while the air was filled with drifting snow4 ,on the #bdth--,christmas ,eve--the velocity of the wind gradually increased to the seventies until at noon it blew with the strength of a hurricane4 ,chief ,officer ,blair1 stationed with a few men under the fo'c'sle-head1 kept an anxious eye on the anchor chain and windlass4 ,about lunch time the anchor was found to be dragging and we commenced to drift before the hurricane4 ,all view of the land and lurking dangers in the form of reefs and islets were cut off by driving snow4 ,the wind twanged the rigging to a burring drone that rose to a shriek in the shuddering gusts4 ,the crests of the waves were cut off and sprayed in fine spindrift4 ,with full steam on we felt our way out1 we hoped to the open sea2 meanwhile the chain cable and damaged anchor were slowly being hauled in4 ,the ship's chances looked very small indeed1 but1 owing to the good seamanship of ,captain ,davis and a certain amount of luck1 disaster was averted4 ,soon we were in a bounding sea4 ,each time we were lifted on a huge roller the motor-launch1 swinging in the davits1 would rise and then descend with a crash on the water1 to be violently bumped against the bulwarks4 ,everything possible was done to save the launch1 but our efforts proved fruitless4 ,as it was being converted into a battering ram against the ship itself it had to be cut away1 and was soon swept astern and we saw no more of it4 ,most unexpectedly there came a lull in the wind1 so that it was almost calm1 though the ship still laboured in the seas4 ,a clearance in the atmosphere was also noticeable for ,cape ,hunter became discernible to the west1 towards which we were rapidly drifting4 ,this sight of the coast was a great satisfaction to us1 for we then knew our approximate position 9999 and the direction of the wind1 which had veered considerably4 9999 ,it should be borne in mind that compasses are unreliable in the vicinity of the magnetic pole4 ,the lull lasted scarcely five minutes when the wind came back from a somewhat different quarter1 north of east1 as violent as ever4 ,the eye of the storm had passed over us1 and the gale continued steady for several days4 ,that night the struggle with the elements was kept up by officers and crew1 assisted by members of the shore party who took the lee-wheel or stood by in case of emergency4 ,december #be4 ,christmas ,day on the high seas off ,adelie ,land1 everything wet and fairly miserable2 incipient mal de mer1 wind #ee-fj2 snowing6 ,when ,davis came down to breakfast and wished us a ,merry ,christmas1 with a smile at the irony of it1 the ward-room was swaying about in a most bewildering fashion4 ,towards evening1 after the ',aurora' had battled for hours slowly to the east1 the sea went down somewhat and some drifting ice was sighted4 ,we continued under full steam1 pushing forward to gain the shelter of the ,mertz glacier-tongue4 ,it was now discovered that the fluke of the anchor had broken off short1 so great had been the strain imposed upon it during the height of the hurricane4 ,on ,boxing ,day the ship was in calmer water heading in a more southerly direction so as to come up with the land4 ,fog1 fine snow and an overcast sky made a gloomy combination1 but during the afternoon the fog lightened sufficiently for us to perceive the mainland--a ghostly cliff shrouded in diaphanous blink4 ,by #aj ,p4,m4 the ,mertz glacier was visible on the port bow1 and to starboard there was an enormous tilted berg which appeared to be magnified in the dim light4 ,allowing a day for the weather to become clearer and more settled1 we got out the trawl on the #bhth and did a dredging in three hundred fathoms close to the glacier-tongue4 ,besides rocks and mud there were abundant crinoids1 holothurians1 corals1 crustaceans and shells4 ,in addition1 several pieces of fossilized wood and coaly matter were discovered scattered through the catch4 ,bage1 under ,davis's direction1 took temperatures and collected water samples at fifty1 seventy-five1 one hundred1 two hundred and three hundred fathoms1 using the ,lucas sounding-machine on the fo'c'sle4 ,the temperature gradient from the surface downwards appeared to give some indication of the depth of ice submerged in the glacier-tongue alongside which we were lying4 ,on the #bith a cold south-easter blew off the ice-cliffs and the sun was trying to pierce a gauzy alto-stratus4 ,the ',aurora' steamed north-east1 it being our intention to round the northern limit of the ,mertz ,glacier4 ,gradually a distant line of pack1 which had been visible for some time1 closed in and the ship ran into a cul-de-sac4 ,gray1 who was up in the crow's-nest1 reported that the ice was very heavy1 so we put about4 ,proceeding southward once more1 we glided along within a stone's throw of the great wall of ice whose chiselled headlands stood in profile for miles4 ,there was leisure to observe various features of this great formation1 and to make some valuable photographic records when the low south-western sun emerged into a wide rift4 ,hunter trailed the tow-net for surface plankton while the ship was going at half-speed4 ,at ten o'clock the ship had come up with the land1 and her course was turned sharply to the north-west towards a flotilla of bergs lying to the east of the ,way ,archipelago1 which we intended to visit4 ,on ,december #cj1 #aiac1 the ',aurora' lay within a cordon of floating ice about one mile distant from the nearest islet of a group scattered along the coast off ,cape ,gray4 ,immediately after breakfast a party of eight men set off in the launch to investigate ,stillwell ,island4 ,the weather was gloriously sunny and every one was eager at the prospect of fresh discoveries4 ,cape ,hunter had been the home of the ,antarctic petrels1 and on this occasion we were singularly fortunate in finding a resort of the ,southern ,fulmar or silver-grey petrels4 ,during the previous summer1 two of the eastern sledging parties had for the first time observed the breeding habits of these birds among isolated rocks outcropping on the edge of the coast4 ,but here there was a stronghold of hundreds of petrels1 sitting with their eggs in niches among the boulders or ensconced in bowers excavated beneath the snow which lay deep over some parts of the island4 ,the rock was a gneiss which varied in character from that which had been examined at ,cape ,denison and in other localities4 ,all the scientific treasures were exhausted by midday1 and the whale-boat was well laden when we rowed back to the ship4 ,throughout a warm summer afternoon the ',aurora' threaded her way between majestic bergs and steamed west across the wide span of ,commonwealth ,bay1 some fifteen miles off the land4 ,at eleven o'clock the sky was perfectly clear and the sun hung like a luminous ball over the southern plateau4 ,the rocks near the ,hut were just visible4 ,close to the ,pianoforte ,berg and the ,mackellar ,islets tall jets of fine spray were seen to shoot upward from schools of finner whales4 ,all around us and for miles shoreward1 the ocean was calm and blue2 but close to the mainland there was a dark curving line of ruffled water1 while through glasses one could see trails of serpentine drift flowing down the slopes of the glacier4 ,doubtless1 it was blowing at the ,hut2 and the thought was enough to make us thankful that we were on our good ship leaving ,adelie ,land for ever4 ,on the morning of ,december #ca1 #aiac1 ,cape ,alden was abeam1 and a strong wind swept down from the highlands4 ,bordering the coast there was a linear group of islets and outcropping rocks at which we had hoped to touch4 ,the wind continued to blow so hard that the idea was abandoned and our course was directed towards the north-west to clear a submerged reef which had been discovered in ,january #aiab4 ,the wind and sea arose during the night1 causing the ship to roll in a reckless fashion4 ,yet the celebration of ,new ,year's ,eve was not marred1 and lusty choruses came up from the ward-room till long after midnight4 ,next morning at breakfast our ranks had noticeably thinned through the liveliness of the ship1 but it is wonderful how large an assembly we mustered for the ,new ,year's dinner1 and how cheerfully the toast was drunk to ,the best year we have ever had6 ,on ,january #b1 #aiad1 fast ice and the mainland were sighted4 ,the course was changed to the south-west so as to bring the ship within a girdle of loose ice disposed in big solid chunks and small pinnacled floes4 ,a sounding realized two hundred fathoms some ten miles off the coast1 which stretched like a lofty bank of yellow sand along the southern horizon4 ,on previous occasions we had not been able to see so much of the coastline in this longitude owing to the compactness of the ice1 and so we were able to definitely chart a longer tract at the western limit of ,adelie ,land4 ,the ice became so thick and heavy as the ',aurora' pressed southward that she was forced at last to put about and steer for more open water4 ,on the way1 a sounding was made in two hundred and fifty fathoms1 but a dredging was unsuccessful owing to the fact that insufficient cable was paid out in going from two hundred and fifty fathoms to deeper water4 ,our north-westerly course ran among a great number of very long tabular bergs1 which suggested the possibility of a neighbouring glacier-tongue as their origin4 ,at ten o'clock on the evening of the #bnd1 a mountain of ice with a high encircling bastion passed to starboard4 ,it rose to a peak1 flanked by fragments toppling in snowy ruin4 ,the pyramidal summit was tinged the palest lilac in the waning light2 the mighty pallid walls were streaked and blotched with deep azure2 the green swell sucked and thundered in the wave-worn caverns4 ,chaste snow-birds swam through the pure air1 and the whole scene was sacred4 ,a tropical day in the pack-ice6 ,sunday ,january #d was clear and perfectly still1 and the sun shone powerfully4 ,on the previous day we had entered a wide field of ice which had become so close and heavy that the ship took till late in the evening to reach its northern fringe4 ,from ,january #e onwards for two weeks we steamed steadily towards the west1 repeatedly changing course to double great sheets of pack which streamed away to the north1 pushing through them in other places where the welcome water-sky showed strong ahead1 making southing for days following the trend of the ice1 then grappling with it in the hope of winning through to the land and at last returning to the western track along the margin of brash which breaks the first swell of the ,southern ,ocean4 ,the weather was mostly overcast with random showers of light snow and mild variable winds on all but two days1 when there was a blow of forty miles per hour and a considerable sea in which the ship seemed more active than usual4 ,many soundings were taken1 and their value lay in broadly 444 ,of course1 too1 we were supplementing the ship's previous work in these latitudes4 ,,text ,,illustration ,section ,illustrating ,the ,moat ,in ,the ,antarctic ,continental ,shelf ,one successful dredging in eighteen hundred fathoms brought up some large erratics and coaly matter1 besides a great variety of animal life4 ,it was instructive to find that the erratics were coated with a film of manganese oxide derived from the sea-water4 ,several tow-nettings were taken with large nets automatically closing at any desired depth through the medium of a messenger4 ,small crustaceans were plentiful on the surface1 but they were if anything more numerous at depths of fifty to one hundred fathoms4 ,amongst the latter were some strongly phosphorescent forms4 ,the flying birds were logged daily by the biologists4 ,emperor and ,adelie penguins were occasionally seen1 among the floes as well as sea-leopards1 crab-eater and ,weddell seals4 ,friday ,january #af deserves mention as being a day full of incident4 ,in the morning a thin1 cold fog hung along the pack whose edge determined our course4 ,many petrels flew around1 and on the brash-ice there were dark swarms of terns--small birds with black-capped heads1 dove-grey backs and silvery-white breasts4 ,they were very nervous of the ship1 rising in great numbers when it had approached within a few hundred yards4 ,one startled bird would fly up1 followed by several more2 then a whole covey would disturb the rest of the flock4 ,hamilton managed to shoot two of them from the fo'c'sle1 and1 after much manoeuvring1 we secured one with a long hand-net4 ,soon after1 there was a cry of killer whales6 from the stern4 ,schools of them were travelling from the west to the east along the edge of the pack4 ,the water was calm and leaden1 and every few seconds a big black triangular fin would project from the surface1 there would be a momentary glimpse of a dark yellow-blotched back and then all would disappear4 ,we pushed into the pack to ice ship1 as the water-supply was running low4 ,just as the ',aurora' was leaving the open water1 a school of finner whales went by1 blowing high jets of spray in sudden blasts1 wallowing for a few seconds on the surface1 and diving in swirls of foam4 ,these finners or rorquals are enormous mammals1 and on one occasion we were followed by one for several hours4 ,it swam along with the ship1 diving regularly underneath from one side to another1 and we wondered what would happen if it had chosen to charge the vessel or to investigate the propeller4 ,close to a big floe to which the ship was secured1 two crab-eater seals were shot and hauled aboard to be skinned and investigated by the biologists and bacteriologist4 ,when the scientists had finished their work1 the meat and blubber were cut up for the dogs1 while the choicer steaks were taken to the cook's galley4 ,after lunch every one started to ice ship in earnest4 ,the sky had cleared and the sun was warm and brilliant by the time a party had landed on the snow-covered floe with baskets1 picks and shovels4 ,when the baskets had been filled1 they were hoisted by hand-power on to a derrick which had been fixed to the mizen mast1 swung inboard and then shovelled into a melting tank alongside the engine-room4 ,the melter was a small tank through which ran a coil of steam pipes4 ,the ice came up in such quantity that it was not melted in time to keep up with the demand1 so a large heap was made on the deck4 ,later in the afternoon it was found that holes chipped in the sea-ice to a depth of six or eight inches filled quickly with fresh water1 and soon a gang of men had started a service with buckets and dippers between these pools and the main hatch where the water was poured through funnels into the ship's tanks4 ,the bulwarks on the port side of the main hatch had been taken down1 and a long plank stretched across to the floe4 ,at nine o'clock work was stopped and we once more resumed our western cruise4 ,it was found that as the region of ,queen ,mary ,land approached1 heavy pack extended to the north4 ,while skirting this obstacle1 we disclosed by soundings a steep rise in the ocean's floor from a depth of about fifteen hundred fathoms to within seven hundred fathoms of the surface1 south of which there was deep water4 ,it was named ,bruce ,rise in recognition of the oceanographical work of the ,scottish ,expedition in ,antarctic seas4 ,on the #agth1 in latitude #fb degrees #ba' ,s41 longitude #ie degrees #i' ,e41 the course ran due south for more than seven hours4 ,for the two ensuing days the ship was able to steer approximately south-west through slackening ice1 until on the #aith at midday we were in latitude #fd degrees #ei' ,s41 longitude #ij degrees #h' ,e4 ,at length it appeared that land was approaching1 after a westward run of more than twelve hundred miles4 ,attempts to reach the charted position of ,totten's ,land1 ,north's ,land1 ,budd ,land and ,knox ,land had been successively abandoned when it became evident that the pack occupied a more northerly situation than that of the two previous years1 and was in most instances thick and impenetrable4 ,at #aj ,p4,m4 on the #aith1 the ice fields still remaining loose and navigable1 a dark line of open water was observed ahead4 ,from the crow's-nest it was seen to the south stretching east and west within the belt of pack-ice--the ,davis ,sea4 ,we had broken through the pack less than twenty-five miles north of where the ',gauss' 7,german ,expedition1 #aijb7 had wintered4 ,all next day the ',aurora' steamed into the eye of an easterly wind towards a low white island1 the higher positions of which had been seen by the ,german ,expedition of #aijb1 and charted as ,drygalski's ,high ,land4 ,dr4 ,jones' party had1 the year before1 obtained a distant view of it and regarded it as an island1 which proved to be correct1 so we named it ,drygalski ,island4 ,to the south there was the dim outline of the mainland4 ,soundings varied between two hundred and three hundred fathoms4 ,on ,january #ba1 ,drygalski ,island was close at hand1 and a series of soundings which showed from sixty to seventy fathoms of water deepening towards the mainland proved beyond doubt that it was an island4 ,in shape it is like a flattened dome about nine miles in diameter and twelve hundred feet in height1 bounded by perpendicular cliffs of ice1 and with no visible evidence of outcropping rock4 ,the dredge was lowered in sixty fathoms1 and a rich assortment of life was captured for the biologists--,hunter and ,hamilton4 ,a course was then made to the south amidst a sea of great bergs2 the water deepening to about four hundred fathoms4 ,during the evening the crevassed slopes of the mainland rose clear to the south1 and many islets were observed near the coast1 frozen in a wide expanse of bay-ice4 ,haswell ,island1 visited by ,jones1 ,dovers and ,hoadley of the ,western ,party1 was sighted1 and the ship was able to approach within eight miles of it2 at ten o'clock coming up to flat bay-ice1 where she anchored for the night4 ,before we retired to bunk1 a ,ross seal was discovered and shot1 three-quarters of a mile away4 ,next day1 ,january #bb1 an unexpected find was made of five more of this rare species of seal4 ,many ,emperor penguins were also secured4 ,it would have been interesting to visit the great rookery of ,emperor penguins on ,haswell ,island1 but1 as the ship could only approach to within eight miles of it1 ,i did not think it advisable to allow a party to go so far4 ,on the night of the #bbnd1 the ',aurora' was headed northeast for the ,shackleton ,ice-,shelf4 ,in the early hours of the #bhrd a strong gale sprang up and rapidly increased in violence4 ,a pall of nimbus overspread the sky1 and blinding snow commenced to fall4 ,we had become used to blizzards1 but on this occasion several factors made us somewhat apprehensive4 ,the ship was at least twenty-five miles from shelter on an open sea1 littered with bergs and fragments of ice4 ,the wind was very strong2 the maximum velocity exceeding seventy miles per hour1 and the dense driving snow during the midnight hours of semi-darkness reduced our chances of navigating with any certainty4 ,the night of the #bcrd had a touch of terror4 ,the wind was so powerful that1 with a full head of steam and steering a few points off the eye of the wind1 the ship could just hold her own4 ,but when heavy gusts swooped down and the propeller raced on the crest of a mountainous wave1 ,davis found it impossible to keep steerage-way4 ,drift and spray lash the faces of officer and helmsman1 and through the grey gloom misty bergs glide by on either hand4 ,a long slow struggle brings us to a passage between two huge masses of ice4 ,there is a shock as the vessel bumps and grinds along a great wall4 ,the engine stops1 starts again1 and stops once more4 ,the yards on the foremast are swung into the wind1 the giant seas are broken by the stolid barriers of ice1 the engine commences to throb with its old rhythm1 and the ship slowly creeps out to meet the next peril4 ,it comes with the onset of a bergy-bit which smashes the martingale as it plunges into a deep trough4 ,the chain stay parts1 dragging loose in the water1 while a great strain is put by the foremast on the bowsprit4 ,early on the #bdth the ship was put about and ran with the wind1 while all hands assembled on the fo'c'sle4 ,the crew1 under the direction of ,blair1 had the ticklish job of replacing the chain stay by two heavy blocks1 the lower of which was hooked on to the lug which secured the end of the stay1 and the upper to the bowsprit4 ,the running ropes connecting the blocks were tightened up by winding the hauling line round the capstan4 ,when the boatswain and two sailors had finished the wet and chilly task of getting the tackle into position1 the rest put their weight on to the capstan bars and the strain on the bowsprit was relieved4 ,the fo'c'sle1 plunging and swaying in the great waves1 was encased in frozen spray1 and along all the ropes and stays were continuous cylinders of ice4 ,the ',aurora' then resumed her easterly course against the blizzard4 ,saturday ,january #bd was a day of high wind1 rough seas1 watery decks1 lively meals and general discomfort4 ,at #aa4cj ,p4,m4 the waves had perceptibly decreased1 and it was surmised that we were approaching the berg1 about thirty miles in length1 which lay to the west of the ,shackleton ,ice-,shelf4 ,at #f ,a4,m4 on the #beth the sun managed to glimmer through the low rack flying from the east1 lighting up the carven face of an ice-cliff along which the ',aurora' was coasting4 ,up and down we steamed until the afternoon of the #bfth1 when the wind lulled away to nothing1 and the grey1 even pall of cloud rose and broke into fleecy alto-cumulus4 ,at the southern extremity of the long berg1 fast bay-ice extended up to the land and for twenty miles across to the shelf on which the ,winter ,quarters of the ,western ,party had been situated4 ,further progress to the south was blocked1 so our course was directed to the north along the western border of the berg4 ,when not engaged in sounding1 dredging1 or tow-netting members of the land party found endless diversion in trimming coal4 ,big inroads had been made in the supply of more than five hundred tons1 and it now became necessary to shift many tons of it from the holds aft to the bunkers where it was accessible to the firemen4 ,the work was good exercise1 and every one enjoyed the shift below1 truckingand heaving4 ,another undoubted advantage1 in the opinion of each worker1 was that he could at least demand a wash from ,chief ,engineer ,gillies1 who at other times was forced to be thrifty with hot fresh water4 ,after supper on the #bhth it was evident that we had reached a point where the shelf-ice veered away to the eastward and a wide tract of adhering sea-ice barred the way4 ,the floe was exceedingly heavy and covered with a deep layer of soft snow4 ,emperor and ,adelie penguins1 crab-eater and ,weddell seals were recognized through glasses along its edge4 ,as there was a light obscuring fog and dusk was approaching1 the ',aurora' hung up for the night4 ,on ,january #bi the ship1 after a preliminary trawling had been done in three hundred and twenty fathoms1 pushed into the floe and was made fast with an ice-anchor4 ,emperor penguins were so plentiful in the neighbourhood that many specimens were secured for skins4 ,a sea-leopard was seen chasing a crab-eater seal quite close to the bow of the ship4 ,the latter1 after several narrow escapes1 took refuge on an ice-foot projecting from the edge of the floe4 ,advantage was taken of a clearing in the weather to walk over the sea-ice to a berg two and a half miles away1 from the summit of which it was hoped that some sign of land might be apparent4 ,away in the distance1 perhaps five miles further on1 could be seen an immense congregation of ,emperor ,penguins--evidently another rookery4 ,no certain land was visible4 ,the cruise was now continued to the north-west in order to skirt a collection of bergs and floe1 with the ultimate object of proceeding in an easterly direction towards ,termination ,ice-,tongue at the northern limit of the ,shackleton ,shelf-,ice4 ,a glance at the map which illustrates the work done by the ,western ,party affords the best idea of the great ice-formation which stretches away to the north of ,queen ,mary ,land4 ,it is very similar in character to the well-known ,ross ,barrier over which lay part of ,scott's and ,amundsen's journeys to the ,south ,pole4 ,its height is remarkably uniform1 ranging from sixty to one hundred feet above the water-level4 ,when allowance has been made for average specific gravity1 its average total thickness should approximate to six hundred feet4 ,from east to west the formation was proved to be as much as two hundred miles1 with one hundred and eighty miles between its northern and southern limits4 ,this vast block of ice originates fundamentally from the glacial flow over the southern hinterland4 ,every year an additional layer of consolidated snow is added to its surface by the frequent blizzards4 ,these annual additions are clearly marked in the section exposed on the dazzling white face near the brink of the ice-cliff4 ,there is a limit1 however1 to the increase in thickness1 for the whole mass is ever moving slowly to the north1 driven by the irresistible pressure of the land-ice behind it4 ,thus the northern face crumbles down into brash or floats away as part of a berg severed from the main body of the shelf-ice4 ,on the morning of ,january #cj we had the unique experience of witnessing this crumbling action at work--a cataclysm of snow1 ice and water6 ,the ship was steaming along within three hundred yards of a cliff1 when some loose drifts slid off from its edge1 followed by a slice of the face extending for many hundreds of feet and weighing perhaps one million tons4 ,it plunged into the sea with a deep booming roar and then rose majestically1 shedding great masses of snow1 to roll onwards exposing its blue1 swaying bulk shivering into lumpy masses which pushed towards the ship in an ever-widening field of ice4 ,it was a grand scene enacted in the subdued limelight of an overcast day4 ,during the afternoon the ',aurora' changed her north-westerly course round to north-east1 winding through a wonderful sea of bergs grounded in about one hundred and twenty fathoms of water4 ,at times we would pass through narrow lanes between towering walls and emerge into a straight wide avenue along which these mountains of ice were ranged4 ,several were rather remarkable2 one for its exquisite series of stratification lines1 another for its facade in stucco1 and a third for its overhanging cornice fringed with slender icicles4 ,on ,january #ca a trawling was made in one hundred and twelve fathoms4 ,half a ton of life emptied on the deck gave the biologists occupation for several days4 ,included in the catch were a large number of monstrous gelatinous ascidians or sea-squirts4 ,fragments of coal were once more found2 an indication that coaly strata must be very widely distributed in the ,antarctic4 ,the pack was dense and in massive array at the extremity of ,termination ,ice-,tongue4 ,davis drove the ship through some of it and entered an open lead which ran like a dark streak away to the east amid ice which grew heavier and more marked by the stress of pressure4 ,our time was now limited and it seemed to me that there was little chance of reaching open water by forcing a passage either to the east or north4 ,we therefore turned on our tracks and broke south-west back into the ,davis ,sea1 intending to steam westward to the spot where we had so easily entered two weeks previously4 ,on ,february #d the pack to the north was beginning to thin out and to look navigable4 ,several short-cuts were taken across projecting capes1 and then on ,february #e the ',aurora' entered a zone of bergs and broken floe4 ,no one slept well during that night as the ship bumped and ground into the ice which crashed and grated along her stout sides4 ,davis was on watch for long hours1 directing in the crow's nest or down on the bridge1 and throughout the next day we pushed on northwards towards the goal which now meant so much to us--,australia--,home6 ,at four o'clock the sun was glittering on the great ocean outside the pack-ice4 ,many of us climbed up in the rigging to see the fair sight--a prevision of blue skies and the calm delights of a land of eternal summer4 ,our work was finished1 and the good ship was rising at last to the long swell of the southern seas4 ,on ,february #ab1 in latitude #ee degrees ,s1 a strong south-wester drove behind1 and1 with all sails set1 the ',aurora' made eight knots an hour4 ,the last iceberg was seen far away on the eastern horizon4 ,albatrosses followed in our wake1 accompanied by their smaller satellites--,cape hens1 priors1 ,lesson's and ,wilson petrels4 ,before leaving the ice1 ,sandell and ,bickerton had fixed an aerial between the fore and mizen masts1 while the former installed a wireless receiving-apparatus within the narrow limits of his cabin4 ,there was no space on the ship to set up the motor-engine1 dynamos and other instruments necessary for transmitting messages over a long distance4 ,as the nights began to darken1 ,sandell listened eagerly for distant signals1 until on ,february #af1 in latitude #dg degrees ,s1 the calls of three ships in the vicinity of the ,great ,australian ,bight were recognized4 ,after this date news was picked up every night1 and all the items were posted on a morning bulletin pinned up in the ward-room4 ,the first real touch of civilization came unexpectedly early on the morning of ,february #ba4 ,a full-rigged ship on the southern horizon6 ,it might have been an iceberg1 the sails flashed so white in the morning sun4 ,but onward it came with a strong south-wester1 overhauled and passed us1 signalling ',archibald ,russell'1 fifty-four days out from ,buenos ,ayres1 bound for ,cape ,borda4 ,it was too magical to believe4 ,on ,february #bf we gazed on distant cliffs of rock and earth--,kangaroo ,island--and the tiny cluster of dwellings round the lighthouse at ,cape ,borda4 ,then we entered ,st4 ,vincent's ,gulf on a clear1 hot day1 marvelling at the sandy-blue water1 the long1 flat mainland with its clumps of trees and the smoke of many steamers4 ,the welcome home--the voices of innumerable strangers--the hand-grips of many friend--it chokes one--it cannot be uttered6 ,,appendix ,i ,,the ,,staff ,the ,ship's ,officers ,j4 ,k4 ,davis ,master of ,s4 ,y4 ',aurora' and ,second-in ,command of the ,expedition4 ,j4 ,h4 ,blair ,first ,officer during the later stages of the ,expedition4 ,p4 ,gray ,second ,officer4 ,c4 ,p4 de la ,motte ,third ,officer4 ,f4 ,j4 ,gillies ,chief ,engineer4 ,macquarie ,island ,party ,g4 ,f4 ,ainsworth ,leader3 ,meteorologist4 ,l4 ,r4 ,blake ,geologist and ,cartographer4 ,h4 ,hamilton ,biologist4 ,c4 ,a4 ,sandell ,wireless ,operator and ,mechanic4 ,a4 ,j4 ,sawyer ,wireless ,operator4 ,main ,base ,party ,dr4 ,d4 ,mawson ,commander of the ,expedition4 ,lieut4 ,r4 ,bage ,astronomer1 ,assistant ,magnetician and ,recorder of ,tides4 ,c4 ,t4 ,madigan ,meteorologist4 ,lieut4 ,b4 ,e4 ,s4 ,ninnis ,in charge of ,greenland dogs4 ,dr4 ,x4 ,mertz ,in charge of ,greenland dogs4 ,dr4 ,a4 ,l4 ,mc,lean ,chief ,medical ,officer1 ,bacteriologist4 ,f4 ,h4 ,bickerton ,in charge of air-tractor sledge4 ,a4 ,j4 ,hodgeman ,cartographer and ,sketch ,artist4 ,j4 ,f4 ,hurley ,official ,photographer4 ,e4 ,n4 ,webb ,chief ,magnetician4 ,p4 ,e4 ,correll ,mechanic and ,assistant ,physicist4 ,j4 ,g4 ,hunter ,biologist4 ,c4 ,f4 ,laseron ,taxidermist and ,biological ,collector4 ,f4 ,l4 ,stillwell ,geologist4 ,h4 ,d4 ,murphy ,in charge of ,expedition stores4 ,w4 ,h4 ,hannam ,wireless ,operator and ,mechanic4 ,j4 ,h4 ,close ,assistant ,collector4 ,dr4 ,l4 ,a4 ,whetter ,surgeon4 ,western ,base ,party ,f4 ,wild ,leader4 ,a4 ,d4 ,watson ,geologist4 ,dr4 ,s4 ,e4 ,jones ,medical ,officer4 ,c4 ,t4 ,harrisson ,biologist4 ,m4 ,h4 ,moyes ,meteorologist4 ,a4 ,l4 ,kennedy ,magnetician4 ,c4 ,a4 ,hoadley ,geologist4 ,g4 ,dovers ,cartographer4 ,in addition to these were the following gentlemen who accompanied the ,expedition for a portion of the time only or who joined later4 ,s4 ,n4 ,jeffryes ,wireless ,operator1 who relieved ,w4 ,h4 ,hannam during #aiac4 ,e4 ,r4 ,waite 7,curator1 ,canterbury ,museum1 ,christchurch71 ,biologist1 first ,sub-,antarctic cruise of ',aurora'4 ,professor ,t4 ,t4 ,flynn 7,hobart ,university71 ,biologist1 second ,sub-,antarctic cruise of ',aurora'4 ,j4 van ,waterschoot ,marine ,artist1 second ,antarctic cruise of van der ,gracht ',aurora'4 ,captain ,james ,davis ,whaling authority1 second ,antarctic cruise of ',aurora'4 ,c4 ,c4 ,eitel ,secretary1 second ,antarctic cruise of ',aurora'4 ,n4 ,c4 ,toucher1 and later ,served in the capacity of ,chief ,officer ,f4 ,d4 ,fletcher on the ',aurora' during the earlier voyages4 ,,text ,,illustration ,signatures of members of the land parties in ,antarctica and at ,macquarie ,island ,accounts of the members of the expedition1 in alphabetical order4 ,g4 ,f4 ,,ainsworth1 thirty9999 years of age1 single1 was born in ,sydney1 ,new ,south ,wales4 ,his services were loaned to the expedition by the ,commonwealth ,meteorological ,bureau1 ,melbourne4 ,for a period of two years he acted as leader of the ,macquarie ,island ,party1 carrying out the duties of ,meteorologist4 ,in the summer of #aiac-aiad he visited the ,antarctic during the final cruise of the ',aurora'4 9999 ,the ages refer to the date of joining the ,expedition and are but approximate4 ,r4 ,,bage1 twenty-three years of age1 single1 was a graduate in ,engineering of ,melbourne ,university and a lieutenant in the ,royal ,australian ,engineers4 ,a member of the ,main ,base ,party 7,adelie ,land7 and leader of the ,southern ,sledging ,party1 he remained in the ,antarctic for two years4 ,during the first year he was in charge of chronometers1 astronomical observations and tidal records1 and throughout the second year continued the magnetic work and looked after stores4 ,f4 ,h4 ,,bickerton1 ,f4,r4,g4,s41 twenty-two years of age1 single1 was born at ,oxford1 ,england4 ,had studied engineering3 joined the ,expedition as ,electrical ,engineer and ,motor ,expert4 ,a member of the ,main ,base ,party and leader of the ,western ,sledging ,party1 he remained in the ,antarctic for two years1 during which time he was in charge of the air-tractor sledge1 and was engineer to the wireless station4 ,for a time1 during the second year1 he was in complete charge of the wireless plant4 ,j4 ,h4 ,,blair1 twenty-four years of age1 single1 was born in ,scotland4 ,for five years he served with the ,loch ,line of ,glasgow as apprentice and third mate4 ,as second mate he joined ,a4 ,currie and ,company1 of ,melbourne1 in the ,australian-,indian trade1 reaching the rank of first mate1 in which capacity he acted during the final ,antarctic cruise of the ',aurora' in the summer of #aiac-ad4 ,l4 ,r4 ,,blake1 twenty-one years of age1 single1 was born in ,england1 but had lived for many years in ,queensland previous to joining the ,expedition4 ,before accompanying the ,macquarie ,island ,party as ,geologist and ,cartographer1 he obtained leave from the ,geological ,survey ,department1 ,brisbane4 ,he visited the ,antarctic during the final cruise of the ',aurora' in the summer of #aiac-aiad4 ,j4 ,h4 ,close1 ,f4,r4,g4,s41 forty years of age1 married1 was born in ,sydney1 ,new ,south ,wales4 ,during the ,south ,african ,war he saw active service in ,rhodesia1 and at the time of the ,expedition's departure was a teacher of physical culture at ,sydney4 ,a member of the ,main ,base ,party 7,adelie ,land7 and of several sledging parties1 he spent two summers and one winter in the ,antarctic4 ,p4 ,e4 ,,correll1 nineteen years of age1 single1 was a student in ,science of the ,adelaide ,university4 ,he joined the ,expedition as ,mechanician and ,assistant ,physicist4 ,he was a member of the ,main ,base ,party accompanying the ,eastern ,coastal ,party during their sledging journey4 ,he spent three summers and one winter in the ,antarctic1 acting as colour photographer during the final cruise of the ',aurora'4 ,j4 ,e4 ,,davis1 twenty-eight years of age1 single1 was master of the ',aurora' and ,second-in-,command of the ,expedition4 ,born in ,ireland and educated in ,england1 he served his apprenticeship on the ,liverpool owned sailing-ship1 ',celtic ,chief'1 obtaining his certificate as second mate before joining the barque ',westland' trading between ,england and ,new ,zealand4 ,his next post was that of second officer on the training ship ',port ,jackson'1 following which he joined ,sir ,ernest ,shackleton's ,expedition 7#aijg-aiji7 as chief officer of the ',nimrod'1 acting subsequently as master4 ,throughout the whole period of the ,australasian ,antarctic ,expedition 7#aiaa-aiad7 ,captain ,j4 ,k4 ,davis commanded the ',aurora' during five cruises4 ,g4 ,,dovers1 twenty-one years of age1 single1 of ,sydney1 ,new ,south ,wales1 was completing his term for ,licensed ,surveyor in the service of the ,commonwealth ,government when he joined the ,expedition4 ,he was in the ,antarctic for two summers and one winter1 being stationed with the ,western ,party 7,queen ,mary ,land74 ,a member of several sledging parties1 he acted as ,cartographer to the party which reached ,gaussberg4 ,f4 ,j4 ,,gillies1 thirty-five years of age1 single1 was born at ,cardiff1 ,wales4 ,he served his apprenticeship as an engineer on the steamers of ,john ,shearman and ,company and ,p4 ,baker and ,company of ,cardiff4 ,for six years previous to joining the ,expedition he was in the ,indian trade4 ,throughout the five cruises of the ',aurora' between #aiaa and #aiad ,f4 ,j4 ,gillies was ,chief ,engineer4 ,p4 ,,gray1 twenty-two years of age1 single1 was born and educated in ,england4 ,he served on the ',worcester' as cadet captain for eighteen months and as apprentice on the ',archibald ,russell'1 of ,glasgow1 and in the ,new ,zealand ,shipping ,company4 ,in #aiji he entered the ,peninsula and ,oriental ,company and reached the rank of third officer1 joining the ,australasian ,antarctic ,expedition as second officer of the ',aurora'4 ,throughout five cruises1 from #aiaa to #aiad1 he served in this capacity4 ,h4 ,,hamilton1 twenty-six years of age1 single1 was born at ,napier1 ,new ,zealand4 ,graduate of the ,otago ,university4 ,besides being employed on the ,new ,zealand ,geological ,survey1 he acted as ,entomological ,collector to the ,dominion ,museum at ,wellington4 ,a member of the ,macquarie ,island ,party1 of which he was the ,biologist for two years1 ,h4 ,hamilton visited the ,antarctic during the final cruise of the ',aurora' in the summer of #aiac-aiad4 ,w4 ,h4 ,,hannam1 twenty-six years of age1 single1 was of ,sydney1 ,new ,south ,wales1 and joined the ,expedition in charge of the arrangements for a wireless telegraphic system4 ,he was in the ,antarctic at the ,main ,base 7,adelie ,land7 for two summers and a winter1 and was successful in transmitting wireless messages for a short time during #aiab through ,macquarie ,island to ,australia1 assistant magnetician for a time4 ,c4 ,t4 ,,harrisson1 forty-three years of age1 married1 was born in ,hobart1 ,tasmania4 ,for many years previous to joining the ,expedition he had done illustrative and artistic work and had been engaged on a survey and in botanical and other scientific observations on the west coast of ,tasmania4 ,stationed with the ,western ,base 7,queen ,mary ,land7 he acted as ,biologist and ,artist1 accompanying ,f4 ,wild on his main eastern journey and several other sledging parties4 ,c4 ,a4 ,,hoadley1 twenty-four years of age1 single1 was a graduate in ,mining ,engineering of ,melbourne ,university4 ,a member of ,f4 ,wild's ,western ,party 7,queen ,mary ,land71 he took part in several sledging journeys and was ,geologist of the party who explored westwards to ,gaussberg4 ,a4 ,j4 ,,hodgeman1 twenty-six years of age1 single1 was born at ,adelaide1 ,south ,australia4 ,for four years he was an articled architect1 and for five years a draughtsman in the ,works and ,buildings ,department1 ,adelaide4 ,a member of the ,main ,base ,party 7,adelie ,land71 he took part in several sledging journeys1 and throughout two years in the ,antarctic acted in the capacity of ,cartographer and ,sketch ,artist1 as well as that of ,assistant ,meteorologist4 ,j4 ,g4 ,,hunter1 twenty-three years of age1 single1 was a graduate in ,science of ,sydney ,university1 ,new ,south ,wales4 ,a member of the ,main ,base ,party 7,adelie ,land7 he carried on the work of ,biologist during two summers and one winter2 and in the same capacity accompanied the ',aurora' in her final summer cruise #aiaa-aiad4 ,j4 ,f4 ,,hurley1 twenty-four years of age1 single1 was of ,sydney1 ,new ,south ,wales4 ,he had been the recipient of many amateur and professional awards for photographic work before joining the ,expedition4 ,at the ,main ,base he obtained excellent photographic and cinematographic records and was one of the three members of the ,southern ,sledging ,party4 ,he was also present on the final cruise of the ',aurora'4 ,s4 ,n4 ,,jeffryes1 twenty-seven years of age1 single1 of ,towoomba1 ,queensland1 was a qualified operator of the ,australasian ,wireless ,company4 ,during the second year 7#aiac7 he took ,w4 ,h4 ,hannam's place in charge of the wireless plant1 wintering at the ,main ,base 7,adelie ,land74 ,s4 ,e4 ,,jones1 twenty-four years of age1 single1 was a graduate in ,medicine of ,sydney ,university1 ,new ,south ,wales4 ,a member and ,medical ,officer of ,f4 ,wild's ,western ,base 7,queen ,mary ,land71 he took part in several sledging journeys during #aiab and was leader of the party who explored westward to ,gaussberg4 ,a4 ,l4 ,,kennedy1 twenty-two years of age1 single1 was a student in ,science of ,adelaide ,university1 ,south ,australia4 ,receiving special tuition1 he acted as ,magnetician at the ,western ,base 7,queen ,mary ,land7 during the year #aiab4 ,he was a member of several sledging parties and accompanied ,f4 ,wild on his main eastern journey as ,cartographer4 ,c4 ,f4 ,,laseron1 twenty-five years of age1 single1 had gained a ,diploma in ,geology at the ,technical ,college1 ,sydney1 ,new ,south ,wales1 and for some years was ,collector to the ,technological ,museum4 ,at the ,main ,base 7,adelie ,land71 during #aiab1 he acted as ,taxidermist and general ,collector1 taking part1 as well1 in sledging journeys to the south and east of ,winter ,quarters4 ,c4 ,t4 ,,madigan1 twenty-three years of age1 single1 was a graduate in ,science 7,mining ,engineering7 of ,adelaide ,university1 ,south ,australia4 ,through the courtesy of the ,trustees of the ,rhodes ,scholarship1 the necessary leave to accompany the ,expedition was granted just as he was on the eve of continuing his studies at ,oxford ,university4 ,a member of the ,main ,base ,party 7,adelie ,land7 he acted as ,meteorologist for two years1 and during the second year 7#aiac7 was also in charge of the ,greenland dogs4 ,an important journey in the spring and one to the east in the summer were made under his leadership1 and the ,party1 left in ,adelie ,land in #aiac1 was to have been under his charge1 but for my return4 ,d4 ,,mawson1 thirty years of age1 single1 was the ,organiser and ,leader of the ,australasian ,antarctic ,expedition and was1 previous to it1 a member of ,sir ,ernest ,shackleton's ,antarctic ,expedition of #aijg-aiji1 being one of the party under ,professor ,david which reached the ,south ,magnetic ,pole4 ,a graduate in ,science and ,engineering of ,sydney and ,adelaide ,universities1 he had filled for some time the post of ,lecturer in ,mineralogy and ,petrology at the ,adelaide ,university4 ,the only survivor of a party sledging to the east from the ,main ,base in the summer of #aiab-aiac4 ,a4 ,l4 ,mc,l,e,a,n1 twenty-six years of age1 single1 was a graduate in ,arts and ,medicine of ,sydney ,university2 ,new ,south ,wales4 ,he acted as ,chief ,medical ,officer at the ,main ,base 7,adelie ,land7 and carried out observations in ,bacteriology and ,physiology during the first year4 ,in #aiac 7the second year7 he was ,biologist1 ,ice-,carrier and ,editor of the ',adelie ,blizzard'4 ,he took part in a sledging journey along the eastern coast in the summer of #aiab-aiac4 ,x4 ,,mertz1 twenty-eight years of age1 single1 of ,basle1 ,switzerland1 was a graduate in ,law of the ,universities of ,leipzig and ,berne4 ,prior to joining the ,expedition he had gained the ,ski-running ,championship of ,switzerland and was an experienced mountaineer4 ,at the ,main ,base 7,adelie ,land7 he was assisted by ,b4 ,e4 ,s4 ,ninnis in the care of the ,greenland dogs4 ,on ,january #g1 #aiac1 during a sledging journey1 he lost his life1 one hundred miles south-east of ,winter ,quarters4 ,c4 ,p4 ,,de ,,la ,,motte1 nineteen years of age1 single1 of ,bulli1 ,new ,south ,wales1 had early training at sea on the barque ',northern ,chief' of ,new ,zealand1 obtaining his certificate as second mate in ,march #aiaa4 ,during the eight months prior to joining the ,expedition he served as fourth officer on the ,s4,s4 ',warrimoo' of the ,union ,steamship ,company of ,new ,zealand4 ,throughout the five cruises of the ',aurora' between #aiaa and #aiad1 ,c4 ,p4 de la ,motte was third officer with the ,ship's party4 ,m4 ,h4 ,,moyes1 twenty-five years of age1 single1 of ,koolunga1 ,south ,australia1 was a graduate in ,science of ,adelaide ,university4 ,with the ,western ,base ,party 7,queen ,mary ,land7 he acted as ,meteorologist and took part in several sledging journeys in the autumn and spring of #aiab4 ,during the summer of #aiab-aiac1 through an unavoidable accident1 he was left to carry on work alone at ,winter ,quarters for a period of nine weeks4 ,h4 ,d4 ,,murphy1 thirty-two years of age1 single1 of ,melbourne1 one-time ,scholar in ,history of ,oxford ,university4 ,at the outset he was to have been leader of a third ,antarctic ,base which was eventually amalgamated with the ,main ,base 7,adelie ,land74 ,here he had charge of the stores and during the early summer of #aiab was leader of the ,southern ,supporting ,party4 ,b4 ,e4 ,s4 ,,ninnis1 twenty-three years of age1 single1 was educated at ,dulwich1 ,england1 and entered ,his ,majesty's ,army1 having a commission as ,lieutenant in the ,royal ,fusiliers prior to joining the ,expedition in ,london4 ,at the ,main ,base 7,adelie ,land7 he was assisted by ,x4 ,mertz in the care of the ,greenland dogs4 ,on ,december #ad1 #aiab1 while on a sledging journey1 he lost his life by falling into a crevasse three hundred miles east of ,winter ,quarters4 ,c4 ,a4 ,,sandell1 twenty-five years of age1 single1 of ,surrey1 ,england1 studied electrical engineering for some years and then came to ,australia in #aiji and entered the ,commonwealth ,branch of ,telephony4 ,having a practical knowledge of wireless telegraphy he joined the ,expedition as a ,wireless ,operator and ,mechanic and was stationed with the ,macquarie ,island ,party for two years4 ,after the departure of ,a4 ,j4 ,sawyer in ,august #aiac1 he was in complete charge of the wireless station4 ,c4 ,a4 ,sandell visited the ,antarctic during the final cruise of the ',aurora' in the summer of #aiac-aiad4 ,a4 ,j4 ,,sawyer1 twenty-six years of age1 single1 was born in ,new ,zealand4 ,having had considerable experience in wireless telegraphy1 he joined the ,expedition as an operator from the ,australasian ,wireless ,company4 ,at the ,macquarie ,island ,station he was chief wireless until ,august #aiac1 when on account of illness he returned to ,new ,zealand4 ,f4 ,l4 ,,stillwell1 twenty-three years of age1 single1 was a graduate in ,science of ,melbourne ,university1 ,victoria4 ,a member of the ,main ,base ,party 7,adelie ,land7 he acted as ,geologist4 ,f4 ,l4 ,stillwell was leader of two sledging parties who did detail work for about sixty miles along the coast eastward of ,winter ,quarters4 ,a4 ,d4 ,,watson1 twenty-four years of age1 single1 was a graduate in ,science of ,sydney ,university1 ,new ,south ,wales4 ,a member of the ,western ,base ,party 7,queen ,mary ,land7 he acted as ,geologist4 ,a4 ,d4 ,watson took part in several sledging journeys1 accompanying ,f4 ,wild in his main eastern trip during the summer of #aiab-aiac4 ,e4 ,n4 ,,webb1 twenty-two years of age1 single1 was an ,associate of ,civil ,engineering of ,canterbury ,university ,college1 and1 for the five months previous to joining the ,expedition1 carried out magnetic observations under the ,carnegie ,institute of ,washington1 ,u4,s4,a4 ,at the ,main ,base 7,adelie ,land7 ,e4 ,n4 ,webb was ,chief ,magnetician1 accompanying the ,southern ,sledging ,party4 ,l4 ,a4 ,,whetter1 twenty-nine years of age1 single4 ,he graduated at ,otago ,university1 ,new ,zealand1 and joined the ,expedition as ,surgeon1 acting in that capacity at the ,main ,base 7,adelie ,land7 during #aiab4 ,he accompanied a sledging party which explored to the westward of ,winter ,quarters4 ,f4 ,,wild1 thirty-eight years of age1 single1 was ,leader of the ,western ,base ,party 7,queen ,mary ,land74 ,he joined the ,merchant ,service in #ahhi and the ,navy in #aijj1 served on an extended sledge journey during the ,national ,antarctic ,expedition 7,capt4 ,r4 ,f4 ,scott7 of #aija-aijd1 and was one of the ,southern ,party of ,sir ,ernest ,shackleton's ,expedition from #aijg-aiji4 ,during the ,australasian ,expedition he opened up a new tract of country--,queen ,mary ,land4 ,i desire to make special mention of the ,ship's ,party who faced the rigorous conditions of ,antarctica and the stormy ,southern ,ocean1 during five separate voyages1 with a cheerfulness and devotion to duty which will always stand to their lasting credit4 ,in regions of heavy pack-ice and sudden blizzard winds1 ,captain ,davis piloted the ,ship safely through many situations of extreme danger4 ,in a report to me on the work of the ,ship he writes an appreciative note3-- ,i wish to draw particular attention to the loyal way in which the officers and men of the ',aurora' supported me4 ,messrs4 ,toucher1 ,fletcher1 ,blair1 ,gray1 de la ,motte1 and ,gillies1 in their respective positions1 carried out the duties assigned to them with ability and cheerfulness1 often under very trying conditions4 ,mr4 ,gillies not only looked after the engines but assisted materially in the deep-sea work by the invention of a new form of sounding driver which was used successfully during the various cruises of the ',aurora'4 ,the ,chief ,officer was in charge of the stores and equipment of the ,expedition on board the vessel1 in addition to his ordinary executive duties4 ,messrs4 ,toucher1 ,fletcher and ,blair served in this capacity on different voyages4 ,mr4 ,p4 ,gray1 as ,second and ,navigating ,officer1 and ,mr4 ,c4 ,p4 de la ,motte1 as ,third ,officer1 acted capably and thoroughly throughout the ,expedition4 ,,appendix ,,ii ,scientific ,work ,it should be remarked that there is no intention of furnishing anything more than a suggestion of the general trend of the scientific observations of the ,expedition4 ,the brief statement made below indicates the broad lines on which the work was conducted and in some cases the ground which was actually covered4 ,it may thus give the general reader a clue to the nature of the scientific volumes which will serve to record permanently the results amassed during a period of more than two years4 ,terrestrial ,magnetism #a4 ,field ,work4 7a7 ,dip determinations were made at ,macquarie ,island1 on the eastern and southern journeys from the ,main ,base 7,adelie ,land7 and on a short journey from the ,western ,base 7,queen ,mary ,land74 7b7 ,declination by theodolite observations was determined at ,macquarie ,island and at intervals on all sledging journeys in the ,antarctic4 7c7 ,rough observations of magnetic variation were made daily on the ',aurora' during her five cruises4 #b4 ,station ,work4 7a7 ,regular magnetograph records were kept at the ,main ,base 7,adelie ,land7 for a period of eighteen months4 ,a system of term days for quick runs was also followed2 ,melbourne1 ,christchurch1 and other stations co operating4 ,in connexion with the magnetograph work1 ,webb conducted regular1 absolute observations throughout the year #aiab4 ,bage continued the magnetograph records for a further six months in #aiac1 observed term days1 and took absolute observations4 7b7 ,at the ,western ,base 7,queen ,mary ,land7 ,kennedy kept term days in the winter1 using a magnetometer and dip-circle4 ,biology #a4 ,station ,collections4 7a7 ,at ,macquarie ,island1 ,hamilton worked for two years amongst a rich fauna and a scanty but interesting flora4 ,amongst other discoveries a finch indigenous to ,macquarie ,island was found4 7b7 ,in ,adelie ,land1 ,hunter1 assisted by ,laseron1 secured a large biological collection1 notwithstanding the continuous bad weather4 ,dredgings from depths down to fifty fathoms were made during the winter4 ,the eggs of practically all the flying birds known along ,antarctic shores were obtained1 including those of the silver-grey petrel and the ,antarctic petrel1 which were not previously known2 also a variety of prion1 of an unrecorded species1 together with its eggs4 7c7 ,at the ,western ,base 7,queen ,mary ,land7 eggs of the ,antarctic and other petrels were found1 and a large rookery of ,emperor penguins was located2 the second on record4 ,harrisson1 working under difficulties1 succeeded in trapping some interesting fish on the bottom in two hundred and fifty fathoms of water4 #b4 ,ship ,collections4 7a7 ,a collection made by ,mr4 ,e4 ,r4 ,waite1 ,curator of the ,canterbury ,museum1 on the first ,sub-,antarctic cruise4 7b7 ,a collection made by ,professor ,t4 ,t4 ,flynn1 of ,hobart1 on the second ,sub-,antarctic cruise4 7c7 ,a collection made by ,hunter1 assisted by ,hamilton1 in ,antarctic waters during the summer of #aiac-aiad4 ,this comprised deep-sea dredgings at eleven stations in depths down to one thousand eight hundred fathoms and regular tow-nettings1 frequently serial1 to depths of two hundred fathoms4 ,six specimens of the rare ,ross seal were secured4 ,a large collection of external and internal parasites was made from birds1 seals and fish4 ,geology 7a7 ,a geological examination of ,macquarie ,island was made by ,blake4 ,the older rocks were found to be all igneous4 ,the ,island has been overridden in comparatively recent times by an ice-cap travelling from west to east4 7b7 ,geological collections at the ,main ,base4 ,in ,adelie ,land the rocky outcrops are metamorphic sediments and gneisses4 ,in ,king ,george ,v ,land there is a formation similar to the ,beacon sandstones and dolerites of the ,ross ,sea1 with which carbonaceous shales and coaly strata are associated4 7c7 ,stillwell met with a great range of minerals and rocks in the terminal moraine near ,winter ,quarters1 ,adelie ,land4 ,amongst them was red sandstone in abundance1 suggesting that the ,beacon sandstone formation extends also throughout ,adelie ,land but is hidden by the ice-cap4 ,a solitary stony meteorite was found by a sledging party lying on the ice of the plateau4 7d7 ,in the collections made by ,watson and ,hoadley at the ,western ,base 7,queen ,mary ,land7 gneisses and schists were ascertained to be the predominant types4 7e7 ,a collection of erratics was brought up by the deep-sea trawl in the course of dredgings in ,antarctic waters4 ,glaciology 7a7 ,observations of the pack-ice1 coastal glaciers and shelf-ice from the ',aurora' during her three ,antarctic cruises4 7b7 ,observations of the niveous and glacial features met with on the sledging journeys from both ,antarctic bases4 ,meteorology 7a7 ,two years' observations at ,macquarie ,island by ,ainsworth 7b7 ,two years' observations in ,adelie ,land by ,madigan4 7c7 ,one year's observations in ,queen ,mary ,land by ,moyes4 7d7 ,observations by the ,ship on each of her five voyages4 7e7 ,observations during the many sledging journeys from both ,antarctic ,bases4 ,bacteriology1 etc4 ,in ,adelie ,land1 ,mc,lean carried out many months of steady work in ,bacteriology1 ,haematology and ,physiology4 ,tides ,self-recording instruments were run at ,macquarie ,island by ,ainsworth and at ,adelie ,land by ,bage4 ,wireless and ,auroral ,observations ,a very close watch was kept upon auroral phenomena with interesting results1 especially in their relation to the permeability of the ether to wireless waves4 ,geographical ,results #a4 ,the successful navigation by the ',aurora' of the ,antarctic pack ice in a fresh sphere of action1 where the conditions were practically unknown1 resulting in the discovery of new lands and islands4 #b4 ,journeys were made over the sea-ice and on the coastal and upland plateau in regions hitherto unsurveyed4 ,at the ,main ,base 7,adelie ,land7 the journeys aggregated two thousand four hundred miles1 and at the ,western ,base 7,queen ,mary ,land7 the aggregate was eight hundred miles4 ,these figures do not include depot journeys1 the journeys of supporting parties1 or the many miles of relay work4 ,the land was mapped in through #cc degrees of longitude1 #bg degrees of which were covered by sledging parties4 #c4 ,the employment of wireless telegraphy in the fixation of a fundamental meridian in ,adelie ,land4 #d4 ,the mapping of ,macquarie ,island4 ,,text ,,illustrations ,a ,section of the ,antarctic ,plateau from the ,coast to a ,point ,three ,hundred ,miles ,inland1 along the ,route followed by the ,southern ,sledging ,party 7,adelie ,land7 ,a ,section across the ,antarctic ,continent through the ,south ,magnetic ,pole from the ,d',urville ,sea to the ,ross ,sea2 ,compiled from ,observations made by the ,british ,antarctic ,expedition 7#aijg-aiji7 and by the ,australian ,antarctic ,expedition 7#aiaa-aiad7 ,oceanography #a4 ,by soundings the fringe of the ,antarctic ,continent as well as the ,continental ,shelf has been indicated through #ee degrees of longitude4 #b4 ,the configuration of the floor of the ocean southward of ,australia and between ,macquarie ,island and the ,auckland ,islands has been broadly ascertained4 #c4 ,much has been done in the matter of sea-water temperatures and salinities4 ,,text ,,illustrations ,a ,section of the ,floor of the ,southern ,ocean between ,tasmania and ,king ,george ,v ,land ,a ,section of the ,floor of the ,southern ,ocean between ,western ,australia and ,queen ,mary ,land ,,appendix ,ill ,an ,historical ,summary9999 9999 ,for this compilation reference has been largely made to ,dr4 ,h4 ,r4 ,mill's ,the ,siege of the ,south ,pole4 ,several doubtful voyages during the early part of the nineteenth century have been omitted4 #agge4 ,james ,cook circumnavigated the ,globe in high southern latitudes1 discovering the sub-antarctic island of ,south ,georgia4 ,he was the first to cross the ,antarctic ,circle4 #ahai4 ,william ,smith1 the master of a merchant vessel trading between ,montevideo and ,valparaiso1 discovered the ,south ,shetland ,islands4 #ahai4 ,fabian ,gottlieb von ,bellingshausen1 despatched in command of an ,expedition by the ,emperor1 ,alexander ,i of ,russia1 with instructions to supplement the voyage of ,captain ,cook1 circumnavigated the ,antarctic continent in high southern latitudes4 ,the first discovery of land south of the ,antarctic ,circle was made1 namely1 ,peter ,i ,island and ,alexander ,i ,land 7also an island71 in the ,american ,quadrant of ,antarctica4 #ahbj4 ,nathaniel ,palmer1 master of an ,american sealing-vessel1 sighted new land to the south of the ,south ,shetland ,islands4 ,it seems clear that he was the first to view what is now known as the ,palmer ,archipelago 7#ahbj-ba74 #ahbc4 ,james ,weddell1 a ,british sealer1 sailing southward of the ,atlantic ,ocean1 reached #gd degrees #ae' south latitude in the ,american ,quadrant1 establishing a farthest south record4 #ahcj4 ,john ,biscoe1 a whaling master of the ,british firm of ,enderby ,brothers1 sailed on a voyage circumnavigating the ,antarctic ,regions4 ,enderby ,land was discovered south of the ,west ,indian ,ocean in the ,african ,quadrant of ,antarctica4 ,this was apparently a part of the ,antarctic continent4 ,new land was also met with to the south of ,america and charted as ,graham's ,land1 ,biscoe ,island and ,adelaide ,island4 ,kemp1 a sailing master of ,enderby ,brothers1 extended ,biscoe's discoveries shortly after by the report of land east of1 and adjacent to1 ,enderby ,land4 ,neither of these discoveries has yet been proved1 though ,enderby ,land 7,biscoe7 undoubtedly exists4 #ahci4 ,john ,balleny1 another of ,enderby's whaling captains1 discovered the ,balleny ,islands within the ,antarctic ,circle1 in the ,australian ,quadrant of ,antarctica1 and gave a vague description of an appearance of land to the westward4 ,this has been charted on maps1 without adequate evidence1 as ,sabrina ,land4 ,,text ,,illustration ,antarctic ,land ,discoveries ,preceding #ahch ,note4 ,this and the two following maps of the series illustrate land discoveries only4 ,in cases where the existence of land once reported has since been disproved no record at all is shown #ahcg4 ,jules ,sebastian ,cesar ,dumont ,d',urville1 was despatched by ,king ,louis ,philippe of ,france for the prosecution of scientific researches on a voyage round the ,world4 ,his cruise in the ,antarctic resulted in the charting of ,joinville ,island and ,louis ,philippe ,land to the south of ,america 7,american ,quadrant7 and the discovery of a portion of the ,antarctic continent1 named ,adelie ,land1 southward of ,australia 7,australian ,quadrant74 #ahch4 ,charles ,wilkes1 ,united ,states ,navy1 in accordance with a bill passed by ,congress1 set out on an exploring expedition to circumnavigate the ,world4 ,his programme included the investigation of the area of the ,antarctic to the south of ,australia--the ,australian ,quadrant4 ,the squadron composing this ,american expedition first visited the ,antarctic regions in the ,american ,quadrant1 and then proceeded eastward round to the ,australian ,quadrant from which1 after a long cruise1 they returned1 reporting land at frequent intervals in the vicinity of the ,antarctic ,circle between longitudes #aeg degrees #df' ,e4 and #ajf degrees #ai' ,e4 ,he shares with ,d',urville the full honour of the discovery of ,adelie ,land4 ,some of the supposed landfalls known to be non-existent4 #ahci4 ,james ,clark ,ross proceeded south in charge of a scientific expedition fitted out by the ,admiralty at the instance of the ,british ,association for the ,advancement of ,science and approved of by the ,royal ,society4 ,his aim was to circumnavigate the ,antarctic regions and to investigate the ,weddell ,sea4 ,the geographical results were fruitful2 the ,ross ,sea1 the ,admiralty ,range and the ,great ,ice ,barrier were discovered and some eight hundred miles of ,antarctic coastline were broadly delineated4 #ahdd4 ,t4 ,e4 ,l4 ,moore was detailed by the ,admiralty to supplement the magnetic work of ,ross and to explore to the southward of ,africa and of the ,indian ,ocean1 but no additions were made to geographical knowledge4 #ahgb4 ,eduard ,dallmann1 whilst engaged in whaling with a ,german steamer to the southward of ,america1 added some details to the map of the ,palmer ,archipelago but did not go further south than #fd degrees #de' ,s4 ,iatitude4 #ahgd4 ,the ',challenger' scientific expedition1 under the command of ,george ,strong ,nares1 in the course of their voyage from the ,cape to ,australia during the circumnavigation of the ,world penetrated within the ,antarctic ,circle in longitude #gh degrees #bb' ,e4 #ahib4 ,a fleet of four ,scottish whalers cruised through the north western part of the ,weddell ,sea4 ,scientific observations were made by ,w4 ,s4 ,bruce and others1 but no geographical discoveries were recorded4 #ahib4 ,c4 ,a4 ,larsen1 master of a ,hamburg whaler1 added important details to the geography of the ,american ,quadrant of ,antarctica on the western side of the ,weddell ,sea4 #ahid4 ,evensen1 master of another ,hamburg whaler1 brought back further information of the ,american ,quadrant on the ,pacific ,ocean side4 #ahie4 ,h4 ,j4 ,bull organized a whaling venture and with ,leonard ,kristensen1 master of the ship1 revisited the ,ross ,sea area where a landing was made at ,cape ,adare 7,australian ,quadrant74 ,this was the first occasion on which any human being had set foot on the ,antarctic continent4 ,,text ,,illustration ,antarctic land ,discoveries ,preceding #ahif 7,a4 ,j4 ,hodgeman7 #ahig4 ,adrien de ,gerlache sailed from ,belgium on a scientific exploring expedition to the ,american ,quadrant4 ,important additions were made to the map1 but the ship became frozen into the pack-ice and drifted about for a whole year south of the ,antarctic ,circle4 ,the members of this expedition were the first to experience an ,antarctic winter4 ,antarctic exploration now entered upon a new era4 #ahih4 ,carstens ,egeberg ,borchgrevink led an expedition1 fitted out by ,sir ,george ,newnes2 its objective being the ,ross ,sea area4 ,further details were added to the map1 but the most notable fact was that the expedition wintered at ,cape ,adare1 on the mainland itself4 ,the ,great ,ross ,barrier was determined to be thirty miles south of the position assigned by ,ross in #ahci4 #ahih4 ,chun of ,leipsig1 in charge of the ',valdivia' ,expedition1 carried out oceanographical researches far to the south1 in the vicinity of ,enderby ,land 7,african ,quadrant71 though he did not come within sight of the continent4 #aija4 ,robert ,falcon ,scott1 in command of the ',discovery' ,expedition1 organised by the ,royal ,geographical ,society and ,royal ,society with the co-operation of the ,admiralty1 in accordance with a scheme of international endeavour1 passed two winters at the southern extremity of the ,ross ,sea and carried out many successful sledging journeys4 ,their main geographical achievements were3 the discovery of ,king ,edward ,,vii ,land2 several hundred miles of new land on a farthest south sledging journey to latitude #hb degrees #ag' ,s42 the discovery of the ,antarctic plateau2 additional details and original contributions to the geography of the lands and islands of the ,ross ,sea4 #aija4 ,a ,german national expedition1 led by ,erich von ,drygalski1 set out for the region south of the ,indian ,ocean4 ,after a small party had been stationed on ,kerguelen ,island1 the main party proceeded south close to the tracks of the ,challenger4 ,they came within sight of ,antarctic shores but were frozen into the pack-ice for a whole year4 ,kaiser ,wilhelm ,,ii ,land was discovered close to the junction between the ,australian and ,african ,quadrants4 #aija4 ,a ,swedish national expedition1 planned and led by ,otto ,nordenskjold1 wintered for two years on ,snow ,hill ,island in the ,american ,quadrant1 and did much valuable scientific work4 #aijb4 ,william ,speirs ,bruce organized and led a ,scottish expedition to the ,weddell ,sea1 southward of the ,atlantic ,ocean4 ,the party effected notable oceanographic researches and wintered at the ,south ,orkney ,islands1 but were foiled in their attempt to penetrate the pack-ice4 ,during the second season1 conditions were more favourable and the ship reached ,coats ,land in #gd degrees #a' ,s4 ,iatitude4 #aijc4 ,jean ,charcot organized and led a ,french expedition to the ,american ,quadrant and there added many details to the existing chart4 #aijg4 ,ernest ,henry ,shackleton organized and led a ,british expedition with the main object of reaching the ,south ,geographical ,pole4 ,his party wintered at ,cape ,royds1 ,mc,murdo ,sound1 and two main sledging parties set out in the early summer4 ,e4 ,h4 ,shackleton's party ascended the ,antarctic plateau and penetrated to within ninety seven geographical miles of the ,south ,pole1 discovering new land beyond ,scott's farthest south4 ,t4 ,w4 ,edgeworth ,david's party reached the ,south ,magnetic ,polar ,area1 filling in many details of the western coast of ,mc,murdo ,sound4 #aijh4 ,jean ,charcot organized and led a second ,french expedition to extend the work accomplished in #aijc in the ,american ,quadrant4 ,he was successful in discovering new land still further to the south4 ,loubet1 ,fallieres and ,charcot ,lands1 towards and beyond ,alexander ,i ,land1 were added to the map of ,antarctica4 #aiaj4 ,roald ,amundsen organized an expedition for scientific research in the vicinity of the ,north ,pole but changed his plans1 eventually heading for the ,south ,pole4 ,the expedition wintered on the ,ross ,barrier near ,king ,edward ,,vii ,land1 from which point he set out and attained the ,south ,geographical ,pole1 mapping in new land on the way4 ,another party visited ,king ,edward ,,vii ,land4 #aiaj4 ,robert ,falcon ,scott led a second ,antarctic expedition1 the main object of which was to reach the ,south ,geographical ,pole4 ,the principal party wintered near his old winter quarters at ,hut ,point1 ,mc,murdo ,sound4 ,a second party was landed at ,cape ,adare4 ,scott reached the ,pole soon after the ,norwegian ,amundsen1 but he and his party perished on the return journey4 ,other parties added details to the map of ,victoria ,land4 ,oates ,land was sighted from the ship to the westward of ,cape ,adare in the ,australian ,quadrant4 #aiaj4 ,a ,japanese expedition sailed to the ,ross ,sea1 but on account of the lateness of the season was forced to turn back without landing4 ,the winter was spent at ,sydney1 ,new ,south ,wales4 ,next year a summer visit was made to the ,south1 but no additional land discoveries were made4 #aiaa4 ,a ,german expedition1 led by ,wilhelm ,filchner1 proceeded to the ,weddell ,sea2 the ,south ,pole being its objective4 ,the party succeeded in reaching further south in that region than any previous navigators and discovered new land1 to be named ,prince ,luitpold ,land4 ,they were driven northwards amongst the pack in a blizzard and spent the winter frozen in south of ,coats ,land4 ,,text ,,illustration ,a ,map of the ,antarctic ,regions as ,known at the ,present ,day #aiae ,,appendix ,,iv ,glossary ,oceanography4 ,the study of the ocean1 including the shape and character of its bed1 the temperature and salinity of the water at various depths1 the force and set of its currents1 and the nature of the creatures and plants which haunt its successive zones4 ,neve4 n1e acute1 v1 e acute ,the compacted snow of a snow-field2 a stage in the transition between soft1 loose snow and glacier-ice4 ,sastrugi4 ,the waves caused by continuous winds blowing across the surface of an expanse of snow4 ,these waves vary in size according to the force and continuity of the wind and the compactness of the snow4 ,the word is of ,russian derivation 7from zastruga sing41 zastrugi pl4 71 denoting snow-waves or the irregularities on the surface of roughly-planed wood4 ,ice-foot4 ,a sheath of ice adhering along the shores of polar lands4 ,the formation may be composed of attached remnants of floe-ice1 frozen sea-spray and drift-snow4 ,nunatak4 ,an island-like outcrop of rock projecting through a sheet of enveloping land-ice4 ,shelf-ice4 ,a thick1 floating1 fresh water ice-formation pushing out from the land and continuous with an extensive glacier4 ,narrow prolongations or peninsulas of the shelf-ice may be referred to as ice-tongues or glacier-tongues4 ,barrier is a term which has been rather loosely applied in the literature of ,antarctic ,exploration4 ,formerly it was used to describe a formation1 which is mainly shelf-ice1 known as the ,great ,ross ,barrier4 ,confusion arose when ,barrier came to be applied to the seaward ice-cliff 7resting on rock7 of an extensive sheet of land-ice and when it was also employed to designate a line of consolidated pack-ice4 ,spelt with a small b the term is a convenient one1 so long as it carries its ordinary meaning2 it seems unnecessary to give it a technical connotation4 ,blizzard4 ,a high wind at a low temperature1 accompanied by drifting1 not necessarily falling snow4 ,floe or ,floe-ice4 ,the comparatively flat1 frozen surface of the sea intersected by cracks and leads 7channels of open water74 ,pack or ,pack-ice is a field of loose ice originating in the main from broken floe1 to which may be added material from the disintegration of bergs1 and bergs themselves4 ,brash or ,brash-ice4 ,small1 floating fragments of ice--the debris of larger pieces--usually observed bordering a tract of pack-ice4 ,bergschrund has been freely rendered in the description of the great cleft between the lower part of the ,denman ,glacier and the ,shackleton ,shelf-,ice 7,queen ,mary ,land74 ,in a typical glacier1 the upper portion is hidden by neve and often by freshly fallen snow and is smooth and unbroken4 ,during the summer1 when little snow falls1 the body of the glacier moves away from the snow-field and a gaping crevasse of great depth is usually established1 called a ',bergschrund'1 which is sometimes taken as the upper limit of the glacier 7,encyclopaedia ,britannica74 ,sub-,antarctica4 ,a general term used to denote the area of ocean1 containing islands and encircling the ,antarctic continent1 between the vicinity of the #ejth parallel of south latitude and the confines of the ice-covered sea4 ,seracs are wedged masses of icy pinnacles which are produced in the surface of a glacier by dragging strains which operate on crevassed areas4 ,a field of such pinnacles1 jammed together in broken confusion1 is called serac-ice ,the following colloquial words or phrases occurring in the narrative were largely determined by general usage3 ,to depot to cache or to place a stock of provisions in a depot2 drift drift-snow2 fifty-mile wind a wind of fifty miles an hour2 burberry ,burberry gabardine or specially prepared wind-proof clothing2 whirly 7pi4 whirlies7 whirlwind carrying drift-snow and pursuing a devious track2 night-watchman night-watch2 glaxo ,glaxo 7a powder of dried milk72 primus primus stove used during sledging2 hoosh pemmican and plasmon biscuit porridge2 tanks canvas bags for holding sledging provisions2 boil-up sledging meal2 ramp bank of snow slanting away obliquely on the leeward side of an obstacle2 radiant an appearance noted in clouds 7especially cirro-stratus7 which seem to radiate from a point on the horizon ,the following appended list may be of biological interest3 ,birds ,aves ,emperor penguin ,aptenodytes forsteri ,king penguin ,aptenodytes patagonica ,adelie penguin ,pygoscelis adeliae ,royal penguin ,catarrhactes schlegeli ,victoria penguin ,catarrhactes pachyrynchus ,gentoo or ,rockhopper penguin ,pygoscelis papua ,wandering albatross ,diomedea exulans ,mollymawk or ,black-browed albatross ,diomedea melanophrys ,sooty albatross ,phoebetria fuliginosa ,giant petrel or nelly ,ossifraga gigantea ,mac,cormick's skua gull ,megalestris maccormicki ,southern skua gull ,megalestris antarctica ,antarctic petrel ,thalassoeca antarctica ,silver-grey petrel or southern fulmar ,priocella glacialoides ,cape pigeon ,daption capensis ,snow petrel ,pagodroma nivea ,lesson's petrel ,oestrelata lessoni ,wilson petrel ,oceanites oceanicus ,storm petrel ,fregetta melanogaster ,cape hen ,majaqueus oequinoctialis ,small prion or whale bird ,prion banksii ,crested tern ,sterna sp4 ,southern black-backed or ,dominican gull ,larus dominicanus ,macquarie ,island shag ,phalacrocorax traversi ,mutton bird ,puffinus griseus ,maori hen or weka ,ocydromus scotti ,seals ,pinnipedia ,sea elephant ,macrorhinus leoninus ,sea-leopard ,stenorhynchus leptonyax ,weddell seal ,leptonychotes weddelli ,crab-eater seal ,lobodon carcinophagus ,ross seal ,ommatophoca rossi ,whales and ,dolphins ,cetacea ,rorqual1 finner1 or blue whale ,balaenoptera sibbaldi ,killer whale ,orca gladiator ,,appendix ,v ,medical ,reports ,western ,base 7,queen ,mary ,land7 by ,s4 ,e4 ,jones1 ,m4,b41 ,,ch4,m4 ,there was a very marked absence of serious illness during the whole period of our stay at the ,base4 ,after the ',aurora' left ,adelie ,land on ,january #ai1 #aiab1 for her western cruise1 an epidemic of influenza broke out4 ,it should be noted that one case occurred on the voyage south from ,hobart1 and then an interval of almost a month occurred before the infection spread4 ,an interesting feature of the outbreak was the fact that the recovery of those who were convalescing1 when we arrived at ,queen ,mary ,land1 was much more rapid than was the case with those whose convalescence occurred on the ,ship4 ,by the careful use of snow-goggles during the summer1 snow-blindness was practically prevented1 and such cases as occurred yielded quickly when zinc and cocaine tablets were used and the eyes obtained rest4 ,an undoubted factor in the causation of snow-blindness is the strain caused by the continual efforts at visual accommodation made necessary on dull days when the sun is obscured1 and there is a complete absence of all light-and-shade contrast4 ,although frostbites were frequent during the winter months1 immediate attention to the restoration of circulation prevented the occurrence of after-effects1 so that no one suffered the loss of any more tissue than the superficial epithelium4 ,the nose1 ears1 fingers and toes were the parts which suffered first4 ,our supplies of food were excellent in point of view of variety4 ,some tinned onions were responsible for several mild attacks of poisoning1 but these were not used after our first experience4 ,there was no sign of scurvy in any form4 ,hoadley1 on one occasion1 had an unpleasant experience4 ,he was alone in the hut sleeping one night when he awoke to find the room filled with smoke4 ,on going outside he found that the chimney had become blocked with snow2 as the fire was banked1 the hut was filled with the gases from the imperfect combustion of the coal4 ,it was three or four days before ,hoadley recovered from his experience1 having marked symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning4 ,on my return from the ,western ,depot journey ,i found that ,wild was suffering from an attack of herpes zoster4 ,the illness came on while he was out sledging1 and he suffered severely from the pain and irritation4 ,beyond a few cases of minor illness1 and one or two accidents1 there was nothing of serious moment to report4 ,main ,base 7,adelie ,land7 by ,a4 ,l4 ,mc,lean1 ,m4,b41 ,,ch4,m41 ,b4,a4 ,throughout the whole period of the ,expedition--from ,december #b1 #aiaa1 to ,february #bf1 #aiad--the health of the expedition was remarkably good4 ,undoubtedly ,antarctica has a salubrious climate1 and it is simply because one returns in a measure to the primitive that such an ideal result is obtained4 ,the first thing to resist is the cold1 and additional clothing is the first and adequate means to such an end4 ,no one needs to be specially inured to a rigorous climate4 ,if he has a normal circulation he immediately reacts to a new set of temperature conditions1 and in a few weeks may claim to be acclimatized4 ,most of the members of the expedition were ,australians1 so that the change of latitudes was rather abrupt but none the less stimulating and healthful4 ,appetite for food had suddenly a new piquancy1 hard manual work was a pleasure in a novel and wonderful environment1 the intellect and imagination were quickened and the whole man embodied the mens sana in corpore sano4 ,that is why illness was practically unknown for more than two years2 and1 further1 it may be said with partial truth that in the high sense of physical and mental fitness he possessed for a time1 lies the explanation of the proverbial desire of an explorer to return to the ice-lands4 ,regular monthly examinations of the blood were made from the date of leaving ,hobart in ,december #aiaa until ,october #aiab1 with an interval of about nine weeks between the first and second examinations4 ,the haemoglobin or red colouring-matter went up with a leap and then very steadily increased in amount during the winter months in ,adelie ,land4 ,the blood pressure became slightly more marked1 the weight increased1 but as one might have expected1 the resistance to ordinary civilized germs was decreased4 ,with regard to weight1 the maximum amount gained by a single individual during a period of eight weeks was almost two stones1 and every one became heavier by as much as ten pounds4 ,as clinical evidence of the loss in immunity may be quoted the epidemic of influenza to which ,dr4 ,s4 ,e4 ,jones referred4 ,as well1 it was noted that several members had attacks of boils during the voyage southward2 in ,adelie ,land during #aiab there were two instances of acute abscesses on the fingers 7whitlows7 and one jaw abscess4 ,it appears as if1 with its new and unbounded energy of function1 the body attempts to throw oft its waste products4 ,then1 too1 experimental observations of opsonic index pointed towards the lowering of resistance1 and1 by the way1 it was rather a remarkable fact that after a few months in ,adelie ,land1 staphylococcus pyogenes aureus--a common germ in civilization- could not be cultivated artificially from the throat1 nose or skin1 of six individuals from whom monthly bacteriological cultures were made4 ,within the ,hut1 at a temperature which ranged from #dj degrees to #de degrees ,f41 the number of micro-organisms continuously increased1 if the exposure of agar plates at regular intervals 7by night7 gave a true indication4 ,the organisms were staphylocci albi1 bacilli1 yeasts1 and moulds2 the latter overgrowing the plate after it had been for forty eight hours in the incubator4 ,frostbites were common1 but1 perhaps for that reason1 were not regarded seriously4 ,no one suffered permanent harm from being frost-bitten1 though in several cases rather extensive blisters formed and nails and skin were lost4 ,whilst the ,hut was being built1 minor casualties often occurred2 the common remedy being to cover the injured part with a small piece of gauze surrounded by adhesive tape2 for open wounds will not heal when exposed to the cold4 ,the ,greenland dogs had small accidents and ailments which often required treatment4 ,on sledging journeys snow-blindness was an affection which sooner or later caught every one in an unguarded moment4 ,that moment was when he ceased to use goggles if the light were at all trying to his eyes4 ,prevention came first1 and then the zinc and cocaine cure4 ,adelie ,land can only be regarded as an intolerable country in which to live1 owing to the never-ceasing winds4 ,usage and necessity helped one to regard the weather in the best possible light2 for the sake of a few hours of calm which might be expected to occasionally intervene between the long spells of the blizzards4 ,it is1 therefore1 with regret and some diffldence that ,i speak of the illness of ,mr4 ,s4 ,n4 ,jeffryes1 who took up so conscientiously the duties of wireless operator during the second year 7#aiac72 but upon whom the monotony of a troglodytic winter life made itself felt4 ,it is my hope that he is fast recovering his former vigour and enthusiasm49999 ,so many miles of sledging were done at both ,antarctic ,bases in a climate which is surely without a parallel in the history of polar travelling1 the ,ship was so often in jeopardy during her three main cruises to the ,south1 that we feel the meagre comment should be made on our providential return to civilization with the loss of two comrades whose memory will ever be imperishable to each one of us4 9999 ,with the advent of summer1 ,jeffryes became normal1 but unfortunately suffered a temporary relapse upon his return to ,australia4--,d4 ,m4 ,,appendix ,,vi ,finance ,a ,general reference was made to the finances of the expedition in the ,introduction4 ,here is an extended statement which1 more fully amplified with a detailed list of donations1 will be again published when additional funds have been raised to pay off the debit balance and establish equilibrium4 ,,grants ,,and ,,donations ,,australia1 ,january #aiaa3 ,l ,australasian ,association for the ,advancement of ,science1 ,l#ajjj2 ,r4 ,barr ,smith 7,south ,australia71 ,l#ajj2 ,hugh ,denison 7,sydney71 ,l#ajjj2 ,samuel ,hordern 7,sydney71 ,l#ajjj 7subsequently increased to ,l#bejj7444444444444444444444444444 #d1jjj ,,london1 ,june #aiaa3 ,s4 ,hordern 7,sydney71 ,l#aejj 7second donation72 ,roderick ,murchison 7,melbourne71 ,l#ajjj2 ,w4 ,a4 ,horn 7,south ,australia71 ,l#ajjj2 ,lord ,strathcona1 ,l#ajjj2 ,eugene ,sandow1 ,l#ajej2 ,imperial ,government1 ,l#bjjj2 ,royal ,geographical ,society1 ,l#ejj2 ,lionel ,robinson 7,sydney71 ,l#bej2 ,c4 ,d4 ,mackellar1 ,l#aej2 ,g4 ,p4 ,doolette1 ,l#aej2 ,g4 ,buckley1 ,l#aej2 ,lord ,denman1 ,l#ajj2 ,madame ,melba 7,melbourne71 ,l#ajj2 ,s4 ,y4 ,buchanan1 ,l#ajj 7later increased to ,l#bjj72 ,daily ,mail1,l#ajj2 ,messrs4 ,bullivants ,l#ajj1 c41 aggregating an additional ,l#eic44 #i1hdc ,,australia1 ,october #aiaa3 ,sydney3 ,government grant1 ,l#gjjj2 collected by ,l4 ,professor ,david1 ,l#ej2 ',sydney ,morning ,herald'1 ,l#ajj2 ,professor ,david's own donation and lecture proceeds1 ,l#ajj444444444444444 #g1bej ,melbourne3 ,government grant1 ,l#fjjj2 collected by ,professor ,masson1 ,l#gj444444444444444 #f1jgj ,adelaide3 ,government grant1 ,l#ejjj2 collected by ,mr4 ,piper1 ,l#bej 7including ,angus ,l#ajj1 ,simpson ,l#he1 ,scarfe ,l#ej744444444444444444444 #e1bej ,hobart3 ,government grant1 ,l#ejj2 collected1 ,l#ee444 #eee ,commonwealth grant #e1jjj #bd1abe ,carried forward444444 #cg1ifh ,,london1 #aiac3 ,brought forward444444 #cg1ifi ,sir ,lucas ,tooth1 ,l#ajjj 7,sydney72 ,imperial ,treasury1 ,l#ajjj2 ,royal ,geographical ,society1 ,l#ajj2 ,s4 ,y4 ,buchanan1 ,l#ajj2 ,lady ,scott1 ,l#ajj2 ,commander ,evans1 ,l#ajj2 other members of ,scott ,expedition and general subscriptions1 ,l#bbg4444444 #b1fbg ,australia1 #aiac3 ,commonwealth grant1 ,l#ejjj2 collected by ,professor ,david 7approximately71 ,l#ej4444444444444444444444 #e1jej ,australia1 #aiad3 ,collected by ,professor ,masson 7approximately71 ,l#hj2 ,g4 ,j4 ,r4 ,murray 7,adelaide71 ,l#ajj2 ,sir ,samuel ,way1 ,l#ej44444 #bcj ,collected in ,london1 #aiad44444444444444444444 #aj ,total moneys donated ,l#de1hhe ,assets realized and added to the fund3 ,sale of photos and newspaper articles1 ,l#dij2 sale of ship and materials1 ,l#cfii2 lectures1 films1 c41 ,l#gbf44444 #d1iae ,bills ,owing 444444 #e1icb #e1icb ,assets to be realized3 ,l ,in hand444444444444444444 #efj ,owing 444444444444444444 #cdj ,anticipated sale of gear444444444 #egj ---- #a1dgj ,debit balance4444444444444 #d1dfb ,total cost 9999 of ,expedition44444444444 #ef1gcb ,there is therefore a deficit of ,l#ddfb to be made up by the royalty on the sale of the book1 lectures1 donations1 c41 and the cost of the publication of the scientific results1 which will be approximately ,l#hjjj1 has yet to be defrayed4 9999 ,an estimate of the cost of the expedition should also take account of donations in kind1 which1 as can be gathered1 were numerous4 ,facilities offered by harbour boards and valuable assistance extended in the matter of docking and repairing the ',aurora'1 particularly in the case of the ,state of ,victoria1 and to a less extent in ,new ,south ,wales4 ,then there were valuable contributions of coal1 particularly by ,mr4 ,j4 ,brown of ,newcastle 7,n4,s4,w471 ,mr4 ,h4 ,d4 ,murphy 7,melbourne71 and the ,lithgow ,collieries ,company4 ,,appendix ,,vii ,equipment ,clothing ,with regard to the clothing1 the main bulk was of woollen material as supplied by ,jaeger of ,london4 ,this firm is unexcelled in the production of camel's-hair garments and has supplied most polar expeditions of recent years with underclothing1 gloves1 caps1 and the like4 ,from the same firm we also secured heavy ski-boots1 finnesko-crampons1 and the blankets which were used at ,winter ,quarters at both ,antarctic ,bases4 ,some of the ,jaeger woollens were damaged by sea water on the voyage from ,london to ,australia and were replaced by ,eagley goods2 an ,australian brand1 which proved very satisfactory4 ,the ,ship's ,party were outfitted with ,kaipoi woollens 7,new ,zealand74 ,outer garments were made up to our design from ,jaeger fleece by tailors in ,hobart4 ,the suit consisted of a single garment1 to be worn with combination underclothing1 and was calculated to meet the requirements of a severe climate4 ,an over-suit of wind-proof material1 which may be worn when required1 is a necessary adjunct to woollen clothing4 ,such a suit should have the additional properties of being light1 strong1 not readily absorbing moisture1 and not affected by the cold4 ,burberry gabardine was found to possess all these properties1 and two complete suits were made up for each man4 ,one suit consisted of three pieces1 whilst the other was made of two2 the blouse-jacket and helmet of the latter being combined4 ,furs1 which were obtained from ,norway1 were restricted to sleeping bags1 finnesko or fur-boots1 and wolfskin mitts 7,lapland74 ,the outfit of clothing for the party at ,macquarie ,island and on the ,ship1 respectively1 differed from that used in the ,antarctic4 ,warmer temperatures and wet conditions had to be taken into account1 and so rubber boots1 oilskins1 and rubberized materials were provided as outer coverings4 ,food ,the food-stuffs were selected with at least as much consideration as was given to any of the other requisites4 ,the successful work of an expedition depends on the health of the men who form its members1 and good and suitable food reduces to a minimum the danger of scurvy2 a scourge which has marred many polar enterprises4 ,thus our provisioning was arranged with care and as a result of my previous experience in the ,antarctic with ,sir ,ernest ,shackleton's ,expedition4 ,a summary which may be of possible use to future expeditions is appended below3 ,in the matter of canned meats we had some six tons of the excellent ,australian article supplied by the ,sydney ,meat ,preserving ,company1 ,ramornie ,meat ,company 7,n4,s4,w471 ,baynes ,brothers 7,brisbane71 and the ,border 7rabbit7 ,preserving ,company of ,south ,australia4 ,for use on the ,ship three tons of salt beef and pork served to replenish the harness cask1 largely obtained in ,melbourne from ,cook and ,sons4 ,for a ton of sauces and pickles we were indebted to ,brand and ,company 7,london7 and to ,mason and ,company 7,london74 ,of course fresh meat was consumed as far as possible2 a number of live sheep being taken by the ',aurora' on each cruise4 ,some of these were killed and dressed after reaching #fj degrees south latitude and supplied our two ,antarctic ,bases with the luxury of fresh mutton about once a week throughout a year4 ,one ton of preserved suet came from the firms of ,hugon 7,manchester7 and ,conrad 7,adelaide74 ,almost all our bacon and ham1 amounting to well over one ton1 was of the ,pineapple ,brand 7,sydney71 and to the firm which supplied them we are indebted alike for the quality of its goods and for its generosity4 ,soups in endless variety1 totalling two tons1 came chiefly from the ,flemington ,meat ,preserving ,company 7,melbourne74 ,fours tons of canned fish were supplied by ,c4 ,e4 ,morton 7,london74 ,variety in vegetables was considered important4 ,we decided to reduce the amount of dried vegetables in favour of canned vegetables4 ,about six and a half tons of the latter in addition to one ton of canned potatoes were consumed2 from ,laver ,brothers 7,melbourne7 and ,heinz 7,pittsburgh74 ,there were one and a half tons of dried vegetables4 ,in addition1 large quantities of fresh potatoes and other vegetables were regularly carried by the ',aurora'1 and many bags of new and old potatoes were landed at the ,main ,base4 ,in the frozen condition1 the former kept satisfactorily1 though they were somewhat sodden when thawed4 ,the old potatoes1 on the other hand1 became black and useless1 partly owing to the comparatively high temperature of the ship's hold1 and in part to the warmth of the sun during the first few weeks in ,adelie ,land4 ,canned fruits1 to the extent of five tons1 were supplied by ,jones ,brothers 7,hobart7 and ,laver ,brothers 7,melbourne74 ,this stock was eked out by some two and a half tons of dried fruits1 chiefly from ,south ,australia4 ,the management of ,hartley 7,london7 presented us with two tons of jam1 and ,james ,keiller and ,son 7,london7 with one ton of marmalade4 ,of the twelve tons of sugar and half a ton of syrup consumed1 all were generously donated by the ,colonial ,sugar ,refining ,company 7,sydney74 ,for milk we were provided with two tons of ,glaxo 7a dry powder7 which was used at the land bases1 and a ton and a half of ,nestle's condensed variety for use on the ship4 ,three tons of cereal meals1 largely from ,parsons 7,sydney71 were consumed4 ,as one might have expected1 the amount of flour used was enormous4 ,in the thirteen tons of this commodity from ,colman 7,london7 there were three varieties1 self-rising1 plain1 and wheatmeal flour1 encased in stout metal linings within strong1 well-finished cases of a convenient size4 ,until required1 the cases of flour were used to solidify the break-wind on the southern side of the ,hut4 ,bird and ,company 7,birmingham7 more than satisfied our needs in the matter of baking powder1 custard powder1 jelly crystals1 and the like4 ,there was over half a ton of fancy biscuits of excellent quality and great variety1 for which we were indebted to ,jacob and ,company 7,dublin71 ,arnott ,brothers 7,sydney71 and ,patria ,biscuit ,fabriek 7,amsterdam74 ,hardtack1 the name by which a plain wholemeal biscuit of good quality1 made by ,swallow and ,ariell 7,melbourne7 was known1 constituted the greater part of the remaining two and a half tons of ordinary biscuits4 ,hardtack was much appreciated as a change from the usual staff of life--soda bread4 ,for sledging we had secured one ton of biscuits specially prepared by the ,plasmon ,company 7,london7 containing #cj per cent4 of plasmon4 ,these1 together with one ton of pemmican and half a ton of emergency ration prepared by the ,bovril ,company 7,london71 are specially referred to in the chapter on sledging equipment4 ,butter was an important item2 the large stock of two and a half tons coming from the ,colac ,dairying ,company 7,melbourne74 ,the butter was taken fresh in fifty-six lb4 blocks1 packed in the usual export cases4 ,on the ',aurora' it was carried as deck-cargo1 and at the ,main ,base was stacked in the open air on the southern side of the ,hut4 ,at the end of the second year 7#aiac7 it was still quite good2 a fact which speaks well for the climate as a refrigerator4 ,of ,australian cheese we used half a ton1 and this was supplied in forty-pound blocks4 ,the firm of ,messrs4 ,cadbury1 well known for their cocoa and eating chocolate1 supplied us with these commodities1 and receive our unqualified praise for the standard of the articles and the way in which they were packed4 ,the total consumption was one ton of cocoa and half a ton of chocolate4 ,the three-quarters of a ton of tea was donated by ,te ,sol 7,guernsey7 and ,griffiths ,brothers 7,melbourne74 ,in both cases the articles were well packed and much appreciated4 ,half a ton of coffee was used1 partly supplied from ,london and partly donated by ,griffiths ,brothers4 ,rose's 7,london7 lime juice1 as an antiscorbutic1 was mainly reserved for consumption on the ,ship4 ,this lime juice was much in favour as a beverage4 ,other supplies1 taken in bulk1 and for which we are indebted to the manufacturers1 are3 one ton of ,cerebos ,salt1 half a ton of ,castle salt1 one ton of ,sunlight ,soap1 our complete requirements in toilet soap from ,pears1 candles from ,price1 matches from ,bryant and ,may including special sledging vestas1 and dried milk from the ,trufood ,company4 ,sweets1 which were used for dessert and on special occasions1 were presented by the firms of ,fuller and ,batger of ,london1 and by ,farrah of ,harrogate1 c4 ,there were also small quantities of aerated waters1 ales1 wines1 and whisky for each ,base49999 ,at the ,main ,base1 at least1 there was no demand for whisky until penguin omelettes became fashionable4 9999 99 ,donated by ,schweppes1 ,kopke1 ,burgoyne1 and others4 ,the smokers were well provided for by a generous donation of ,capstan tobaccos1 cigarettes and cigars from the ,british ,american ,tobacco ,company in ,london4 ,at a later date1 when our ,macquarie ,island party was formed1 the ,sydney branch of the same firm met our added needs with the same generosity4 ,there are many other items which have not yet found a place in this summary which cannot be acknowledged severally1 but for which we are none the less grateful4 ,mention is made of the following3 ,horlick's ,malted ,milk1 ,neave's ,health ,diet1 ,brown and ,polson's ,cornflour1 ,international ,plasmon ,company's ,plasmon chocolate and ,plasmon powder1 ,bovril and lime juice nodules manufactured by ,bovril ,limited1 ,colman's ,mustard and ,groats1 ,flemington ,meat ,company's desiccated soups1 ,seager's meats1 ,nestle's nut-milk chocolate1 ,escoffier's soups1 c4 ,the cooking range which served us well for two years in the ,hut at ,adelie ,land was from ,j4 ,smith and ,wellstood 7,london72 others were presented by ,metters 7,adelaide74 ,the total supply of foods purchased and donated aggregated quite one hundred tons1 exclusive of packing4 ,much of this was assembled in ,london4 ,in ,australia the ,government ,produce ,department of ,adelaide rendered valuable assistance4 ,,table ,,of ,,food-,,supplies ,,for ,a ,,twelve-,,man ,,base ,the following are the food requirements for a party of twelve men wintering in the ,antarctic4 ,it is our own store list1 with slight modifications where these are found desirable4 ,the figures are based on the supposition that unlimited quantities of seal and penguin meat can be had on the spot1 and1 furthermore1 are ample for a second year's requirements should the party be unavoidably detained4 ,the fare during the second year might be somewhat less varied1 but would otherwise be sufficient4 ,health was1 of course1 the first consideration in this selection1 but economy was also studied4 ,the quantities are stated in pounds weight4 lbs4 ,meats1 tinned--,corned beef1 #baf2 roast beef1 #gb2 roast mutton1 #gb2 boiled mutton1 #gb2 ,irish stew1 #baf2 assorted meats1 #afh1 including mutton cutlets1 haricot mutton1 ox tail1 ox tongue1 sausages1 and brawn2 sheep's tongues1 #bhh2 special meats1 #aib1 including rabbit1 hare1 duck1 fowl1 and turkey4444444444444444444 #abif ,live sheep--#af sheep to be dressed south of #fj degrees ,s4 latitude 7weight not included7 ,suet1 tinned--#djj4444444444444444444444444 #djj ,bacon and ,ham--,bacon in sides1 packed in salt1 #bej2 ham1 #bej444 #ejj ,fish1 tinned--,salmon1 #cfj2 haddocks1 #if2 kippered herrings1 #baf2 herrings in tomato sauce1 #gb2 fresh herrings1 #gb2 sardines1 #cjj2 cods' roe1 curried prawns1 c41 #gb444444444444441 #aahh ,soups1 assorted tinned1 #aaeb444444444444444444 #aaeb ,vegetables1 fresh1 in wooden cases--new potatoes1 #abjj2 onions1 #cfjaefj ,tinned--potatoes1 #hfd2 onions1 #baf2 peas1 #dej2 ,french beans1 #dej2 spinach1 #cfj2 cabbage1 #add2 beetroot1 #bhh2 carrots1 #bhh2 parsnips1 #add2 turnips1 #ajh2 celery1 #add2 leeks1 #gb2 champignons1 #add2 ,boston baked beans1 #add2 tomatoes1 #bhh444444444444444444444 #cbdj ,cereals and ,dried ,vegetables1 c4--,split peas1 #aab2 lentils1 #ef2 marrowfat peas1 #ef2 haricot beans1 #ef2 barley1 #gb2 rice1 #beb2 tapioca1 #add2 semolina1 #ef2 macaroni1 #ef2 rolled oats1 #fdh2 cornflour1 #aef444444444444444444444444 #affd ,flour1 including plain1 wholemeal1 and self-rising444444 #ddhj ,biscuits1 c4--,plasmon wholemeal1 #acdd2 plain wholemeal1 #efj2 assorted sweet1 #efj2 cake tinned1 #bbd2 plum pudding1 #bbd4444 #agab ,fruit1 tinned in syrup--peaches1 #bhh2 pears1 #bhh2 plums1 #bhh2 apricots1 #bhh2 pineapples1 #bhh2 apples1 #bhh2 gooseberries1 #baf2 cherries1 #baf2 mulberries1 #dh2 strawberries1 #dh2 red currants1 #dh2 black currants1 #dh2 raspberries1 #dh444444444444444 #bdjj ,dried fruits--,prunes1 #aab2 apples1 #aab2 peaches1 #ef2 nectarines1 #ef2 apricots1 #ef2 raisins seeded1 #bbd2 currants1 #aab2 figs1 #bbd2 dates1 #aab2 candied peel1 #ef444444444444444444 #aabj ,sweets1 c4--,eating chocolate 7chiefly for sledging7 #ejd2 assorted sweets1 #afh2 crystallized fruits1 #ef2 assorted nuts1 #hd44444 #hab ,milk--as dried powder1 #bdjj4444444444444444444 #bdjj ,butter--in #ef lb4 export cases1 #adef44444444444444 #adef ,cheese--in original blocks or tins1 #bdj4444444444444 #bdj ,cocoa1 ,tea1 and ,coffee--,cocoa1 #egf2 tea1 #bhh2 coffee1 #bhh4444 #aaeb ,sugar1 ,jam1 c4--,sugar1 #cehd2 jam1 #adef2 marmalade1 #ddh2 honey1 #egf2 syrup1 #bhh444444444444444444444 #fceb ,sauces1 ,pickles1 c4--,tomato sauce1 #ahj2 ,worcester sauce1 #ace2 sweet pickles1 #afb2 mango chutney1 #ha2 assorted pickles 7first quality7 #baf2 vinegar1 #baj444444444444444 #ihd ,cooking requisites--,baking powder 7in addition to that in selfrising flour7 #ef2 sodium bicarbonate1 #a2 ground mixed spice1 #c2 ground ginger1 #d2 whole cloves1 #a2 nutmegs1 #b2 assorted essences1 #aj2 desiccated cocoanut1 #ab2 mixed dried herbs1 #b2 dried mint1 #f2 dried parsley1 #a2 onion powder1 #i2 curry powder1 #cj2 mustard1 #cj2 black pepper1 #ab2 white pepper1 #ab2 table salt1 #ghd4444444444 #ige ,soap1 c4--,soap1 #ddh2 soda1 #afh44444444444444444 #faf 7#af tons approx47 #ce1fii ,note4 ,these weights are exclusive of packing4 ,when high southern latitudes can be reached within three weeks1 fresh eggs may be taken with advantage1 preferably unfertilized1 but care should be taken to freeze them as soon as possible1 and not to allow them to thaw again until required for use4 ,it is advisable to take small quantities of whisky1 ale1 wines and lime juice4 ,matches1 candles1 soap1 and other toilet requirements1 kerosene and fuel are not reckoned with here1 appearing in a more general stores' list4 ,certain medical comforts1 such as malted milk and plasmon1 may also be included4 ,medical ,equipment ,the medical equipment consisted of a complete outfit of ,burroughs and ,wellcome's drug's1 dressings1 c41 and ,allen and ,hanbury's surgical instruments4 ,sets1 varying in character with particular requirements1 were made up for the ,ship and for each of the land parties4 ,contained within the fifty-five boxes was a wonderful assortment of everything which could possibly have been required on a polar expedition4 ,there was in addition a set of ,burroughs and ,wellcome's medicines for the treatment of dogs4 ,scientific ,equipment ,the scope of our projected scientific work necessitated extensive purchases1 and these were amplified by loans from many scientific bodies and individuals4 ,instruments for surveying and navigation were loaned by the ,royal ,geographical ,society and by the ,admiralty1 while many theodolites1 chronometers1 and half-chronometer watches were manufactured to order4 ,an assortment of oceanographical gear was generously supplied through ,h4 ,s4 ,h4 ,the ,prince of ,monaco1 from the ,institut ,oceanographique of ,monaco4 ,dr4 ,w4 ,s4 ,bruce made similar donations and supervised the construction of our largest deep-sea dredge4 ,the three-thousand fathom tapered steel cables and mountings1 designed to work the deep-water dredges1 were supplied by ,messrs4 ,bullivant4 ,appliances were also loaned by ,mr4 ,j4 ,t4 ,buchanan of the ',challenger' ,expedition and by the ,commonwealth ,fisheries ,department4 ,the self-recording tide-gauges we employed were the property of the ,new ,south ,wales ,government1 obtained through ,mr4 ,g4 ,halligan4 ,the taxidermists' requirements1 and other necessaries for the preservation of zoological specimens1 were for the most part purchased1 but great assistance was rendered through ,professor ,baldwin-,spencer by the ,national ,museum of ,melbourne and by the ,south ,australian ,museum1 through the offices of ,professor ,stirling4 ,articles of equipment for botanical work were loaned by ,mr4 ,j4 ,h4 ,maiden1 ,director of the ,botanical ,gardens1 ,sydney4 ,a supply of heavy cameras for base-station work and light cameras for sledging was purchased2 our stock being amplified by many private cameras1 especially those belonging to ,f4 ,h4 ,hurley1 photographer of the ,expedition4 ,special ,lumiere plates and material for colour photography were not omitted1 and1 during the final cruise of the ',aurora'1 ,p4 ,e4 ,correll employed the more recent ,paget process for colour photography with good results4 ,the programme of magnetic work was intended to be as extensive as possible4 ,in the matter of equipment we were very materially assisted by the ,carnegie ,institute through ,dr4 ,l4 ,a4 ,bauer4 ,an instrument was also loaned through ,mr4 ,h4 ,f4 ,skey of the ,christchurch ,magnetic ,observatory4 ,a full set of ,eschenhagen self-recording instruments was purchased1 and in this and in other dispositions for the magnetic work we have to thank ,dr4 ,c4 ,chree1 ,director of the ,national ,physical ,laboratory1 and ,dr4 ,c4 ,c4 ,farr of ,university ,college1 ,christchurch4 ,captain ,chetwynd kindly assisted in arrangements for the ,ship's compasses4 ,two complete sets of ,telefunken wireless apparatus were purchased from the ,australasian ,wireless ,company4 ,the motors and dynamos were got from ,buzzacott1 ,sydney1 and the masts were built by ,saxton and ,binns1 ,sydney4 ,manilla and tarred-hemp ropes were supplied on generous terms by ,melbourne firms 7chiefly ,kinnear74 ,the meteorological instruments were largely purchased from ,negretti and ,zambra1 but a great number were loaned by the ,commonwealth ,meteorological ,department 7,director1 ,mr4 ,h4 ,a4 ,hunt7 and by the ,british ,meteorological ,office 7,director1 ,dr4 ,w4 ,n4 ,shaw74 ,for astronomical work the following instruments were loaned1 besides transit-theodolites and sextants3 a four-inch telescope by the ,greenwich ,observatory through the ,astronomer ,royal3 a portable transit-theodolite by the ,melbourne ,observatory through the ,director1 ,mr4 ,p4 ,baracchi2 two stellar sidereal chronometers by the ,adelaide ,observatory through the ,astronomer1 ,mr4 ,p4 ,dodwell4 ,the apparatus for bacteriological and physiological work were got in ,sydney1 in arrangements and suggestions for which our thanks are due to ,dr4 ,tidswell 7,microbiological ,laboratory7 and ,professor ,welsh1 of ,sydney ,university4 ,artists' materials were supplied by ,winsor and ,newton1 ,london1 while the stationery was partly donated by ,john ,sands1 ,limited1 ,sydney ,geological1 chemical1 and physical apparatus were all acquired at the instance of the several workers4 ,adjuncts1 such as a calculating machine1 a typewriter1 and duplicator were not forgotten49999 9999 ,acceptable donations of various articles were made by the firms of ,ludowici1 ,sydney2 ,allen ,taylor1 ,sydney2 ,sames and ,company1 ,birmingham2 ,gamage1 ,london2 ,gramophone ,company1 ,london2 the ,acetylene ,corporation1 ,london2 ,steel ,trucks ,ltd41 c4 9999,through the offices of ,mr4 ,c4 ,a4 ,bang we are indebted to ,de ,forenede ,dampskibsselskab1 of ,copenhagen1 for the transport of the dogs from ,greenland4 ,apart from the acquisition of the instruments1 there were long preparations to be made in the arrangement of the scientific programme and in the training of the observers4 ,in this department the ,expedition was assisted by many friends4 ,thus ,professor ,w4 ,a4 ,haswell 7,biology71 ,professor ,t4 ,w4 ,edgeworth ,david 7,geology71 and ,mr4 ,h4 ,a4 ,hunt 7,meteorology71 each drew up instructions relating to his respective sphere4 ,training in astronomical work at the ,melbourne ,observatory was supervised by ,mr4 ,p4 ,baracchi1 ,director1 and in magnetic work by the ,department of ,terrestrial ,magnetism1 ,carnegie ,institute 7,director1 ,dr4 ,l4 ,a4 ,bauer74 ,further1 in the subject of magnetics1 we have to thank especially ,mr4 ,e4 ,kidston of the ,carnegie ,institute for field tuition1 and ,mr4 ,baldwin of the ,melbourne ,observatory for demonstrations in the working of the ,eschenhagen magnetographs4 ,professor ,j4 ,a4 ,pollock gave us valuable advice on wireless and other physical subjects4 ,at the ,australian ,museum1 ,sydney1 ,mr4 ,hedley rendered assistance in the zoological preparations4 ,in the conduct of affairs we were assisted on many occasions by ,messrs4 ,w4 ,s4 ,dun 7,sydney71 ,j4 ,h4 ,maiden 7,sydney71 ,robert ,hall 7,hobart71 ,g4 ,h4 ,knibbs 7,melbourne71and to the presidents and members of the councils of the several ,geographical ,societies in ,australia--as well1 of course1 as to those of the ,royal ,geographical ,society1 ,london4 ,in conclusion1 the proffered1 disinterested help1 of all the above and many other friends contrived to make our scientific equipment well-nigh complete and eminently up-to-date4 ,,index ,abrasion effects of drift snow1 ,abruzzi expedition #aijj1 rations ,absolute ,hut1 the ,acetylene ,corporation1 ,london1 7note7 ,adare1 ,cape ,adelaide ,island 444444444,university ',adelie ,blizzard' 44444444,land2 the main base at2 glaciation of2 hurricanes of2 ,wilkes' account of2 the ,hut2 drifts2 wireless installation at2 clothing for2 ,empire ,day in2 temperatures ,admiralty ,range ,aerial ,cove1 depot ,aeroplane sledge4 ,see ,air-tractor sledge ,ainsworth1 ,g ,f41 ,life on ,macquarie ,island2 ,a ,land of ,storm and ,mist1 ,through ,another ,year2 picked up by the ',aurora'1 the home journey2 account of ,air-tractor sledge1 the2 ,aladdin's ,cave2 ,albatross ,alden1 ,cape1 ,alexander ,i ,island1 ,alexandra1 ,queen ,allen and ,hanbury1 ,messrs4 ,alligator ,nunatak4 ',amakura'1 the ,american expedition under ,wilkes 44444444 ,quadrant1 the1 accessibility2 whaling industry in ,amundsen1 ,captain2 sledging dogs presented by 4444444444dog ,anchor ,rock ,anemobiagraph1 the ,anemometers ,anemones1 preservation of ,angas ,mr4 ,c4 ,annie ,hill1 ,antarctic theory of distribution of flora ,antarctica1 history of discovery ',anthology of ,australian ,verse1 ,an' ,anthony1 ,messrs41 of ,melbourne ',archibald ,russell'1 the ,arnott ,bros41 ,messrs4 ,asia1 ,southern1 wind velocities ',astrolabe'1 ,d',urville's journey in the ,astronomer ,royal1 the ,astronomical ,hut1 the ,atmospherics1 ,auckland ,islands ',aurora'1 the ,s4,y4 plan and section2 adaptation and fitting out2 from ,macquarie ,island to ,adelie ,land2 the first ice2 landing of cargo at main base2 new lands2 food carried by the2 return of the2 observations secured on the2 deep-sea soundings2 at ,macquarie ,island2 arrival at ,port ,lyttleton2 at ,melbourne2 second deep-sea cruise2 departure from ,hobart1 ,christmas2 visit to the main base1 ,adelie ,land2 reception by ,wild2 relief of ,wild's party2 arrival in ,hobart2 papers brought by the2 stores laid at ,caroline ,cove2 visits to ,macquarie ,island2 at ,dunedin2 leaves ,hobart on ,southern trip to bring back the two parties2 wireless communication with2 the ,homeward ,cruise2 list of ship's officers 444444444,peak ,auroral phenomena ,australasian ,association for ,advancement of ,science1 ,australian ensign hoisted ,avalanche ,rocks ,avalanches1 ,azimuth ,hill2 memorial cross on ,bacteriology1 work of the expedition1 ,bage1 ,r41 at the main base2 work at the hut2 the tide-gauge2 transit house2 food experiences2 search for the dogs2 with the ,southern ,sledging ,party2 return to the hut2 on building a tent2 snow-blindness2 return to ,aladdin's ,cave2 note left by1 at ,cathedral ,grotto2 return from the south2 visit to the ',aurora'2 the relief expedition2 winter work2 wireless work2 magnetograph records2 the home journey2 account of ,baldwin1 ,mr4 ,baldwin-,spencer1 ,professor ,balleny ,islands ,john ,bang1 ,c4 ,a4 7note7 ,baracchi1 ,mr4 ,p4 ,barometer1 movements of the ,barrier1 the1 at the ,winter ,quarters ,barrier-formations1 ,barron1 ,lady 44444444,sir ,harry ,barr-,smith1 ,mount 444444,mr4 ,robert ,basilisk1 dog ,bass ,strait ,bates1 ,mr4 ,d4 ,c42 request for weather reports ,batger1 ,messrs4 ,bauer1 ,dr4 ,l4 ,a4 ,mr41 ,sealer at ,macquarie ,island ,baynes ,bros41 ,messrs4 ,beaufort scale of wind-pressure ,belgian ,antarctic expedition ,bellingshausen1 expedition of #ahba ,benzine ,hut1 ,bergschrund ,betli1 dog ,bickerton1 ,f4 ,h41 at main base2 work at the hut2 erection of the wireless installation2 food experiences2 bus driver2 the air-tractor sledge2 the ,western sledging expedition2 on tent pitching2 his birthday2 the relief party2 winter work at the hut2 wireless work2 dredge constructed by2 the home journey2 account of ,biology1 work of the expedition ,bird ,coy1 ,messrs4 ,birds1 ,antarctic1 weight in relation to wing areas ,birthday ,camp ,biscoe ,island 44444444,john1 work ,bishop and ,clerk1 islet ,black ,sunday ,blair1 ,j4 ,h41 ,chief ,officer on the ',aurora' ,blake1 ,cape 444444 ,l ,r41 work on ,macquarie ,island2 visit to ,sandy ,bay2 accident to2 visits to ,lusitania ,bay2 photographs taken by visits to the ',aurora'2 specimens obtained2 sheepkilling2 the home journey2 account of ,blizzard1 puppy 444444444the ',blizzard1 ,the'1 poem ,blood-pressure1 observations by ,mc,lean1 ,blue ,billys1 ,board-sliding1 ,bollons1 ,captain ,borchgrevinck ,borda1 ,cape ,border 7,rabbit7 ,preserving ,coy4 ,bovril ,coy41 the ,brand ,coy41 ,messrs4 ,bridge-playing at ,western ,base ,bristow1 ,captain ,british ,antarctic expedition ,british ,expedition ,british ,meteorological ,office ,brothers 7,the71 ,brown1 ,mr4 ,john ,brown ,polson1 ,messrs4 ,bruce1 ,dr4 ,w4 ,s4 44444444,rise ,bruni ,island ,bryant ,may1 ,messrs4 ,buchanan1 ,mr4 ,j4 ,y42 4444444444,s4 ,y4 ,buckley1 ,mr4 ,g4 ,budd ,land2 ,buenos ,ayres ,bull1 ,h4 ,j4 ,bullivant1 ,messrs4 ,burberry1 the ,burroughs ,wellcome1 ,messrs4 ,buzzacott1 ,messrs4 ,cadbury1 ,messrs4 ,camp ,cove ,campbell ,sons1 ,messrs4 ,camping ,cannonading1 ,canterbury ,museum1 ,christchurch ,cape ,town ,carbohydrates1 definition of the term 7note7 ,cardiff to ,hobart1 the journey ,carnegie ,institute ,carnley ,harbour ,caroline ,cove1 ,macquarie ,island ,carr1 ,cape ,caruso1 dog ,castor1 dog ,cat1 wild ,catch ,me ,cave ,cathedral ,grotto1 the ',challenger' expedition ,charcot1 ,jean 444444444,land ,chetwynd1 ,captain ,chocolate as barter ,chree1 ,dr4 ,c41 ,christchurch1 ,new ,zealand 44444444444,magnetic ,observatory ',christmas ,carol1 ,a' 44444444444,day1 ,dr4 ,mawson's2 with the ,southern ,sledging ,party2 ,madigan's account2 with ,bickerton's party2 at ,hobart2 with ,wild's party2 with ,s4 ,e4 ,jones's party2 ,ainsworth's account2 on the homeward journey ,chun1 ,professor1 of ,leipsic ,close1 ,j4 ,h41 at ,main ,base2 at ,aladdin's ,cave2 journey to the ,west2 and the ,near ,eastern ,party2 journey to ,commonwealth ,bay2 return from the ,east2 back to ,australia2 account of ,clothing for the expedition ,clyde1 wreck of the ,coal-supply1 difficulties of ,coats ,land ,cocoa1 value of1 ,colac ,dairying ,coy4 ,colman1 ,messrs4 ,colonel1 dog ,colonial ,sugar ,refining ,coy4 ,commonwealth ,bay 4444444444444,fisheries ,department 4444444444444,meteorological ,department 4444444444444,weather ,bureau1 reports to ,cormorant4 ,see ,shag ,compass1 variations of the2 the bearing of the sun and the magnetic needle compared ,conrad1 ,messrs4 ,cook1 ,captain ,james ,copenhagen ,coronae1 lunar ,correll1 ,p4 ,e41 at ,main ,base2 and the tide-gauge2 production of ',the ,washerwoman's ,secret2 the ,eastern ,coastal ,party2 at ,horn ,bluff1 the search party2 return to ,australia2 photographs taken by2 the homeward journey2 account of 444444444,nunatak ,cote ,clarie ,crampons1 use of ,crippen1 dog ,crown ,fuel ,company1 briquettes ',daily ,graphic' 4444444',mail' ,dallman1 ,eduard ,danish ,geographical ,society ,darwin1 ,charles ,david ,island 444444,professor ,t4 ,w4 ,edgeworth ,davis1 ,captain ,j4 ,k41 appointment2 arrival at ,hobart2 work of stowage2 the journey to ,macquarie ,island2 voyage in the ,nimrod2 at ,macquarie ,island2 events on board2 narrative quoted2 return of the ',aurora'2 his decision regarding ,wild's party2 ,the ,ship's ,story2 mission to ,london2 visits to ,macquarie ,island2 the homeward cruise2 account of 4444444,captain ,james1 of ,hobart1 joins the ',aurora'2 efforts to recover ship's lost chain2 account of 4444444,sea ,dead,beat ,gully1 ,deakin1 ,hon4 ,alfred ,declination of the magnetic needle ,decouverte1 ,cape ,delay ,point ,denison1 ,cape2 4444444444,mr4 ,hugh ,denman ,glacier1 the 44444444,lord1 messages to ,antarctica2 ,finance ,denny1 ,mr41 visit to ,macquarie ,d',entrecasteaux ,channel ,depot ,bay ,depots maintained by the ,new ,zealand ,government ,derwent ,river1 the2 ,dietetics ,disappointment ,island ',discovery'1 voyage of the 44444444444,cape ,dixson ,island ,mr4 ,hugh ,dodwell1 ,mr4 ,p4 ,dogs for the expedition1 journey to ,hobart2 at the hut2 harness for the2 food for the2 at ,aladdin's ,cave2 with the sledging parties2 the lost2 used for food2 presented to the ',aurora' by ,amundsen2 with the ,western ,party2 pups2 quarrels ,dolerite 7note7 ,dominion ,meteorological ,office ,doolette1 ,mr4 ,g4 ,p4 ,dovers1 ,g41 member of ,wild's party2 depot-laying party formed2 surveying work2 at ,haswell ,island2 account of ',drake'1 ,h4,m4,s41 wireless communication with ,drift gauge1 a ,drift snow2 abrasion effects of2 electrical effects of ,drygalski ,island 7note7 4444444444,professor2 ,ducks ,dun1 ,w4,s4 ',dundonald'1 barque ,dunedin ,d',urville ,sea2 ',eagle' ,cave 44444444schooner1 wreck ,earthquake shocks at ,macquarie ,island ,eastern ,barrier 44444444,coastal ,party1 formation2 account of1 by ,madigan2 instruments cached by ,eclipse1 lunar1 ,eitel1 ,mr4 ,c4 ,c4 ,elder1 ,mr4 4444444,mount ',eliza ,scott'1 the ,empire ,day1 at the ,western ,base2 on ,adelie ,land ',encyclopaedia ,britannica'1 use of ',endeavour'1 the ,enderby ,island 44444444,land ,equinox1 effects of the ,equipment of the expedition ,erebus ,cove ,erratics1 ,esperance1 ,port ,esquimaux1 dogs of the2 method with snow-blindness1 ,euphausia ,evans1 ,commander ,evensen1 work of ,farr1 ,dr4 ,c4 ,c4 ,fallieres ,land ',fantome'1 ,h4,m4,s4 ,far-,eastern ,party1 the2 the return of ,farrah1 ,messrs4 ,fats1 definition of term1 7note7 ,feather ,bed terrace ,fiala1 quoted ,figure of ,eight ,island ,filchner1 ,wilhelm ,finance of the expedition ,finnesko footwear ,fisher1 ,hon4 ,andrew1 44444444wireless message to ,fishing ,fix1 dog ,flag depot ,flagstaff ,point1 ,carnley ,harbour ,flemington ,meat ,preserving ,coy4 ,fletcher1 ,f4 ,d4 ,flora1 ,antarctic1 theories concerning ',flying ,fish'1 the 44444444,fox1 working of the ,flynn1 ,professor ,t4 ,t4 ,foehn effect ,food1 for sledging journey1 dietetics2 rations2 items2 table of supplies ,fram1 dog 444444voyage of the ,franklin1 dog ,freshfield1 ,cape ,fuller1 ,messrs4 ,fusilier1 dog ,gadget1 dog ,gamage1 ,messrs 7note7 ',gauss'1 expedition of the ,gaussberg ,geographical results of the expedition ,geological work of the expedition ,george1 dog 44444444,v1 ,king1 wireless message to1 ,georgia1 ,south2 ,gerlache1 ,adrien de 4444444444,cape ,german ,scientific ,expedition2 expedition of #aijb1 see ,gauss ,gillies1 ,f41 chief engineer of the ',aurora' 444444444,nunataks ,ginger1 dog 444444,bitch1 dog1 ,glacier1 the continental1 ,glacier-ice1 structural composition ,glacier-tongues ,glaciology1 work of the expedition ,glaxo ,gloves ,goggles for snow-blindness ,golf at ,western ,base ,gracht1 ,mr4 ,van ,waterschoot van der ',grafton'1 wreck of the ,graham's ,land ,gramophone ,coy41 ,london1 7note7 ,grampuses ,grandmother1 dog ,gray1 ,cape 444444,p41 second officer ',aurora' ,great ,australian ,bight 44444,britain1 ,antarctic ,expeditions 44444,ross ,barrier2 ,greely expedition of #ahhb ,green ,valley ,greenland1 dogs from 4444444444pup ,greenwich ,observatory ,griffiths ,brothers1 ,messrs4 ,grottoes 7,the71 the hut at the ,western ,base1 building2 return of the sledging party2 entrance and tunnels2 the igloo2 clearing the tunnels2 return of the ,western depot party2 preparations for the ,eastern summer journey2 return of ,wild2 distances from2 return of ,jones's party2 the flagstaff ,guano deposits ,gulls1 ,dominican or black backed 4444444skua ,haines1 ,mr41 taxidermist ,haldane1 dog ,hall1 ,robert ,halligan1 ,mr4 ,g4 ,hamilton1 ,h41 life at ,macquarie ,island2 visits to ,sandy ,bay2 biological work2 reception of the ',aurora'2 erection of the tide gauge2 a dinghy for2 visits to ,lusitania ,bay2 photographs by2 home journey2 account of 444444444,mount ,hangar ,hannan1 ,w4 ,h41 at ,main ,base2 work at the hut2 wireless work2 the drift gauge2 as magnetician2 working of the air-tractor sledge2 the wireless at ,winter ,quarters2 return to ,australia2 account of ,harbour ,board1 ,hobart ,harness1 sledging1 ,harrisson1 ,c4 ,t42 member of ,wild's party2 visit to the capsized berg1 account2 ,hippo depot2 meteorological work at ,the ,grottoes2 included in the ,eastern summer journey2 winch contrived by2 account ,hartley1 ,messrs4 ,hasselborough ,bay 44444444444444,captain ,haswell ,island 444444444444,professor ,w4 ,a4 ,hedley1 ,mr4 ,c4 ,heinz1 ,messrs4 ,helen ,glacier ,henderson1 ,professor ,g4 ,c44 ,henderson ,island ,hens1 ,cape ',hinemoa'1 rescue by ',hints to ,travellers' ,hippo ,nunatak ,hoadley1 ,c4 ,a41 member ,wild's party2 party to lay depot formed2 main western journey starting ,november2 geological work2 at ,haswell ,island2 account ,hobart ,hodgeman1 ,a4 ,j41 at ,main ,base2 work at hut2 ,near ,eastern ,party2 the cairn2 return to the hut2 journey of the ,near ,eastern ,party2 trip to ,aladdin's ,cave2 on tent-pitching2 investigation of snow ramp2 the relief party2 winter work at the hut2 journey to ,mount ,murchison2 the home journey2 map of ,mackellar ,islets2 account of ,holliman1 ,captain1 ,holman1 ,hon41 ,w4 ,a4 ,hoosh ,hordern1 ,mr4 ,samuel ,horlick1 ,messrs4 ,horn ,bluff ,horn ,bluff1 by ,c4 ,t4 ,madigan ,horn1 ,mr4 ,w4 ,a4 ,hoyle1 pup ,hugon1 ,messrs4 ,hunt1 ,mount 444444,mr4 ,h4 ,a4 ,hunter1 ,cape 44444444,j4 ,g41 at ,main ,base2 biological work2 parasitology2 sledging2 production of ',the ,washerwoman's ,secret'2 the ,southern ,supporting ,party2 expansion of the cave2 return from the south2 return to ,australia2 arrival with the ',aurora'2 fishing2the homeward journey2 account of ,huntoylette1 ,hurley1 ,j4 ,f41 ,main ,base2 camera work2 observations2 rescue of the dogs2 production of ',the ,washerwoman's ,secret2 the ,southern ,party2 the cairn2pitching tent2 ,lot's ,wife2 the ',christmas ,carol'2 snow-blindness2 return from the south2 arrival with the ',aurora'2 sledging ,hurricane-walking ,hut1 the ,main ,base1 temperature2 tunnels2 the nightwatchman's duty 444444,point1 ,mc,murdo ,sound ,hutchinson1 sealer of ,macquarie ,island ,ice1 ,arctic and ,antarctic compared2 the first2 pack-ice2 bergs2 structural composition ,ice floods1 ,ice islands1 ,ice-shafts1 digging of ,icing-ship1 ',illustrated ,london ,news' ,insect hunting ,jack1 dog ,jackson1 ,port ,jacob ,coy41 ,messrs4 ,jaeger fleece ,japanese ,antarctic expedition ,jappy1 dog ,jeffreys ,deep ,jeffryes1 ,s4 ,n41 wireless operator ',jessie ,nichol'1 wreck ,john ,bull1 dog ,johnson1 dog ,joinville ,island ,jones1 ,dr4 ,s4 ,e41 autopsy on the dogs2 member of ,wild's party2 party formed to lay a depot on ,september2 ,wild's instructions to2 main western journey starting ,november2 ,linking up with ,kaiser ,wilhelm ,land1 account by2 discovery of ,antarctic petrels2 view of ,drygalski ,island2 account of2 medical report for ,western ,base 44444444,bros41 ,messrs4 ,journalists' ,association ,joyce1 ,mr4 ,e41 delivery of the dogs2 ,judge and ,clerk1 islet of2 soundings ,junction ,corner ,kaiser ,wilhelm ,i ,land1 linking up with1 account by ,dr4 ,s4 ,e4 ,jones ,kangaroo ,island ,keiller1 ,messrs4 ,james ,son ,kelp ,kembla1 ,port ,kemp1 work of ,kennedy1 ,a4 ,l4 member of ,wild's party2 attempted trip with ,wild for the minimum thermometer2 ,eastern summer journey2 blocked on the ice-shelf with ,wild2 observations2 account of ,kerguelen ,island ,kidston1 ,mr4 ,e4 ,king ,edward ,v ,land 44444,george ,v ,land1 naming of2 map ,king' ,birthday1 at ,western ,base 4444444444444444,island ,kinsey1 ,mr4 ,j4 ,j4 ,kite1 work with ,knibbs1 ,g4 ,h4 ,knox ,land ,kristensen1 ,leonard ,lake-ice ,lamp1 a non-magnetic ,lampwick1 uses of ,larson1 ,c4 ,a4 ,laseron1 ,c4 ,f41 ,main ,base2 biological work2 collection of petrel skin2 at ,aladdin's ,cave2 production of ,the ',washerwoman's ,secret'2 the ,southern ,supporting ,party2 recording ,webb's observations2 expansion of the ,cave2 journey to ,commonwealth ,bay ,december #i2 collection of eggs and birds2 return from the east2 back to ,australia2 account of ,lassie1 dog ,lever ,brothers1 ,messrs4 ,lewis1 ,sir ,elliott ,lithgrow ,colleries ,lot's ,wife1 ,loubet ,land ,louis ,phillippe ,land ,lucas ,sounding-machine ,lucas-,tooth1 ,sir ,robert ,ludowici1 ,messrs4 7note7 ,lusitania ,bay2 4444444444the1 sealing boat ,lyttleton1 ,port1 arrival of the ',aurora' ,m4 ,h4 ,s4 ,championship1 the start ,mac1 dog ,mc,clintock1 expedition of #ahej2 rations ,mackay1 ,dr4 ,f4 ,a4 ,mackellar ,islet ,mackellar ,library 4444444444the ,hon4,c4,d4 ,mc,lean1 ,dr4 ,a4 ,l41 autopsy on the dogs2 at ,main ,base2 electrical observations2 lines on ',the ,blizzard'2 erection of the wireless2 observations regarding seals2 at ,aladdin's ,cave2 blood-pressure1 observations2 at ,cathedral ,grotto2 expedition of the ,eastern ,coastal ,party2 snow-blindness2 at ,horn ,bluff2 photographs taken by2 return of2 the relief expedition2 winter work at the ,hut2 founding of ',the ,adelie ,blizzard'2 on illness of ,jeffryes2 a wind episode2 dredging operations2 biological specimen2 the home journey2 account2 medical report for ,main ,base ,mc,murdo ,sound1 wind velocities1 chart2 the ,scott expedition ,macquarie ,island1 the base at2 ,life on ,macquarie ,island1 by ,g4 ,f4 ,ainsworth2 ,a ,land of ,storm and ,mist1 by ,g4 ,f4 ,ainsworth2 ,through ,another ,year1 by ,g4 ,f4 ,ainsworth2 ,macquarie ,island ,party1 list of ,madigan1 ,c4 ,t41 at ,main ,base2 meteorological observations2 at the ,hut2 electrical observation2 spring exploits2 journey to the west1 ,september #aiab2 sledging2 the ,eastern ,coastal ,party2 return to the ,hut2 his account of the expedition of the ,eastern ,coastal ,party2 ,horn ,bluff and ,penguin ,point by2 depot of2 visit to the ',aurora'2 care of the dogs2 winter work at the ,hut2 journey to ,mount ,murchison2 the home journey2 account 44444444444,nunatak ,magnetic ,flat1 the 444444444meridian 444444444needle1 use for steering purposes 444444444,pole1 ,north 444444444,pole1 ,south1 observations regarding the2 ,bage's search for2 chart ,magnetograph ,house2 work of the magnetician ,magnetometer1 the ,maiden1 ,mr4 ,j4 ,h4 ,main ,base1 ,adelie ,land1 visit of the ',aurora'2 wireless installation at 44444444444,base ,party1 list of2 return of members to ,australia ,maori cabbage 7,stilbocarpa polaris7 444444hens1 see ,wekas ,martelli1 ,mr41 assistant harbourmaster1 ,hobart ,mary1 dog 444444,queen1 message to ,antarctica ,mason ,coy41 ,messrs4 ,masson ,island 4444444,professor1 efforts to raise funds1 ,mawson1 ,dr41 plans for the expedition2 party of ,medical equipment for the expedition 44444444reports ,melba1 ,mme4 ,melbourne1 arrival of the ',aurora'2 wireless calls2 time signals from 44444444444,observatory ,memorial cross on ,azimuth ,hill ,men1 choice of1 for a polar campaign ,mertz1 ,dr4 ,xavier1 appointment2 at ,hobart1 care of the dogs2 at ,main ,base2 meteorological observations2 skiing2 cooking2 at ,aladdin's ,cave2 journey to the southeast1 ,september #aa2 the ,far ,eastern ,party2 the return journey2 illness and death2 ,bage's parting from2 meeting with the ,eastward ,coastal ,party2 ,captain ,davis's inquiries after2 message to his relatives2 account of 44444444,glacier 44444444,glacier-tongue ,meteorology1 work of the expedition2 meteorological chart for ,april #aiac ,meteorite found ,midsummer ,day1 temperature ,midwinter ,day at ,western ,base ,mikkel1 dog ,mill1 ,dr4 ,h4 ,r41 ,siege of the ,south ,pole1 444444444,rise ,minerals of ,adelie ,land ,mitts ,mollymawk rookery ,monaco1 ,prince of ,monagasque trawl ,monkey1 dog ,moore1 ,t4 ,e4 ,l4 ',morning ,herald'1 ,sydney ,morton1 ,messrs4 ,c4 ,e4 ,motte1 ,c4 ,p de la ,moyes1 ,m4 ,h41 member of ,wild's party2 account of ,moraine1 terminal1 ,adelie ,land ',morning'1 the1 ,british expedition1 ,murchison1 ,mount2 44444444444,mr4 ,roderick ,murphy1 ,h4 ,d41 at ,main ,base2 erection of the wireless installation2 at ,aladdin's ,cave2 journey to the southeast ,september #aa2 observations2 formation of the ,southern ,supporting ,party2 return to the ,hut2 composition of party at ,cathedral ,grotto2 return from the south2 visit to the ',aurora'2 return to ,australia2 account of ,murphy1 ,h4 ,d4 7senior7 ,murray1 ,g4 ,j4 ,h4 ,mutton birds ,nansen1 expedition in the ',fram'2 ',farthest ,north'2 use of the primus stove1 44444444dog ,nares1 ,captain ,g4 ,s4 ,national ,museum1 ,melbourne 444444444,physical ,laboratory1 ,london ,near ,eastern ,party ,neave1 ,messrs4 ,negretti ,zambra1 ,messrs4 ,nestle1 ,messrs4 ,neve ,new ,zealand1 depots maintained by2 flora of1 theories regarding ,newnes1 ,sir ,george ,nightbirds ',nimrod'1 the1 voyages2 ,ninnis ,glacier 4444444,lieut4 ,b4 ,e4 ,s41 appointment2 care of the dogs2 at the ,main ,base2 clothing artifices2 spring exploits2 journey to the southeast1 ,september #aa2 the ,far ,eastern ,party2 his death in the crevasse2 ,bage's parting from2 flag planted by2 ,captain ,davis's inquiries after2 message to his relatives2 account of ,nodules 7,the71 ,nordensyold1 ,otto ,north1 ,cape 4444444,east ,bay2 4444444,end 4444444,head ,northcliffe ,glacier ,north's ,land ,notothenia ,nuggets 7,the7 ,oates ,land ,observation ,point ,oceanography1 results of expedition ,oil1 seal1 methods of the sealers ,organ ,pipe ,cliffs ,pack-ice2 ,palmer ,archipelago 4444444,nathaniel ,parisitology ,parsons1 ,messrs4 ,parties for sledging1 arrangement ,patria ,biscuit ,fabriek ,partridge ,twiss1 ,messrs4 ,pavlova1 dog ',peacock'1 the2 ,peary1 dog ,pemmican ,penguin ,hill ,penguin ,point1 by ,c4 ,t4 ,madigan ,penguin rookeries2 ,penguins 44444444,adelie 44444444an ,albino ,penguin 44444444,emperor 44444444,gentoo 44444444,king 44444444,royal 44444444,victoria1 ,pennant ,hills ',perseverance'1 the ,peter ,i ,island ,petrel ,rookeries ,petrels 44444444,antaretic 44444444,giant 44444444,lesson's 44444444,silver-grey or ,southern ,fulmar 44444444,snow 44444444,wilson ,petrol1 amount carried ,pianoforte ,berg ,piecrust ,pigeons1 ,cape ,piper1 ,mr4 ,plasmon ,pollock1 ,professor ,j4 ,a4 ',porpoise'1 the ,posadowsky ,bay ,possession ,nunataks ,primmer1 ,mr4 ,primus heater1 the ,prince ,luitpold ,land ,prion ,banksii ,proteins1 value of ,puffometer1 the ,punch ,quarantine ,station1 ,hobart ,queen ,mary ,land ,queen's ,wharf1 ,hobart ,rabbits ',rachel ,cohen'1 the ,ramornie ,meat ,coy4 ,rations1 daily polar2 for the ,far ,eastern ,party2 for the sledge journey from the ,western ,base ,rats ,reid1 ,sir ,george1 444444,glacier ,robinson1 ,lionel 444444,bay 444444anemometer1 the ,rock ,flour1 ,rocks1 effect of wind and rain on 4444444igneous ,rose ,island 44444,messrs4 ,ross ,barrier 444444dog 444444,expedition 444444,port 444444,sea1 the ,royal ,company ,island 444444,geographical ,society4 ,royds1 ,cape ,russian ,antarctic ,expeditions ,sabrina ,land ',sabrina'1 the ,sails1 value of ,st4 ,elmo's fire ,st4 ,vincent's ,gulf ,sames ,coy4 ,sandell1 ,c4 ,a41 ,wireless work at ,macquarie ,island2 cooking2 lantern made by2 visit to the ',aurora'2 erection of the tide-gauge2 sheepkilling2 as barber2 an accident to2 telephone installed by2 lamp made by2 the home journey2 account of ,sandow1 dog 44444444,mr4 ,eugene ,sandy ,bay1 ,hobart 44444444444,enderby ,island 44444444444,macquarie ,island ,sarcophagus1 the ,sastrugi ,sawyer1 ,a4 ,j41 wireless operator at ,macquarie ,island2 visits to the ',aurora'2 erection of the tide-gauge2 leaves ,macquarie ,island2 visit to the ',tutanekai2 account of ,saxton ,binns1 ,messrs4 ,scarfe1 ,mr4 ,scientific equipment for the expedition1 44444444444work of the expedition ',scotia'1 the ,scott1 ,captain1 work of2 voyage of the ',discovery2 voyage in the ',terra ,nova'2 rations allowed by2 stay in ,antarctica2 at ,mc,murdo ,sound2 the disaster to2 on ,macquarie ,island1 44444444,islands 44444444,lady 44444444the dog ,scott ,expedition ,staff ,scottish ,antarctic ,expedition ,sea1 temperature1 effect of snow on ,sea bears ,sea-elephants2 rookeries of the ,seager1 ,messrs4 ,sea-ice ,sea-leopards ,sealers of ,macquarie ,island2 methods of the ,sea-lions ,seals 444444,crabeater 444444,fur 444444,hair 444444,ross 444444,weddell ,sewing-machine1 ,wild's need of a ,shack1 the ,shackleton ,expedition 44444444444,ice-,shelf1 the2 establishment of the ,western ,base on2 winter and spring on2 ,western ,party blocked on1 ,wild's narrative2 the ',aurora' at 44444444444the dog ,shags ,shaw1 ,dr4 ,w4 ,n4 ,shelf-ice ,shell ,brand benzine and ,shell kerosene ,shoe ,island ,shuteye1 practice of ,signatures of members of land parties ,simpson1 ,mr4 ,skeats1 ,professor ,e41 examination of the meteorite ,skey1 ,mr4 ,h4 ,f4 ,skiing ,sledge1 the air-tractor ,sledging2 preparation of equipment2 wood for sledges2 harness for2 a load2 camping ,smith ,wellstood1 ,messrs4 4444444,william1 work of ,snow1 temperatures ,snow-blindness ,snow drift1 electrical effects ,snow gauges 44444,hill ,island ,soundings1 ,lucas automatic sounding machine ,south ,australian ,museum 444444,orkney ,islands 444444,shetland ,islands ,southern ,cross ,depot1 declination of the needle at 444444444,ocean 444444444,party2 instruments cached by 444444444,supporting ,party1 ',sphere'1 the ,spratt1 ,messrs41 care of the dogs ,steel ,trucks ,ltd4 ,stewart ,island 7,new ,zealand7 ,stillwell1 ,f4 ,l41 at ,main ,base2 geological researches2 map of ,winter ,quarters2 records2 production of ',the ,washerwoman's ,secret'2 finding an albino penguin2 the ,near ,eastern ,party2 his sledge2 pitching tent2 journey of the ,near ,eastern ,party2 the search party2 return to ,australia2 account of 44444444444,island ,stirling1 ,professor ,storm ,bay ,strathcona1 ,lord 444444444444,mount ,sun1 the midnight2 display of rings and arcs ,suva1 wireless station ,swallow ,ariell1 ,messrs4 ,sweep1 dog ,swiss ,confederation ,day 4444444the dog ,switzerland1 the dog4 ,sydney1 ,wilkes's expedition started from2 ,cathedral of2 wood from2 the harbour2 wireless communication with 44444444,meat ,preserving ,coy4 ',sydney ,morning ,herald'1 donation ,tasman ,sea ,tasmania1 hospitality of2 soundings ,taylor1 ,mr4 ,allen ,te ,sol1 ,tea ,temperature1 ,foehn effect2 in ,adelie ,land ,tent-pitching2 ,bickerton on ',terebus and ,error in ,eruption' ,termination ,ice ,tongue 444444444444,land ,terns ',terra ,nova'1 ,scott's voyage ,terrestrial magnetism1 work of the expedition ,the ,steps ,theodolite1 use of the ,tich1 dog ,tide-gauge1 ,bage's2 use on ,macquarie ,island ,tides1 work of the expedition ,tidswell1 ,dr4 ,tiger1 dog ,tooth1 ,sir ,r4 ,lucas 4444444,lady ,helen--see ,helen ,glacier ',toroa'1 s4s4 ,totten's ,land ,toucher1 ,n4 ,c4 ,transit ,house ,trawl1 ,monagasque ,trawling1 experiences of the ',aurora' ,tussock grass ',tutanekai'1 the1 relief of ,macquarie ,island ',ulimaroa'1 s4s41 the ,umbrella aerial1 use of the ,union ,jack1 hoisting the ,university ,college1 ,christchurch ,urville1 ,dumont ,d'1 expedition under 444444444the dog ',valdivia' expedition ,veranda ,club ,verran1 ,hon4 ,j4 ,vickers ,coy41 ,messrs4 ,victoria ,land ,vincennes1 the ,waite1 ,mr4 ,e4 ,r4 ',washerwoman's ,secret1 ,the' ,watersky1 ,watkins1 ,lieut41 aviator ,watson1 ,a4 ,d41 at the ,western ,base2 attempted trip with ,wild for the minimum thermometer2 preparation for the ,eastern summer journey2 blocked on the ice-shelf with ,wild2 fall into a crevasse 4444444444,bluff ,watt1 ,hon4 ,w4 ,way ,archipelago 44444444444444map 444444,sir ,samuel ,weather1 the1 as a conversational subject ,webb1 ,e4 ,n41 at ,main ,base2 care of the dogs2 work at the ,magnetograph ,house2 photo-work2 magnetic ice-cave of2 his first camp2 formation of the ,southern ,sledging ,party2 observations of the needle2 use of the theodolite2 building a break-wind2 the toasts on ,christmas ,day2 sighting ,aladdin's ,cave2 return from the south2 return to ,australia2 account of ,weddell1 ,james1 work 444444444,sea ,wekas ,wellington1 ,mount 4444444444444wireless communication with ,welsh1 ,professor ,western ,base1 the party at2 winter and spring at the2 establishment and adventures by ,f4 ,wild2 the geological shaft2 ,the ,glacier ,tongue2 ,wild's party blocked on the ,ice ,shelf2 linking up with ,kaiser ,wilhelm ,,ii ,land1 account by ,dr4 ,s4 ,e4 ,jones2 medical reports from ,west ,point ,western ,sledging ,party ',westralia'1 s4s41 ,whalebirds ,whales ,whetter1 ,dr4 ,l4 ,a41 at ,main ,base2 the ,toggle ,king2 journey to the west2 the ,western ,party2 meteorological work2 preparations for the air-tractor sledge trip2 his birthday2 on tent pitching2 investigations of a snow ramp2 return2 return to ,australia2 account of ,whirlies1 ,wild1 ,frank1 the work at ,hobart2 working of the flyingfox2 incidents on board2 leader of the ,western ,base2 the winter station on the ice shelf2 rations for the expedition2 arrangements with the ',aurora'2 return to ,aladdin's ,cave2 his party at ,western ,base2 relief of2 reception of the ',aurora'2 winter and spring2 land mapped out by2 blocked on the ice shelf1 narrative ,wilkes1 discoveries of2 charts2 ,knox ,land1 ,wilkes's ,land ,willesden-drill1 tents ,williamstown1 ,victoria ,wind1 velocities ,winds1 ,bay of ,winsor ,newton1 ,messrs4 ,winter quarters1 ,adelie ,land 4444444444444,stillwell's map ,wireless ,hill1 establishment of the station2 444444444installation range1 in the ,antarctic2 report of ,captain ,davis2 messages received by ,hannam on the ',aurora'2 messages from1 and to1 ,adelie ,land2 effect of ice on intensity of waves2 work of the expedition2 telefunken apparatus ,worms1 parasitical1 in fish ',zelee'1 the ,zip1 the dog ,zoological investigations