Mitchell Library, State Library of New South Wales
Charles Turnbull Harrisson diary, 2 December 1911-31 December 1912
ML MSS 386/ Item 1
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Australasian Antarctic Expedition
Hobart
Dec.2nd 1911. Arrived by tram at 3.45pm, & found Wharf crowded. Pushed thro & jumped on to the counter of the "Aurora", after shaking hand with 2 or 3 acquaintances. Just before sailing, His Excellency Sir H. Barron sent for me, and he & Lady Barron wished me well, and bade me do my best for the credit of Tas. Needless to say, I promised to do my best. Assisted the helmsman as the vessel moved away from the wharf thro the crowd of boats. Band playing "God be with you until we meet again". Heard one or two remark upon the beauty of the scene. The mountain the city & the smooth harbour with yacht & motor. Dr Mawson drew my attention to the "Aleidis" which looked very well, all spotlessly white. The Gov. in the "Egerice" accompanied us as far as Sandy Bay Point. The "Marama" kept in company until we had shipped the dogs at Crayfish Point. Was pleased to see W.F.D.B. and his wife on board and waved farewell to the last of my old friends. Had watched the little cottage in Sandy Bay as long as I could see it and wasnt feeling too happy. When that was out of sight, I turned too, helping secure the sledges & other deck cargo. The dogs were brought off in a fishing boat one brute turned on me, but I was holding him too close & his teeth only bruised my arm. The night set in dark S.W. with wind, but at sunset one beam of rosy bright light lit the murky clouds like a search light with a glorious flush of rosy light. Some of the fellows sea sick. I turned in off Adventure.
3rd
I had been put into the 4 to 8 watch - & when I came on deck Sunday morning, was astonished to see that we were off Eagle Hark Neck running N.E. before a stiff S.W. with rain squalls. Heard that she had made rough weather of it before bearing up Dogs in a most unhappy frame of mind, &
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Lieu. Ninnis, Mr Close & I watered & fed them & had to kick and cuff them with order & stop the frequent fights. A wave thro the night had moved the motor boat against the door of the Deck Cabin and Maddigan Webb & Co were prisoners. I found the boatswain, who came and grinned at them & asked "Would you like to get out or is it only joking that you are ?" Took an hours work with block and tackle to move the boat.
Great consternation on board when it was found that the plug was out of the tank and the water washing across the waist of the ship was all going in. Pumped away for some time and declared that the water was getting fresher & fresher. All in favour of going on, rather than put back for more water. It was undeniably brackish. When my watch was up I began to feel sea sick. The "Aurora" rolls very much to 45 ° sometimes. The rest of the day I lay about on deck, going down and turning in after 8 pm.
4th
Feeling very unwell. Dull day with a light Northerly breeze. Sail on foremast and we were rolling along at a staid and steady speed. The "Aurora" certainly is not fast. I watched the birds that ever hovered in our wake. 3 species of Albatross The "Wandering albatross ranging from almost white, only 3rd outer half of the wing above dark, and the tip beneath almost black, - to birds a fairly dark brown all over -: the typical bird is white backed with dark mottled wings, the wing-coverts resting on the back leaves a large diamond shaped light patch of back, and on the inner half of each wing is a smaller diamond shaped white patch. The tail is short the head large but tame. The "Black-brown" "Molly-hawk" or "Molly mawk" is a handsomer bird, pure white, dark wings, the dark contour across the back from wing tip to wing tip - & dark tail: with a narrow dark eyebrow The third is the "Sooty albatross. a soft sooty brown all over, head & cheeks darker, & a small white ring, broken in front, round the eyes. This, and the "Black-browed" are about a size, both smaller birds than the great "Wanderer" which (as we afterwards found) exceed 10 feet in spread of wing. There the great birds would hover, a score perhaps at a time, following the ship on wide spread motionless wings that curve downwards towards the tips, seldom a flap yet they circled, rose, swept down, turning until the plane of the wings would be vertical , and sometimes the lower tip would cut the wave-crest. Then recovering the horizontal they would sweep aloft, circle & descend again. Occasionally they would sweep up to the mizzen stays One Sooty slowly passed along above the deck just clear of the rigging, yet, as the "Aurora" rolled over on him, he, without perceptible movement, swept gracefully out, clear of the ropes. Sometimes resting on the rough seas, riding lightly as corks, & occasionally helping to ride a breaking wave with their wings outspread Night and day the great birds floated motionless silently around, and I could realize the feeling that prompted the old mariners to believe that the souls of drowned sailormen entered into those wonderful birds. I noticed that the wing-tips of the "Wanderer" would occasionally bend upwards, like balancing plane; but I never saw the same curve in the Mollyhawks. Down on the seas, the little Stormy Petrel followed looking tiny in contrast to the great albies. All dark, except from the wings to the tail & that looks white. They flutter down into the wave troughs, down to where a breaking wave has rolled the water smooth, tread the water for a few paces then dart rapidly away a few yards to tread the water again. and dart away again. In the roughest weather they are there.
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Feather on page
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They are the "Mother Carys Chickens" of sailormen. A little Prion of soft grey with darker marking on the wings were also plentiful, flying swiftly, generally appearing to be in a great hurry to get nowhere in particular. These birds were with us as far as Macqu. That evening felt pretty right, and took a two hours trick at the wheel. Found it very awkward after the small crafts wheel. Dull evening and showery.
5th
Rather rough S.W. That morning noticed a gannet amongst the albatrosses following us & Dr Mawson picked it out by the way it flapped its wings, upon my pointing it out to him. That evening I went down to tea, - pretty lively Cocoa jug leaped the fiddles & emptied itself down the table tea pot followed, & the lee fellows scattered as the flood of scalding tea came down on them.
[Note in margin Lat. 45.58 S Long 152.41 E Ther 53 to 48
Lat . 45.58
Long 152.46 Ther 49 46 ]
6th
Finer, but glass falling, quite seasoned now and can go down into engine room. We are the "dog-watch" as the disagreeable task of attending to the dogs falls to us. Sail-making on the "Aurora" is always attended with "language" strong and dirty and its a most disgusting mess forward, with 36 great dogs chained up over the building material on deck, amongst the running gear &c the whole decks slippery with the filth on it the ropes all filthy too. No wonder the crew curse. Some of the Expedition fellows have openly said they would sooner drink bilge water than attend to the dogs. On the whole the dogs are not a bad lot. Some, Shackleton, Basilisk, Switzland &c are really fine dogs, with curly tails curling back to where they start from. One, the "Devil" is not to be trusted. They are fed on biscuits on board.
[Note in margin Lat. 45.29 S Long. 152.41 E. Ther 53 to 48]
7th
When I came on deck at 4 a.m. it was blowing a gale from the S.W. with a fair sea on. The old vessel just stemming it, nearly head to the seas. All the decks awash even the Drs Cabin flooded. Helped Dr Mawson to bail it out. Went forward with Ninnis to see if we could water the dogs. Left him pumping in the waist & went forard to get another bucket. A great wave struck her all along the starboard side, - coming down on me with such force that I was knocked breathless against the timber stack on deck, and half drowned dogs washing between my legs, and around me. I let myself go aft with the rushing water, and found Ninnis crawling out from under the steam winch where it had washed him. We decided to leave watering the dogs until later. Found that wave had staved in the aeroplane case on the skids (resting on the forscle head & carried away the starboard end of the bridge. Helped pick up the scattered timbers of the latter. Seas were grand great rushing hills of water. Assisted the helmsman (a cold Job) for a couple of hours. Sometimes all the seas would be out of sight below the bridge railing the next moment the sky line would be up above the foresl yard and the bowsprit would be plunged into a great blue sea, then plucked forth and waved aloft, the water blowing in smoke from the folded jibs making it resemble a great torch. The seas & wind moderated as the day wore on. Mr Hurley with his cinematograph trying to get seas. Evening quite fine. Meals taken that day as we could get them.
[Note in margin Lat. 47.98 S Long. 152.1 E. Ther 57 to 48]
8th
Fine again, & everyone drying clothes. Sail made on the old craft. Hear we made 25 miles in 24 hrs during the rough weather. Now with a fair wind made 120 miles. The "Aurora certainly not fast; but only using 5 tons of coal a day.
[Note in margin L 49.56 S 152.28 E]
9th
Fine bright day. repairs in process. Mr Bickerton and I at the bridge but had to leave off work later as the S.W. came up so bitterly cold. That evening a bottle of whiskey served out & we drank "Sweethearts and wives" Some drank "Sweethearts" some "wives". Wild drank "Other mens as Ive neither". Halloran drank "Sweethearts and wives may they never meet!" Then a concert. Wild has a good voice & its a treat to hear him troll old "Ye Mariners of England" & such songs. They sang from "The Scottish Students Song Book" &c all joining in the chorus. Dr McLean at the piano but both Musician and Music stool made occasional excursions across the saloon when the old boat took an extra roll. Sometimes our evening meal has a musical ending Mr 1st mate Toucher sitting in a bunk with an accordion, and the others joining in an occasional chorus. And one evening Wild sang "Kabul Town" in his deep voice the others taking up the chorus -
[Note in margin Lat. 51.48 S. Long. 154.4 E. Ther 42 to 40]
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10th
Fine, bright, even warm. I was at the bridge again, fitting a new rail. This was our first Sunday, but a busy day on board, for we expected to sight land on the morrow. Had to leave the bridge in the afternoon, as they wanted the tools for repairing the motor boat. (damaged by the wave on Thursday) That evening as we were trooping aft to tea, The Captn called for volunteers to furl the foresl. We all crowded out on the yard, I on the weather side - & our side finished first, swarmed down and secured seats at the table before the others got down. Meals on the "Aurora" always a rush not seats enough for all, - and the scramble after the tucker, - or the delicacies, makes matters worse. Those who look after themselves get the most - & its not the fault of some of them if they dont score!
[Note in margin Lat.53.44 Long.156.13E Ther 46 to 38]
11th
Macquarie Island about 10 miles off when I went on deck A high irregular hilly land rising from the black ribs of old Headlands stretching out now in ragged reefs steeply up to rounded hills and downs a wall of steep high slopes round the island, thickly covered with a green tussocky grass something like Cocksfoot. This sea wall is occasionally pieced with vallies, - but everywhere with steep ravine of gulches furrowed out by the water, and rugged masses of dark rock. The middle of the island steep rounded hills running in all directions, hollows & swampy plains. As the wind was N.E. it was decided to coast down the W. coast. Very deep water, the first sounding gave no bottom at 250 fathoms & only about 6 miles off the land Penguins, numerous, & fishing rising to the surface with such a rush that they shoot clean out of water thro the air like a porpoise "breaching" and vanish again, - so [sketch of porpoise breaching] This must be for the purpose of breathing. Great debating on board whether they were birds or fish! Misty SE. Rain as we neared its S end. Arrived off Caroline Cove, the deepest bay on that coast, with a great black reef in the E. end and a good cove for landing behind it. The slopes green, with a yellow green marking on it like an encrustation. Behind the steep hills, & in the hollow of the cove, sloping grassy uplands. We could see crowds of penguins in the rocks. Hove to and hoisted out the boat. It was to be an invitation trip ashore but the fellows just crowded in. Ninnis Watson & I alone left as we waited for an invitation. "Aurora" steamed in close past the reef and the boat pushed off. We lay drifting rather close in, when she suddenly bumped rather heavily, healed a bit and slid off the rock which fortunately she did not touch again. The soundings had given something like 13 fathoms just before but in these waters the rocks seem to rise steeply from a fair depth. Steamed out some 3 miles . Cptn tried a deep sounding the steam gear would not work. and the had to get the darned thing in by hand, pushing the drum round for a couple of hours. Only a little fine black sand within when it came up. The boat returned about 4 pm. bringing some Crested Penguins (Royals) and a King, a Giant Petrel and half a doz Maori hens a land rail, like a half grown brown chicken with a long bill & a ragged tail, looking rather sorry for itself. The fellows declared they had the time of their lives, chucking brickbats at Sea Elephants to make them parade before the Cinematograph and chasing penguins round. We lay-to off the Cove all night.
[Note in margin Ther. 45 to 40]
12th
When I came on deck found we were passing round the N end of the island, where the steep coast wall end in a grassy flat, - and on the N.E. point a detached grassy hill rising some 370 feet. Saw the huts close to the coast wall facing N.E. and the hull of a vessel on shore, which we took for the "Jessie Nicols". Anchored close in. When we came on deck after breakfast, an evident commotion ashore. A doz. men, - some signalling, - another on a cask, semaphoring With the help of the glasses we found it was the "Clyde" ashore - Hatchs last vessel, & the shipwrecked crew ashore. They tried to come off in their whaleboat, but the surf was too heavy. They then signalled us to go round to the other side of the headland & they would come off. So we wayed anchor & went round, anchoring again about a mile off shore between the 2 long reef that ran out, - the one on the NE from the detached hill mentioned the other from the NW point of the island. Islanders came on board & we learned the
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"Clyde" came ashore on the 13th Nov. after hanging out in a S.E. sea for a couple of days. The rest of the afternoon I was bird skinning. A good place found for landing stores, wireless gear, &c,. Decided to erect masts for latter on the detached hill.
[Note in margin Ther. (on "Aurora") 41 to 38]
13th
Showery S.E. weather. Dr Mawson decided that Mr Hurley the photographer should go to Caroline Cove to get an important lense left there on Monday and that I should go with him to get King Penguin eggs . I took a large biscuit tin, about 18 in. by 24 in which I packed the tucker for the party and a blanket & coveree it with a piece of canvas. Hurley prepared Camera, blanket & a few &c. It was nearly 4 pm before we got away as they were loading the launch. Landed under the hill, & followed the shore round, Pretty with huge grass covered rocks & Vic. Penguin then a mass of black reefs and the ship beyond Made our away round to the huts. Found things on the island only "middling" The island party and the ships wrecked crew quarrelling. The "Headsman" a huge hairy kindly faced German, declared that it was too late altogether to start for Lusitania Bay. So he brought out a whiskey bottle & we had a nip all round, then a very good dinner with them. A red headed chap named Jock went with us as guide. We made the "Nuggets", about 3 miles down in good time, along a beach of fine black gravel, and over rocks. The Nuggets are 2 huge beehive rocks, and behind under the bank, a couple of huts, and the drying out works a boiler and 5 "digester" about 8 feet high. This plant is capable of boiling down 3000 bird a day, the "season" lasting about 6 weeks. 2 seasons each year first the previous years birds then the old birds when they return fat after [indecipherable] their young out to sea Beyond the Nuggets is the bow of the old "Gratitude", and around it thousands of penguins (Royals) These were coming and going all the time, - going thro the surf in the same fish like leaps that we saw at sea. And a stream of penguins were flowing up & down the creek all the time to their rookeries inland . It is at this creek that they "yard up" the birds, and knock over the fat ones with clubs. 2 half hours a day being sufficient to fill the digestors for the day. & they are packed carefully in, to get as many as possible in. The yard is simply a square of gal. wire netting. We followed up the creek & soon had a mob of penguin ahead of us, - floundering, splashing, quacking and came to the largest rookery, about Ό to ½ mile from the sea. This was diamond shaped, & the shortest way about 126 paces across. The birds must have been about, to every 2 ft sq and the noise was deafening! When we pushed in, a great roar went up, - like the roar of applause from a mighty multitude. Penguins gave back on all sides and the wave of birds swept the others off these nests of pebbles, - leaving unfortunate downy youngsters sprawling sometimes half a yard from the nest. Occasionally I saw a bird prop itself on its legs and beak and so allow the living warm to flow over it without harming the chicken. Some, apparently not nest birds deliberately and aggressively interposed themselves with upstretched head in front of us, and dodged in our way if we stept aside. Even if kicked out of the road, Ive seen them scramble up and rush for us again. We followed up a steep water course, climbing the hills for some 3 or 400 feet between thick tussock grass but still we passed thro rookeries of from an acre to many acres in extent. At last we got beyond the Penguins and soon beyond the grass, & passed over barren steep hills of rock fragments weathered down from stones to almost clay, here bare there covered with moss, and a grey green thick leaved open lettuce shaped plant. The Maori cabbage also grows plentifully in more sheltered positions. Topping the ridge, we saw the W Coast, & followed the barren hill to a lake about a Ό of a mile diameter. Found no life in it or in the creek flowing out. One small red berry growing down in the moss. The skuas had nestlings on these barren wet windy slopes and swooped at our heads coming very close. It was a great sight when upon our return we topped the ridge, and looked down into
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a great basin in the hills, with the sea & the Nuggets below, - and up the hill, to about 400 feet at least, great grey patches of Penguin rookeries amongst the green grass. And the noise of that great multitude far below came to our ears like the sound of a million frogs in the distance. It was misty & late, but Mr Hurley tried a photo. Heard a sound like the murmur of a frog. & looking round saw a small burrow into a green cushion of a plant that looked like moss. [Note in margin Bolax?] Digging it out, found 2 of the beautiful little grey prions, and 2 clutches a single white egg in each. Had a great tea of kippered herrings &c - & just as we were turning in the 2nd mate of the "Clyde" arrived to tell us the "Teroa" had arrived. Talking with him it was midnight before I got to sleep. The afternoon had been fine, but raining at night.
[Note in margin Yield said to be 1 pint per bird Ther. (on "Aurora") 43 to 40]
14th
The mate of the "Clyde" brought us hot coffee at about 4 am at the latest (but we had no watch) We then turned out and had breakfast, and awaited the arrival of our guard Thos. Hutchinson, who turned up about 6. Then we started along the coast S. Morning thick and occasional rain; and driving mist veiling the hill-top. Past the place where the "Jessie Nicol" went ashore over huge masses of rugged rocks, with the long brown ribbon kelp writhing and twisting amongst them like 20 feet snakes. And there the graves of the Captain and Mate with a bit of a cross & the Ships life belt in it. Beyond the rugged headlands half veiled in mist; and the leaping spray. S.E. Harbour just beyond this, is a small bay with the black beach of gritty pebbles worn down to a gravel, also a bit of reef veiling the beach. I counted 40 Sea Elephants on the beach or in the water, some sleeping, others playing, rearing up against each other, each trying to overthrow the other. Many Penguins (Royals, as at the Nuggets) A good creek flows into the bay, but a large Sea Elephant was enjoying a freshwater bath in it. Some were upwards of 20 feet long & of huge girth, & so fat they quivered as they moved. Some of the calfs dark plump little fellows of about 6 feet long with very large soft brown eyes. The faces somewhat resemble a fat pig-dog. The nostrils of the older ones taper off into something of a proboscis when [indecipherable] &c. On the face of all, when they saw us, a most ludicrous expression of astonishment. We took to the hills here, passing up a watercourse amongst some Cat-head fern (Polystirum) cut & brown, & just unfolding new leaves; up over hills and hollows, fairly good walking, tho boggy in parts. On one or two occasions we could see both coasts of the island. Then the S.E. mist came down and shut all out; bitterly cold, and a light driving rain. Set our course S.W. by my little pocket compass and kept on over great hills, going up for a considerable time; for we could not pick one path in the fog. Over barren hills, in places worn into windswept bare terraces; swampy mossy hollows, where Skua gulls nested & swooped viciously at our heads. We occasionally came across the nesting, small brown downy fellows near a rough nest of grass. We also saw signs of rabbits, and once or twice broke thro into a burrow. The rain ceased, and towards mid-day the mist lifted a little, allowing us to pick our course, and avoid the highest hills; then it settled down again. We went over some high hills, then suddenly came to the crest where it sloped steeply down, past a ledge below & we looked down into a sea of fog, & heard the Sea Elephants roaring below. We were on the W. Coast. We followed this a short distance, - then the mist partially lifted in time to enable us to avoid a ravine running inland; and we saw the headlands stretching away, and a large lake, about 1 ½ miles long by nearly ½ mile broad near the edge of the cliffs. We had already passed many lakes and ponds, - many of these pretty sheets of water, with (generally) stony or pebbly bottoms.
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Mostly bare, as far as I could see, of animal or vegetable life, no sedges or rushes to break their surface. We tramped on past this lake for a few miles and then came to the cliffs again. Could not exactly make out where we were, - Hurley and I went further on to a jutting cliff, and took compass bearings. Coast still running N & S. From here, we saw a Giant Petrel rookery on the flat grassy summit - & promptly visited it. Found upwards of a 100 birds as large as Mollyhawks, and colours ranging from dark brown, to white, speckled with dark feathers here and there. They greeted us with hoarse cries, half rising from rough nests of grass "reaching" and vomiting at us, & could throw a stream of liquid for more than 3 feet so found it advisable to keep to windward. Walker amongst them, picked up 4 rotten eggs, & kicked some of the birds from their nests but most had brown or white nestlings others eggs so near hatching as to be useless. Even the little downy nestlings tried to vomit at us ! Hutchinson decided to try the beach. So we climbed down thro the long wet grass, and the cliffs are high & steep & we found the shore very trying huge rocks & Penguin rookeries, Royals with the yellow crest sloping back; Victorias with a thin yellow crest but almost at right angles to the head. The former collect a few pebbles for a nest & down on the muddy ground. The latter form a bit of a nest with grass on a rock, grass root &c. The roar that would go up as we entered a rookery was deafening, - and we got heartily sick of penguins tripped, defied, pecked, and splashed with mud. At last kicked them freely out of our paths. Made such slow & rough progress that we gave up, and climbed the cliffs again. Before doing so, noticed the trunk of a tree 40 or 50 feet long washed up. The first our guide had seen. Found good enough going, & passed some hills and along another lake more than a mile long. We had given up Caroline Cove and were making for the hut at S. head. Passed another large lake with the one end on the very edge of the cliff & the over flow going down in a strong stream. Then to a high hill top. We waited there awhile, cowering under a rock, hoping for a break in the mist that we might see where we were; in vain! then kept a S.E. course - & struck the coast too far to the Eastward. Climbed down to the shore, and coasted back for S. Head. Bad going, having to keep behind huge rocks, around tussocks waist high, with unknown depth of mud & water between. We struggled on, thoroughly tired, for we reckoned we had done 30 miles that day. At dark, (about 10 p.m.) Hutchinson & Hurley gave up. I persuaded them to keep going a little longer, for we were near S. Head; but coming to a bad place they declared they would go no further. So looked round, picked the best corner in the rocks, pulled down some tussocks, and throwing a blanket over us to windward to form a breakwind. I found & lit the candle, & we had something to eat. Could not make a fire as there was not a stick of wood so took off our boots & socks, put one blanket under & the other three over us and curled up close together. We were wet thro but in spite of that, slept. - & what is more, woke up beautifully warm. A couple of Sea Elephants were snoring a few yards away.
[Note in margin Ther. (on "Aurora") 43 to 40]
15th
Awoke just after daybreak, and tried to rouse my tired mates, but they were too comfortable. so I went to sleep. We roused again before sun rise, packed up, and along to S. Head, only a little over a mile. Passed over soft boggy mud, from tussock to tussock and struck a couple of small Penguin Rookeries. Thro. more rocks then reached S. Head. May roughly be described as a broad short triangle, terminating in a point of huge rocks. Here was another great Penguin rookery (Royals) occupying all the triangular slope behind the reef of rocks, and must have contained hundreds of thousands of birds. We made our way to the huts on the W. side put the rusty ranges to right & got a fire going. Hutchinson killed a Sea Elephant, & put some blubber on to make the damp wood burn. 2 or 3 hours getting the deserted hut to rights a fire going, some of our clothes dry, coffee boiled & a meal.
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Mr Hurley took his camera to get a view of the rookery, while Hutchinson & I laid down but only dosed. Turned out about an hour later. Called Mr Hurley in, Had a bit to eat, packed up and started to climb the steep grass slopes, probably 800 to 1000 feet here. As we went up we had a great view of the rookery below a triangle of say 300 paces across the middle base of grass & covered with birds. Large grassy rocks like oasis of green dotting it in places, & beyond the great fringing rocks. It was all moving with penguins. Penguins in the rookeries Penguins on the rocks, Penguins streaming westward & shoreward from the sea. On the beach 3 or 4 large Sea Elephants were peacefully sleeping with the penguins swarming round, and one small Sea Elephant had made an excursion into the rookery, sweeping the birds off their nests with every movement and a crowd of brown Skuas following him up, fighting over the spoils of the nests. Round the Sea Elephants Hutchinson killed for the blubber, a score of Giant Petrels had collected; most of them gorged, floating upon the water, others with gory heads and necks, feasting & dragging the entrails from the slain beast, pecking at each other with outspread wings. Westward of the rookery was a beach with Sea Elephants scattered along it. I counted 80 in the near corners, - some very large. We took over the bare hills and soon arrived at the ridge over Caroline. Hutchinson & Hurley went down for the Camera Lense , while I stayed on the grassy uplands, visiting some Giant Petrel rookeries (but found no rotten eggs) Discovered a small helix on the stems of the Maori Cabbage. Hutchinson & Hurley were a long time, and on their return brought a large albatross which they had found apparently making a nest upon the grassy slope; and had knocked over with a tin of preserved meat. It was a magnificent bird, one of the light coloured, not white, but a beautiful soft light pencilling upon each feather; & between 10 & 11 feet from wing tip to wing tip. I was against carrying such a weight for the 30 miles we had to do, but Hutchinson, nothing daunted, wrapped it carefully in his blankets and strapped it in his pack. It was getting late when we only stopped to get a photo of a giant Petrel upon her nest - & while Hurley was doing this, I heard a couple of prions calling, & dug out 2 more clutches. a single large white egg in each. Could have got many more if time had not pressed so. Then swags on back, and laid a compass course N.E. and away across barren hills, skirted the E. end of the lake jutting on to the cliff, - up a huge barren hill & sighted the E coast. Guide very hazy (as usual) as to locality but after following hills N. for a mile or two, came to a huge basin in the hills that led down to Lusitania Bay. Hurley had strained a muscle in the thigh and I one in the knee that tried me badly in going down hill, and the long slopes, water courses, & muddy tussocky "going" leading to "Lucy" was a painful progress for me. Ending in a very steep climb down thro thick tussocks and Maori cabbage, a creek to jump and we were in the King Penguin Rookery at "Lucy". It was too dark to see clearly, and had been raining for the last hour; picked our way thro muddy swamps at the shore then up to the hut where Hutchinson had a fire going. We were very wet, and could not dry clothes in the miserable little rusty range; so warmed ourselves had tea of Penguin eggs (quite fresh) and we had an all right appetite for it. My finger and thumb would not meet by the lenght of a fore finger round a King Penguin Egg Yet I ate one and a half for tea. Did not taste anything fishy about them. White will not set unless hard boiled, and yolk very colourless. After tea to bed, on bunks with dry straw for a treat.
[Note in margin Ther. 44 to 40 (via "Aurora")
16th
Slept so well did not wake until about 9 a.m. I went to the Penguin rookery and collected eggs in a bit of old bagging. The "Kings" carry their one large egg wedged in between their legs, and pushed forward, so that one end catches in a fold of skin; - so as to appear like a pouch from in front. They will even hang on to the egg, often, when knocked over, or lifted up, or if the egg dropped, I found it cracked. So had to catch the King by the neck, and take the egg from between their legs getting well splashed in doing so. They give a rather severe blow with their powerful wiry flippers. If you leave the egg on the ground after robbing them, they promptly stow it away again with the aid of their long slender bill, - taking some minutes to get it into position, and then slowly hobble away. I found 2 ½ doz. of these eggs a load to carry in the bit of bagging, & was forced to take a couple of spells. This is apparently the only King Penguin rookery on the Island and is only a small one should think only a few thousand birds, and am glad to say the islanders have now ceased to boil them down. Amongst the old birds were many of last seasons young birds still in long brown down, 2 or 3 inches long and as they walked about upright looked like caricatures of human beings with long fur coats nearly to the ankles a caricature that was still more strikingly ridiculous when you came across one with a pair of white trousers showing beneath the fur coat. Another I saw with white trousers and shirt front all the rest brown!
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I blew the eggs while Hutchinson got breakfast ready, and Hurley dried his clothes, and nursed his feet. Hutchinson killed a Sea Elephant and fried the tongue. Was not bad even when fried in its own blubber, but was tough, as it was straight from the beast to the pan. After breakfast I went over to the rookery collected another lot of eggs, sat on a stone in the creek that runs thro the rookery, and blew another 2 ½ doz. there. Then packed up, - helped Hutchinson pack Hurleys swag , called him in, and made a start well on in the afternoon. The walking was fairly good at first, bits of shingley or gravel beaches, rocks or grassy stretches. My knee began to pain considerably, & Hurley lagged badly. After doing some 5 miles, knee improved much, and as it was getting late in the afternoon, I suggested I should push on and try to reach the ship and report that the others were coming, as we feared that Hurley might knock up altogether. Hutchinson agreed it would be the best thing. So taking 6 biscuits & a small piece of cheese, I pushed on. Saw the others behind me for some miles, then lost them about sunset. The travelling got worse and made progress slow. Huge masses of rock to climb over; great gulches running up to the steep grassy slopes; had to climb round the ends thro the long tussock grass, masses of rotting kelp tangled up in rocky clefts & amongst grass with Sea Elephants asleep on it. At last reached the point ahead but to my great disappointment found another bay, and not S.E. harbour beyond. At last came to an impassable bit had to climb back, up under a great rock arch to the top of the cliff, and over the slopes to the beach. A small bay with a fine strong creek running out. Travelling still rough, with 2 or 3 penguin rookeries to go thro. Heartily sick of penguins trying to dodge them, kicking them out of the way, &c One brute repeatedly dodged in front, & as I tried to avoid him got in a hard peck on my leg. Turned on him, pretty mad, caught him by the neck and flung him out to sea. A mighty roar and surge of penguins marked progress thro the rookery but I noticed the birds about 20 or 30 feet in front took not the slightest of the approaching commotion until they apparently caught sight of me concluded they were too used to noise to notice a little extra. Young birds and parent birds who tried to shield their young, had a bad time as that living wave of birds swept over them. Was feeling dead beat, but kept on thro the twilight of the Southern night, climbing over and between great rocks and near mid night sighted S.E. harbour. Then coming to a bad place, and feeling done up, I found some grass, got out my blanket and dossed down to leeward of some tussocks. Had a frugal tea of 2 biscuits and a small piece of cheese, a stem of a maori cabbage to quench my thirst took off my boots and was soon asleep Very cold tho and wet about the legs.
17th
Woke just before sunrise (probably about 3 am) rolled up my blanket, and shouldered the big biscuit tin of specimens, and on my way, eating the last 2 biscuits and bit of cheese as I went. Had to climb high up the steep slope amongst the large tussocks; then down on to the gravelly beach at S.E. Harbour and good "going" for the rest of the way. A long drink at a fine strong creek, - and trudged on steadily. Stopped at the Nuggets for a wash, and to put specimens left there in my swag and looking round the hut found some large biscuits and some currants - A couple of biscuits and a hand full of currants were delicious, and with the wash, made me feel quite fresh for the remaining 2 ½ [indecipherable] 3 miles. No sign of my companions behind, so went on. Knee began to pain me considerably, and I was thoroughly fagged when I at lenght arrived at the huts at N. Head and was welcomed by Dr Wetter who was out for a bucket of water. Found it was only 7 a.m. and they were starting to get breakfast ready. I thoroughly enjoyed good porridge and a "square meal" at 8 am then Drs Wetter and Mertz started off with tucker &c , to meet the other 2. Afterwards heard that they met Hurley at the wreck of the "Jessie Nicol" a couple of miles beyond the Nuggets, and got back with him about noon. Dr Mawson came ashore shortly after we had breakfast, and I went back with him in the motor launch to where they were hauling the spars up to the top of the detached hill on a wire rope. They sent down a bag of earth from the hill top and that coming down took up the lighter packages the heavier had to be hauled from the hill-top. There is a good boat harbour here amongst the long reefs that run out a Ό of a mile. After a brief stay here, I went on board, put out my specimens, and after dinner turned in and slept all the afternoon. Had brought back specimens of all the vegetation I had found in reach, &c. but met the discouraging reception of "Oh, Hamilton (one of the shore party) will collect everything that way during his stay here with the wireless station."
18th
Told off to skin specimens. Took the albatross ashore and over to the wrecked "Clyde" where I found a clean deck to skin it (and the Prions) on. The thing unfortunately bled from the nostrils and soiled the plumage. Then met Hutchinson again and compared notes on progress after we parted. He said Hurley stuck to the tramping very gamely. Ainsworth, the Meteorologist for Macquarie, was landed with his baggage, very indignant at having to carry it himself "on my own shoulders Sir!" Came to me
[Margin note Ther 46 to 41
[Page 50]
to assist him with a valise that (badly blistered as my feet were, I could have carried myself yet with two of us carrying it, he called "spell ok" twice before we reached the hut. Ainsworth had been on our watch aboard, but never did any work. Told me one day that tho he would help with the Expedition all he could, he did not come to do menial work! One or 2 others rather prone to shirk a fair share of work too. Another joke against Ainsworth was the funk he got into if the weather was rough especially if an amateur at the wheel. If she rolled upon such occasions he would loudly declare they should send a sailor to the wheel that fellow would end by capsizing the vessel. Dr Mawson and the launch did not come ashore until nearly dark, so I had tea with the party that the "Teroa" brought down, who were living ashore in the hut.
[Note in margin Ther. 45 to 40]
19th
Helping on the vessel, and repacking eggs in the morning. Eggs in a disgraceful state. Supplied by Poultry Experts Tas. but packed so badly that the stream of broken egg oozed across the bridgedeck. Some boxes just a little straw in the bottom, - other half a box of eggs with no packing a little more straw and another half box of eggs. About 1/3 broken. After dinner, went with the Capt & Dr to the shore, and minded the motorboat while they were over at the wrecked "Clyde", getting gear and boards. Loaded these and round to the boat harbour, landing the timber (for the hut on top of the hill) sending it up on the wires. Then took the working party on board to tea, - nice fine day. Wind still S.E.
[Note in margin Ther. 43 to 39]
20th
With the Captn and 2nd Mate in the morning, in the motor boat, sounding across the bay. Ran deep to the Shore S. of the ship, but a rocky bottom. Then to the wreck, and carried over more gear and took it off to the ship. Had dinner; then ashore to bring Wilds party off, who were pretty tired. Then joined the "Teroas party on top of the hill, who were putting the hut up. Assisted sending up the 30 feet topmast to the last wireless mast. Topmast had been cut too long , so had to dig a trench to let the heel go in as the head went thro the top. To make up for this, the stays had been cut much too short. Red earth here, and not good holding, Considerable speculation if "dead men" sunk in for the stays would hold or not. Wind still stiff from the N.E.
[Note in margin Ther. 48 to 39]
21st
Boatswain and party landed to rig additions to stays of wireless masts. Several of us over culling and repacking eggs. Wind N.E. fresh , and a good roll coming in. Towards midday hands were called to weigh anchor; Found stock had gone when it came up. Steamed round to off the wrecked "Clyde", - then on to the Nuggets to see if the surf would allow of watering vessel. Too much sea on. Great hills topped with mist grey patches (penguin rookeries) showing under it. returned and anchored off the "Clyde" (on E. side of N. Head) there we lay for the rest of the day. Wild tried to bring off the "hands" ashore, in the evening, but found too much sea running, either to land there, or to go round N Head to the boat harbour. We did not feel as much sea as on the other side.
[Note in margin Ther. 51 to 45]
22nd
Bickerton and I put on the rail we had made for the bridge. About 10 a.m. commenced to weigh anchor. (had dropped Port anchor, as starboard anchor had lost stock) Windlass worked very badly. Got in 15 fathoms then lost it all Recommenced and finally got it weighed. Wild looking after motor boat astern. Wind still N.E. and freshening. Off the reef at N Head, found a fair sea running. Wild came forward to say the motor-boat was towing well, when she got a pull when on the crest of a large wave, - and shot down upon the ship, striking the counter such a blow that she made a hole in it. I was at the time helping to batten down the main hatch, for 2 or 3 seas had come across. Upon running aft, - saw the motor boat was towing stern first the "painter" having got foul of her propeller, and that all her fore deck had started from the force of the blow. She towed in stern first, and we dropped the port anchor again. Found motor boat was nearly half full of water, and leaking badly. Took a relay bailing, then down to dinner. Upon returning to the deck, found wind very stiff; and, to my astonishment, ship near the N.W. reef. Capstan was manned. I was sent to the wheel. Bickerton, Close, & Hodgman into the launch to keep her clear of water. They were not long at the windlass, and the 1st mate going to the bridge told me in passing that the port anchor was gone! Afterwards heard pin had come out of the shackle, leaving us with only the disabled starboard anchor no spare ones on board; only small kedges. Captn immediately set hands to make a wooden stock for starboard anchor out of two "dead men" pieces of square pine 10x10, bolted together, and fastened by chains. Meanwhile "Aurora" stood backward and forward, between the two reefs; the motor towing astern. Bickerton gave up trying to drive her, and came aboard, leaving Close & Hodgman to steer and bale. We could not anchor, and too short handed to handle ship, and disabled motor, & send ashore for the other hands. So to & fro we steamed dead slow and I stood at the wheel for 5 hours in a bitter cold N. Easter, - and Close a still less enviable berth astern in the motor. At lenght anchor was ready and let go the whale boat cleared, and hoisted out, manned, and away to the shore. Stiff pull in against breeze, hands ashore wondering what we were doing all the afternoon. Shipped carcasses of a doz - sheep and nearly as many men then back in the twilight to the ship. Tired.
[Page 51]
23rd
Still stiff from N.E. and a bit of sea running. Boat was not manned until about 8 a.m., Went ashore, captured 11 sheep in a corner of the beach, each man clutched one by the wool and away along the beach pulling him round when he wanted to take a wrong course. I got a "goer" and came in easily first. When the boat put off, we went over to the wreck, (which by - the bye, Dr Mawson had bought) and carried off an iron davit, in hopes it would make an anchor stock, - also the mizzen top mast for a boat boom. 3 trips of the boat, with sheep, dogs, - and finally dogs spar towing, &c I went back with that boat, and rather a stiff pull. Then to dinner. Ship dragged again and had to weigh anchor. Made a turn or two across the bay, It was then decided to try and get off the last boat load from the shore. I was picked one of the crew. Manned the whale boat, and the "Aurora" towed us as close as advisable. Old ship looked well ahead of us, surging over the waves, rolling, rising & falling. Cast off and took to the oars. Squalls very hard, picking up the water, but we held our own in them and made good way between, Wild steering in close and thro the reefs. Landed in a corner of the beach caught another 10 sheep and I didnt get a "goer" this time Shook hands with Ainsworth and the rest of the island party and with our good friends the "islanders", Alec & Tom. then pushed off. They gave us three cheers which we returned - & so parted We for the S., they to remain, and await us. A good sea on and the boat very lively alongside ship, making it awkward transhipping sheep. Dr Mawson and I clutched the wool, and swung them into the gangway as the boat leaped up and willing hands clutched them there, as the boat swept down 10 or a doz feet below. Madigan and another also passed up when they got an opportunity. So all passed on board safely. Ship steamed up again and anchored. Difficult matter getting boat up, & she got some heavy bangs against side.
[Note in margin Ther. 49 to 45]
24th
Thick dull morning, - wind still strong from N.E. Anchored weighed after breakfast, and ensign dipped to the island party. Could see little of W coast except the long black reefs. Clearer in the afternoon as we neared the S. end. Captain called me on to the bridge to help identify the places &c. I pointed out the strong stream flowing from the lake on the cliff edge. Off Caroline Cove went up to Crows Nest to try and sight submerged rocks. Saw break on one that ship probably struck on 2 weeks before, but could not see a sign of one Hurley declared they saw from the hills. Fairly clear of mist now and could see hills that we groped our way over in that S.E. mist. Whale boat ordered out, and Dr Mawson picked a crew. Went in and sounded Cove and entrance, we found 10 fathoms right up to the rocks. Out to the ship, - who then steamed in and anchored Little room for a large vessel, - only about a lenght from stern to rocks, but beautifully calm and peaceful, after the rolling of the last 3 days. Caroline Cove is easily the prettiest bay of the island, and only bay at all protected. But unfortunately opens directly S.W. to the prevailing winds. A grassy hillock and huge black reef to the S E; to the W. detached rocks closer in, huge needle rocks and a mile away, a point. Behind, the cove ends in a bit of the usual black beach of stone worn down to more or less fine gravel; behind huge rocks, grassy slopes, water courses, rugged peaks and ridges sloping (I should say) a thousand feet up; where the Giant Petrel and Prions nest. Rocks dotted with penguins and a crowd on the back. Soon as we anchored, a cask was hoisted out; & we towed it ashore; rolled it up thro the penguins & round a crowd of Giant Petrel from the beach. A good stream flowed into cove, - but was full of penguins, a side stream was found with a fair flow a chain of about a dozen fellows formed and the buckets passed from hand to hand. Below this we had a wash in a pool each man as he finished, "spelling" another that he may wash too. Boat went out and dropped a kedge, then brought another cask ashore. We towed off our full one & it was hoisted aboard, the skipper and boatswain running it into the tank while we had tea. Then ashore again, where I bailed from the creek for 2 more casks (making 4) slow work as we bailed rather faster than stream flowed. Nearly dark when we finished. Hannam had a very fine King Penguin "rounded up" on the beach to the big birds evident indignation. I was loth to kill it as the specimens got so dirty aboard with no facilities for skinning either. So I scratched his head which he evidently approved but "boxed" away manfully with his flippers when Mertz "squared up". We towed off the last cask to the strains of "Annie Laurie" and an Adelaide University song Then turnedin, with pleasing anticipation of a quite nights sleep & Xmas dinner in the cove on the following day. So passed Xmas Eve 1911 -
[Note in margin Lat. Long. Ther. 48 to 46]
[Page 52
25th Christmas Day 1911. Woke, about 3 am, by feeling ships keel touch a rock. Tumbled out of bed and commenced dressing as fast as I could. She touched again lightly then commenced to bump with some force, the most horrible feeling imaginable. Ran on deck saw she was nearly broadside on to the rocks to the east the kelp covered rocks at the end of our counter head pointing seaward and a stiff breeze forcing us broadside on ashore Remember "feeling" a prayer that the breeze might drop I think it did for it was only a squall eddying round from the hills laid on to the wire kedge line and tried to haul her stern off. Then call to man the windlass so away most of us trooped to the [fokeskle?] head. None of the crew visible to handle the cable as it came in so Webb and I leaped down. Met Mr Toutcher (the 1st mate) coming up from the fokesle muttering indignantly "Every son of a (something) of them in their bunks!" and all this time the vessel bumping away. We got a "fleet" of the cable before the hands were on deck to relieve us. Then I ran up to the windlass It was covered with men the ship was moving the propeller going - & the "Aurora" off the rocks! She stopped not to get the anchor up, but steamed out, dragging it under her Verily our departure from Caroline Cove in the early hours of Christmas day was unceremonious we stood not on the order of our going, but "got" with all the expedition we could! and jolly thankful to get away. As I could do no more forard I ran aft the kedge line had carried away just as she moved ahead, & they were hauling in the line. I was ordered into the whaleboat to try & get her to the davits but the wind was too strong just then to clear the counter. So stayed there until the ship got a mile out then she rounded up, - and we hoisted in the boat. There was breathing time now, and jokes began to go round. Tis said that Hodgman was discovered packing up his luggage & getting it on deck! The second watch (that I am in) was ordered on to assist get ready for sea, Dr Mawson told me they had given up all idea of getting a further supply of water & would go on short allowance until we reached the ice. and in answer to Dr Wetter, Capt Davies said "Its a damned place & well get out of it ." Put in a busy 2 hrs getting the anchor to the cat-head and on deck; hoisting the boat in on to the skids &c. Then the Captain called me to take the wheel, signalled "go a head" to the engineers and I put the helm over Round she went until her head was S.E. by E; on her way to the Unknown South via the Bishop & Clerk rocks lying out of sight beyond the horizon. It was rather a fine morning Clouds broken and the sun showing occasionally. Not much wind, as we got away from the land, but a fair roll on, that made her swing a good deal, and kept me busy at the wheel. The hands all coiling down, lashing and generally getting ready for sea. Macquarie Is. Soon loomed a high narrow headland astern and before I was relieved at 8 a.m. the Bishop & Clerk was looming faintly ahead. After breakfast I turned in to finish my nights sleep. The fellows were divided into 3 watches that take regular rotation same as the crew. Each watch going down to dinner also in rotation much better than the old "scramble". Our Christmas dinner was ham and sheeps tongues, potatoes and tinned spinach, plum "duff" made on shipboard by the island cook that we shipped at Macquarie, and dates for desert. Then Wild appeared with half a doz. bottles of wine and cigars. We drank Dr Mawsons health and sang "For hes a jolly good fellow" and gave three cheers The funniest part was that the second relay had just started their dinner, - and as the ship was rolling heavily had to stand up with their mug of wine in one hand & their plate of soup in the other or it would have been flying all over the saloon. It was now a glorious day a light N.E. with a beautiful blue sky and a warm sun. We spent the afternoon on deck reading, writing &c I writing up my log. Then Webb remembered that Dr Mawson had brought off a penguin the previous day, & wished me to skin it. Found it was a Royal but instead of the usual blue coat was a soft satiny grey brown the inner feathers grey ends brown a beautiful bird, eyes usual brown. I asked Hunter, our chief biologist if he would take it in hand, but he declined to do so without the proper facilities. So I took the job on and with care, managed to make a good job of it without the said proper facilities but its certainly skinning under difficulties. Turned in early & left cleaning the skin until the morning watch.
[Note in margin Lat. 54.14 ½ S. Long. 158.38. E. Noon Ther. 47 to 44]
[Page 53]
26th
Turned out for 12 to 4 watch the most objectionable of all the watches. It was scarcely more than a twilight then, only the brightest stars shining and the glow of the sun like the white light of the dawn all across the S.E. horizon. Presently Dr Wetter called out "Theres an Aurora" and we saw a long light ray, with a sharp curve in it rising cloud like to the Zenith. It increased in brightness and assumed a curtain like form. A small vertical shaft would glow brightly then spread and flash across the heavens like a ribbon of swiftly moving golden steam or spray you could distinctly see the movement almost too swift for the eye to follow also see the light broken up into an even ribbon of spray, as it were, by the rapidity of the movement. At one time there was such a band of light from SW to SE across the heavens, with our "crows nest" dark against it. Lasted for half an hour or so. I turned in when relieved at 4 am (finished cleaning penguin when light enough.) Turned ou to breakfast Rest of day at specimens. Dr Mawson pleased with penguin, and he found boxes and material for packing away birds and eggs. Opened the penguins feet and the albatross wing and took flesh out before packing them away. After packing away eggs I remarked to Dr Mawson "Theres something to show for our trip down the island." and he answered "Yes indeed! you did very well". Theres two boxes, anyway, packed now to my credit. Rest of the watch slaughtering and skinning sheep. Night cloudy, - nothing doing. Midnight only a twilight. The Mollyhawks still with us Occasional Wanderer & Sooty. Also occasional Stormy Petrel the first [indecipherable] or at least that I saw was about 60 miles from Macquarie. The grey Prion very plentiful for the first 100 miles or so but now few. One Cape Pigeon this evening.
[Margin note: Lat 57.15 S Long 157.25 E. Ther 48 to 44]
27th
Quiet day. and misty morning and evening. Clear but dull in the middle of the day. Wind changing from its long spell in the N.E. round to N or N.N.W. light. In the afternoon set in a wet mist, and tonight very thick and drizzling. Makes one glad that the nights are so light, for we may now be amongst drifting ice for we were to cross the 60 par. of Lat. this afternoon. Thermometer down to 40° and yet not a cold wind. We are now on allowance of water, and fresh water for washing strictly forbidden. We do not get a full mug at meal times and if tea or coffee, that is too strong & bitter to drink. All feel very dirty. Drink is carefully shared out equally now. Gone are the scramble days of the Tasman Sea, when Hurley, Hodgman, Madigan &c scrambled for the best at one end & we at the other went without or had to put up with what was left. While Mr Toutcher, the mate, sat on his bunk, or on the piano, playing the concertina; or Wild Oats astride the seat and sang "Corble Town" in his deep musical voice. (NB. Dr Mawson who is a bad sailor, does not have his meals with us, but in the Captns Cabin on deck with Davis, and sleeps there too) This evening I heard that I had been once more assigned to the 3rd Party. A couple of weeks ago the Dr told me that he was minded to put me with that party as I would have more chances for collecting, but added "You are a man that would do well with any party, & you can join which you like, 2nd or 3rd ." I replied that I would prefer being with Wild, but would leave it with him to place me where he thought best. As I had heard no more I had come to regard myself as fixed with the second, and felt disappointed upon hearing I had been changed. It was gratifying the way the 2nd chaps expressed regret and, what I greatly appreciated, Wild came into my cabin to say he was very sorry to loose me, and intended to try and get me re-transferred. We had a long talk over prospects of the different parties. They are a nice lot of fellows, the 2nds, every man of them. But the 3rds are a good lot too, and Im pleased Im with them rather than with the 1st party; for several reasons. Turned in at 10 pm quite light. Mist all round a grey sea and a grey sky and almost birdless only at long intervals a prion flits like a grey shadow out of the mist to vanish again. Music and singing in the saloon and a great howling of dogs on deck.
[Note in margin Lat. 59.30 Long. 157.21 E Ther. 44 to 40]
28th
Still thick fog until evening when the wind that has held so long to the E & N.E. went round to the W.N.W. and we had a clear horizon. No ice visible. Temperature down to 37° Fah. This evening. A couple of Mollyhawks a Wanderer and a Sooty about this evening. Also occasionally a Cape Pigeon and Prions. Saw floating kelp. Lat. 62 passed today. Mr Caomer 2nd Engineer produced a pair of boxing gloves & a little sparring on deck after dinner to warm up. I changed from the 2nd to 3rd watch to allow Dovers to form a navigation class. Sorry to leave the 2nd Great excitement at 11 pm. when land was reported Course altered for the unknown island, but half an hour showed it to be cloud land, but Im told an exact simulation of land
[Note in margin Lat. 61.58 Long. 157.11 (DR)]
[Page 54]
29th
Same thick grey weather, with sun half struggling thro wind died away. Nothing doing until afternoon then under Wilds directions a start was made with sledge harness. A little after 4 p.m. one of the hands amidship sighted the first berg, I followed his finger & and saw a misty object looming up on the starboard bow. 2 or 3 more loomed up in the mist, indistinct darker markings on the surface of the grey sea. We passed close to a large one to starboard, an oblong rounded top, sides irregular shelving or concave perhaps 50 feet high The tops & shelves white, the hollows and caverns a most glorious azure blue. The depth and purity of the colouring marvellous. I dashed down for my paint box and canvas & mounting the sledges amidship started to rub in the (now by contrast) almost browny grey sky and sea, and was just starting the berg, when a call from the fellows aft made me look around. There on the port beam were 2 smaller, but high bergs of more irregular shape one having a hole tunnelled right thro. it. But the hollows and caverns deep pure azure, with below a dash of emerald green with the edges & outerpart shaded off as tho. seen thro. a screen of delicate white or thro a thin sprinkling of snow the most delicate half tints of azure imaginable! And the projecting parts and slopes pure white; the flat shaded parts a shade of the dull sky. I promptly swung round - & there was a roar of laughter from the fellows aft at the way I "right about face" and worked at the smaller and more beautiful bergs Wild asked what I thought of it. I replied I was doing what I never thought to using pure cobalt and emerald green! The sketch was very rough and all inadequate but the fellows were pleased with it & Dr Mawson said "Its very good Harrisson." The lights were necessarily very bad for the cameras. Just after tea, the to gallant was clewed up. Madigan & I went up to furl it, Dr McLean and Schroeder the big Dane followed. After furling the sail, the sailor was explaining how the ropes tied, when I noticed the sea just ahead covered as if with scattered foam which grew thicker & thicker until all beneath the veil of fog ahead was mottled with white - & in a few minutes we were in the Pack! Looking down upon it, the sea was as if covered with marble in blocks from the size of a large flower to a finger lenght; blocks square oblong
[Note in margin Lat 63.49 Long 156.14 Noon (D.R.) Ther. 36 to 33]
all shapes as all sizes the whole sea was covered thickly the only open water a few yards where a huge block was driving thro the small pieces. And a sound arose from the jostling fragments as from the breeze in a multitude of leaves or the wash up a pebbly shore. The ship, with her way almost checked, forced her way thro the blocks thick along her sides. And looking down upon the larger blocks we saw the same glorious tints of azure going to a deep green where the ice was under many feet of water. We went down on deck, and throwing a rope end over, I lowered myself down on to a block keeping a good hold of the rope and claimed to be the first of the Expedition to plant my foot upon Antarctic ice! Dr McLean & Madigan followed. Hurley also tried but the captain caught him & Hurley retired in disgrace! We turned & passed out, skirted the pack for some distance a heaving line of white between the colourless grey sky & sea then into clear water with only occasional pieces of ice. Saw dimly in the mist what must have been a large or beautiful group of bergs but the wretched mist hides everything. Saw over the ice, birds like Cape Pigeons but lighter which Wild told me were Antarctic Petrels.
30th
Kept the midnight to 4 am watch. No darkness now, night being light enough to read without any inconvenience. Mist still upon the waters. Stitching canvas for sledge harness. Pieces of ice floating by. Just before 4 a.m. clewed up the 2 topsls. Madigan, McLean & I laid out on the yards with Mr Grey, 2nd mate & Jos. to furl them; & while there could see a Fin-back whale swimming across our bows & alongside. The long slender body and sharp head could be distinctly seen, as well as the dark above and light below. Sails already stiff Temperature of air and water only 32 ½ ° F. Mist very thick when we returned to deck scarcely more than a ships lenght visible. Heard the seas thundering and booming into the caverns or shelves of what must have been a big berg but not a sign of it could we see Tho. the weird sounds out of the mists were louder than we had hitherto heard seas on the bergs. A large snowy mass floated by with a couple of fluffy beautiful Antarctic Petrels upon it. When I turned out again at 8 a.m. the mist had lifted, and ice of irregular shapes and sizes all around. A large berg about a Ό of a mile long to port, the mist still clinging about its snowy summit too far off to see the beautiful colours. Another great big dimly visible
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on the horizon astern. Amongst the masses, & about a mile away, one like a great pure white sphinx. Also saw a whale spouting. After breakfast set in a light sleet, and continued thro. the day. Passed several small bergs. From mid-day thro. the afternoon the sea was covered with masses of floating ice of all shapes, and up to the size of a small cottage. Not packed closely together, but plenty room for the ship to thread her way thro. Many pieces very beautiful, weathered in columns, gallerys, pillars and many fantastic shapes, with beautiful, but not very intense blue and greens in the ice, or in the waters above submerged ice. Sea fairly clear of mist but thick overhead and sleet falling. On one large piece of Cake ice were half a doz. penguins, evidently Adelies. The beautiful white Snowy Petrel flying about with the Antarctic Petrel. Passed lat. 55.30 S. Emperor Penguin reported on another piece. A Wilsons Petrel? ( dark except for white on back between wing & tail seen in evening. After tea a huge berg loomed up passed close, of great size and solid except for 2 or 3 caves. Height variously estimated from 40 to 90 feet far nearer latter I think Ice cakes very thick & several bergs in sight. 2 or 3 seals seen, but too shy to allow ship to get close. Sky appear to be clearing. At midnight went on deck before turning in (had spent watch sewing harness) Ship almost stationery in very thick ice that stretched away around dotted in distance with large bergs. Half a doz penguins, including 2 or 3 Emperors upon a Cake just under our stern. Felt the cold very much but hear thermometer down to 28 ° Fah.
[Note at top of page Lat. 65.14 Long 156.5 E. Ther. 32-28]
31st
Upon going on deck in the morning, found ship in comparatively clear water, heading N.W., Cold wind blowing from the S. Heard ship, after forcing her way into very thick pack-ice, had worked out again, & was now following the pack to the W. Strong ice blink of pale yellow light all along the S. SE & SW horizon, against which the white bergs in the distance showed shadowy not white. Sky cloudy, but no mist. We passed at intervals beautiful bergs one in particular where the outline appeared like a vast white arch, the entrance to an azure tinted cover of great height, but not very deep colouring; but was at some distance when I saw it. All day we headed westward, following the pack, - ice around all the time. Sometimes forcing our way through the drifts of large cake ice so you could feel in the saloon the shocks and quiver as she struck the blocks and they shattered or drove off rotating from her bows. At tea time, we passed a most beautiful berg alone no ice near it. It was very much weathered, only the top in the centre of smooth white ice, around were peaks and ridges, or slopes of blocks of ice snow (?) that had fallen down All of purest white and the shadows, - even under the blocks of ice of purest axure not very dark. Over hanging slopes tinted light axure. At one end a great cave ran in to the centre of the berg & as we passed down the side we saw a small tunnel into this cave all azure with long slender icicles hanging against the pure blue. An ice-foot ran out under water, and the sea over it a beautiful azure with a tint of green in it. Thermometer today 27 ° Fah. Only made 25 miles S. in the past 24 hours. After tea climbed to the Crows Nest. All to the S. a vast plain of ice, blocks, pillars, floe, without a rift of water, giving a hazy indistinctness to the vast extent of white surface. Here & there in it towered great bergs, some very large but distant and above the pale yellow light (with a slight orange in it -) with a dark cloud running into it - & beneath the darker sky a bay of clear water. Passed thro. one or two points of the floe a good sight from the bows a mass of shattered churning ice in a swirl of green and blue the deep water close under the dark bows being of the darkest deepest blue with a touch of purple in it. Wild shot a sea leopard on a floating floe, & Schroeder lept down with a rope & secured it. Another hand followed but got flurried in regaining the ship & went into the water waist deep. At 11.30 pm I went up to the Crows Nest. The grey pack lay vague and eerie along the southern skyline, and the dark sea between. A narrow long rift of golden light above the pack & the last sun of the old year setting, pouring a flood of light out over the clouds above; - and all round, the horizon flushed with rosy light but not as bright as an ordinary sunset nor as light.
[Note at top of page Lat. 65.40 S. Long. 155.39 E. noon Ther. 29-27.5]
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Monday 1 January, 1912
8 Bells! And the syren screamed hoarsely, the fellows beat biscuit tins and cheered but it sounded rather forlorn out there on the waste of sea and ice. Mr Hurley "took" the group on deck, As I went below the line of golden light in the S. was already quivering with the returning sun, and the last sunset had merged into the first sunrise. At breakfast time passed some large bergs, 2 hollowed into caves that evidently ran far back into the bergs, for you could see the waves surging back amongst the vast ice pillars within. Colours not as deep as the ones we passed so closely in the fog. After breakfast went up into the Crows Nest the great pack lay frosty & vast along the S. with seals looking like black grubs laying asleep upon the flat cakes of ice. Could count a dozen at a time. Sighted something like distant land. Wild came up and looked, it was very like land, - but faded as we looked All along beyond that grey plain rather indistinct. About mid-day set topsls and staysails and mizzen. About 3 p.m. sighted the ice running far out ahead and the course altered N W to clear it. Many great bergs seen one high and rounded like a boar-back island, much higher, and in great contrast to the usual table-top form. Height estimated at 2 to 400 feet unfortunately it was far in the pack, so did not get a good look at it. Saw flock of birds, must have consisted of a hundred or two forming a dark line, but could not see what kind. A couple of bottles of wine served to each mess at dinner time, and dates for desert. Mr Hannem the stout wireless man complained at dinner time, (Dr Mawson chanced to come down) of the pork. The Dr answered it was the best Australian "and good enough for you". There was a broad smile all round the table. Day fine, temperate & pleasant. Lat. today only 65° 17 S.. The pack today had a well defined edge of finely ground ice with a little lee of smooth water, making it look like a low beach with no sea but a grey frosted shore I can compare to nothing I have seen before. A pleasant breeze but little or no sea Even the soup is not spilled now & no fiddler on table.
[Note at top of page Lat. 65.18 S Long. 151.50 E Wind ENE to ESE Bar. 29.54 Ther max. 30. min. 28.]
Tuesday 2 January, 1912
Snowing in the early morning a little on and off through the day. Wind NE steady. Ice, in the morning both to the N & to the S. Felt "off colour" with a boil on the cheek-bone and a headache. Towards noon came to a broad point, and clear water running S.W. beyond. Ship was forced into the pack here, under topsls, and when brought up by the ice, was made fast by an ice-anchor and some of the fellows climbed over to get ice for water. But by some means the anchor was lost and the ship released, so they climbed back on the ship in a hurry. Got a lot of water for washing by dragging buckets over the flat cakes as we passed. Beautiful colours of blue and green in some of the ice, and in others yellow probably with diatoms. The sunlight and shadow flying over the ice gave beautiful effects - The top of cake and hummock was so white the narrow cracks between a dull greenish grey looking as if the surface was frozen, and thickly flecked with white. Long icicles hanging from some of the ice shapes. All the afternoon we sailed a clear sea under a cloudy sky. Each watch busy killing and skinning sheep; the dogs greatly excited & showing great deftness in catching odd pieces thrown. Near mid-night passed a large regular shaped table top berg that must have been Ύ of a mile long; but away in the S. Showed two stupendous bergs, at a great distance. The largest and furtherest must have 3 to 5 miles in height, and we saw it distinctly against the glowing sky before it was lost in the glow of the sunset.
[Note at top of page Lat. 65.30 S. Long 147.59 E. Wind E.S.E. Bar. 29.50 Ther. Max. 38. Min.29.]
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Wednesday 3 January, 1912
Cold morning with a bitter S. wind sleet laying on the decks. Great interest for to the S lay an ice-barrier low but solid, along which (they tell me) we had coasted some 20 miles. S of us the barrier ended the ice blink going on W, - but, most important a broad strip of "open water sky" between. Breakfast time we went this opening & broke thro the pack, very narrow here, and loose. Thro great blocks with beautiful tints of blue in the crevices past great flat cakes as high as the ships deck, and as long each way as the "Aurora", - level & carpeted with soft pure white. On some of the floe ice sea leopards lay, that held up their heads and squirmed round like great grubs and Adelie Penguins that waddled to the edge of their cake & surveyed us. Thro. the pack, we headed S, in open water only bergs on our right to the left the steep sides and level snowy top of the barrier. Took in topsls cold job showers of ice falling from the ice-encrusted gear And aloft ratlines, foot ropes and yards were encrusted with a thin layer of ice and very slippery. Mertz "laid out" on the upper topsl, but by the time it came to furling the lower topsl I was the only amateur amongst the hands aloft. Fell in with the Barrier at dinner time & coasted along close enough to see the beautiful blues in the hollows & crevices, the greenish blue of the water over the ice foot and beautiful sculpturing of the barrier wall In one place soft & powdery as with a great snow slip, then stratified and rough hewn as the face of a rock-cliff next beautifully embossed with raised patterns, on a large scale & most elaborately worked, in which one could almost trace acorns, pineapples, grapes, &c - or else worked in a manner reminding one of chip-carving. As the glass was falling the Aurora stayed under the barrier (after coasting many miles) for it was taking away apparently S.E. and a cold wind blowing. A large ice island about a mile from the barrier, and saw 3 flocks of birds on it flocks large enough to show at ½ a mile distance. Steamed up to it in the evening, going very close. A seal crouching in close under the wall above the ice foot and a dozen "Killers" hunting round. They passed very closely we could see the triangular fin and a light band across the back behind it - & apparently a yellow streak near the head. Stood too & fro along the Barrier. Estimated height of latter 30 to 60 feet sea wall but the white rounded summit was higher than our Crows Nest (80 feet) as we could not see over it. Evening sunny, & warm out of the wind. Birds numerous Cape Pigeons, Antarctic Petrels another petrel (resembling latter but light coloured) Snow Petrel occasional Prion & G-Petrel
[Note at top of page Lat. 65.46. S Long 143.21. E. Wind ESE. to S.E. Bar. 29.40 Ther. Max. 31 Min. 27]
Thursday 4 January, 1912
Turned out for 4 to 8 a.m. watch. Wind S.S.E. stiff, sky fairly clear and sun shining. Ship still patrolling the barrier. Wind increased; before noon it was a gale, and we were fortunate in having that barrier partly to windward. Ran back some 12 miles to bring barrier still more to windward. Spent most of the day below for sake of the warmth, mending, reading, &c. When I took the watch again at 4 pm the wind had moderated to a fresh breeze, barometer on the rise, standing at 28.87. Thermometer, air 33° water 31° - the rise in temperature melting the ice caked on spars and rigging, and everything very wet. Our approximate position being 65 ° 55 S., 145 °.50E. A sounding taken the previous afternoon between the barrier and the berg or ice island gave bottom at 210 fathoms. Snow showers passing thro. the day and all a dull grey around except the icey wall of the barrier and the lovely colours in it. Birds not so plentiful. Saw a large bird probably a giant Petrel on a cake of ice drifting past, & Adelie Penguins on other cakes. Cape Pigeons, with their distinctive mottled wings. Antarctic Petrels (?) very similar (as far as could be seen) in size & shape & somewhat similar in colour also a soft brown on neck, back, wings - & head & tail-end darker. Beneath, long feathers of wing, & upper tail coverts soft white. Another petrel, in company, looks slightly larger and fuller; the same soft white beneath but on the back a very soft grey not much darker than the breast uniform except tip of wing dark and some soft light shading on wing above. Also plenty of the beautiful soft white above like Snow Petrels, & a few Wilson (?) Petrel
[Note at top of page Lat. 65.65 (DR) S Long 143.30 E Wind S.E. Bar. 28.65 Ther. Max. 33. Min. 27]
[Note at side of page "Silver Grey Petrel"]
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Friday 5 January, 1912
Wind freshened up again thro the night and in the morning watch was blowing pretty hard, snow and sleet. Temperature down to 29°. Dogs cold and quarrelsome. 4 of them afterwards had fits (Charcot, Pollux, Lady Hamilton & King Lear) latter 2, and Ross, died thro the day. Still cruising up and down the Barrier (discovered on the 3rd) and although generally close up, it could only be seen, occasionally, as a dim outline darker than the snow mist behind. As the day wore on, the wind fell. Sometimes we were close up to the barrier, and could see the snow blowing off it in a continuous white mist. One piece very beautiful all raised patterns like embossed work, cushions, &c and the edge of every raised cushion or ridge fringed with long slender icicles. A beautiful strip of blue water along the foot gave a beautiful effect. At 4 pm. Barometer read 28.75 Ther. (air) 30 ½ , water 30. Evening apparently fining up, and about 6 pm a start Southward was made. Saw a Skua gull, twice, to-day.
After 8 p.m. Went ahead S. Barrier took away S.E. or E with undulations, and some fine snowy cliffs (almost shade of strong blink above) and what appeared to be a beach in front with great blocks of ice thereon. Huge square floating masses and others weathered and washed into irregular shapes and crevices Some of the latter in the foreground with lovely blues and greens in the crevices and hollows; and a considerable quantity of loose ice round. the finest picture we have seen of this barrier, but a light falling sleet prevented me sketching it. Took away from the barrier over a Mist bound sea, amongst floating ice. Many masses had Snow Petrels sitting upon them white as the ice they crouched on. Some beautiful pigeon-like Antarctic Petrels went by on a cake within 2 fathoms of the ship. Whale apparently a large Fin-back kept company. At mid-night, clear water ahead. Barrier apparently taking away to the E. in a great bay. Could not distinctly trace any continuation S. but misty & light not good.
[Note at top of page Lat. 65.41 S. Long 144 E Wind S-Easterly Bar. 28.93 to 28.5 Ther. Max. 31 (midday) Min. 28]
Saturday 6 January, 1912
Morning grey, snowing lightly. Nothing to be seen. Sea clear of ice. Wind in same direction, very cold. About noon reported something ahead. I turned up to look only a low grey line far off. Went to the Crows Nest after dinner. It looked like a low steep shore but suspicious regularity. Came up thro the afternoon to a high barrier, but could see little of it for the blinding snow. Towards evening it cleared slightly and we got a fine view of the ice cliff. It was higher but not as well marked as the barrier of the 3rd inst. A magnificent sea wall, broken into headlands & buttresses, with bays, miles long, running into it. Much of it overhanging. Great caves hollowed the face and icicles hung from projecting ridges; and the same glorious blue peeped from rifts and holes but not from the caves. One cave beautiful in particular, - for the entrance edge, in lenght (perhaps 10) and the entrance marked like a curtain caught up on one side, the icicle fringe falling over that raised corner. All on deck after tea, watching the ice wall when land or what appeared to be ice-covered hills were seen on the starboard bow. Mr Toucher claimed to be the first to see them. We watched & out of the mist saw shape gradually the slopes of steep hills - & what looked like a headland. Soon appeared that the barrier swept round and joined this, so ship was headed northward to clear the point. Saw brown rock cropping out of the broken headland of ice while off it a line of huge bergs aground. An exceedingly dreary ice white land this rock the only outcrop visible. Then the mist closed down again with snow. Off the point, we passed between some great brown rocks coated round with snow soundings giving 30 fathoms. Rocks tending away to-wards the line of bergs, that lay like a Titanic line of battle-ships, fading into the distance on our right. The coast took away again, showing we had rounded an island or great point In the distance S. (?) the faint outlines of glaciers, hills, or rocks we could not see what. A glare of white ice blink below a brownish grey sky a dark grey sea between the two an irregular line of grey white ice-cliff with a vague indication of slopes the same shade as the blink above & a little pencilling that might indicate rock-outcrop as hollows in the ice this was the new land.
[Note at top of page Lat.66.37. S Long. 144.58 E. Wind E to SE. Bar. 28.93 Ther. Max 32 Min. 31]
[Page 59]
Sunday 7 January, 1912
Turned out for early morning watch. Ship motionless. Grey mist all around, and snowing. Once it took up a little and we saw indications of high land, an ice face-point, and line of great rocks off it. Appeared to be a bay behind and very broken shore. Then the snow-mist would blot out everything again. Hands indulging in snow-balling. Mr Toucher beguiling the idle hours on the bridge, by making snow-balls, and dropping them on Expedition fellows passing below. No wind, snowing all the morning. Somebody said it was pretty on deck I went up nothing but snow, mist, and tin cans floating around; icicles on ropes & spars snow over most of the deck cargo. Great snow balling battle forard just before dinner some on the Focsle some on the aeroplane case. Wild was seen coming forard so they suspended hostilities until he all unsuspiciously got well in range and gave him a great reception. After dinner went ahead slowly, feeling our way thro the mist with the line-soundings very irregular from the bottom at about 200 fathoms down to 30. Islands of rugged rock, capped with snow, or sprinkled with snow came out of the mist and with them small bergs their grey or blue-white contrasting beautifully with the brown rocks. Steamed close round one small stranded berg, but could not make fast (for procuring ice) Most lovely effects roughly hewn hard marble soft white powdered blue crevices! Also passed 2 or 3 more, closely, much shattered, and that lovely almost luminous blue in the crevasses. Then close under another, - towering up vertically 100 ft overhead irregular cliffs of white picked out in cobalt. Cleared the whale-boat ready for hoisting out. After tea the mist lifted a little, & showed a whole nest of islands off a point, & the large bergs out to sea rocks also some 2 or 3 miles out. Coasted along a gradually sloping surface of white ending in an irregular ice-cliff and dark rocks & reefs laying off. Dr Mawson pointed out a point running down to the water, & a rocky reef thereon, as a possible landing place. Did not look inviting to us - & Mr Hannam very disgusted Only a narrow point a break in the cliffs. Coast ahead apparently still a wall - & great snow capped rocks laying off it. Put in about 3 hours volunteer look-out aloft and had a confidential chat with Dr Mawson in the main-top, when he explained reasons for breaking up 3rd Party - & joining me to Wilds party. Very glad- as I should have more chances of doing something.
[Note at top of page Lat. 66.55 S. Long. 144.52 E. Wind SE. to N.W. Bar. 29.33 Ther. Max. 33 Min 31]
Monday 8 January, 1912
No watches kept during night when I woke it was after 7 and the screw was going. Upon going on deck I found a gloriously bright morning a most agreeable change. Ship was then about the same position as on previous evening having drifted back thro the night. Steamed on W. to N.W. compass very unreliable. Same even high slope of white, broken here & there with hollows and ridges (probably crevasses) and ended in a high bank or cliff of ice. Here & there rocky isles or reefs. Coast visible for a long distance ahead all the same even high slope running back if hills and valleys beneath they have been leveled by ice to one even slope rolling back not a mountain top visible over it. Thick fog came along the shore, and blotted all out for a time. Seeing signs of it breaking, I climbed to the Crows Nest and presently all the long white coast came out and further still, I fancied I saw a higher and more broken coast to the N.W. or W., and there was a line of a doz. bergs and islands in that distance. Ship was headed into a low part of the coast where a great berg was seen evidently stranded. A nearer view showed a long rocky reef & isles running out behind the berg, and a fringe of rocks on the shore opposite, - dark powdering on the foot of the long white ice slope, that seemed to melt into the sky there was so little difference in light & shade. Found 100 fathoms up to the berg and ran deep in near the rocks. A quantity of ice fell from the berg as we passed raising a big splash. Boat hoisted out - & Dr Mawson went ashore. A glorious afternoon unclouded and as warm as we could wish Altho little above freezing in the shade. Sketched read & basked in the sun. Boat returning report a fairly good position Penguins and seals plentiful. The rocks too thick to get the vessel close so decided to sound on the other side of the point of reefs & rocks. Motor boat hoisted out, - and we loaded that and the whale boat with mutton, Benzine, sledges, &c. While doing so, a large piece of ice came drifting down the vessels side & we had to go astern in the boats while it went by. The 2nd party and one or two others then told off to turn in (10 pm) while the first party washed. Barometer falling a little but a glorious bright evening with the sun shining over the snow slopes to the S. West. About 10 a very beautiful effect passing between 2 bergs one between us & the sun, & ice flakes falling off the other in bright sunlight, & low sun here & there on the land
[Note at top of page Bar. 29.16 Ther. Max. 42 Min. 23 Lat. 66 ° 47 S. Long. 143.14. E.]
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Tuesday 9 January, 1912
Called to assist getting boats in. Found it was a clear morning but blowing very hard. Heard that it came on suddenly while boats on shore; & Hoadlys fingers a bit frost-bitten. The landing party had a bad time getting back, & as one or two who do not usually push into work, went for the sake of landing they rather fell in. Vessel steamed up and anchored close in to a high ice-cliff to the W. of the reef, in 10 fathoms water; 75 fathoms of chain out. We had an hours hard work getting the whole boat up on to the skids, & large ditto unto davitts, - Motor boat being on the latters davitts. Boats came up encrusted with ice, wind was bitter cold & I heard temperature down to 24 °. The great ice-cliff and slope to windward veiled in a cloud of flying snow, but seen between the squalls was grand and striking with the lights & shades on it; but no colour visible. A breakfast time, Hoadlys fingers much better. All talking over nights adventure. Motor boat, it seems, broke away before the ship was anchored, and Wild & Bickerton had a bad time. All the dogs had to be brought down again under the fokesl and on to the fore-deck. Wind increased through the day. While I was on deck during the afternoon the tops of the short hard seas were whipped off in flash of spray in which a bright and continuous rainbow formed right from our counter along the surface of the sea to the shore. While the surface was streaked with foam so it was a light sea, rather than a dark one. All below most of the day. I writing &c. After tea called to lash down again benzine cases &c loosened yesterday. Was blowing harder than ever indeed in the squalls the very surface of the sea could not be seen for flying spray. It flung itself on us and howled through the rigging until it seemed as if no single anchor could hold her. Dr Mawson estimates force at 90 miles an hour, it might well be a 100 in those puffs. Snow still flying in a cloud from the shore. Sky still clear but streaked with thin yellow cirrus clouds. Looking at the terrific force of the wind going past, and remembering we had but one anchor with a damaged stock must confess to feeling some apprehension.
[Note at top of page Bar. 28.65 Wind S.E. Ther. Max. 30 Min. 22]
Wednesday 10 January, 1912
Still blowing when we woke in the morning but not as hard as on the previous night; Barometer had started to go up about 2 a.m. Temperature had fallen, about 19 ° Fah. I had felt a little cold even in bed. Every one relieved at improved weather prospects. Read wrote &c, thro. the morning. In the afternoon we were working in the main hold, shovelling coal into the bunkers, and overhauling some of the things ready for going ashore. Wind had fallen very much, tho sky still looked windy. Snow had ceased to drive and showed the whole slope of the hill apparently stripped to bare ice. Water very short on board, - restricted to one small cup for tea none at all for dinner. Yet a hundred feet of ice-cliff there to windward! After tea the motor-boat was hoisted out, loaded and sent ashore with a load, Dr Mawson and some of the others taking a tent with intention of staying for the night. Motor returning with ice we, in the meantime getting a cargo ready for her. Second trip by the motor then all returned on board and turned in.
The ice-slope to the West of our anchorage very noticible now stripped of snow. Wild thinks that it leaves land there suddenly and falls into deep water; - it is so crevassed that at this distance it has an appearance similar to a field of corn or long grass but not even as a good crop shows its so broken up that not a smooth space of surface can be seen for large distances. Beyond N.W. the ice-slope trend to a distant point. Ahead of us, ice cliffs breaking down to a rocky slope ending in a reef about Ύ of a mile to the E. Amongst these rocks is the boat harbour where the main party is to winter. Off it, several rocky islands capped with ice, ice bergs aground beyond (where we went in on the 8th) all bearing a resemblance to round ice on cakes especially the islands where the dark rock shows beneath the icing. Beyond just seen the point we were off on evening of 7th
[Note at top of page Bar. 28.68 to 29.02 Wind S.E. Ther Max. 33. Min. 19.]
[Page 61]
Thursday 11 January, 1912
Beautiful morning, warm bright and calm. Breakfast at 8 a.m. Heard Captain reprimanding stewards at lateness of the hour. Then at the boating. Motor and both whale-boat loaded with benzine for ballast and timber on top. Loading left much to whoever chose to do or supervise it; and big boat generally very lightly loaded. I took charge of smaller boat and got a fair load in Some of the others fought rather shy of her, declaring she was top-heavy, & Dr Mawson inquired how she was I volunteered to steer and so had charge of her for the rest of the day. Motor took the 2 boats in tow, and took us over a mile to the reef to East of us then we came suddenly upon an opening turned and went into a capacious little boat harbour that a craft might have laid in. Reefs on each hand, and a broad snow slope at the bottom leading down from the sloping glacier. To an ice wharf there the boats were made fast and cargo discharged. Motor returned for raft of spars, while we discharged cargo from boats; and then helped sledge them up to the intended camp "tobogganing back down the slope on the sledges. Plenty of seals asleep on the sides of the harbour, - and lots of Adelie Penguins. Twice today an Adelie jumped into my boat. (They come leaping along thro. the water) evidently mistaking it for a rack in their haste. They are game enough! One came waddling down while we were loading a sledging, and went for the 3 of us swearing at us in style then, evidently looking for trouble waddled for Wild & Lasseron who were carrying a long spar - & went for each successively One leapt into the boat while I was loading it alongside so I passed him up aboard. He wandered round had a few "scraps" with the fellows and then over the opposite gangway. In the afternoon made a trip with a good load in the boats and towing 5 lots of timber behind also. Half of us told off at 7 pm to have tea & turn in.
[Note at top of page Wind ENE to S.E. Bar. 29.34 Ther. Max. 38 Min. 30
Friday 12 January, 1912
Called out 1.30 a.m. Fine morning Had a "standing" breakfast of bread butter and sardines then away with the boats. I managing the second whale boat. He made 2 trips and began to feel very "empty" and this feeling was intensified when we got along side and smelt Mutton chops and fried eggs. Went away with a third tow. and by the time we had unloaded, got back and down to breakfast, it was a quarter to 11 so no wonder we felt hungry after 8 hrs work. A glorious morning felt little inclined to "turn in" Laid down at noon, and slept for a couple of hours spent the rest of the afternoon reading and dosing. Tea at 5.30 Then to work at 6 p.m. Took off a couple of loads Then I was left ashore to help sledge up the things. Wind was freshening very much, and motor arrived with Dr Mawson on board, - Wild, the helmsman, well wet and the water freezing on his sleeves. Decided to leave the boat there and the party stay ashore. So we sledged up all the things, and cleared up, then while the Dr. was looking out provisions &c, we took on the last, and most unpleasant job getting 5 rafts of timber ashore, that the other gang had towed in. It was just on mid-night blowing hard and very cold some of the boards frozen to-gether. We dragged them as far on the rocks as we could, then cast off the lashings, and carried up the bundles of boards. Stood it as long as possible then had to put on our sheep skin gloves, and so got them wet and cold. All timber ashore after a hard & cold hours work then six frozen fellows made a rush for the Motor boat, crowded in under the little deck forard to get a little warmth into hands and feet again.
[Note at top of page Wind. E to S.E. Bar. 29.12 Ther. Max. 37. Min. 23.]
[Page 62
Saturday 13 January, 1912
After getting a little warmth into us, we went up to Dr Mawsons tent. He had the Nansen Cooker going, preparing a meal. Meanwhile we pitched a couple of the little sledging tents Circular, of very light material, spread on 6 bamboo sticks hinged together at the top. Put stones round the flap of one, - cases of benzine round the other Then spread a circular "floor cloth" on the ice, of thin Willesden canvas; Unscrewed boxes & got out the Reindeer sleeping bags. Then a mug of hot soup was served round, most delicious! followed by a mug of hot cocoa. And we turned in, about 2 a.m. Great amusement over Hannam getting in to his sleeping bag! (He and I shared one tent) Drs Mawson & McLean & Wild another, Maddigan, Dovers and Bickerton the third) Hannam got into his bag as far as the arm-pits and there he stuck I had to get out, and haul the flaps up over his shoulders and it was almost a skin-tight fit! I snuggld into mine, - fastened up all the toggles, and tired and cold, slept well. We did not wake until past noon the day bright, but blowing fresh. Hannam & I got the Nansen Cooker, 5 tins of soup consisting of 4 varieties, Ox-tail, Mock Turtle, Mutton Broth &c; and boiled them up with broken biscuits then boiled cocoa Went well! We finished up with preserved fruit with the syrup in ice crystals very cold! Then finished building a shelter of cases for the party to use while the hut was in progress. Had another good meal of tinned meat, cocoa x 9 & in to our sleeping bags. Hannam got hold of mine, - it was an even tighter fit, & he tore it, trying to struggle in had to abandon it for his own, & I suffered from the draught. Still blowing fairly hard.
[Note at top of page Wind S.E.-E.S.E. Bar. 28.83 Ther. Max. 32. Min. 20]
Sunday 14 January, 1912
Blowing very hard from S.E., when I awoke, but sky clear for sun was shining through the tent. Wind was sweeping down the ice-slope behind, the tent flogging and cold. So we went to-sleep again, slept read or dosed until about 2 p.m. when I turned out to see what it was like. Agreeably surprised to find it very bearable even in my ordinary clothes, - for the sun was bright. Found Wild & Dr Mawson had been out to see that the boats were right. Then Hannam and I got the Primus stove and Nansen cooker going. Latter is a great institution.
[Sketches of cooking pot, cover, circular case and tin]
(1) A round aluminium case contains all the parts - & can be used as a large cooker or pot. (2) A round slightly concave cover with a hole in the middle fits on the Primus stove so that none of the heat is lost below. (3) On this a circular case only a couple of inches wide & (4) in this fits a round tin or pot. So soup &c can be boiled in this tin (4) while the water around it (3) is getting hot for cocoa. If a quantity is required, it is made in the large pot (1) After our meal, we went for a walk over the reefs, collecting some specimens from the Schist rocks. I found a bit of white quartz with garnets showing, which the Dr appeared to consider the best specimen found. Looked for eggs but could not find any. Adelie Penguins now with large young dark brown downy little things. Noticed a great quantity of penguin remains on the higher rocks some almost covered with dried remains suggesting great mortality at some previous period when birds more plentiful. Along the shore were numbers of Weddell seals of different sizes; some with very pretty mottled skins. It rather annoyed some of us, shivering with the cold, to see seals and penguins avoid the rocks to sleep upon ice and snow! The seals are very quiet can generally go up to one and stroke it before it awakes, throws back its little round head and opens its small mouth very wide. Had to sleep ashore again, to my disgust and slept but badly had to lie in bag for the sake of warmth. On board could sleep comfortably read & write. Floored tent with boards as we found ice was melting under our bags.
[Note at top of page Wind S.E. Bar. 28.58 Ther. Max 34. Min 21]
[Page 63]
Monday 15 January, 1912
Turned out about 2 a.m. and Wild, Bickerton & I made a start in the motor boat. Wind freshened very much and spray began flying when we got clear of the little harbour. Motor also stopped & would not go for some time. Finally turned back when little more than a Ό mile from ship, back to the harbour, had a meal of tinned meat, cocoa &c, & returned to our sleeping bags. Mid-day before we turned out. Wind dropping, tho. still cold. We went aboard "Aurora" and enjoyed a meal of chops. Then at the boating, running 2 or 3 loads. I was with the last, and to my disgust, wind freshened very much soon after leaving ship, the motorboat with the whaleboat in tow making very slow progress up the harbour so was in for another night ashore. Very cold unloading boats, getting timber up out of the water, &c. The chaps who had been ashore then had tea. Then we covered shelter shed (made of Benzine & clothes boxes) with boards very broad boards from the timber and weighted it with Benzine boxes, and a rope fastened on each side with timber weighted with stones. This we floored with weather boards for the hut, and it made a good shelter. Crevices between the boxes filled up with snow (- frozen, like very coarse salt) and packing material. 8 of the fellows dossed down in there looking, in their sleeping bags, something like Egyptian Mummies. Watson joined us in our tent but going to the neighbouring tent to play Bridge, did not turn in until 2 a.m.
A great quantity of stores and timber now ashore in long lines of boxes &c.
[Note at top of page Wind SE by E Bar. 28.62 Ther. Max. 36. Min. 32]
Tuesday 16 January, 1912
Hannam turned out before 6 am & boiled cocoa. Wind still strong. So we turned in to our sleeping bags again. Last 2 days cloudy, and distant snow showers hanging about in the E&N, but fine to the south. Turned out about mid day, as the wind, tho. strong was lighter. I went for a walk round the reefs, & admired the "Aurora" riding against the background of icey cliffs and slopes, with the dark reefs in the foreground and the beautiful blues in the nearer ice. Back to camp and another meal of tinned stuff. Dr Mawson then commenced leveling &c for the hut, on the stones near the Benzine cases and about 60 or 80 yds from the water. Only a few picks, and a dozen fellows falling over each other. I got hold of a pick, and went off to mine ice for the ship We took 1 or 2 coal baskets full off nearly every trip. I kept warm at that until Wild returned with the motor-boat loaded with boxes. The slope between the hut and the ice-wharf now very slippery with water frozen over the ice. Helped load up the boats on board then after tea went in with one of the loads, steering the second whale boat. Dr Mawson unloaded the motor boat in front of the usual place and sledged the boxes up over the most slippery part of the slope. The last sledge load of boxes took charge and came back dragging the team after it, capsizing the boxes into the sea - & would have dragged the team in too, if Moyes had not got his foot into a hole. Fished out all the boxes but 2, & those sank. Wind & sea increased, and gave us a lively time in the boats loading. I (in oilskins) steered another boat load in plenty of spray flying but claimed "fair share" when it came to the last. Dr Jones took her & I got a night aboard.
[Note at top of page Wind generally S.E. Bar. 28.93 Ther. Max. 36 Min. 33]
[Page 64]
Wednesday 17 January, 1912
Engines rang up "Stand by" at 2 am. Wind had come in from the Norard but soon after I heard it whistling through the rigging. Felt a bit uneasy, as I had seen her riding up over her anchor buoy through the day. Slipped up the Companion way a glance showed she was head to the cliff, and the wind back to the old quarter so I went to sleep.
Day dull, Snowy looking, though only a little fell here, still away to N.W. thick through the morning. Motor boat only made one trip and wind fairly strong. Passing up Briquettes of coal 35 lb blocks from a tank "between decks throwing from hand to hand. I took a turn in the tank. Close and heavy work taking them from Bags and handing them up to Murphy above my head. Glad when we had enough on deck. Nothing doing thro afternoon. Had a sleep then writing. Dr Mawson came down after tea and had a talk setting details of my work for ensuing year. Two large blocks of ice small bergs, about a mile off apparently just broken away from the ice-cliff.
In the fresh wind last night, saw 3 or 4 Giant Petrel one of the white variety most that I have seen near land. Also a Snow Petrel.
Its a matter for congratulations, really, that the landing has passed off so well! On some days, rough & dangerous work. Boats tossing wildly boxes & briquettes flying down a plank that was working with the motion of the boat One of us catching them & breaking the force of their fall, 2 stowing - & it was "look out" for heads & legs, mates & boats! Really a mercy there was no mishap; a boat would be loaded in less than a Ό of an hour so 1 ½ tons of boxes or briquettes had to come down in quick succession! - & hard work in the boats while it lasted. Heavy cases slung.
[Note at top of page Bar. 29.13 Ther. Max. 35 Min. 29]
Thursday 18 January, 1912
Day beautifully fine, but stiff breeze from SE. in the morning. After breakfast, went to work moving briquettes of coal from the tank between decks. About 11 am the wind dropped and the launch came off with the black whale-boat. I helped load, and accompanied her ashore. We made a couple of trips, had dinner, and then hoisted out the "Grasshopper" (the aeroplane sledge, Its a long arrangement, front boat shaped, but only weight 8 cwt. without the engine runners of course separate. Hoadley and I in the boat directing it as it was lowered from the derrick; and stayed in as it was towed ashore Hurley had his cinematograph going and I sheered the boat as he required for his picture. An Adelie Penguin leaped from the water, and hit Wild on the shoulder, falling back into the water but with the pertinacity of the little beggars made another leap striking the case containing the grasshoppers engine, & fell inside the combing. He did not seem to like the look of the company he found himself amongst so went overboard. Hoisted out the "Grasshopper" by the derrick ashore without accident. The snow and sea were very trying, so bright Several had a slight touch of snow blindness. Wild especially bad. I too felt a touch of it eyes feeling as if full of fine grit. We kept going all the afternoon taking the last load after tea Stores dogs timber all ashore. All the party but 2 or 3 returned to the old ship for the last night aboard I had a wash & then down to supper bread butter sardines almonds & raisins. Felt tired for I think I was with every boat trip that day, - and must have handled some tons of coal briquettes (weighing about 38 lbs) A beautiful evening with a light breeze off the ice. All up still, at midnight, laughing & chatting. Webb our Magnetician announces that he still makes the Magnetic Pole to the W of us!
[Note at top of page Bar. 29.20 Ther. Max 35 Min. 24]
[Page 65]
Friday 19 January, 1912
Day fine but cloudy. Little breeze. Motor made two or three with "Passengers luggage" &c bringing back ice. Capt. Davies set me to sketch the reefs, island &c for illustrating chart. Fortunately rubber plentiful, for cant keep anything clean on the "Aurora". Hannam came off in the last launch, arriving in the Midst of dinner, & exclaimed "That rotten pork for the last day!" And then in tragic tones "The Captn has just told me weve got to pull up the motor pull up the anchor and then pull ourselves ashore in the whale-boat!" However he got little sympathy, some of the others saying "Its a fair thing the 2nd party has helped us well". While the motor made her last trip after dinner, the rest of the fellows clustered round the piano and sang ending with "Auld Lang Syne". and I looked away to the Northern Sea-rise & thought of those in Tas. We hoisted in the motor boat, - and then after some delay, got in 30 fathoms of the cable. I was under the fokesl, handling the "Devils Claw", and caught a glimpse of an Elizabethian Gallant, in crimson and black, spangles, feathers and neck ruffles neat pointed beard and twisted moustachiss, going up the ladder to the fokesl head. All the "hands" with a broad grin. Then Wilds voice singing a "Chantey" and the windlass going with a will, - to a rousing chorus "A roving with you, fair maid". I dodged out and had a look Wild looked the part well - & looked oddly out of place sitting there singing, amongst our ragged bearded fellows. All had tea together then to the anchor again. Soon as it was catted, The first party prepared to leave, hands were shaken all round, with hearty good wishes, & they climbed down into the 2nd whale-boat, and pulled off. Three hearty cheers were given and returned, - and cheer after cheer followed, nearly everyone in the 1st party getting a cheer Ninnis, Mertz, & all. Then they pulled into the snowy shore, with the evening shadows falling. As I stood by the boatswain on the fokesl head I heard him mutter "Poor beggars"! But old "Sails" rejoined cheerily "Oh, they will be all right!" Then we got to work, and hauled the anchor aboard. [The Dr had made a speech after tea, & we drank to the old Antarctic navigators in Madeira shipped by the "Challenger" in 1874. & Capt Davis addressed us all.]
[Note at top of page Wind SE. & E. Barometer 29.30 Ther. Max. 37 Min. 26]
Saturday 20 January, 1912
Great interest, just on midnight, when out of the rather misty night, we saw the shape of a high peak. I called Wild, but even as we looked at it, it changed shape, and partially faded. It reappeared 2 or 3 times in the next half hour. I went up to the "Crows Nest" and watched the way it changed and faded was like mist - & so too it not coming in the same form yet so defined was it, were still in doubt if it was a dark sea mist or really a large mountain with light changing mist half lifting & setting down. After rounding the long point to the W. the land "took away" Westerly, with a strong ice-blink over it. Turned in a little past 1 am, slipped up to the "Crows Nest" again at 7.30 a.m. Fine bright morning with a Westerly wind. Same even ice-cap with scattered bergs, and general Westerly trend of the coast. Many ice-bergs scattered about, at one time during the morning I counted 50 in view and that not including large lumps of ice. Glorious day, and pleasantly warm except in the breeze. At noon I took a sketch of the visible coastline for the Captain, - and after dinner was with the Captn & 2nd Mate in the chart room, charting down the Coast line as they "plotted" & reckoned it out. There was little to draw in the distant even slope but a fleet of large bergs on the port bow some looking very old and weathered. Towards evening, the land headed us off could be seen stretching ahead, in the far distance. In between a line of very large bergs, laying off the coast. Wind was now S.E. a light steady breeze. Coast line looked more broken, slope not as even, and crevassed. In 2 places it seemed to slope back gradually so that I could see a great distance; the slope seemed almost to merge into the clear sky line. A gloriously bright clear evening. A line of sea and sky and land clear all round not even misty over the ice-cap. Turned in early with clothes on. A little before 11 pm, woke to hear the screw stop, then ahead slowly. Turned out & found that we had been stopped by heavy pack ice and large bergs. From the "Crows Nest" could see land running out into a point or taking away to the S.W. and with Wilds glasses could follow it a little further; and some appearance of a barrier. Distance about 15 to 20 miles at least. Headed away E. of N follows the pack.
[Note at top of page Lat. 66.32 S Long 140.26 E. noon Noon sounding 308 fath. estimated 7 miles off shore Ther. Max. 35. Min. 30.]
[Page 66]
Sunday 21 January, 1912
Day rather cloudy, and cold breeze from Eastward When I came on deck at 7.30 am. vessel was steering N.E. and close to very heavy pack ice. This continued most of the fore-noon then we found more open water and headed round N. to finally about N.W., passing through a long tail of the pack. Passed too some very large bergs, towards tea time; some weathered so that tops were no longer level, but broken up in peaks and hollows, - caves in their sides, and the beautiful blue shading. Had a look round from the Crows Nest after tea. Fine and clear to the S. Far on our port bow and along SW line some very large bergs, looming up as far as I could see. Looked almost like a coast line until I got the glasses. Also appearance of land further S.; but after watching it for an hour, came to the conclusion was only a low break in the clouds. The rest of the sea ahead and to starboard very free from bergs or other ice. Spent the afternoon in the Chart house drafting out the previous days run, coastline and Pack.
The coast we followed yesterday the dreariest most desolate Capt Davis states he has seen More ice empty and desolate than the shores of the Ross Sea further S. Even birds were very scarce saw only Adelie Penguins and one Cape Pigeon. But after sighting the pack (last night) noticed a Giant Petrel, snow Petrels, one Antarctic Petrel, and Wilsons Petrel.
A little before 11 p.m. went up to the "Crows Nest" for a last look round. S. of us were half a dozen great wall-sided bergs, high and long and looking between them was like looking down a long channel, half a shadow and gloom and beyond the sky flushed with the sunset. The water around them (for they were close to us) was strewn with ice, and dead smooth, giving it a frozen appearance. The pack extended from the middle of these bergs in a great horse shoe ahead, round to our starboard quarter So we had to come back NNE to clear it.
[Note at top of page Lat. 65.39 S Long 138.69 ½ E. Bar. 29.30 Noon soundings 292 fathoms Ther. Max 31. Min 30]
Monday 22 January, 1912
Awakened in the morning by hearing all the mugs &c in the saloon, careering about the table, and tumbling on the floor. Old ship had got a roll on, after three weeks of steadiness. When I went on deck, found roll coming in from the N. showing there was no pack now outside of us. The great pack extended all along the Southern horizon, and astern of us. Went to the Crows Nest after breakfast heavy roll made it very disagreeable up there indeed gave a feeling of sea sickness, besides making one feel something like a monkey on a vine, climbing up the top mast ratlines. Passed thro. a long streamer of the pack like a white road (3 ship lengths in breadth) across the ocean. Saw a couple of whales spout by it. A seal asleep upon a cake, but could not distinguish the species. Birds more plentiful to-day especially Snow Petrels in the vicinity of the pack. Also saw a Sooty Albatross. About 11 a.m. saw something like a mountain looming up ahead, with snowy slopes. Called the Captains attention to it. It was so high that he did not see it in sweeping the sea line with his binoculars, until I pointed out the position. Then he exclaimed that it was the highest berg that he had ever seen and to get cameras ready to "take" it. But when it got nearer, it turned out to be a very ordinary berg Must have been lifted up by a mirage. One gets chary of reporting appearance of land or unusual occurance as they so often turn out "sells". Capt. had "appearance of barrier ice charted to the SW at noon but very doubtful if it was not a line of low even bergs. Most of the afternoon at the chart. About 2 pm passed large round berg which we generally call "ice-islands". We were very close, & it was one of the most beautiful we have seen. With sloping surface, little hillocks & peaks; low cliffs all caverns & grottos from Fairy Land, in blue and purest white, the arches & cornices of the caves hung with a thick fringe of long icicles. Many of the caves went in a long distance, but were low or narrow the sides soft cushioney or embossed the colours ranging from deep cobalt to a heavenly blue where reflected light shone thro. that was like a light a light blue luminous vapour stealing forth. The surf, breaking heavily against the weather side, was grey against the pure white of the berg. Appeared to be in progress of disintegration. As on other days, passed many bergs. Saw 2 Skuas in the evening. A most glorious sunset about 10.30 pm A long sloping rift of yellow light that turned above to a clear greenish tint above the horizon, the clouds above, tinted pink (dull watery) From the lower end of the rift suddenly poured a rising blaze of yellow & rose all the clouds above burned with yellow light, & great flashes of rosy light. Were breaking thro a stream of pack; & distant ice & bergs were a clear rosy misty light Near ice dark yet grey. &. Greenish shades about the shadowy water crimson water [indecipherable]
[Note at top of page Lat. 65.2 S Long. 135.20 E. Noon Wind E. Noon soundings 279 fathoms Barometer 29.33 Ther. 35 Max. 30. Min.]
[Page 67]
Tuesday 23 January, 1912
Another fine day. Pack had disappeared during the early hours, and we headed W & then Southerly over a sea, clear except for occasional icebergs and bits of drift ice. A couple of Sooty Albatross with us for some time. Also saw whales blowing. We crossed the supposed position of the Cote Clarie about 6 or 7 a.m. and at noon were only a little N. of the "High Land" reported by Wilkes. I spent much of the day in the "Crows Nest", and although beautifully clear all round could see no sign of land, or of the Pack. Noondays sounding gave 160 fathoms, bottom sandy clay. After finishing the charting went up to the Crows Nest again, and at about 3.30 pm reported the appearance of Land. Caught a glimpse of it between bergs Looked like a similar land to Adelie but it soon faded. Were passing thro. a long line of great bergs for over an hour 30 or 40 of them, stretching for many miles, some so close, one to the other, that in one instance I think you could have walked up between the icy cliffs on floe ice jammed between. They also formed docks & caves. Took a sounding going thro; 156 fathoms. Sea between bergs had strings of pack ice beyond, scattered ice. About 5, the appearance of land I had reported came up again; & after tea, Wild and I had a look from the Crows Nest no doubt of it being land a long line even and high far distant and evidently ice-capped like Adelie Land. Wind died away and I helped furl the topsls. A lovely evening, sea glassy & scarcely a movement, studded by floating pieces of ice of various shapes. Occasionally passing an iceberg reflected in the sea. Capt. Davis disappointed Land might be "Porpoise Bay" about same Lat. but more than a degree to the E. Also that Pack appeared to extend S.E. & N.W. on our Port bow. At 9 pm our progress S was stopped by Pack. Capt. Davis called me up to sketch appearance of land from edge of pack. It was only a low even sweep above the horizon estimated distance nearly 20 miles, height possibly 2000 ft. It was barricaded by huge bergs. I had to do this "uninteresting" duty sketch while to eastward all was a soft glow of crimson and rose, - and soft greenish shade on the still water; and white bergs standing out softly against that rosy mist of sunset, - the suns last rays lighting them as softly. It was indiscribly soft & beautiful. After some deliberation, Capt Davis headed E, & soon after the pack took away & a course was laid S.E. by E. At mid-night it appeared to be all clear water ahead.
[Note at top of page Lat. 65.2 S Long 64.53 E Noon Wind E.S.E. Barometer. 29.43 Ther. Max 35 Min. 28]
Wednesday 24 January, 1912
After standing S.E. by E, 20 miles, the pack headed off the "Aurora", and went some distance N but termination visible. Land also appeared to come out running a little N of E. Vessel was thereupon headed back to resume her Western voyage. Very odd, we were in behind the great Pack we rounded on the 22nd inst and it was not apparent what kept that great Pack up there to windward for the light wind has been generally E & S.E. When I came up after breakfast, the New Land was still along our S beam we were close to where we had made it. It was beautifully calm and we passed thro. a lot of pancake ice, cakes, say 12 to 16 feet across yet only a few inches above water. Looking down on them from the "Crows Nest" reminded one of Waterlily leaves floating only these were pure white and occasional "grubs" on them in the shape of sleeping seals. Beautiful bright warm morning Light W. breeze - for a change. We went N thro. the long line of bergs passed at 5 yestereve, and took our noon soundings on edge of line 170 fathoms clayey. 2 bergs we passed between were exceedingly beautiful. About twice the height of the Crows Nest (about 160 feet) White & marble like, that glorious blue vapour-like light on the crevices shelves & ridges fringed thickly with long icicles and off the end of one, a column of purest marble as high as the berg, - and about as far off Must have stood on a submerged part, for it was a comparatively slender column. We passed fairly close, - thick cakes of ice at its foot; and reflected in the smooth water amongst the smaller ice. Raced Wild to the Crows Nest and just beat him! Most of the afternoon at the charting, and finishing sketch of previous evening. After passing the line of bergs, the land came up again, and the course was altered from N to S.S.W. to close up with it, but the pack soon headed us off N.W. Land plainly visible after tea, apparently running about E. & W very distant but markings, - such as hollows and tops of points, discernable. A little ahead of us, it looked to run out to a point, or took away more S.W. Ice-capped and desolate, - appalling in its monotonous frigidity! In nearly 100 miles visible since the early hours of morning not a single irreguality, mountain or hill broke the even level of its sky-line! No doubt now that we have knocked out both the Cote Clarie, Wilkes reported "high land" & are S even of the barrier reported as "Porpoise Bay", & little doubt this is the N end of the great continental plateau. Hence its unparelled drearyness Sun sank in a glow of rosy light, - But all round was dark misty clouds, low & snowy looking.
[Note at top of page Lat. 65.26 S. Long. 132.31. E. Noon Wind W. calm & ESE. Bar. 29.46 Ther. Max. 38 Min. 29]
[Page 68]
Thursday 25 January, 1912
Great change upon our beautiful weather! Fresh S. Easterly with light snow most of the day, making decks very wet and sloppy, and set the cabin lights all leaking. Thick mist all round; Land, of course, invisible but pack showing thro. the day and bergs & other drift ice looming up occasionally; the smaller pieces pitching & rolling by like heavily laden vessels, with the spray flying over them. Early in the afternoon ran into a large bay in the pack and had to come out E again, but at tea-time resumed our Western course. I did the drafting in the afternoon, and fed dogs, as Dovers had a bad cold. In fact 2 or 3 have colds The chief Engineer and Captain included. Little doing on board We do not stand, stand regular watches now and Wild and I are the only two who go aloft the rest of our party do not care for the sea & ship. and Bridge is their great resource. They keep late hours, - and as a rule not half turn out for breakfast. Rather different to the rush of the first days of the trip!
Went on deck for a few minutes before turning in about 10.30 pm. Twilight then and the short night bid fair to be almost dark. Sea a dark grey, lashed with foam, sky dark, thick all round. A well marked "blink" along the S In the N a huge ice-berg, - and 2 smaller ones and over the end of them a bright diffuse white light, showing some quantity of pack there. Ice to the W. also by appearance of sky. Had a chat with Capt Davis who was evidently anxious.
[Note at top of page Lat. 65.16 ½ S Long. 129.10 E Wind EN.E. to N.E. Bar. 29.38 Ther. 35 Max. 32 Min.]
Friday 26 January, 1912
Blowing a gale from about S.E. and as much sea on as in the gale we rode out in the Tasman Sea but the ship is now in very different trim, and rides the seas well. Knocking about a great deal and things flying. A camera flew off the table right into my bunk in the early hours of morning, giving me a heavy blow on the side of the head. Exceedingly lively at meals especially dinner. The salt pork twice charged the lenght of the table, and leapt to the floor before it could be stopped. The cocoa-jug followed suit, emptied itself along the table & the balance into Mr De La Mottes cabin. Every light in the deck leaking, and all wet discomfort & dirt below. Put in most of the day in bunk. On deck rolling so heavily it was difficult to walk and clouds of spray flying over forard occasionally. No ice. Sea sharp ridged and hard ere it breaks down into foaming crests to leeward you could watch the wind sweeping over it, and up the sides of the great waves. Steaming slowly with the wind on the starboard bow. Quite & different class of birds about to-day. 3 Sooty albertrosses, the Stormy Petrel we had about Macquarie (with white belly & white on under wing surface) Grey Prions and another Petrel, apparently the one that resembles the Antarctic Petrel. Evening setting in, still blowing nothing to do but "turn in" again. Before doing so however, fell in with the captain & Wild & adjourned to the Captns Cabin, had a "tot" of whiskey and an hours yarning. Captn told us that the sea of about 8 a.m. between the NE & SE wind was the most confused he had ever seen. Now steady from NE
[Note at top of page Lat 64.48 S. Long 129.10 E. D.R. Wind. E.S.E. Bar. 29.11 Ther. 35 Max. 32 Min.]
[Page 69]
Saturday 27 January, 1912
Wind fallen and quite light thro. the morning, sea heavy but subsiding. Vessel still rolling heavily, - fellows more or less unhappy, Dovers still has a bad cough and in addition inclined to be sea sick. I spent the morning on deck, walking up & down. Air in the cabin vile, after the fresh air on deck, though we make a point of opening the sky lights occasionally, especially before meals, to improve it. Mr Toutcher considers me a "hard case" to go tramping the "reeling decks" in oilskins, when I might be sleeping in my bunk! Snow ceased; & decks dried but horizon still misty. Were heading S again after making more than 100 miles of Northing. Lower top sail about 11. No ice seen since previous morning. "Mac." our steward slipped on the main hatch during a heavy roll, knocked senseless, but escaped with a skinned cheek and damaged eye brow. Nobody much appetite for dinner these days, between the rolling and about 20 hours in bunk. I laid low after dinner. First time I woke I wondered if it was dinner time. recollected I had dinner, & went to sleep again second time I woke, wondered if breakfast was ready then realized it was afternoon & dogs had to be seen to. Kennedy fed them. De La Motte had given them water. Wind had breesed up again, S.E. but ships motion steady, running before it. Ice in sight very large berg, smaller bergs, & drift ice. After tea, Lower topsl taken in. Fellows turned out to give a hand, but I am now the only one (excepting Wild) who is anything of a sailor & "lays out" on the yards. Bitterly cold when we got the sail furled & on deck I could not feel or rather could feel my fingers too well! Birds as yesterday with exception Prions & addition Mollyhawk & Antarctic Petrel also a bird seen at a distance like a Mutton bird.
[Note at top of page Lat 64. S. Long 127. E. D.R. Wind. E. to E.S.E. Bar. 29.94 Ther. 35 Max. 31 Min.]
Sunday 28 January, 1912
Wind still from the Eastward fresh sea subsided considerably, - Still pitching and rolling, uncomfortable at meals every light in the deck leaking, - dirty & close in the saloon, - cold and snowing a little on deck. Through the morning, heading to the E. but lagging northward. Sky & mist cleared a little & they got an "observation", making our position about 64.41 S and 127 E Not as far N as we of the Expedition expected. After dinner headed S W but before tea time came up with large bergs, drift ice and "blinks" around, - Mist lifted again to let them get another sight at 4 p.m., but closed down again with snow, - and a falling barometer. Dogs had been chained up under the fokesl during the bad weather, but liberated again now, and get lots of scraps from the Cooks galley Still its a difficult job seeing each dog gets a fair share of seals meat. They are such voracious agile brutes and adept at catching. They have no respect for sex but bite at the bitches as they do at the other dogs. At other times, running about the decks, they are quite decent, good natured, & playful; but the "wolf" seems always very near. We have "Sandow", Switerland" "Amundson", "Zip" "Tigress" "Tiche" "Nanson", Sweeps & "Crippen". Latter 2 curs afraid of their own shadow Saw a "Wandering Albatross" this morning. Also Mollyhawk & no less than 6 Sooty Albatross round the ship at once. a couple of Giant Petrel, Antarctic, Snow Petrel and other resembling Antarctic. also Cape Pigeon.
[Note at top of page Lat. 64.30 S Long. 126.50 E. Wind E to E.S.E. Bar. 29.08 Ther. 32 Max. 30 Min.]
[Page 70]
Monday 29 January, 1912
Another thick grey day, wind still from the Eastward, with snow, Breeze light, but swell still running. Heard it had been squally thro. the night. Heading E.ward, & going slow until about 11 a.m.. Then course changed to SW & W. Through the afternoon got very thick at times could not see more than a quarter of a mile from the ship. Towards evening passed through scattered floating ice, and thro. long streams of "brash" ice i.e. ground up, small, or sodden ice. Great rejoicing at tea time. Fresh mutton chops, instead of "dry hash" compounded of the salt pork & potatoes left over from dinner. Mutton chops and apple pie were unwanted luxuries & were duly enjoyed! Altho. Milk flavoured with kerosene in the tea was not appreciated.
After tea, some excitement at rumour of island sighted. Thick and snowing. Two very large bergs of the type we call "ice-island" large, circular, low cliffs & higher in the middle, - loomed up and two more in the distance. Beyond, another or something, in the thick mist, with pack round. Mr Toutcher, sounding, announced 75 fathoms - & then 70. Tried with the other sounder on, that grips the bottom thought they got bottom at 100 but only water in machine when it came up. Captn ordered the Lucas machine on the fokesl head to be got read but the weight dropped off when only about 20 fathoms out. It was then discovered the strop was so shrunken with wet, it could not be worked by steam so the 20 out had to be hauled in by hand. Sounded again with the machine aft - & got no bottom at 270. This with the fact that the huge bergs must have drawn for over 70 fathoms, threw doubt on former soundings so steamed on without trying to find out what the mist hid.
[Note at top of page Lat. 64.54 S. Long. 127.6 E. Wind E. to SE Bar. 28.92 Ther. 31.3 Max. 31.1 Min.]
Tuesday 30 January, 1912
A little finer today scarcely any wind, fairly clear most of the day. A number of very large ice islands in sight to the Southard and pack at a distance. In the forenoon we were trimming coal in the hold. Noon soundings gave 630 fathoms no bottom brought up apparently rock. Sights obtained showed we were about 65.34 S. 125 E. That is, close to "Norths Highland" of Wilkes and 10 miles or so inside the ice barrier as he gives position. Went to the Crows Nest after lunch Huge bergs and ice islands and heavy pack at a distance. The bergs have been increasing in size, and more & more of the "ice-island" type. Many in sight today would easily go over a mile in diameter, or across each way according to shape. And a doz. or so of such bergs grouped together would cover such an extent of sea that it was difficult to realize it was only drift ice. Charting in the afternoon; leaving off for a short time to sketch a capsized berg but in passing do not get time to work it out, - even tho. I leave sky & sea to do afterwards. Colours & detail do not show at any distance.
After tea, we approached the pack closely. A large extent of high ice was rising on our port bow. I went to the "Crows Nest" to look at it. In front were some undoubted bergs very large behind rose high slopes of snow, rifted crevassed, - cliffs, - and low points; a channel running in between, a mile broad, all paved with "Pack" and all the sea in front close heavy Pack. The mist was closing down again, blotting out ahead but points appeared to show further & further along. On the other end (E.) a high snowy crevassed surface seemed to run out into a low point. I went down & said I could not credit that was all drift ice. Wild went aloft, & came to the conclusion it was either land or a barrier. The mist gradually closed over all, but a break appeared to show in the middle of the ice. So came to conclusion it was only a long line of enormous bergs. Pack heavy & well defined. Saw seals & Penguins on it. 2 Emperors. Snow Petrels in scores. One Wilson Petrel. We are now going "dead slow" in a thick mist and calm sea, following the edge of the pack a line of white just visible in the mist.
[Note at top of page Lat. 65.34 Long. 125 D.R. Wind. E.S.E. Bar. 29.7 Ther. 33 Max. 30 Min.]
[Page 71]
Wednesday 31 January, 1912
Snowing thro. the early hours, and ship sprinkled white & generally hung with icicles when we came on deck at breakfast time. Morning much brighter & sun shining, but mist hanging round the horizon. From the Crows Nest all the sea appeared covered with small loose drift ice Pack to the N.W. and bergs. Some appearance of pack to the S. Then the mist rolled up from the S.E. and blotted everything out. Towards 11 a.m. it cleared as far as the horizon and the sea, for three parts of the circle around us, was ice! Loose drift immediately around us then heavier & heavier pack. From the Crows Nest, the 3rd mate and I watched it lifting and showing the sky line in place. We would glimpse what appeared to be high cliff and sloping coasts of broken land and Lo! when the mist finally cleared from them, they dwindled into very moderately sized icebergs! Two or 3 tabular bergs in sight and some irregular shaped ones but very few compared with those of the last few days. One of very peculiar shape, front rounded, then tapering to a point, & behind appeared of church-like shape, ridged with spires, a straight wall along side, and a cross wall across the end of this. We could glimpse no land to the S., but a peculiar bluish cloud may have indicated open water beyond the dense pack. Vessel was stopped, soundings gave 340 fathoms, clayey bottom and stones. Captn. Davis then worked a little further into the Pack, but the mist lifting a little more, giving no encouragement in the S. She was stopped. Tied up to a piece of ice nearly half the size of the ship, picks & shovels out, & coal-baskets brought into requisition for hoisting in ice. Fellows formed a line, and as it was emptied on the deck amidship, passed it aft to the tank fitted with steam pipes for melting the ice. From there it was led thro. a hose to the tank. Of course, a great deal of it got very dirty this was finally shovelled up into a separate tank for the dogs. Knocked off at 3.30 and steamed off N along the pack. Was nearly 6 pm before we got the pile of ice melted down. Afternoon had been misty, but when I came up after tea, it had cleared. From the Crows Nest the S.E., S, & SW horizon was clear but pack as far as the skyline beyond very distant cumulus clouds lit up by bright sunshine (all dull about us) Had "Tottens High Land" of Wilkes been within 20 miles of where charted we must have seen it For our noon position was 66 S. & 119.35 E. A Skua gull seen Adelie Penguin, Snow Petrels ( in numbers) & a Wilson Petrel.
[Note at top of page Lat. 66-. S Long. 119.30 E. Wind E.N.E to S.E. Bar. 28.96 Ther. 30 Max. 29 Min.]
Thursday 1 February, 1912
Snow thro. the early hours and morning thick. As I came on deck at 8 a.m. the mist lifted a little and show appearance of high hilly land. Ran up to the bridge & pointed it out to Mr Toutcher, - who called the Captn. Looked very like land, but after breakfast the mist lifted a little more and showed it to be a moderately sized berg. Morning more or less misty, lifting occasionally, - Pack close on our port side, with some large bergs one oddly like a house built on a steep slope. Sights were obtained for Longitude thro. the morning, but no sights at noon, or after. Soundings at mid-day gave over 900 fathoms clayey bottom with bits of rough stone. For some reason, the weight did not slip off the diver so was brought again. Time occupied in running out & winding in over a mile of thin wire, was only 35 minutes. The previous day, a deep sea temperature was taken while icing ship, - showing the bottom temperature to be the same as the surface. From before noon, on, sky thick & grey, clouds low, and inclined to be misty at times. Breeze light from S.E. cold. Pack taking away, & much more broken not as heavy ice, nor near the bergs in fact, few & scattered. Ice of Pack smaller and lighter, Leads of water running in a short way, and long streams of Pack across the Sea. After tea, saw, from the "Crows Nest", what looked like a solid line of broken bergs or irregular snowy hills lit up by the sun. Captn had a look, and course altered more to the S. An hour later 8 to 8.30 p.m. it looked like a barrier, or very distant high land. Then to the W. the sun appeared to light up the face of a barrier, tinging it pink lenght after lenght, and buttress after buttress with occasional irregularities and little peaks. In spots it seemed to flash back the rays of the sun. That part faded, - but along to the W. it spread - & grew so bright theres little doubt it is only a very level Bank of distant cumulus cloud too! We were in Lat. 66.1 S. yesterday; following the pack N. & N.W. has taken us 75 miles Northward of our position yesterday! Very disappointing, & very extraordinary too, if the Pack takes off S again, and nothing to bank it up Many snow petrel about. One got confused in the rigging & fluttering down was caught by Schroeder the Dane.
[Note at top of page Lat. 64.49 S. Long. 117.24 Wind S.E. Bar. 29.63 Ther. 34 Max. 29 Min.]
[Page 72]
Friday 2 February, 1912
Captn informed me that he came up with the appearance of barrier towards midnight. In the semi-darkness it had still every appearance of a barrier so he pushed into the pack towards it but as he advanced it melted away before him. It was only pack, lifted up by a mirage or something, to appear like a high wall of ice. So resumed course, considerably disgusted. Snowed heavily during the early hours, - & am told by officer of watch that there was a foot of snow on deck. Also that several Snow Petrels came down on deck, apparently confused in the rigging. Mr Toutcher informs me that when he caught a couple, they vomit at him, as the Giant Petrels do. Half a dozen were caught and eaten by the dogs. Vessel picturesque with spars & rigging picked out in purest white. Day remained dull with light air, snowing occasionally; but in the far S, it appeared bright and sunny as usual. Pack at some distance most of the day; in the afternoon passing loose small drift ice, - occasionally in long streams. Noon-day - & afternoon thick no observations for Lat. possible Noon soundings gave 1175 fathoms, but running the line in too fast, the "diver" was carried away & lost loosing too, of course, the sample of the bottom. Tried a drag-net while ship was drifting, but only got a quantity of fine green "scum". apparently Algae. In afternoon repairing hinges of trap-door to Crows Nest. After tea, ship entered loose pack, mostly flat cake ice of some size and thickness; but as they were floating free of each other, gave readily to the vessels weight. Small bergs mixed with it thick mist overhead & around Leads of still smooth water with the fantastic ice-shape mirrored in it, - mixing with the yellow, green. & blue of the submerged ice. and the lovely luminous blue in the crevices above water Very pretty especially where larger & more picturesque grouped themselves over open lanes of dark still water, but as the ship was moving fast, & it was snowing it was useless to attempt crayons, as no sheltered spot to keep snow off paper. Penguins both Emperor & Adelie on ice counted 19 Emperors. Snow Petrels plentiful also seen Giant, Antarctic, & Wilsons Petrels Petrel similar to Antarctic, Cape Pigeon, and Skua Gull. Also a few seals, but could not distinguish species.
[Note at top of page Lat. 65.9 S. Long 111.43 E. Noon Wind SE. to S. Bar. 29.30 Ther. 34 Max. 29 Min.]
Saturday 3 February, 1912
Beautifully calm morning, no wind, Sea calm as a river reflecting, (amongst the floating ice) the clouds and bright breaks in the sky. Later on, it clouded over, with mist and snow. Small ice, with bergs scattered about, but the Pack gradually getting heavier. At noon, the mist lifted somewhat, and all the sea was ice. Pack extending as far as could be seen on every side, - the "Aurora", at the time, being in a more open space, extending S.E. Large bergs scattered all round and one low even wall, like a barrier, that must have been upward of 3 miles long. Many of the bergs of the high rounded "ice-island" type, & very large. Soundings gave 300 fathoms Muddy clay. Tried the tow net from the jib-boom, but caught nothing. After dinner, the ship was headed S., between 2 bergs, towards a very dark strip of apparent "open water" sky, but the pack got so close and heavy, that she returned; and followed the more open lead S.E. Between 5 & 6, after passing the near end of a long line of bergs, she was headed back N. for nothing could be seen to the S-ward but thick Pack. Two or three Leopards were passed, right alongside the ship, and a couple of Emperor Penguins seen. Upon returning to where we had come through this morning, the pack was found to have closed in very much and all as far as could be seen, - was ice. Ship slowly pushing her way thro. at perhaps a mile an hour. It is intended to get out of the pack, if possible, skirt round, and try to get down again where the dark sky shows to the W. & S. Engines just come to a sudden stop, with a nasty jar thro. propeller striking ice.
Sky gradually cleared towards evening, - and by 7 pm. beautifully bright and fine. The sunset over the great field of white ice was most beautiful tho. not gorgeous as we have seen it. But the bright sky the rosy flush on the thick mist streaked across it, the Pack grey and indistinct under the light here and there a ray catching a piece of ice & turning it quite pink. and reflections where ever a pool of water could be seen. But the most beautiful effect was opposite the sun. There a thick low bank of cloud, very dark, almost greenish at the horizon going to warm purple (plum colour?). Where it joined the pale sky above, & for a little distance down, it was flecked with a beautiful rosy light, strong but not bright, - could not call it crimson it was all so soft yet dark. Below, in the grey ice a still pool of water almost the colour of blood!
Seen Giant, Snowy, Wilsons, & grey Petrels Cape Pigeon, Adelies & Emperors
[Note at top of page Lat. 65.6 Long. 107.20 Noon Wind SSE to N.W. Bar. 29.50 Ther. 32 Max. 28 Min.]
[Page 73]
4 February, 1912 - Septuagesima
Following the fine evening, a beautiful day, bright and sunny, but with a very cold N.W. breeze. Were all night breaking out of the Pack, and did not get clear until 5 a.m. All day, followed the pack in a Northerly direction, - Long arms of pack reaching out and breaking us off more and more. Occasional berg seen both in the Pack and out to sea. I was most of the day at the drafting, - and "plotting" out the ships course from the 30th ult. to the 2nd inst. Owing to the variation of the compass (40° to 60°) mist, no sights dodging about, and driftage, - its impossible to bring the "Dead Reckonings" and "Observed Positions" where obtained within sight of each other! After tea, the pack thinned out to the S.; the vessels head was turned in that direction and we are now going thro. drift ice & thin pack but theres an ominously rough line against the horizon
The growing uneasiness of the past few days culminated in something like consternation tonight. We are now on the Longitude Wilkes found open water to Knox Land but instead of the "Lead" S. that we hoped for, the Pack has taken us a degree to the N. We have been able to reach no land along (roughly) a thousand miles of Antarctica Nothing but drift ice! We have practically proved all Wilkes "high Lands" between Adelie Land & Knox Land to be visionary and our hopes of landing are all centred here. Other navigators have found the Pack take off N. here Even to 62° S. We have only enough coal to take us to Tas. And enough for 9 days over that So there is no time to go on W. with any hope of success. It would seem better to hang about the only known land & hope to get in before we have to turn back. It will be a terrible "knock out" to have to go back failure! and the party that so much was expected from, too.
Going on deck, last night, just before "turning in" 11.30 pm. I was surprised to see the full bright moon rising over the bank of clouds to the E.ward, throwing her trail of golden light in the pools between the pack ice. A great berg towered ghostly white against the cloud. It was twilight, and along the southern horizon the suns glow still lingered Canopus shone right above the maintopmast Truck and a few other of the brightest stars around and Venus in the S. The midnight hours are perceptibly darkening now & daylight shortening. Looks tonight like wind from the S.E.
[Note at top of page Lat. 65.57 Long. 108. Wind W.N.W. Bar. 29.64 Ther. 27 Max. 22 Min.]
Monday 5 February, 1912
We pushed on thro. fairly open "Pack" until 5 a.m. & then stopped. A grey morning, grey above, white below; here and there pools of grey water, - and at the distance of a couple of miles or so, the dim outline of bergs; and snowing lightly beautiful exquisite little star-like snow crystals light as tiny fragments of cotton wool. Altho no sun, the colourless sea & sky was a little trying to the eyes. Captain gave orders for watering ship, - so we hauled alongside a large floe and made fast. Hoadley and I went to the furtherest point of the floe about 100 feet away, - where he took a photo. Old ship looked well the one dark mass in contrast to the shadeless surroundings. Started work about 10 a.m. and did not cast off the floe until nearly 5. I felt "off colour" still had the headache of the previous day and felt bilious. Laid down between dinner and 4 p.m. then felt better Ship had a great quantity of ice piled up on the quarter deck and the tank had been going all day, the hose leading the melted water to the tank between decks. Latter overflowed after tea, - (200 gallons) so hose was put into the other tank. We "fed" the melting tank by turns until 8 pm smashing the ice blocks in with an ice-axe and if broken down well, they melt as fast as ice can be fed in. At 8 pm the watch was ordered to relieve us. - to their great disgust, for the more we do, the more they expect. They are most insolent to the others of the party (Except Wild) but I seem to be in their good graces, perhaps because I "lay out" on the yards with them when sail is to be furled, &c. Monday observations when the sun showed dimly, placed us only 10 miles due W of our position at noon yesterday! We are now going back the Captn probably considers it too great a risk to force his way on, when the land is 60 miles away. "Aurora" is not powerful enough. And indications of a gale at hand. Saw half a doz. Emperor Penguins also some Adelies. Snow Petrel fairly plentiful One Wilsons Petrel Seal or two on the ice.
[Note at top of page Lat. 65.7 Long 106.39 Noon Wind. E.S.E. Bar. 29.54 Ther. 28 Max. 26 Min.]
[Page 74]
Tuesday 6 February, 1912
Battled our way out of the Pack, in the Dog watch (6.45 a.m.) At 11.30, previous evening, got into very heavy stuff Wild, Hoadley, Moyes and I were playing Bridge, and the shocks nearly lifted us out of our seats. She would stop dead, quivering from stem to stern; every timber in her seemed to be groaning and creaking with the strain. Went on deck at 11.30 p.m. Huge blocks of "Salt-water ice" all around, 4 to 6 feet above water, and hundreds of feet across, - It could scarcely be less than 30 feet below water possibly more, and its straight clean fractured sides looked as if it had but recently been broken up. Where such ice could have formed how came here over 70 miles from land, is a mystery. Captain Davis theory is it had formed by salt water freezing between the huge bergs, - & had not broken up for 2 or 3 seasons. The lanes of water between the straight walls of these flat, even, white surfaces, looked like canals or docks in the semi-light. We were fortunate in getting thro. such immovable masses. Morning fairly fine, clear, but cold. After breakfast, Captn spoke about our future prospects, & told me to call Wild, and the three of us discussed them. Our attempts upon the "Pack" here, has proved the hopelessness of trying to force our way into Knoxs Land, under present conditions. Forcing our way in, with 60 miles of "Pack" between would almost certainly end in being frozen in, when we would be able to do nothing, with leagues of rough Pack between us & the shore. We have just sufficient coal to carry us to the Cote Clarie - & on to Tas. If we met any of those SE gales, we would not get thru, & if we got there, could we get to the Land? Original plan was to explore coast from Cape Adare to Graussberg; So it seems better to at least carry out original intentions, & pushing as far as we can, where no vessel has sailed for over 70 years, have as much chance of landing; & it would not be as ignominous as a useless attempt to reach the New Land at Cote Clarie, when we had not pushed the whole lenght of our field of action. Followed the Pack N. W, - & a little S of W. - a beautiful day Engaged in forenoon & afternoon in trimming coal its really coal-dust or "slack" only occasionally a bit as large as your fist but the shovelling is hard work. Noon day soundings gave 1500 fathoms 9,000 feet the same oozey mud. a great increase from yesterdays 450 fathoms. Passing thro. large areas of loose drift ice in evening a glassy sea covered as far as the eye could see, on every hand, with thin scattered ice mostly frail & delicate, - with lumpy ice mixed in. It looked like a region of calms, where gales are unknown! A number of whales around. - & some fairly near Very large and black showed as if a ridge on the head, - & a long lenght of body - & as they "sounded", a small perfectly triangular dorsal fin.
[Note at top of page Lat. 64.31 S Long 106.28 E noon Wind. Westerly. Bar. 29.57 Ther. 28 Max. 26 Min.]
Wednesday 7 February, 1912
Rather dull, snowing a little, but clearing somewhat thro. the morning. Following Pack in a generally W. direction And pack looking fairly solid too, with many large bergs in it., - generally tabular or ice-island form, but many tilted, wave worn ones floating about. One we passed after breakfast a fine round tower Must have been 200 feet high, as going to the Crows Nest only moved the Pack line from the "bergs waterline"; to slightly over 1/3 up its sides. A couple of whales playing about Pack, I saw the tail flukes distinctly. One lifted its tail out of water and stretched its flukes so [sketch] flukes parallel to seas surface but the creature may have been on its side, - the light was not good. The other "sounded" with closed flukes [sketch] Showed the small triangular dorsal fin far back on its body also projection seen when "blowing" suggestion head is not in same line as body [indecipherable] has a projecting ridge. "Blow" high, vapoury rounded above & inclining a little back, I think Devision in it if any certainly not vary noticible. In forenoon, trimming coal below. Found Webbs sheep-skin sleeping bag there with leather gloves, mits, 2 pair of comforters, &c "Poor old Webb!" we said, and laughed, as we shared the things round amongst those who hadnt any, & thought of what Webb would say when he discovered his bag had been brought back aboard. Noonday position just a little S. of yesterdays and 102° 9 E., So we are getting to the W & this wretched pack as wide as ever! Soundings 1080 fathoms, - "diver" carried away & lost, in bringing it in. The boys got out the gramaphone, and had that going for the first time. I spent nearly all the afternoon "plotting" out the ships course (by Dead Reckons) The last days run in clear water came in beautifully but the others, in the Pack; naturally differed widely from ob. positions. It shows we really penetrated no distance into the pack, - but only down inside its N.E. boundary. Evening thick & gloomy, like snow. Fellows all talking dejectedly of having to return. Birds fairly plentiful yesterday & today. Snow Petrels Antarctic Petrels, grey Petrel, Cape Pigeon. Occasionally Giant & Wilsons Petrels & Adelie Penguins on ice.
[Note at top of page Lat. 64.30 ½ Long. 102.9 Noon Wind. Northerly. Bar. 29.67 Ther. 34 Max. 28 Min]
[Page 75]
Thursday 8 February, 1912
Was considering laying in for once, as the cough was bad, when Mr Toucher, coming down to breakfast, announced that a barrier was in sight! At the glad & unexpected news, Wild Dovers & I turned out in a hurry! A thick misty morning, snowing, fresh breeze from N.E. and a lumpy sea. No doubt about the barrier it was close aboard possibly about 2 miles off running in a N.W. direction. Between the snow showers, we could pick out some detail. It was much lower than the Adelie Barrier & differed that it was not flat on top, - but in general a low cliff-face with a rounded surface sloping back. more slope than in the first barrier sighted on 3rd Jan. There were bays & projecting points, & an uneveness of outline, hollows & slopes, - & once or twice sharp little peaks possible 50 feet. Still there was no doubt it was barrier, nor did we see sign of land thro. the day. The sea was breaking heavily against the cliffs - & the old vessel was doing a bit of a roll after days of perfect steadiness. Spirits rose - & every one cheerful. The Captains because it was a great discovery Ours at the prospects of getting a landing and doing something to make the Expedition successful. - & get, down in [indecipherable] heart, there was a leven of sadness, I must confess, as I remembered that it meant 12 long months before I heard of the loved ones at home. Still, better that, than an ignominous ending to the Expedition or to at least the 2nd party! The day kept thick, with snow, - but sights sufficient to calculate our position, were obtained; the general character and direction, of the barrier the same. I was employed most of the day at the charting, - as it was in arrears plotting out courses colouring in, - also doing a sketch of the barrier. No noon-day soundings, - for want of a "diver" the Engineers trying to make a substitute. Bergs numerous thro. afternoon & evening Mostly tabular but many of odd & picturesque shapes. At 8 p.m. N end of barrier in sight - & many huge bergs off it, - but too thick & snowing too hard to sketch, or even see them properly. Passed between Barrier and a great berg only a narrow passage. At 8, tried "diver" engineers had made, but it carried away when a little over 100 fathoms out, probably from rolling of the vessel. Sounded with machine aft 270 fathoms, no bottom. Tried again forard with other sounder, 800 fathoms no bottom but doubt if thats anything like correct as sounder too light. Our course ran off chart to N. had to draft a make shift chart on cartridge paper but now we are round the corner & going S.S.E. Barrier ending in sharp point. Night finer, - with misty half moon. Sooty Albatross seen Many birds seen on barrier Snow Petrels.
[Note at top of page Lat. 64.2 S Long 98. E Noon Wind N.E. Bar. 29.56 Ther. 33 Max. 30 Min.]
Friday 9 February, 1912
Turned up in time to slip up to the Crows Nest before breakfast. Dull, but fairly clear, - occasional snow showers in the S. Course generally S. Scene from aloft most striking Ahead and far out on the starboard bow were the debris of a broken-up barrier and such fragments! League long bergs - on either hand they lay berg upon berg point beyond point the whole half of the visible sea was crowded with bergs the other half with thickly scattered bergs! A great bay broke the barrier away to the E. From E. to S. was hidden by a berg that must have been about 3 miles long S. a narrow lane of sea amongst the massed bergs. S. to W., no sea visible for bergs of every shape & size. E. to W. (behind) bergs Some seemed higher than could have broken from this barrier we had been following. After breakfast, we stood more to the W, to get more open water. Bergs mostly tabular, some tilted, - many very beautiful with their marble walls, rifts of cobalt, shades of green & blue. This great mass of bergs struck us as being stationery "A grave yard of giants", Davis aptly put it - & soundings later on showed that they were probably aground. Just after noon, an opening showed thro. the bergs running nearly S. We followed it until 3 p.m. When, to our consternation Mr Grey reported "Pack" all along the S. & S.W.! Round she came, - back again the way we had come. The Captn told me to go up & have a look at what had stopped us. I never saw a more solid looking bit of pack! It looked like the ruins of bergs cemented with thick floe. It was a terrible disappointment to Captn & Expedition fellows. I was charting much of the afternoon had a bad headache Wild also down with the influenza Watson not right yet either. Between 4 & 5 was in the Crows Nest again, - passing a cluster of bergs - & in the midst of them, caught sight of a beautiful little shut-in dock Walls of ice all round one particularly beautiful, but "shakey" all caverns of deep cobalt pillars & fallen masses of marble; a level wharf of pure white floe-ice, straight walled & even some lower ice with seals asleep upon it. Just a peep, as we steamed by an opening between 2 bergs - & beyond another passage winding round another berg but an exquisite "bit" of calm still water & ice. Sounded at 5.30 (& again at 8) p.m. with the French sounder we call the "Grasper". Got 110 fathoms, sand, both places. Amongst the sand, a couple of small "brittle stars" some worm tubes and a piece of coral. From about 6.30 to 7.30 (while at half speed, towed the tow net, but only visible result was the green algae. Bar. fell 4/10 today. so Captn standing back to-wards barrier to be clear of bergs, if a blizzard is coming with snow.
[Note at top of page Lat. 64.33 S Long. 97.11 E Noon Wind E. to S.E. Bar. 29.45 to 29.10 Ther. 28 Max. 26 Min.]
[Page 76]
Saturday 10 February, 1912
A fresh S. Easterly breeze, thick & misty, with light snow all day. Steaming slowly in Easterly direction most of the morning "putting in time". But the wind did not freshen, as expected, - rather finer as the day wore on; & noonday observations taken for Lat. others for Long. as well as a dim outline of a sun, - and horizon, - would allow. Captn more hopeful, and told me he intended having a try to the S.W. for the "high land", Drygalski reported seeing to the E. of the "Grauss" winter position. I suggested that, if Mr Wild approved, a sledge party should land on this barrier, & make a dash S. to locate the land, & see if there was open water behind the pack we saw yesterday. while he pushed to the S.W. But Captn Davis considered it was too risky as there was positively nothing to steer by in thick weather, except the shakey compass not a point we could take for a bearing. Besides, Wild had the influenza rather badly and I a cough, Watson still only "convalescent". - & we could not have done without Wild! Tis a pity it could not be carried out should like to put some little thing to our credit before turning back. In the afternoon we raised the line of great bergs out of the mist, passing close to one magnificent one, whose towering cliffs of marble were very regularly stratified the white being of slightly different shades, or texture, - Here & there the walls were "embossed" or held snowy mantles or icicles 2 or 3 deep crevices of deepest cobalt - & here & there the marbled walls veined with blue. We also passed thro. a little drift pack Saw several seals one very large Sea Leopard on a piece we passed closely. The Leopard did not look the look of us, - wriggled round his floe with great energy - & went to sleep again when we passed. We were about 10 miles north of yesterdays noon day position (at noon) Sounding giving 120 fathoms At 5, under the barrier & clear of bergs, could not get bottom with the Kelvin machine aft. with the Lucas machine & "Grasper" got 800 fathoms but little sand brought up. She was drifting fast; & I doubt if depth was much over 600. Its evident bergs to the S. are aground as the sea is clear here. A snow Petrel fouled the rigging aft - & I secured it a lovely little bird.
[Note at top of page Lat. 64.26 S Long. 97.11 E. Noon. Wind. E to S.E. Bar. 29.10 to 29.19 Ther. 28 Max 25 Min]
Sunday 11 February, 1912
Morning finer, but dull & threatening. Sea line visible around. Nearly free from bergs. Barrier close aboard stretching away N.W. & S.E. We were some miles above the great bay seen on the 9th. After breakfast, a start was made Southerly and then S.S.W. a course that took us outside the line of bergs we went thro. on the 9th. Spent some time discussing whales with the Boatswain, who is positive the large ones we see are "Right" whales, & Bowheads. Also skinning the Snow Petrel that came aboard the previous evening. Could not distinguish the sex Stomach was loaded with a half digested mass of small fish like broken up Sardines. Under the white plumage the down is brown. Passed many bergs as we drew near the shallow water, - and by noon, the great fleet of them was lining the E. & S.E. Towards tea-time, the Captn thought he saw an appearance of land, and asked me to go up & have a look. From the Crows Nest the view was striking. To the S a break of misty yellow light where the great bergs upreared from scattered or heavy pack in thicker ranks they clustered, until they formed such a compact mass, - its E. end hidden in mist that one could scarcely believe that the midst of them was not an island, bringing them up. More especially that they seemed in far less number to the S & SW. I could not distinguish the line of the Barrier, it evidently does not come along S.W. Sounding at 5 pm gave 120 fathoms. One small object brought up apparently vegetable. After tea had another look from the Crows Nest. Clear only to the S. where a yellowish line showed that the Captn. thought was land but I thought a line of cumulus cloud. An opinion the Captn. came round to afterwards. Ahead a line of bergs came out, with Pack right across our course. Square & wall like it looked, like the half ruined, picturesque remains of some Titanic line of castles & fortifications. Captn came up, & looked round, - & decided to Stand N until tomorrow morning. I had seen 2 or 3 Emperor Penguins on floe ice but not one to be seen now the vessel had stopped. Captn & Mr Wild had a talk over future prospects. Decided to make another effort to reach Drygalskis Land. - & if that failed, to see if a landing upon the Barrier, where it appeared to be aground, was feasible "& not too much like suicide." Snow Petrel numerous. Giant Petrel & Skua Gull seen.
[Note at top of page Lat. 64.28 Long. 97.15 DR Wind SE to E Bar. 29.24 29.34 Ther. 29 Max. 26 Min.]
[Page 77]
Monday 12 February, 1912
Day finer, and glass inclined to rise still only a few minutes sunshine, and that in the evening and very cold, - light S. Easterly breeze. At 4 am, head was turned S. 45 W, tho not full speed until breakfast time. Floating ice visible all day, before noon the sea crowded with ice-bergs mostly tubular, - lumpy ice, - floe, brash from the small driftage, up to the great bergs perhaps a mile or so long. So thick was the drift ice, that from the Crows Nest a rough white line shut us in, from the N.W. right round S. to the E. Crowded, in places, with great bergs. I expected every hour, that she would be brought up by heavy pack especially towards 5 pm when, from aloft, I could see no break ahead but great lumps of ice that looked like distant solid pack. Still as we advanced, the ice opened. Great blocks & floes, bergs & picturesquely irregular masses yet open enough for us to pick our way thro. without trouble. By evening, we were upon the 65th parallel S. Lat. again. Many of the masses of ice were very solid deep blue or green in 2 or 3 cases stained to a still deeper green or dirty yellow green by (Wild told me) thaw water. One apparently bore land stains. Some curiously striated, as if multitude of cords had cut deeply into their blue tinted sides. Bergs as if fragments of a barrier, - some hard, marbled & blue others beautifully white, - in places, bold patterns in ribbon & leaves, on a truly Titanic scale, graced their straight sides. A beautiful, - tho. not brilliant sunset. A little before sunset, scene from Crows Nest striking & beautiful. The quantity of floating ice kept the sea very smooth a mirage lifted the ice up in the glare of the sunset, - and took all variety of forms in the golden light. I could trace trees & fences, groups of farm buildings with clumps of dark trees Cottages all in that golden phantasy under the sun! But the sea ahead clearer of ice than since noon. Appearance of barrier to E. but only an "appearance I think. Captn Davis uneasy at getting such a quantity of heavy ice between him & the open sea if the wind came in N.W., it would probably shut him in. Sounding at 5 pm gave deeper water 240 fathoms, mud. No appearance of Drygalskis Land but every one more cheerful now she was steaming steadily S. Nobody fancies wintering on the Barrier, Third Engineer up again, & others better but second Cook down 2nd Stuard took his place in the Galley.
[Note at top of page Lat. 64.43 S. Long 94.39 E. Wind E. to S.E. Bar. 29.27 Ther. 28 Max. 22 Min.]
Tuesday 13 February, 1912
Beautiful day, for a change Still dull & cloudy to the N bright & warm in the S. Ship fastened to a great piece of floe, about 1 mile long by ½ broad. This had loomed up in the dark like distant pack - & the Captain was still peering at it when it suddenly leaped at the ship - & she was on it! "I went to the Crows Nest just before breakfast A great mass of clouds behind beautifully bright ahead, - clear blue sea, - & appearance of barrier in S.S.W. After breakfast, we backed off the floe Sounded 500 fath! & then steamed on S. Presently we raised another barrier, more to the S. and the one that showed plainest was only a vast detached fragment, probably about 4 miles long. We sounded between this and the barrier, more to the S and the one that showed plainest was only a vast detached fragment, probably about 4 miles long. We sounded between this and the barrier faths mud. Just before noon, the spirit moved me to go up to the Crows Nest., - altho. Mr De La Motte had been up just before from the main-top, I saw a line in the S. From the Nest, I could see the low even line, - with that soft greenish yellow shade I had seen behind the Cote Clarie; & did not stop to watch it! Slipped down & reported "Land!" to the Captn,. "Good man!" he said, well pleased, - for our coal was almost done. She steamed on along the barrier wall at her best speed. Mr Wild had a look - & thought it was cloud. I went up again & still held to the opinion it was land. in an hours time there was no doubt, - & I laughed down triumphantly at Wild! Could not quite make it out though. We seemed close but the land looked low - & some of the bergs looked up on the land The barrier ran in, then suddenly broke away in ruins & (apparently) floe ice. We got amongst drift then large cakes of floe Then it was but too evident there was floe along the land. We made for the floe, & fastened up, Wild & Kennedy set off for the Shore (about 5 p.m.) & upon their return realized more of the situation. They could not get the land any nearer - & Wild is of opinion its at least 30 miles off - & all between a vast floe with bergs & hummocky ice frozen in. This was borne out by the appearance at Sunset when it showed only as a far blue line Yet when coming in, one could have sworn they saw the broken up pieces of floe ice piled on the shore! Meantime, we had scarcely made fast before we saw a couple of Emperor Penguins coming down to the ship. I got the needle, & dropped off the bowsprit set off followed by Dr Jones & Moyes. I rushed one bird - & in the scuffle fell on him, - with feet & flippers going, he carted me along a couple of yards before I got his head down. Glanced round, saw Jones & Moyes scuffling with their bird, but he bested them & got into the water So the Dr came and showed me the exact spot to use the needle. Carried the first trophy from the new land to the ship, - then while Hoadly, Dovers, & Moyes killed & skinned a seal, Dr Jones, McGrath & I went along to where we saw some penguin on hummocky ice. There we secured another Emperor, but the rest proved to be young moulting Adelies. After tea, ashore & sketched the ship. Snow quite pink in the low sun. A glorious sun set a bank of clouds all barred with crimson the clear sky between a clear beautiful green. Saw two more Emperors marching down. Raced down the bowsprit rigging with the 2nd Engineer & secured them. A long walk afterwards back with moustache loaded ice.
[Note at top of page Lat. 65.54 ½ S. Long. 94.25 E. Wind S.E. Bar. 29.29 Ther. 25 Max. 12 Min.]
[Page 78]
Wednesday 14 February, 1912
Woke hearing the ship get underway & leave the floe, Three or four heavy bumps, then I heard the Skippers voice raised in wroth "Come down out of that whats the good of you being up there!" and imagined what Mr Toutcher, up in the Crows Nest, would be remarking to the mast-head! When I got on deck, we were clear of the Floe, and heading into the corner where Barrier met ice. Morning overcast and heavy, but in the S, that land we may not tread shone a light yellow in the morning sun. Stood into the floe near the ice barrier, & sounded, while I sketched the end of the barrier breaking down & apparently ending in that lead field of floes, that stretched away, far as eye could see. In the wide space between Barrier & land. Then sketched the land - & tried to make a wash drawing of it but the water-colour froze in thin flakes as I tried to brush it over the paper then tried ink, but it froze too so I had to fall back on the pencil. The thermometer in the chart-room (where I was then working) stood at 25° Fah., 7 degrees of frost. Had a short turn to the W., but Wild reported that the coast appeared to be blocked with bergs, pack & floe in that direction; & the Skipper feared getting entangled in them, with a falling glass & rising wind. Stood out then over to the Barrier, & ran her bowsprit up on a low part but she drew off again, & vessel then coasted along the Barrier & back. It appeared near the shore especially to be very rotten, crevassed & tunnelled by the sea. We passed a grand chasm, some 40 or 50 feet broad - & running back some Ό of a mile between the straight white walls, & cobalt tints. When we came back in the evening, two great bergs had come away, leaving a great bay, with most noticeable white walls, & filled with rubble. Afternoon thick & snowing, - but cleared, and fairly bright in the evening. Between 7 & 9 p.m. we were back close to the drift floe rounded, & left the Forbidden Land behind. Went to the Crows Nest for a final look at it. Soft & distant it lay, with the sun setting over the Western end of it, the suns rays there glowing upon its ice-cap. It was visibly highest astern - & swept high & more steeply to the E. To the W there was a visible break in the even sky line a shallow dip, as it were - & signs of a slight depression coming right to the shore. The Western sweep was longer & easier than the E. Suggesting that the land ran N. of W. there but the W. end was hidden by a line of bergs. The sun set over the land that no eyes but ours had seen Set in a blaze of yellow light with a long golden shaft in the soft clouds straight up above the sun, but without the crimson & rose of the previous evening.
[Note at top of page Lat. 66.10 S Long 94.15x E Wind S.E. Bar. 29.36 to 29.28 Ther. 24 Max 13 Min.]
Thursday 15 February, 1912
Rounded the N. end of the Barrier shortly after midnight, & going slow, still had the Point in sight at breakfast time. To our surprise another great bay opened as we advanced (the barrier we had rounded was only a few miles wide) and there was the land again soft and distant, - a shore almost free of bergs, - & about (say) 20 miles from barrier to barrier. The W. barrier was only connected by floe ice, - the E. barrier was a great glacier coming down apparently unbroken from the distant land But where the land ended & the unbroken ice-cap came out upon the sea was not apparent. From the bay, this barrier ran away to the N.E. far aft the beam, & probably connects with the Barrier point we sighted on the 8th inst. a couple of degrees away to the N! We steamed into the great bay, passing a great berg and a piece of floe a Ό mile broad. As we stood in, we could see right past the shore end of the W. barrier & recognise the bergs that had been inshore of us the previous day, - showing that end was far distant from the ice-cap. We could also see a long stretch of floe along the shore the continuation of what had stopped us the previous day. Just at noon we reached the floe - & I, with some of the party tumbled off the bowsprit rigging & away in chase of a drove of Emperor Penguins a score of them came jumping up on the floe near the ship. I was first ashore first up with them, & secured the first bird. We had a strenous ½ hour they could "toboggan" nearly as fast as I could run on the snow I would mark which looked the finest bird, - & when I got up close, leap forward, fall on his back seize his beak, bend down the head & drive in the pin at the base of the skull. Once or twice they stood up & faced me, bowing & threatening with their wings, then I could pick the finest birds & knock them over. I got 4 & killed 4 more for our party, - in addition the sailors also got ½ dozen for themselves. So felt we had something if we could not land. The Captn then steamed along the floe E. to where it ended at the Barrier Sounded, 220 fathoms of water. Wild selected Hoadly & myself; we roped up, crossed a Ό mile of beautiful smooth floe, with 1 or 2 wide cracks near the shore, & arrived under the cliffs perhaps over 100 feet high but in many places ½ that filled up by blocks fallen & snowed deeply over. It was indiscriably beautiful the sky dark & threatening looking, - the cliffs with great cornices curled over, hung with icicles & shaded with that heavenly blue! But oh so soft it was it scarcely looked of Earth in its purity & distance with never a hard line or shade it was all softer & lighter than the very clouds above! we cut steps up the slope in the only accessible place; & away over the surface of the glacier. A good surface hard level, & not badly crevassed. A few of the latter Wild detected one, cut a hole thro. & we peeped 40 or 50 feet down into a fairy grotto all icicle & heavenly blue! "Shes a devil!" said Wild. "But what a beautiful one!" I answered. So we christened her "The beautiful Blue Devil". Wild was pleased with the glacier surface. It was good enough to risk the gear on altho. there was not even a rock in sight! & we would be far off from Land. So we went back, the ship was moved away as far as possible - & work started at once snowing a little. After tea nearly all helping Officers, Engineers, Firemen & crew. merry as children.
[Note at top of page Lat. 66.21 S 94.51 Wind SE. Bar. 29.10 Ther. Max. (32 Min (26-]
[Page 79]
Friday, 16 February, 1912
We were over at the snow slope, sending timber up when 8 bells struck (8 am) & worked there until noon. Wild & a party on top of the cliffs 3 of the fellows on top of the Snow slope piled against the Cliff, - I at the bottom, with one of the firemen, bending on the timber. It was fairly hard work, hauling up the heavy bundles of boards, as the ends ploughed up the snow before them. The Boatswain & a party of the crew, rigging up a "Flying Fox" or aerial. They sank a kedge deep in the ice & snow on the floe, cemented it in by pouring water in, - & then rammed down the snow. On top of the cliffs they sank a square block of wood we call a "dead man" & rigged sheer legs. A wire cable was fastened from the anchor over the sheer-legs to the planted "dead man" a block ran upon it, - & we on top of the cliff would take the line, & walk away some 70 yards, hauling up the load. It was solid work, hauling up & then carrying back the timber from the cliff edge. But we got all the hut material up, & had made a start upon the cases before tea. We came back wet, tired, & hungry, but tea & an hours rest set us up again. Meantime the crew had been hoisting the cases out of the hold (the ship was moored alongside the floe as alongside a wharf) & sledging them to the foot of the ice slope. They let the dogs loose, & had some of them in the sledges - & I think rather enjoyed themselves. After tea we went at it again until about 9 pm. 7 of the crew & the captain on top of the cliffs with us so the things came up fast - & we had everything landed to-day up above, when we left off work. Of course there is a danger of the floe to which we are moored, breaking off & going out to sea - & if nothing but the bare barrier cliffs were left, we could not land the rest of our things, & that would spell failure. & the floe is cracked in many places. When we left the other bay, the night before last, we had scarcely a hope of landing - & that scanty hope was of landing on the barrier-end of the 8th Feb. where it was aground We were reduced to the last ton of coal allowed us, too at noon yesterday, we were reduced to the 100 tons reserved for the run back to Hobart! So it was quite a sensational ending finding the landing place the only possible one at the eleventh hour. And a "God forgotten place", it is too! Not a speck of earth nor a rock or stone to be seen! Indeed the very shore must be far distant, as we have 220 fathoms beneath us here. As we worked on the cliff, with the endless broad white plain of the Floe beneath, we saw 35 Emperor Penguins land & go tobogging across it. Grey went up & photographed them. their call is not unlike a gooses. More than ½ an hour this eve trying to catch the cur crippen.
[Note at top of page Lat. 66° 18 ½ S. Long 94.56 E. Wind SE to NE. Bar. 20.13 Ther. Max. 34 Min. 26]
Saturday 17 February, 1912
A welcome change in the weather for it cleared off fine instead of snowing most of the day as yesterday. But as a counter balance, the wind was N.W. blowing on & along the floe. Large fragments were breaking off the points to windward & coming down on the stern of the vessel. The Skipper was anxious about his rudder, & as the morning was dark & threatening it looked an even chance that she would have to steam out. The officer of the watch spent the morning fending off the floating masses, as they came along Capt. Davis assisting with large pieces, - or when they were numerous. Meanwhile the crew were sledging cases, - the boatswain slinging, & we on top hauling up. Did not stop to sledge back, but stacked them on the edge, as they came up. By dinner time we had hauled up 103, - thro. the afternoon, 147, - & after tea hauled up about 50 - & sledged back all. That makes a total of about 300 cases of all sizes for the day. It was pretty solid work, dragging up the load, & another slung ready to be hauled by the time we got back. So we only got a minute or so "breather" between, & no spells. Had the "wireless" masts against the cliff for the loads to run up only a couple or three ran off & got into the crevasse & gave us trouble getting them out.
The day cleared, & the sun came out thro the afternoon, making it quite warm, & we shed our outer garments. The wind also dropped, & the ice ceased to trouble the ship. Bar. rising.
It was a lovely evening. The land in sight in the distance Also the western Barrier ice. The broad floe stretching away to the setting sun, as far as the eye could see, the low point of cliffs running out on the left - & black dots of seals asleep beneath them the level floor of the floe quite pink in the evening sunlight, 1 or 2 lines of crevasses leading away into the distance, the "Aurora" tied along side its seaward edge, the sledges & men below us the line of cliffs sweeping round from the point on our left, up to us, with their wonderful overhanging cornices, cobalt shading & pendant icicles - & wonderfully white & pure they looked against the pink-tinted distance or blue of the sky. As the sun went down, the sea & sky turned a clear green then all the sky turned yellow, pink, & purple, - & the ice commenced to form on our moustaches! Chained up all the dogs last night, but someone let them loose to day. They ranged over the floe, playing & fighting together worried half a dozen Adelie penguins tore pieces out of a living seal & ate them The infernal wretches have (in my opinion & that of some of the other) been the curse of the whole trip - & likely still to be more nuisance than assistance.
[Note at top of page Wind WNW calm Bar. 29.33 Ther Max. 26 Min. 7]
[Page 80]
Sunday 18 February, 1912 Quinquagesima
Another beautiful day the morning bright, but cloudy more trying to the eyes than sunshine. Sea very calm partly frozen in the bay here. All at work early. I was stationed on the snow slope, guiding the boxes on to the poles - & in the intervals of doing so, dug out a track some feet deep, & spread the poles so the boxes coming up no longer required guiding. This was a considerable saving, it gave another hand for the hauling on top as well as making the work easier by the greatly improved gradience By noon my left eye was very sore I was glad to don the "goggles" after dinner altho they smother one up, - and "fog" badly when the wearer is hot. We cut all the face covering away, - leaving only the strip round the eye pieces. And it was quite warm today. While digging the trench, I took off coat & guernsey & undid the shirt at the neck. The afternoon more cloudy easier for the eyes, - & dead calm. We far exceeded our tally of yesterday finished the cases & commenced upon the coal briquettes after tea So we have not done too badly. But it was constant tramping to - & fro, and all tired. Sailors rigged another block, so that we walked down the slope pulling up the load, instead of up an improvement. Left all the stuff today on the edge of the cliff, there was such a heap & we were tired. It was a beautiful calm evening. The sky over the distant land pretty clear but seaward dark - & at sunset, tinged with a ruddy dull purple-plum colour" the dead smooth sea was a replica of the sky just the same colour - & between, the ice cliff, shaded with blue - & reflected perfectly in the water! It was a wonderful scene! By where we are hauling up, there is a wonderful cornice that I never tire of looking at. The cliff is only about 50 feet above the floe there, leaning out, & shaded in delicate blue tints. This wide cornice overhangs the cliff (I should say) about 16 feet, sweeping outward & downward in most lovely curves of purest white & delicate blue hung with long clear icicles.
[Note at top of page Wind calm Bar. 29.33 Ther. Max 26 Min 10]
Monday 19 February, 1912
Wind from the S.E. blowing fresh snowing & cold. Found a large piece of the Floe had broken away in the corner by the cliffs while a couple of crevasses had opened in a line of broken ice across our road. We jumped at the narrowest part about 5 feet. It took the sailors nearly a couple of hours to fill them in & make the sledge road possible again. Meanwhile the Land Party on top of the cliffs sledged back cases brought up previous day, - & then, when the sledges began to arrive again at the bottom, we took up "the tread mill" once more. It was anything but pleasant working up there. We got the full force of the wind; - while the snow was driving all day even when it left off snowing, the drift of fine snow was still driving up there. Boxes & timber was nearly buried in the drifts, even the up-going rope along the slope was running in a snow tunnel. It blew all over us I was wet to the waist in spite of the oilskin coat; our hoods were grey, our moustaches loaded with ice. Wild & I were suffering too from partial snow-blindness, - we both had our left eye effected feeling as if there was a cold in it, or full of grit. My other eye a little touched, so that I can scarcely see what I am writing. Dinner & tea were welcomed! It cleared well thro. the afternoon, - & quite a bright sunset, while the wind dropped light. After tea, the 3rd mate, & nearly a doz. sailors & firemen joined us, - & we finished getting up the coal, & back to the ship by 9 p.m. Great merriment on the return, - Everyone was expected to slide down the snow slope, about 50 feet, from the foot of the poles, - a very steep incline, - & worn smooth by the upgoing boxes &c. I lay on my bunk lifted my feet - & shot down at terrific speed, - a cloud of white snow flying when struck the soft stuff at the bottom. A roar of laughter greeted each arrival! One of De La Mottes feet touched, going down, & he arrived head first. All very tired tonight. We can look back with satisfaction have landed & lifted 100 feet, all our stores (for 2 years) building material, & 12 tons of coal, in 4 days & 3 or 4 hours! Much more expeditiously than the first party. & according to Wild, its the most picturesque landing ever made in the Antarctic - & most expeditious.
[Note at top of page Wind S.E. Bar. 29.21 Ther. Max 28 Min 14]
[Page 81]
Tuesday 20 February, 1912
Day beautifully fine scarcely a cloud in the sky - & that only a wisp along over the Barrier. Breakfast at 8 a.m. as the rush of the work was over. A good deal of personal gear taken ashore including mattresses leaving us only the boards of the bunks to sleep upon. I was told to stay and finish the charts an interesting bit of work, plotting the ships course, lay of land, ice & Pack, - that I have taken great interest in. It does not fall to the lot of many in these days, to sail along, & lay down an unknown coast! And I am glad to say, Capt Davis is pleased with my work. After dinner I went ashore & sledged back a load with some of the sailors for the mates, boatswain & some of the crew & firemen were up there My eyes very much better, - but of course had to wear goggles. Many of the crew complaining of bad eyes. The site for the hut had been selected some 400 or 500 yds back; the track crossing several narrow crevasses, one only [note in margin The "Blue Devil"], large enough to get down into, & some 12 feet deep before the irregular sides shelved almost together. Its chief beauty was a mass of great icicles several feet long & at least a foot thick at the base; hanging like a great curtain. As we neared the hut site, met Dr Jones who had come upon a small crevasse where they had unloaded So that site, the 2nd was abandoned, & our load taken further back. I then got the ice-axe, & felt all round a large space located one or two small cracks - & a good solid space of ample size for our "alotment so there we unloaded. The Captn & Wild came up, - & we went for a ridge behind to get a view but it seemed to recede as we advanced, so we gave it up. Knocked off early, - I walked round & down the way we first got on & off the glacier tumbling into several holes for I had no stick to feel. satisfied no good for sledging up. After tea took a box of personal gear & five of the Emperor Penguins killed last Thursday over to the haulage. Wild called me when I returned Capt Davis was addressing the 2nd Party - & made a good speech. Hinted at dangers gone thro. & to come, the good luck to get a landing the most expeditious landing ever effected that great things were expected of us - & it was up to us to do our best. & proposed the health of the 2nd party. Wild replied proposed Capt Davis health which was drunk with musical honour. then singing & recitations - & toasted Dr Mawson & the 1st Party, Scott, Amundsen, Wilkes - & wound up by toasting the King singing the anthem, - then "Auld Lang Syne" with hands clasped all round.
Wednesday 21 February, 1912
We were called a little before 6 am. - & then the hurry of doing up blankets & clothes. I had intended packing the previous night but the convivial evening - & having to go over to the haulage afterwards to send up a box I had left there - & upon my return finding the ship swinging out with the breeze, & having to "chuck" lumps of ice at her until I raised the watchman, to throw me a rope made it so late I did not get clothes packed until the morning. A bright fine morning it was, but cold. The fellows were dropping down off the bowsprit for the stern line had been let go, when she swung off, & had to steam round & bows on again. A great mass of ice fell from the cliff, raising waves that made the old ship roll. Hearty hand shakes & good wishes all round - & we were all upon the ice - & the "Aurora" backing off. Then mates sailors & firemen crowded the fokesl-head, & gave us three cheers - & another three "for the old warrior" "Mr Wild!"& we responded with three for Capt. Davis, & the crew of the "Aurora". Wild called a good-bye to the Captn & hope of a safe voyage! Davis retorted grimly "If we dont get to port you will never be found again!" A truth we had already realized! I wished him "God speed" sincerely for Davis is a fine fellow - & had done all he could for us ungrudgingly. And his speech of the previous evening had created a most favourable impression it was a regular trumpet call to duty & to achieve something; & with a kindly remembrance of fellow workers our mates in Adelie Land, - Scott & Amundson down in the Ross Sea. A last cheer, - the ensign dipped, the siren screamed "Good Luck". & the old ship steamed off along the Barrier, while we turned to the wilderness of ice & snow behind us. I did not feel half as sad as I expected. It was the previous evening. The old songs recalling home & dear ones - & what might happen to them while I was away I can only trust to Providence to keep them safe & well. So the real breaking the ties had been that evening Now we turned to the glacier cheerfully & hopefully Hauled up our luggage, - then the wireless poles for the floe was cracked badly. Hunted up boxes with cookers & tents & sledged them across, a little over 600 yds, to the home site, had breakfast of frozen tongues, & hot cocoa Then to work. Dr Jones Hoadley Kennedy & I were appointed carpenters & commenced straight off on the hut; sinking holes into the ice & snow 1st foot crystallised snow then 3 inches of sold ice, then ice & snow. Great job fitting & picking out the pieces for the [indecipherable] was scanty - & pieces not numbered. But we made good progress. Wild cooked a jolly mug of soup & biscuits for dinner. He, with Watson Dovers & Moyes were sledging. Day was so warm that I threw off coat & sweater & worked in my shirt & trousers Wild threw off even those & worked in his under wear. We all wore goggles so glare did not effect us & got more used to them. Evening [indecipherable] cold, but fine, Moustachs loaded with ice, feet & hands allmost frost bitten. Temp. down to 5 Fah. through night.
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Thursday 22 February, 1912
Our leader awoke, turned out about 7 am & started the primus. Night had been clear and cold 27 ° of frost, & the 3 little green tents, all in a row, on the great white surface of the barrier, looked lonely enough! But we in our Reindeer sleeping bags taking off only coat or boots were warm & snug enough. Wild floored the tents with the short tongue & grooved boards for the hut verandah. We drew lots for the tents. Wild & I got the first the others went 3 in a tent. Another article I tried last night were the Finshoos Reindeer mocassins they are great! My feet were nearly frozen in the sea boots they warmed up at once in the Finshoos, even tho. my socks were damp. Breakfast of tinned fish. Then the carpenters to the building, the others to the sledging. A beautiful day, warm in the sun towards middle of the day, cold night & morning. Our meteorologist Moyes announced the sun temp. was 45 ½ ° we get a greater range of temp. here than upon the sea, or (Wild says) at McMurdos Sound in the Ross Sea. We got on fairly well with the hut & had most of the frame work up by 6 pm when we knocked off as it was getting so cold. Having to puzzle out the construction delayed us much. The plan only showed ground plan & section None of the wood or joints were numbered except the principle stumps studs &c all the minor parts had to be fitted in as we amateurs could. Then the bolts had not been sent from Melbourne & had not been missed in Hobart, - so we have to use nails & trust to luck, - altogether, the builders in Melbourne might have made a much better job of the hut. Wild & I cooked soup for dinner he put it on when up with a sledge load I looked to it afterwards. Soup, with biscuit broken up in it makes a most enjoyable meal. For the evening meal tongues & tea. thawing out the former on top of the cooker, biscuits butter jam cheese. A smoke & a gossip, & into the sleeping bags. As I was cook instead of a smoke I had to turn out & fill the "cooker" with ice, ready for the morning &c. A fine evening, but windy looking with long cirrus clouds streaming up.
Friday 23 February, 1912
Woke, to hear the wind whistling round the little tent and the patter of driving snow against the weather side. Wild awoke said it was no good turning out early, so we slept again. Then I rolled up my bag & gear, & got the stove & cooker in, & made tea & thawed herrings for breakfast. Two or three of the party were then sent down to the cliffs one went in a suit of berberry. that fortunately was up here, - he opened his box & got out his suit, - then a second went down in a borrowed suit to get his own. I rigged up in 2 pairs of trousers & an oilskin, & went down with Wild & the Dr. & we sledged up Moyes & Watsons boxes. Then we were all able to rig in berberry; turned out, got the 2 sledges going & brought up the remaining 4 loads of hut timber, & 3 or 4 loads of provisions. It was anything but pleasant, the wind blowing half a gale, the fine snow driving in a continual mist, as you see sand moving off dunes, biting face & particularly eyes - & hands freezing, - while the slopes clean of snow would be so slippery we could scarcely get a footing on them further on, drifts of snow heavy to walk & to drag thro. While the others went for a last load, I stayed to start the primus Had the devil of a bother. Cold fingers are sorry tools for unscrewing nipples & tops filled her too full of kerosene, & it came up every time I pumped. Boiled up 2 tins of Pea soup, with 2 tins of beans & tomato sauce, added some water & broken biscuit - & it made a grand mug each of good warm food a big mug full too stuff to "stick to your ribs" as they say. The wind increased, - making it very unpleasant while I was out refilling the "cooker" for the morning it stung the face altho Moyes says temp. only 21° Fah. Tis impossible to keep it out of the tent, the driving snow works in if the door is untied, - comes in every crease of the clothes, - however careful you cannot keep it all out and some of them are not careful. It is so fine like soft fine sugar or still more like salt. Mits & helmet &c get frozen, - & in this transition state in the tents can only wait for a fine day to dry them. About 6 p.m. when we finished our meal. Blowing a whole gale. Got into our sleeping bags & Wild & I yarned for an hour or so now writing up log still in Bag.
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Saturday 24 February, 1912
Awoke fairly early, but the wind still blew, though very much less than the previous night - & the snow pattered still against the tent. So we had another doze & it was nearly 8 when Wild started the Primus. Breakfast of herrings & tomato, - then we turned out; I still wore ordinary attire, but put on 2 pair of trousers & berberries over them to keep the snow off. It was snowing steadily, large soft flakes, but fortunately the wind was light. We laughed at the idea of the Carpenters of civilized Australia turning out in a snow storm & 5° of frost to put up a building! Wild & his party went at the sledging. The snow stopped, & we saw a strip of beautiful soft azure showed over the distant land. It broadened in the afternoon there was a straight line of cloud E & W. all to the S clear & bright all to the N. still cloud. Then the sun came out & warmed us. By the evening, it was all clear & bright. We pushed on with the hut, and got nearly all the frame work up, including verandah posts. If there had not been so much searching out & fitting. Then we had to dig our timber out of the snow drift. The Sledging party tell us there is 6 feet of drift up against the boxes on the cliff Also that a great part of the Floe near the cliff had gone out; breaking the sheer-legs, though the wire still hung over the cliff. What a shock poor Nansen must have had for he was tied to the wire near the sheer-legs. All the dogs are tied up over there, & curl up & bury in the snow. The sledging party put in a good days work, bringing up 13 loads sledging 9 miles. Hoadley cooking today. While working on the hut, heard Emperor Penguins calling on the Floe not unlike a gooses call. Think I forgot to record that within an hour of the ship leaving, I saw 2 Emperors standing solemnly side by side gazing at the stained snow where the goods had been landed just like 2 old folks discussing the novel visitation. Very cold this evening. Moyes has just announced 30° of frost. Max. temp. today 30° Fah.
Sunday 25 February, 1912 -1st in Lent - Quadragesima
Fine day, thank goodness. Carpenters to the building. Wild & his party sledging; 13 loads again Good work! We finished all the frameworks and made a start on the boarding by dinner time. Its a substantial looking framework too, now its up - & I think will stand in spite of the blizzards that is, if its not knocked to pieces before we get a chance to finish it & get the mooring ropes over. And the barometer is going down again while the beautiful evening is clear except for a little rosy cirrus cloud and all around is yellow pink rose & purple - & the sea or the little we can see from here, - of an indiscribable green tint. Wild looked out from his tent & shook his head at the beautiful blending of evening colours all around. Hard luck if we are to have another blizzard already - & a couple of days would see the outside skin of the house completed. Its a good substantial frame the hut, & verandah round three sides one roof, sloping down [indecipherable] from the pointed top to the verandah eves. We have no bolts, - but we have nailed everything as securely as possible its braced together, - & planted on many stump sunk into the glacier surface.
Its wonderful how well these little tents stand the gales - & how snug & warm we are in our Reindeer sleeping bags the hair, set back against the cheek has almost a velvety feel. But we cannot dry clothes & all our little odds & ends are boxed up We have not even water to wash with! Tho. there is nothing but water & frozen water beneath us all around yet is there not water to wash. nor will we get a wash until the house is up & the stove going; except rinse our hands in snow Not that unwashed face & hands are anything new. On the "Aurora" there was a chronic scarcity of water. Dr Mawson especially during the landing at Adelie Land, was often as black as a coal heaver Capt. Davis has been heard asking the Engineers for a drop of water "Have not had a wash for a fortnight!" & his appearance did not belie the assertion. & the rest of us were as bad! Wild & I sacrificed our long moustaches when we landed here; they loaded so with ice. & then laughed at each other - & the difference it made in our expression - & are curious to see what we look like when we get a mirror. Wild says I remind him of a comedian. Some of the others say, - a Scottish elder of a rather humourous turn of mind! Lord help us! I must evidently grow a moustache & shave beard again for civilization! Moyes cook today & I sharing tent with Hoadley & Dovers - & chatting while writing.
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Monday 26 February, 1912
To our great relief, a fine morning, but barometer falling still. Went down about 6/10th., and looks unsettled tonight. Very thankful for another days respite, & had breakfast & to work before 8 a.m. The night had been very cold. Thermometer registered minus 7 last night that is 39° of frost! We could feel that it was cold altho. I was warm enough in my Reindeer bag but on the hair at the edge was a sprinkling of white hoar frost where my breath had come up all the tent sides &c had a white rhime over it, that brushed off on your clothes. Much of the bay off the floe was frozen, showing from here, a glazing of grey. The day warmed up, very little breeze & sun quite hot. Thermometer laying on a box in the sun, showed 45° Fah. It clouded over & got cold towards evening the only hopeful sign we have for the breeze is freshening & sky very unsettled looking. Sunset or rather before sunset, very pretty, A ball of misty light in a thick purple grey haze, that thinned out & brightened above, - & the glare of the light on the frozen motionless bay. The distant W Barrier & a few bergs standing up against the haze. I finished the long line of the verandah vertical boarding along 3 lenghts of 30 feet. The others finished the roof. We had hoped to get the Rubberoid on but by the time the Dr. had finished the Sky lights Hoadley & Kennedy the NW wall of the building - & I cutting strips for fastening the Rubberoid on with, it was too late to start on that. All the external walls are up now. leaving the three inner walls of the hut still to be boarded up (1 wall, with the 3 Verandah walls form the outer walls of the building). [sketch of hut] Disappointed that we have not got more done, but its a really large building when we have to puzzle it out too! Stuck again to-night. Theres 3 walls of different lenghts as door comes out of one yet all the bundles are marked 20 feet long - & all made up of different lenghts that total 20 feet but we cannot get to fit the studs - & not one marked. Sledgers did well again to-day. Got up 15 loads. Report that an Adelie Penguin came strolling along the cliff top - & intercepted them then went on to interview the dogs. Foot ice still beneath the cliffs.
Tuesday 27 February, 1912
Again, to our surprise & great relief, a fine morning but cold that is, cold for working, but the night had been quite mild, only down to 9° Fah. Hurried over our breakfasts & to work. I undertook the rubberoid, & George Dovers was told off from sledging to assist. A cold job it was, too, up on that roof in a light but bitter S.E. wind. The job was not a pleasant one in any way; the stuff was of inferior quality & tore like stiff brown paper; we cut it to size, tacked the top, & then nailed strips split from old cases down the edges (where they overlapped) from ridge to half way down the verandah wall. Nailed little pieces of wood to the smooth sloping roof, to get a footing, & moved them as required. The material was broad & necessitated a long reach to nail the strips where the 2 lengths overlapped, - & we would occasionally loose our balance & go shooting down the roof to the ground, but always fell on our feet. George was apostrophizing diver devils, Mahomet &c! Then it took a lot of fitting round the 4 skylights. In the middle of the day it was warmer, but cold again in the evening. Wild Moyes & Watson sledged up six loads; & in the afternoon were working about the hut, - sinking "deadmen" to lash it down to, splitting strips for the rubberoid; sawing off eaves &c; We got the 2 longest sides covered, & the third half done. The Dr, Hoadley & Kennedy at work inside. Got the floor down, 2 of the hut walls up, if not finished off, - & the remaining wall partly up. Took the table in & had tea in the hut tonight; & in honour of the occasion, Wild boiled a couple of plum puddings. Good tea half a tin of sardines each, plum pudding & cocoa. The ever acceptable hot soup for dinner. Evening looks fine, pretty sunset in haze & yellow light Barometer going up. All hoping that we are going to miss the expected bad weather.
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Wednesday 28 February, 1912
To our surprise & delight, day fine, cold breeze tho. from the S.E.. Very cold work upon the roof. George & I on with that with many discussions as to how it should be done. We got it all fixed up before dark (excepting one corner that Dovers undertook to do but forgot) All the rubberoid material on see it is called "Stexoflex". Have great doubts about it its only a tarred paper, or thin paste board & tears very easily. Fear it will not stand the melting snow & wind. Then I fixed the ridging down the 4 angles of the building. Nailed down 3 of the sky lights, & fixed blocks for the ropes. Wild had planted his "dead men" - & this evening lashed her down. So we are as secure now as we can well make her - & I think she will stand. Theres not much of a surface to catch the wind. Its a fine large hut. 20 feet sq. by about 16 ft high; a verandah about 5 feet wide round 3 sides. [Sketch of hut] Shes a black Crows Nest now covered all with black "Stenoflex" Meanwhile the other 3 carpenters had been busy with the lining & inner walls. Latter finished & some of the lining up. Just a week since we started the building so considering how we had to puzzle out the parts, - & the strenght of the building dont think we did too badly. Wild, with help of Moyes & Watson hunted out the cases & put the stove together and, judging by the language that came up to me, found it a Chinese puzzle too! However by evening it was in going order. And after sunset in a temperature below zero I cut a hole in the roof & Wild fixed the chimney. When done, I got down off that roof with alacrity half frozen! Had tea & they started stove in the midst of tea - & then most of them had a nip of whiskey to celebrate the housewarming. Hoadley & I boiled water & had cocoa instead bitterly cold - & that boiling cocoa warmed us to the toes! Then we made for our tent & Reindeer Bag. Some of them slept in the hut. Previous nights temperature low minus 12! Bay partly frozen Sunset fine, - clouds in great bands from S.E. to N.W.
Thursday 29 February, 1912
Woke to see the sun shining thro. the tent, - but the wind whistling & the drift pattering against the canvas. How glad I was to reflect that our little hut was secure the tiny fortress in which we were to stand the siege of the Antarctic winter! It was only a mild blizzard no snow falling, but a continuous drift of fine snow blowing along the Great White Surface. To the S.E. & S., as usual, a strip of clear sky; to the N&W, dark, - between, misty blink. I went on with the "Stenoflex" fixing it upon the S.W. wall of the building under the verandah. The snow was driving round & up the covered-in verandah in a fine mist, that covered everything including every tool you put down, with a fine grit of snow that kept your hands wet, & consequently freezing. Others on at the lining inside & putting up the dark room frame & cabin. Found it took a long time with the rubberoid fitting it round the rafters, & "caulking" where wall & roof met, with bagging. Wild & party sledged up some coal, - & then fitted a canvas over that end of verandah; & built a wall of flour boxes away from the other opening the N. end of verandah, where the house door opened. Kennedy fixing the stove, breathing blessings both loud & deep. Clambered up the roof once or twice, to shoot down quicker than he went up! Dovers cook today. Yesterday we had "sledging hoosh", pemmican & emergency rations; making a thick soup bacon flavouring enjoyed it. To-day Dovers made a stew from tinned stuff. very good. Tinned rabbit for tea. about the only meal yet where the remainder in the pot has gone begging Tea general beveridge. Never a tea drinker - & now with tea 2 or 3 times a day, Im beginning to positively dislike it, & look upon cocoa as a great treat. That brute Switzerland - & the other brute Nansen, got loose night before last, dug up & ate one of my penguins. Now we have 4 of the yelping howling brutes tethered just beyond the tents. Rest still upon the Cliffs While working upon the house top, I noticed something right E.S.E. fair behind the house Must be land cropping up there if so coast must sweep round to E. or high mountains. can scarcely conceive any high eminence upon the surface of the barrier. Land to the S. appears broken, with depressions & cliffs. Sitting round stove in hut this evening with the Zonophone going tho. theres lots of snow lying about the other side of room amongst the loose lining boards lying there. Hoadley & I still sleeping in tent.
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Friday 1 March, 1912
really beautiful Antarctic day; bright, clear, still, just a little breeze at times from the S.E., sending down the temperature, and making ears tingle. As the hut was now habitable, we went at the sledging except Hoadley, - who went on with the lining, - & Dovers, cooking and assisting. George served up porridge this morning, the first we have had since leaving the ship. Sheeps tongues for dinner soup, salmon, & tinned peaches & plum cake for tea. Peary (per Zonophone) gave us an account of his trip to the N. pole while we had dinner - & it was voted "Yankee blow." I saw a great difference at the landing place. The great piece of the Floe, that our aerial wire had been moored to, had washed out, leaving a green dock that the ship might have been moored in, - The main part of the floe remained, but 3 or 4 cracks showing. What cornices we could see had grown very much evidently the drift blowing & eddying over in the blizzards, form these wonderfully beautiful curvy overhanging curtains. All around our stores, the snow had drifted deeply must be nearly 5 feet in places. Over at the point of ice cliffs, across the Floe, there were a number of seals sleeping, as usual. And thro. the day, a dozen came up through the largest crack in the floe, nearer to us, to bask in the sun. Saw Emperor Penguins in the water, - & Adelies on the Floe, - & one Skua winging his way seaward. No other bird We wondered where the old "Aurora" was - & [indescipherable] that we must get the wireless going before she arrives in Hobart, - that we might hear of said arrival. By-the-bye, - the fellows tell me that the cheer for the "old warrior" was meant for me but Wilds name followed so fast, I took it to be for that veteran Antarctic warrior. Moyes, Watson, Kennedy on one sledge, Wild Jones & I on the other. Dragging coal all day, & got up 25 loads over 5 tons. Long steep icy slope to drag up used ski sticks to help us up then we had to drag back down an incline, & a sharp awkward turn across the "Blue Devil", where she gapes some 2 feet wide, showing her depth of glorious blue, & great icicles, now encrusted with snow like lovely white feathers. We have had a capsize or 2 there but nothing gone down yet. Then a more gradual slope that we have to go down at a run to keep ahead of the sledge. We got racing down there & had to go "Hell for leather" to use the expressive language, of our fellows, to keep ahead of the sledge. Then a long & gradual pull up to the house. A beautiful evening, rose & pink.
Saturday 2 March, 1912
A gloriously bright fine day; Not a cloud visible most of the time, - light airs from S.E. & S.W. By the bye, yesterday morning the clouds, instead of the usual bands from S.E. to N.W. had a curiously twisted appearance in the W. as though eddying round a space of clear sky there. Our leader [Note in margin in the cooking] had decided that we should follow alphabetically therefore to my disgust I followed to-day. Turned out at 5.30 a.m. Found fire had kept in, & water in big boiler hot. There are local troubles connected with cooking in this climate. For instance. George Dovers had not wiped the table after washing up the previous evening - & the drainings were all frozen. I tried to wash it off with a drop of warm water but not being very hot, it froze on the table, & made matters rather worse. Breakfast of Herrings & tomato sauce, porridge tea & coffee, ready by 7.30 All for coffee tea at a discount Then the work of getting the kitchen in order. Dovers had not bothered about anything but cooking - & did not wipe crockery for want of a towel. I got the manifest & looked up the things hunted up boxes & opened them. Got kitchen towels, kettle, pots, Salt & pepper castors Ordinary salt frozen hard, so hunted up case of Cerebos also frying pans, basins, &c. Made mop, & as Wild fixed up some shelves, I fixed mugs, pots, lids &c For dinner, Made a stew of 1 tin beef, 2 tins Mutton Broth, 2 tins Baked Beans & tomato sauce, with some Pemmican & Emergency Rations, thickened with Rolled Oats. It was pronounced excellent! For tea, 2 tins Mock Turtle Soup, 2 tins Beef, 2 tins Preserved Apricots. A three course meal for 8 means some washing up! As it was Archie Hoadleys birthday yesterday, we drank his health last night so had mugs to wash before breakfast - & as these fellows want morning & afternoon tea, that was 6 washing up! I was going from 5.30 a.m. to 9 p.m. - & then had to dig ice for the boiler Altogether feel far more fagged tonight than after the sledging yesterday. Wild put up some shelves in morning in afternoon fixing the Acetylene Gas plant. The others sledging up stores. In afternoon Dovers & Kennedy sent down to get a seal & some Penguins breasts Brought back a sledge load of meat Seal from all accounts had a bad time before the 2 boys finished him off. Hoadley carpentering, - & got all the bunks up but one. In one of the bundles of timber found a box of cigars a present from the fellows building the hut in Melbourne.
[Note in margin Acetylene light started successfully late in evening.]
Sunday 3 March, 1912 -2nd in Lent
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Sunday - & the press of work over. In 11 days including the broken day of the "Auroras" departure, - we have sledged back from the Cliff to the camp, the larger part of the stores, about half the coal all the hut timber. In addition we have erected the hut, floored, lined; & got most of the inside work done we slept in our bunks the previous night. Wild says its the most expeditiously done yet in Antarctica! So we eased off to-day as it was the Sabbath. Previous night cold Minus 11 even in the hut it did not rise quite to freezing point yet I, for one, was not cold. Up at 7.30 a.m. & with Wilds help fried Seals liver & bacon for breakfast Good as any other liver - & we enjoyed it. After breakfast, the fellows went at light work, digging out & taking down the tents Clearing up the verandah & things about the hut &c. Hoadley put up the one remaining bunk the skippers - & door of vestibule &c. When I had finished washing up for breakfast was after nine Wild held a short service the first since leaving Hobart. Only 2 Prayer Books in the party. Moyes & Dovers. Wild wanted the hymn "Now thank we all our God". but with only 2 books & nobody knew the words there was difficulty. I suggested writing out the words - & scribbled 3 copies - & Wild wrote another. Commenced service with that hymn of thanksgiving for the great success, when we appeared to be upon the very point of failure & return. Then the Confession, & Lords Prayer sang the "Venite exultemous Domino", read a psalm (15th) 2 or 3 Collects - & thanksgiving "for Thy loving kindness to us & to all men." Then for our comrades upon the sea Davis & his men we sang "Eternal Father strong to save". All knew that hymn so no need to copy it out. After the service the fellows rushed the copies, & tore them in halves to go round Mementoes of the first service held on the Barrier. Regretted much I had omitted to bring my book. Lunch, salmon & apricots. Hurried up the "washing up" while Wild & a party got a sledge load of ice. Then we all got Skis, & went E.S.E. for a walk. A gloriously bright sunny day not a speck of cloud visible at noon. Still, calm, warm. "The weather that brings me back to Antarctica!" said Wild. Great fun with the ski. Their lenght makes them difficult for beginners. We would overbalance & come down sideways they would shoot forward, & we would sit down very suddenly - & occasionally get them crossed in front - & then we would come down any hour! But they are great things on a smooth surface & soft snow. Think I got on as well as any (except Wild) [indecipherable] was with the first party then Kennedy Watson & Dovers straggled out astern. We went at what would be a good walking pace on a good surface - & faster than we could walk on the snow. Saw the land in the ESE seen from house top For dinner Adelie Penguin stewed, with bacon, baked beans & tomato sauce, & a little pemmican. It was pronounced ripping!" really very good. then boiled plum pudding. My 2 days cooking up tonight Thank the Lord!
[Note in margin To-day also memorable inso much that we had the first wash since leaving the ship - & scarcely knew each out looked so different!]
Monday 4 March, 1912
"This is a land of extremes", says Wild, & truly it is so. Yesterday nearly as perfect as a day could be today as disagreeable. The morning grey & lowering, with a thin cold S.E. that seemed to go thro. one. Hoadley cook, breakfast porridge & seal steak very good. Then six of us to the sledging, Wild staying to fix up shelf in verandah, &c. Dovers & Kennedy dug out wireless masts, & Jones Moyes Watson & I sledged them up also sledges - & boxes of stores 4 loads in all. Dovers & Kennedy returned with the last load - & had morning tea. By this time wind had risen & drift was flying So no more sledging. Great nuisance The boxes had been dug out of 3 to 4 feet of snow now the drift will cover them all up again, while another day or twos sledging would have placed them on the pile here. At "Morning tea", Wild announced that 2 teams would start next Monday to lay depots for the spring sledging. & push S. to see what the land was like. Jones was named, & Moyes & I, for Moyes as Meteorologist & I as Biologist will stay by the Camp next Spring, - so we will have this trip. Kennedy did not want to go as he had Magnetic work to attend to. The other 3 drew lots - & it fell to Watson to stay with Kennedy. I went on covering the hut wall (under the verandah) with roofing, & caulking the eaves with bagging. Some of the others got out sledging stores &c. until dinner or rather lunch. By this time it was a regular blizzard. In the afternoon could not see more than 60 yds; & by tea time blowing a gale. The snow fine as the finest salt, - drifted in thro. every chink of the verandah however small the crevice even thro. the snow we had thrown up against the wall! It drifted & eddied in the open end of verandah covering everything, - boxes & tins there, - house door & wall with that beautifully soft pure covering. Bar. down to 29.80 but steady at that. Hoadley going to be "the cook" of the party. Sardines & scones for lunch. Seals heart stewed & apple pie for dinner. Crust of latter not quite cooked, - but rest all right. Acetylene Gas for the last 3 evenings but a delightful uncertainty about it! No expert here in that line Something always doing as it should not do - & we feel a bit doubtful if we are to be lighted up, or blown up! Temp. last night, Minus 7. Re yesterday I omitted to mention that I hurried back on the skis for cooking after I left them, Wild detected a crevasse & opened it the largest seen yet they say it is 20 feet wide & we had all gone over it! Evidently not safe to go about here unless on ski or roped.
[Arrow pointing towards left margin] Would have liked a picture of yesterdays service. The unfinished hut, bunks loaded with bedding &c, tongued & grooved planking, the carpenters tools where Hoadley had dropped them great boiler of ice on the stove. Six fellows in Polar costume, Jones & I in very ragged ordinary attire all of us bearded & grimey, our faces like coal heavers after 60 days handling dirty cases coal - & carpentering.
[Page 88]
Tuesday 5 March, 1912
Morning still blowing hard, and all a drift of snow without. could not see 60 yds most of the time. One thing about these blizzards, the temperature rises. It must have been about, or even above the freezing point in the verandah this afternoon. Very beautiful, when we opened the "back door" this morning, - & looked out. The entrance to the verandah was snowed up to within 3 or 4 feet of the roof - , and this wall of snow sloped steeply down ending opposite the house door. Not a wall of hard smooth snow like the drift, - but loosely powdered, cushioned, mossy, & branched, like some great fungus or pure white coral growth On the shelf opposite our door, the rows of tins & preserves came out of the snow drift, every tin & bottle capped & powdered white, - & more or less covered with white tufts from ½ in. to 3 in. long that looked like pure white moss or coral. Beyond the misty blurr of the White Waste, & the darker sky above, & smoke-like drift of snow. Round behind the house, under the verandah, with the other entrance blocked with coal & canvas, it is quite dark yet the floor of ice shows a blue-green as if a luminous fungus or phosphorescence! It is the light coming thro the ice from outside. G. Dovers & I went at the "papering" & finished it. Shes a black thing now walls of hut and verandah too - & all the eaves caulked. The others at various jobs preparing for sledging. Grinding biscuits, breaking up pemmican, weighing food &c. After lunch wind moderated somewhat, Wild & Kennedy went down to the tent on the cliff to wind the chronometers, & report that all the Floe had gone right back to the big tide crack. That is, at least ½ a mile breadth of floe went out with this Gale. Hope the blizzard will cease tonight. We want to get on with the work, - erect wireless poles &c. All anxious to hear of the old "Auroras" arrival at Hobart. And I must confess a tiny hope that they will think of the married man of the party, - & occasionally send word that his dear ones are well. They did not dig away the wall of snow as it kept some of the drift out, - but climbed over when going out. This verandah is a great blessing we can keep things there move about or work under it - & it keeps the snow from the walls & the door. Except for the little tramped in, no snow finds its way into the hut - & this afternoon, with Hoadley baking soda bread, we found it too close & warm! Acetylene going well tonight the 2 burners lighting the room well. Oil was required for floating the tank. Had no oil, - so they used kerosene, little danger of it igniting in this temperature.
Wednesday 6 March, 1912
Thro. the evening & into the night, blowing hard & snowing. Before we went to bed the verandah entrance was blocked again to the roof. The six young fellows of the sledging party had a "Clip" - & judging by the results, the amateur barbers were not to be commended. If an objection was raised, the barber had another go - & the result was the closest cut heads of hair & whisker that ever I saw! Especially Dovers (clipped by Dr Jones) whose head looked as if a rat had gnawed it down, unevenly, to the roots. Each man, as he was finished, made a rush for a mirror, amid roars of laughter. Wild cut my hair a few days ago - & I clipped my beard myself. Morning grey & snowing. Jones cook, Watson chopping pemmican Rest of us in berberries climbed out over the snow wall & had a look round. All to leeward snowed up - a great uneven snow drift right up to the eaves, & (in one place) 3 feet deep on the roof a few yds of wall only visible - & that patterned over with snow & ice. A white ladder stood up sides & rungs alike covered with snow. Snow drifts up to 4 feet deep piled along our box keeps - & ends of cases sticking out. We took a sledge & went down to the cliffs for the chronometers &c All the road covered with from a couple of inches to a foot or so of white snow, soft to walk in. Even the Blue Devil partly snowed up! At the cliffs, boxes & coal buried again. A great part of the floe had gone, - as far as we could see, thro. the snow for it was falling thickly altho. little wind. Saw 3 groups of penguins on the floe, - apparently Emperors a score or so in each. Several Snow petrels flew from the cliffs. Moyes & Dovers had a sledge load of ice ready at the Blue Devil which we hitched on behind our sledge. Peeped down another crack into the Blue Devil, into a long cavern of exquisite white & blue ice the snow drifts on the icy walls & icicles. Rest of the day digging out cases, looking for a case of gear required. Wind round to the NE. & E, sending temperature above the freezing point, consequently all the soft snow melting & everything wet our clothes included. Berberries covered with slushey snow from lifting the boxes. Mild temperature & new fallen snow are most objectionable - & I fear many of our things will be injured by water getting in to the boxes. Wild and some of the others preparing for the sledging. To-day we initiated a new departure. No cooked or "sit down" lunch Sardines, bread, butter, & Jam, taken anyhow. In the afternoon snow stopped, but thick around horizon. We then saw that tho there was floe left in our corner of the bay it had all, gone out further along the sea washing up to the point of ice cliffs where the seals used to sun themselves & we saw from the Crows Nest of the "Aurora" what looked like an Emperor Penguin rookery - & the dark water & remnant of the floe stretched when before was miles of level white ice. Greatly disappointed at the floe going out, as I hoped to sledge along it looking for Penguin rookeries.
[Page 89]
Thursday 7 March, 1912
Wind S.E. again; strong, & all flying drift. Entrance to the verandah again snowed up, and many of the boxes &c dug out yesterday again snowed over. Thro. most of the day there was blue sky & sunshine in any other place it would have been a fairly fine but windy day just the day to dry wet clothes! Here, the thick smoke of fine flying snow precluding any outdoor work, so all hands preparing for the sledging journey. Sewing calico bags to hold the weeks allowance of Pemmican, ground biscuits &c. - weighing out the rations & bagging them weighing most carefully, taking oz. & even fractions of ounces into consideration. Breaking up pemmican & chocolate that it would go into the bags, - filing the knots off the bamboo tent poles, that the tents may not get worn into holes flapping against the knots. Wild preparing the sledges [indecipherable] & harness. Now & then one of the fellows would put a record on the zonophone the reigning favourite to day was a pretty air from "The Daughter of the Regiment" This continous bad weather is a great nuisance Wild hoped to get away on Sat.; but this continous snow & drift has prevented us getting up the wireless masts & necessary work outside. We want a few fine days too, to dry clothes for water & snow in the boxes has damped them. My blankets are in a box out there some where under the snow. Going so hard, had not a chance to get them out before this week - & have not had a chance since. Have slept, until last night in my Reindeer bag. Last night undressed for the first time since leaving the ship, & slept (without blankets) in my Fleece Sleeping Bag Reindeer bag rather hot for the heat in the house. Wild has just been reckoning up the weight (approximately) we have to drag. With provisions for depot &c, amounting to 600 lbs, the other things (tents sledges &c, about double that, - bringing our load to over 200 lbs a man. A heavy load for an untrained team, Wild says, but we voted to try it, as its important to get as much tucker out on the route of next springs sledging as we possibly can. Then we hope to push S. for a distance, to see what the interior of this most dreary & forbidding land is like.
Friday 8 March, 1912
When we woke this morning, still blowing & snowing and drift flying thickly. Dovers was "outside" man, & spent most of the morning digging for the "muttons" & for a box wanted, - but could find neither. Rest still on sledging preparations. I over hauling and patching tents. By noon wind had fallen, & after lunch we turned out in berberries except Jones & Watson mending the Acetylene tank, which had been leaking kerosene freely. - & Kennedy, Cook. Great amusement over Kens cooking altho. he did very well but what he said over it - & the off hand way in which he would intimate there was no more cooked we must make that go round - & suddenly jump up in the middle of dinner with "Oh, Ive forgotten part of this course" &c! Wild & I went down to the cliffs he went on with the sledge while I stayed at the Blue Devil to mine some ice. Drift high around our boxes & up to the eaves of the house, as well as piled upon the lee roof. But to our relief, we found snow fairly hard for dragging on. But all the Pressure Ridges such as makes the Blue Devil crevasse, & the slopes, were swept clear hard blue ice. After picking out the ice, I went on to help Wild bring up the sledge with a case of biscuits &c. Drift there, over everything Would have been half way up the tent pitched there (Kennedys Magnetic tent) if the wind sweeping round, had not kept tent clear. Pleased to find floe still in our bay, from S of the Landing Place to the cliff where the seals were, opposite. But end of the cliff point where we saw (apparently) Emperor Penguin Rookery, washed by sea. Dragged up sledge load of ice very heavy pull. Then digging out stores, & stacking each variety of provisions separately, forming small square stacks, angle on to the wind as they appear to keep clear of drift then. Muttons discovered & boxes dug up from under 4 feet of snow makes a lot of extra work. Where a long line of boxes stood last Sunday now is a great snow drift up to 4 feet deep boxes sticking out here & there! Twice thro. the afternoon heard the rumble of falling ice along the barrier reminding us that our situation is not as secure as it might be but dont fear much that this part will break away. Evening calm but cloudy. A few narrow breaks of rosy light in the W. Then round to nearly N the ice blink over the W barrier a pallid blue-green the livid green you sometimes see on half-dried peas. dark cloud below & above. In the N. the warm tinted dark cloud, was touched with almost a rosy glow low down. Beneath, the sea an intense dark blue-grey; & the white glacier in the foreground. After tea I fitted up the bottom floor of the canoe (which was not landed) as a book shelf, & Hoadley opened the "Library" Some of the books damp. Rather disappointed in them. Not a poet in the lot!
[Page 90]
Saturday 9 March, 1912
For the first time since Sunday, day bright & sunny. but not too fine in appearance. Wild busy with preparation for the sledging & Dr. helping him. Watson sinking holes for Wireless Masts & stays. Rest of us digging cases out of the great snowdrift, sorting & stacking them. After lunch, I bolted the mast & topmasts (of wireless) together It was no easy job. We had not an augur-bit, - & the brace-bit of required size would not reach thro. either spar. So each spar had to be bored from both sides - & no "square" to get line either. So I was quite pleased when all six bolts went thro. without trouble. While doing this, a Skua-gull came flying up. Watson had a shot at it flying, & missed. Then Dovers had a shot sitting & missed too! A little after, 2 skuas came up. Dr Jones [indecipherable] them - & dropped both on the wing. One sledge loaded, & ready to start this evening some 540 lbs about all told. And the other fellows Hoadley & Dover, - had sledged many of the boxes up to the side of the house & stacked them along the verandah wall. Could always get them there. Sun set in a flood of yellow light streaming up from behind loose rack altogether a windy looking sky. Watson & I rammed in the posts for the Wireless Masts stays & covered holes for masts with boxes to prevent them filling up. Wild could not get rigging ready to put up masts tonight. Kennedy finished his term as cook with a good dinner Soup, roast leg of mutton, New Potatoes & green peas - & gravy; & preserved Mulberries. Mutton beautifully tender it had hung in the mizzen rigging of the "Aurora" for about 6 weeks - & been buried here since! Vegetables not up to the fresh article, of course. Ken., in serving the tea, enquired anxiously of each if they wanted tea - & when all replied in the affirmative, ejeculated with vigour " - ! & I dropped the other mug into the slop bucket - & will have to wash it now!" After tea all busy with harness or clothes. Rivetting the cross straps that go over the shoulders & keep the canvas belt you pull on, round the top of the hips. Nailing cross strips of leather on the light boots we are taking, & fixing ice-nails in them. Sorting out clothes, sewing lenghts of lamp wick on for tying with. Splicing the rope to the sledging belts &c. As it was Sat. night, we drank "Sweethearts & Wives" for the first time on the Barrier (in port) Wild drank "Heres to all Sweethearts & Wives, tho Ive neither & God bless them." I, " & to one good wife in particular".
[Note in column Temp. 14° Fah]
Sunday 10 March, 1912
Day dull, thick, snowing, & drift flying, but not very thick The flakes fell at first in exquisite little crystals, six pointed flat stars some with every arm of the star branched & tinged Some, little balls of softest fluff. At noon it was snowing fairly hard, & much larger flakes. Breakfast early, but as the snow increased, Outside work was given up, & we had a day off to make our preparations for the journey. Held a little service in the morning, same as last Sunday. Hymn Wild choosed "Lead Kindly Light", & "Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty." Psalm, XLVI. This Sunday we had the hut in some order, fairly tidy, & clean. And we clean too not such a dirty untidy crew as joined in the thanksgiving hymn of last Sunday. I had been up to midnight the 2 previous evenings - & fairly early awake, & setting sewing, got so sleepy I laid down for an hour after lunch. Rest of the day, splicing rope for harness, altering & fitting clothes, & sewing my [indecipherable] on, so they wont go astray; and the hundred & one little preparations for a months tramping. We are each allowed 10 lbs personal gear - & it was great seeing each man bring his bag up, & his face lenghten as the hand indicated the lbs! Mine went triumphantly under the allotted weight with a book in too & drawing block At each overweight bag, there would be a chorus of "What have you in that bag!" The owner would shoot them out indignantly to show he had only the allotted clothes - & in each case tobacco & matches proved to be the extra Where as I (as one of them remarked) "laughed with unholy glee". So a few boxes of matches would be sacrificed & the bag brought down to 10 lbs. Wild vetoed the Fleece suits as too warm - & we are going with following kit. Wearing Combinations underwear, singlet, & sweater; pyjama trousers, 2 pair socks, Finshoo; Berberry trousers; Felt helmet & mits. Berberry blouse & helmet for cold or snow. For sleeping Suit pyjamas; 2 pair sleeping socks. Additional 2 pair socks, muffler, fur & knitted mits, goggles; I pair Finshoo. Grass for same & lamp-wick; to tie them on. A note book for diary. toothbrush, handkerchief Also a sheath-knife on belt. A pair of boots with spikes for ice slopes. Latter - & what you are wearing, does not count in "personal gear, 10 lbs" The smaller (10 ft) sledge was loaded last night Sledge with instrument case oil tray & straps 57 lb 4 oz. Cargo
5 gal. kerosene screw top tins 47 lbs 8 oz Provisions for 3 men for 4 weeks 130 lbs Provisions for 3 men for 2 weeks 64 lbs 12 oz (in separate bags) Provisions for 3 men for 1 week 34 lbs 3. one man sleeping bags
33 lbs
1 tin plasmon biscuits 62 lbs 8 oz 1 tent poles & floor cloth 28 lbs 12 oz 1 cooker, with mugs & spoons 12 lbs 1 Primus stove full 4 lbs 4 oz spade Alpine rope ice axe 9 lbs Extra clothing for 3 men 30 lbs Instruments for 3 men
Night dark & still snowing time we had some fine weather.
[Page 91]
Monday 11 March, 1912
Breakfast call about 6 a.m. It has now become the fashion to rouse the sleepers with a tune upon the gramaphone. The Dr., while he was cooking, hit upon the most apropos, if not the choicest, in "John, John, put your trousers on!" We turned out a little after 6 - & so did the wind. When I went outside there was a fine drift by the time we had breakfast, it was thick before noon a regular blizzard. All to be seen from the door (over the half snowed up entrance) was a white smoke-like whirl of flying snow. Flying into the verandah, encrusting door, walls, & boxes, - Banking up even against our door a couple of feet high. Not much coming in now for the good reason that the entrance to the verandah is all snowed up! Here, where there is neither trees, rocks, masts or cordage to howl thro, the wind does not make the noise it does at home. But this afternoon and evening, it has made noise enough over the house the hardest blizzard we have had here yet! How fortunate we were, getting that spell of fine weather to build & get comfortably housed. In the last 8 days we have only had 1 ½ days decent weather! I at carpentry finishing off inside, corners that had not been finished, partitions &c - & at that until 6 p.m. Most of the others had an hour or two outside this morning, getting boxes ice &c - & incidently tumbling into holes where boxes had been dug out now filled with soft snow. then stowing & packing under verandah. In the afternoon, reading &c. Our amateur "wireless man" got the box containing wireless receiver in, found it full of snow; cleaned her, & gazed in despair at all the points & ends of wire fastened thereto. "Those are all connected with something", said our Leader, sagely. "Yes but what the - - are they connected with!" retorted the unfortunate wireless man! Two or three of the party know something of electricity, & amongst them they puzzled it out. We have doubts of Hannam getting it going at the 1st Base so altogether we are hopeful of that wireless but not very sanguine! The hut is very satisfactory, so far, the verandah makes it snug & comfortable. - & warm too. Temperature in here today 55 ° Fah. yet the inside of sky-lights encrusted with ice condensation from cold outside. There is a vestibule where one can shake off the snow, & second door. Wilds cabin is a snug little room unroofed. My bunk on one side of it, Moyes on the other. The acetylene plant is in the dark room & 4 jets 3 on centre ports one in Wilds cabin. Behind the stove, on the wall of the dark room are shelves for crockery & eatables others - & a small table between dark room & Jones bunk. The shape is good - & now hut is so snowed up, there is little to catch the wind. [Sketch of hut showing NW front and layout of interior of hut] Barometer very low, 28.37 - & still falling! What a mercy we did not start with the sledges last Saturday, as our leader hoped to!
Tuesday 12 March, 1912
Morning wind blowing still, - & drift pattering on roof. So cook (Watson to-day) went to sleep again, - & we did not turn out until about 8 a.m. Door was all snowed up but we got a peep of blue sky & flying clouds. After breakfast, Kennedy was told off to do the outside jobs. I put on berberries, & went too, - wanted to see how things looked. The hut was pretty well snowed up. the boxes at the side had caught the snow & held it. Behind, - the wind blowing against verandah wall keeps it fairly free but the drift had heaped up high leaving a space between it & the hut that you could have buried 3 or 4 horses in. In front, the drift from about 12 or 15 feet from hut was piled high up over the eaves to the very apex of the roof. I dug 2 ft of snow off lower part of roof. The revolving cowl was locked with ice lumps a foot long & 6 in. thick frozen on to its flanges no wonder she smoked this morning! Half an hour after Kennedy had cleared it, we were amused to see it flying round with long thin icicles, up to 6 in. long, standing out horizontily all round like the proverbial quills upon the "fretful porcupine. The sun was shining light clouds in the sky a stiff breeze and a drift of snow flying. We fed dogs &c, then walked down to the cliffs. "Blue Devil" snowed over, with a thin crust of snow. Immense drifts about our things on the cliff but boxes, coal bricquettes still sticking out here & there. There have evidently been falls from the cliffs - & all those grand cornices gone for the cliff edge was visibly nearer our goods. More of the Floe had gone out, but a good floor of floe still left in our bay between us & the icy Point opposite. More floe had evidently come out of the bay beyond Icy Point for there was a quantity drifting about. I marked the place where my penguins were buried & we returned. It would have been a fine windy day anywhere else but the thick drift here prevented work or at least trying to put up the masts, as the holes would have filled as we tried to clear them. It is much better this evening; starry sky, & rising barometer. We hope to raise the masts tomorrow morning - & start on our journey by noon, at the latest. No "pleasure trip" it is likely to be either with heavy loads & the winter coming on, - hope we will get a fair share of fine weather. Hoadley & Dovers at the drafting. I put up another shelf for the books - & broke up a few cases to make shelfs of, for my things, & morticed holes in uprights for support. Will get said shelves up during the next blizzard at home. Watson cook today made some very fair scones Dinner, - Irish stew. Rice & currants baked, - & dried nectarines stewed. All except rice & currants of course "tinned stuff". also potatoes.
[Page 92]
Wednesday 13 March, 1912
[Note at top of page From Short-hand notes of Sledging trip -]
Cook, (Watson) turned us out early & breakfast over by 7 a.m. Then went at the Wireless masts. Lifted them up by main force, pulling on a rope when too high to lift with arms. Masts up, rammed, & stayed (& breakfast) in 2 ½ hrs. Dovers went to the cliffs to get a box of Dog-biscuits & upon his return, reported that a great mass of the cliffs between the Landing & Icy Cape. tumbled upon the Floe, smashing it up, & setting the whole floe free. He said it fell with a great roar, great lumps of ice flying in the air. I afterwards saw the bay, while getting ice from the "Blue Devil". The Floe over all the bay was broken up That is, a stretch of ice, some 20 ft thick, & some 1 ½ miles long by ½ mile broad, had been shattered, - not merely broken up but, with the exception of 2 or 3 pieces perhaps 20 or 10 acres in extent the whole was literally shattered! The bay held a minature "Pack" It was filled with ice of all size Large fragments of the fallen cliffs floating high amongst the lower pieces of the Floe. I could not have believed it had I not seen it that a fall from one portion of the icy cliffs alone could have so effectually smashed up the Floe! - & into such small pieces! Then a great mass of ice had doubtlessly fallen - & the Floe was badly cracked. A great disappointment it going. The Skipper was busy with the sledges, loading them for the Journey. We were to start after dinner. (Mid-day) It was fine & fairly quiet. Sledges loaded with 7 weeks provisions for 6 men 546 lbs of "grub". and all the &cs. The whole load working out at 205 lbs per man - & a rather heavy load. So we had dinner & dressed Shook hands with Andy & Ken & then away. Heading really about S.S.E. tho. the compass said S. 17 W. Over the great level white waste, towards that grey rim of horizon that looked only ½ mile ahead but that we never got nearer too! It was a beautiful surface, level & fairly smooth, the snow crunching crisply under our feet Sometimes slipping on a snow surface glazed with ice, sometimes sinking in snow, but really good going. After the first hour, we stopped & guessed the distance gone the guesses were from ½ to 3 miles I said 2 ½, the Dr. 2 Ύ. The sledge meter gave 2 miles 1100 yds So Dr & I equally near! We had 2 or 3 halts, and stopped at 5 p.m. set up tents; & Wild started cooking in one tent. The Dr in the other. Distance gone, 7 miles 710 yds. for the 4 hours. How we enjoyed our "Hoosh!" Nearly a pint filled with a thick soup, thickened with ground biscuits hot, steaming, with a bacony flavour! Then the mug filled again with steaming cocoa. Then to our sleeping bags. Wild Moyes & I in one tent. Temp. at starting 26° Fah. When we stopped 12°
14 Thursday
Beautiful morning, sun rising thro a bank of light cloud; the great white Waste stretching away into an uncertain distance, a berg, faint & distant, miraged up, to the N. Turned out before 6a.m. into a temperature of minus 2 °. And in this land you rise & undress, instead of dressing, taking off the extra sleeping garments and leaving on only those to be worn thro. the day. When you go to sleep, wet socks, gloves, or any such article you wish to dry, are tucked inside your clothes. The heat from your body dries them & the moisture has a chance of drying out of your clothes again thro. the day. Its a great point to keep the interior of the sleeping bags dry. Any moisture in them freezes when the bags are rolled up on the sledges thro. the day, instead of drying out. "Hoosh" tea (with plasmon, giving it a honey flavour) 8 lumps of sugar (our allowance for each meal) & biscuits for breakfast. Sledges loaded, & away a little after 7 a.m. Gold at first, but soon warmed to our work: as our hands got warm, & the persperation came thro. It froze on the threads so that the outside of the gloves soon appeared as if covered with grey hairs. When colder, we thrust our hands into the dog-skin gloves hanging from our necks. How the keen breeze cuts ears and noses for the first half hour, - but I didnt feel it after I warmed up. We generally call such breezes "Lazy winds" too lazy to go round one, - so go straight thro! The 2 sledges are toggled together & we pull 2 & 2, - Wild & the Dr. leading yesterday, Moyes & Hoadley this morning. Dover & I in the afternoon. Were not quite satisfied with the progress in the morning, so George & I "stept it out" in the afternoon, - & when you set a pace you have to pull - & so the lead is the hardest place. But we made 2 miles in the first hour & were satisfied. The "going" was not as good as yesterday, snow softer & broke under our feet, somewhat as sand does or in great flakes, like pie-crust. Encountered ridges, & hard pulling when even a slight up grade is soft. But we had no reason to be dissatisfied, for by 5 p.m. the sledge meter showed 13 miles 50 yds. Then tents are pitched for the mid-day lunch too cold to stay in the open air, & rests after each hours pulling, as a rule. Then the tent fell off the second sledge, - & we had to stop while one went back for it. A glorious evening, & the land getting visibly closer, but still far off. The land to the E. falling behind. Harrisson Is , as I was the first to see it. All around the same level glacier, ridged & rippled with sastrugi. All pretty tired, yet song & laughter from our tent. The silence of tired men from the other. How we enjoyed the "Hoosh" for tea! Cocoa sugar & biscuits. "Hoosh" 1 mug pemmican, 1 mug ground wheatmeal biscuits 4 spoonfulls Emergency rations, Pepper. allowance for 3 men. Sledging rations per man, 34 oz. per day as follows
7.5 Pemmican, 1.5 Emergency Rations, 2. Chocolate 4.5 sugar, 1.. Plasmon .7 Cocoa, 12 Plasmon biscuits, 5 crushed whole meal biscuits tin hoosh)
[Written down side of page] "Crossed the Antarctic Circle again this afternoon."
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March 15 1912 Friday
Cold night, temperature going down to minus 16 ° but I was warm enough in my Reindeer sleeping bag. It was cold turning out in the morning, - thermometer showing Minus 8 °! My wolf skin mits, & goggles hanging from the tent poles, were covered with beautiful snow feathers (something like pure white Emu feathers & an inch long; & the side of the little tent covered with a white rhime, - from steam of cooking. Water in cooker, & any wet clothes frozen stiff. I thaw out my handkerchief under my pyjamas of a night, but soon as we start travelling it at once freezes in hard knots, altho. I carry it in my wolf skin mits which are as handy as a ladies reticule. Away just after 7 am tramping still for that low sweeping line in the S. & heading on E. of S. White markings on that land had turned to scars that the glass shows were ice-falls over uneven ground. We could not guess how distant. The going was thro. the same crusty surface of yesterday, & the dragging heavy. The surface was like that of an ocean suddenly frozen while a heavy long roll was running Long undulations, & the sastrugi like smaller waves upon it. Presently down went Hadley & Dovers into a crevasse, one to the shoulders, the other to the middle. It was clear cut, & too deep to see the bottom, on an abyss of glorious blue, hung with long icicles. Narrow enough to step over, so gave no trouble. We had before passed over narrow temperature cracks, but were now getting amongst real crevasses, as the glacier came away from the land. After lunch, the going improved very much, snow hard & firm no more undulations. No wind, temp. 16 ° - hot dragging. Then we seemed to come suddenly upon the land or rather the Ice-cap, for not a rock or stone was visible; tho. here and there, a great ploughed-up line of shattered ice on the Glacier surface showed rock or reef far down below the frozen surface. Wilds experienced eye detected crevasses (where the ice sheet left the land) & our team was seperated wider by the 2 leaders pulling on a doubled Alpine rope instead of the sledge traces. Presently we came to a great crevasse 50 or 60 feet wide. Moyes was tied to the Alpine rope, & as the snow crust held him, we crossed one by one, hanging on to the rope, then pulled the sledges over. 1 little place broke thro. Snow bridge appeared to be 20 feet thick except on a windward edge. Proceeded then with the team fastened to the Alpine rope - so each seperated by 10 feet or more. Crossed several crevasses safely, - & a stiff pull up a hard frozen surface to the flat at the top where we are now encamped above the old sea beach of ages gone. In front rises the steep slope of the ice-cap behind the endless Glacier. On the E. a great Ice-fall, at the foot of it a Blue Lake To the W. the undulations of the Ice-cap, in slopes & knolls sweeping down to the Glacier. Did 10 miles to-day 50 miles from hut
16 Saturday
Night not so cold with occasional fresh breeze. Morning, sunny & bright, but with long streaks of cirrus cloud & rising breezes. Put burberries on, & roped up. Wild, I then Moyes On the other rope, Jones, Hoadley & Dovers. Went over to have a look at the Ice-falls to the E. Our way was over Neve snow that had been melted on the surface & then frozen In texture something like asphalt in appearance, pearly, clear, slightly & finely dusted with snow. Reminds one of Barley sugar or some such sweet. In places it was smooth ice These steep slopes face the summer sun or hard grey snow, almost as hard & slippery as the Neve, on a slope. both are good footing on a level. The slopes increased in steepness, & was crevassed in successive furrows their snowey "bridges" showing in long grey lines across the neve, in very regular succession. We had no difficulty crossing them choosing places, where possible, where the snow-bridge looked thick & high. Here & there a peep down a hole a vista of glorious cobalt blue, & long icicles 70 feet long! Or buttresses, shoulders, & incrustations of pure white snow against the deep blue depths blue & white blending most beautifully. In this land, where all is so different to our country, it is most difficult to make comparisons but to understand what an "Ice-Fall means, - imagine a great cliff pushed bodily over an edge to a lower level, & unable to fall forward, subsiding bodily in huge squares & irregular masses; the spaces between & the slopes leading up, being more or less snowed up, or melted into Neve. As we got up to them, found the slopes high, rounded & slippery. Steps had to be cut in places - & we slipped & slid about like cats on a glass roof. We pushed up amongst the huge ice-masses with chasms of blue & white but not to the top for the wind was rising fast - & snow flying on the slopes of the ice-cap but the view was striking The fallen masses of ice & blue depths the neve slope ploughed with long lines of crevasses. 2 blue frozen little lakes the apparently endless Glacier! But the return what a scramble! Hard enough to climb up but to come down with a gale of wind behind! We scrambled, ran, sliped, crawled - & tumbled right & left Neve & snow alike slippery on that incline, with the Gale behind! Why, sometimes the wind drove us bodily along tho. we set our feet & held back against it! At one time, only Wild & I on our feet the other 4 down in a heap! Then my feet flew from under me, & I landed fair on the left shoulder, giving me a very bad shaking, & shoulder sore since. The drift increased, obscuring almost everything we could just see our little tents mere specks on the waste! Reaching the tents, hastily got some ice & shut ourselves into the tent for the day. Laying in our bags, yarning, & Moyes & West singing. That evening, sang verses of "Sweethearts" & Wives" tho we had nothing to toast them in. Then nestled down into our bags that keeps us warm in spite of "minus" temperatures. Wild estimates height of Falls at 500 ft.
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17 Sunday 4th in Lent St Patrick
The blizzard eased off the previous evening but breezed up somewhat thro. The night on waking, I wondered if the little tent could stand the threshing it was receiving! They are so simply set up too 5 bamboos, fastened in a canvas cap at the top, form the frame. spread like a camp stool; standing to-leeward, we throw the tent over, draw it down, & pile snow on the broad edging that spreads over the surface of the snow. The material is think, strong & light, called Willesden canvas, I believe. To-leeward is the entrance, a 3 feet "tunnel" of a dark material. This is tied up when inside. There is just room for 3 sleeping bags & a few &c. the Cook rolls his bag up when cooking. This night the side bulged in with drift banked against them the flapping canvas threshed my bag, closing the breathing hole. I "gave" back until I was curling round the feet of the other two under the door also bulging in, loaded with sand. Had breakfast about 9 - & laid in until noon. Both yesterday & today bright & sunny. Blizzards do not mean low temperatures only down to minus 2 ° last night. The fine drift had found 2 small holes, where threads had drawn, & a small pile on our clothes there. As the wind was falling, we turned out after dinner, dug out the sledges, unloaded & rubbed snow off the runners. Then struck tents & made a start. Profiting by yesterdays experience with the finskoos, we put on the boots with spikes in the soles brought for the purpose; & so got over the slippery neve slopes without difficulty. We were now on the fresh slopes of the land, - & after the first mile, the dragging became so heavy, had to untoggle the rear sledge, & "relay" drag one sledge up then come back for the other. Some of the slopes were steep about 1 in 12 so it was pretty solid dragging with only the one loaded sledge. Ahead was always a ridge, but upon gaining the crest, it would prove to be only a slight flattening there was always another beyond! Once only, this afternoon were we able to toggle on the second sledge for a short distance. We passed over many crevasses on the steeper slopes, mostly narrow enough to step over. I fell into one hidden by snow up to the hips, saved myself from going further by the hands. Most were bridged with neve, & firm. Evidently the movement of the ice-cap is very slow. About 5 p.m. we stopped for the night on a patch of snow; the Meter showing 2 miles, 700 yds
[on side of page]" And Barometer indicates a rise of 600 feet."
Then nearly double that should be allowed for relay. Beautiful evening all rosy pink & beautiful brightness around the horizon; the endless sheet of the Glacier pink tinted beneath. We can just see the W. Barrier again, while the island to the E. shows a considerable size, with some cliff or ice falls on its Southern side. Only ice slopes & ridges around us.
18 Monday
Awoke to the old rattle of canvas, & sharp biting sting of the drifts. Wind strong, but sun shining brightly. Had breakfast fairly early, & a peep out of the tents door. Could see nothing of the ground, only a sheet of white smoke. So our Leader decided to "hang on" for a while, & see if it was going to take up, before making a move. So we lay, talking, until the rattle of the tent lessened, breezed up, & lessened off again. So out we turned, erected a snow mound about 6 feet high, as a guide on our return. A think of solid snow, dry & crisp, that we had flung up made it look as if every crevice was filled with a lovely luminous vapour of the softest green, inclining to blue. Meanwhile the others had been getting the sledge ready. Wild started the primus, & we had lunch of the usual plasmon biscuits, 14 of the little squares of milk chocolate 8 lumps of sugar, & tea, with a spoonful of plasmon in it, giving it a distinct honey flavour. As I do not appreciate sweet tea, I put the sugar on the spoonfuls of biscuit soaked in tea. We made a start about 11.50 p.m. dragging one sledge at a time up the steep slopes of neve & snow that neve is most tantalizing looking generally so beautifully pearly, clear like some confectionary partly powdered with sugar - & tempting to thirsty mouths! For, odd as it may seem to those in other climates, water, here, on a sledging trip, is almost as scarce & precious as in the most arid countries! Altho. we stood on perhaps a 1000 feet of frozen water reaching as far as the eye could see, not one single drop of free fresh water have we yet seen except in our "cookers". We could always get some by stopping & melting down but that means an unwarrented waste of oil & time. The slopes, at first, were as steep as yesterday & crevassed, mostly covered with neve or snow; here & there a hole showed. A few of the crevasses upwards of 50 feet wide. But the snow bridges looked pretty firm, so we tramped across & , so we tramped across & returned & took the other sledge across without any extra precautions, or stopping to investigate. A foot, here & there, broke thro, but no one fell down. Walking over an unfathomed abyss, on a snow bridge of unknown strength, is not nearly as bad as the reading of it! We topped the steepest part of the sloping Cap, & left the neve for the old hard dry snow, marked, as if a giants spade had been shovelling it down hill in shallow scoops the "sastrugi", showing the prevailing wind. Presently, Wild altered the course more westwards as the great neve ridge running up from the Ice-falls, was heading us off. then we were able to hook on the other sledge again. Shortly after, camped for the night. Snow dry, hard, crisp, - dug 2 feet deep but no ice for cooker. Meter showed & miles, 750 yes (nearly double that done in relaying) Barometer indicated a rise of over 600 feet. Sunny day thermometer showing 9 ° Fah. Ahead, only a snow slope same behind; & the glacier.
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19 March - Tuesday
Turned out about 6 Temp. 2° - had been down to minus 11 ° thro the night. The worst of these low temperatures is the amount of rhime that collects on tent, &c, & rubs off on your clothes. Had breakfast, built a snow mound, and on our way. It was a beautifully bright, clear sky & sharp clear air oh isnt it sharp. Warm as you may be, dragging the sledges, ears noses & cheeks tingle to the cold! The low sun is loosing all power in spite of the beautiful sunlight, thermometer at highest to-day, only showed 13° Fah. In the sun - & that is not very warm when there is a keen little breeze blowing! For first 2 hours we did over 3 miles, across the same rough, hard, snow. wind swept, ridged into hard bars a foot high Grooved & furrowed as if by a mighty spade always from S.E. to NW, or slightly altered by local circumstances. At the 9 a m spell, Hoadley found that he had lost his memo. Book, - & had to go back the 3 miles. Wild took the lead, then Dovers & Jones; Moyes I "polers" & we went on until noon. Almost a level, so we got on with the 2 sledges. Hoadley did not overtake us until we stopped for noon day meal. Meter showed 6 miles. Landward, the usual snow-ridge, - to the W another ridge that we had hoped to gain by noon, but which ever got further away! We could see the mouth of a great valley, spreading out to the N.W.; & with the glasses, thought I could make out a broad belt of floe along the edge of the Ice-Cap, extending to the W Barrier [ spoke to Wild about a trip there, to look for Penguin Rookeries] Could see the W. Barrier, the distant sea, & broad Glacier. Hour lost, after dinner, repairing fastenings of tent poles. Built another snow mound. In the afternoon, opened up a great valley, leading about N & South, whose mouth, opening on the Glacier, we had already seen. We had to turn from about W to SW, to work up past the head of it, if we could. More up hill - & heavy dragging. Occasional neve slope & crevasses crossing it twice found ourselves walking along the covers of large crevasses - & promptly sheered off on to the firm neve again. Its more risky when travelling along the line of crevasse as to day. For the rest of the afternoon, going over hard ridges & slippery sastrugi, whereon we could not get a proper footing. Valley opening wide & rough, low spurs running in to it, & in places ploughed up, broken with crevasses & small ice fully one long ridge across the way, is heavily & regularly crevassed looking like a scaley monster perhaps a mile long. We did 10 miles 100 yds; rising 200 ft. Have now travelled some 46 [indecipherable] & rise is about 1500ft. While writing diary previous evening I mentioned that it was my wifes birth-day. So Wild put an extra allowance of sugar in the cocoa in honour thereof.
20 March Wednesday
Another beautiful morning, but cold. Cold all day, altho up to 3 pm, not a cloud in the sky, & a bright sun. or rather only a line of cloud along the far N. sea line. Sun (according to Hoadleys observations only rose 23° about the horizon at noon. Temperature did not rise to zero all day minus 3° being the highest recorded by the thermometer on the sledge yet breeze was very light. We would get hot dragging but the instant we stopped for a breather, gloves would go on ears & fingers tingle, & even dragging, I was glad to turn my face as much as possible from the light breeze. At the first "breather" (9am) temp. was minus 7° - & front of helmet loaded with ice. Now we feel the advantage of clipping beard and moustaches as close as scissors will clip ice cannot hang as before. All day we pulled up the E. side of the long valley, along the slope; over simular sastrugi as yesterday hard, shovelled out, ribbed & ridged by the play of the drift, driven by the fierce wind. Sometimes in high hard ridges that the sledges went bumping over, pitching like a boat on a sea and a glaze of ice over, it. Sometimes breaking into crisp flakes, rattling under our feet, of flying like fine dry sand. Without seeing, its scarcely possible to imagine how hard and dry this snow is flying like sand; breaks up, when you dig for mounds &c, into great pieces 3 ft long, often, by 12 inches broad & thick. & except during a blizzard of period of high temp., brushes off the berberries like sand. Encountered a few crevasses the Dr. fell into one to the waist. I had a peep down it was fairly sheer only a few bunches of crystallised snow on the sides, in beautiful contrast to the blue depths. Another had opened recently. We peeped down on snow lined sides, & snowy floor but what depth we could not precisely say, - for it seemed filled with a misty white haze reflected light from all that whiteness, I presume. At one end, a tunnel of glorious cobolt blue led away to the unknown depth beneath the unbroken part of the snow bridge. Light nimbus clouds came over about 3 p.m. but its beautifully fine & clear again this evening but cold! Thermometer standing at minus 12 ° when we finished tea. Now, - as I write, the hoar frost has turned white the threads on the knitted woollen gloves I am wearing. We appear to be getting to the head of the long valley, & hope to make better progress tomorrow. We have travelled 8 miles 430 yds today almost all up hill; & two short lenghts of relay. To-day, at noon, completed the first week out, - & have done about 54 miles. Barometer stands at 26.96; & indicated a rise of 420 feet to day. So we should be about 2000 feet above sea level. We are getting a considerable distance from the coast; but little to see except the everlasting sweep of the long rounded ridge covered with Sastrugi. Wild changed into the other tent to-day, and the Dr. came into ours
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21 March - Thursday
Cold night down to Minus 13 ° - &, getting cold the previous evening writing, I was cold even in my Reindeer sleeping bag damp too. - & for a time had a wretched time of it. The bags are damp too. - & as they soften, will not keep as closely shut. And the crevices inside have a little hoar frost. Thankful to say got warm after a while, & slept. Had a touch of face ache too probably result of bitter cold breeze of previous day. We turned out, had breakfast, & was packing, when our Leader called that we would wait awhile. the morning looked threatening There was a bit of parhelion round the sun, the wind, high at times thro. The night, was still stiff, & drift flying Had a look outside very cold. Unrolled sleeping bags & into them again. Barometer stood firm, & day improved. So presently I was aroused from a dose by another hail from our leader to prepare to travell. We were away by 9 a.m. Dragging heavily along the valley side. Sastrugi heavy. How sick we got of it! Wearing finskoo, get quite footsore, stepping on these sharp ridges! Slip on their icy slopes, - stumble in their depths Sometimes narrow ridges stand up a foot high and not more than an inch thick, & fairly close together. Can neither "keep step" nor pull steadily on such a surface! May get a precarious footing on the slippery sides of a rounded sastrugi, when a pull from the traces jerk you back, and down you come! Then a successon of steep high ridges, too close to step between, yet often break beneath your feet. Going improved in the afternoon, & we made a course almost W., pulling over ridges still, but now often broaching out into sloping rounded knolls and "gully heads". Once or twice had to "relay" up extra steep ridges. To-night, nothing visible but the sastrugi lined slopes, and great rounded ridges of the ice-cap all around us. Ridges high, but apparently getting longer & broader Either to-day or yesterday we crossed the main valley, I fancy, & are now on the Western side.
Morning very cold, with a fresh breeze, but the breeze dropped after lunch, & temperature rapidly rose over zero by 2 p.m. was half way up to the Freezing Point by 3 pm, 19 ° Fah., Max for the day. Now down to minus 12 ° - a range of 31 ° I am writing tonight sitting in my sleeping bag, with the flap drawn up over my shoulders. Does not look too well tonight plenty of cirrus, & windy looking. Near sunset, saw parhelion again two bright places, like short lenghts of rainbow, on each side of the sun. One brightened in centre, - but did not get bright enough to look as if the sun was there Distance to-day, 7 Ύ miles. Some of the fellows, at least, are disgusted with the monotony of this dead land. Expected very different sledging
22 Friday March - Friday
Night temperature (in the tent) down to minus 7 ° - but I was warm and snug enough in my bag, and spent a very good night. Light breeze blowing but no rousing shout from our leaders tent. Hailed, and Wild returned "no movement to-day". Upon untying the door and peeping out, found it was snowing hard, apparently from the Eastward nothing could be seen but a white mist thick with falling snowflakes. This was a new experience for us, - hitherto snow had always accompanied a blizzard this is a heavy fall without wind. So we lazily had breakfast, Moyes rolling up his bag, to make room while he cooked the much prized "hoosh", & then boiled water for tea. We sitting up in our bags to partake of breakfast. Then read, &c I had brought a neat little copy of "Travels of Marco Polo"; Moyes "Rubayiat of Omar Kayayam". Jones studied "Hints to Travellers". After lunch, I put on berberries and had a look outside. All thick with falling flakes nothing to be distinguished even a few yards away just a dense whiteness enveloping everything. All around snowed up, sledges half hidden, snow couple of feet deep around the tents. If we do not get wind, will have a damnable job with the dragging! Thermometer stood high all day max. 17 ° Fah. Consequently moisture frozen on the tent from the steam of cooking, &c; snow brought in, - melting, & all wet and damp. I noticed that the shovels outside, had a thin glaze of ice over the wooden handles. Strangely quiet thro. the afternoon for this wild land! Scarcely enough breeze to even gently flap the little tent, - and the thick rain of flakes silently falling. How soft and light the drift is under such circumstances not hard, as after a wind but all soft as down. To-night Barometer slightly rising, wind and snow both appear to be slightly heavier. Perhaps a blizzard, to blow this snow away would be the best thing for us -
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23 March - Saturday
Temperature in tents down to minus 8 ° but did not feel the cold. Once again flapping canvas & the roar of the blizzard. Blowing fairly hard from the S.E I did not look out of the tent, but, after yesterdays fall, could imagine the hell of drift, flying before that fierce wind! Well, it should at least blow a road clear for us if our little tents survive! Breakfast uncomfortable, a fine powder of snow filtering in thro the ventilater at the top of the tent, that I cannot stop, & which covers our sleeping bags with a white powder. So, breakfast eaten, we toggled ourselves up in our bags. Thro. The morning & mid-day, blowing very hard; the tent thrashing and rattling until we could scarcely hear each other speak - & could hear nothing of the others, camped only about 8 yds away, - altho. we shouted. Drift ceased coming in, fortunately, - either ventilator frozen up, or all the lightest drift blown away. Feel anxious about the tent in this furious wind. We pitched, as usual, upon a smooth patch of snow, amongst the sastrugi: and this patch is rather soft. The head of the tent-poles has given, and the "pitch" is about the worst we have had she is bagging & threshing terribly. Altogether, yesterday a peaceful pleasant day compared with this! I managed to read a little in the bag but its very cramped. Dinner as usual, - biscuits, chocolate & sugar. One needs the food, working or not working, to keep up the animal heat, in this climate. I always think, when I look at my allowance of chocolate & sugar, how my little ones at home, would approve of that meal! Wind harder than ever in the afternoon Towards 5 p.m., Moyes went out to get kerosene from the sledge - & biscuits. He was only away for a few minutes came back breathless & covered with snow. Reported that he could not see the other tent thro. the thick drift. About tea-time, heard the others shout so knew they were all right. Blowing very hard, & drift pattering fiercely on the tent. Barometer down to 26.17. Ther. at 6 pm highest for the day. plus 7 °
24 March - Sunday
Bar. 26.83 Ther. 29 ° max-
Awoke in the early hours, to find ice & snow falling into my sleeping bag. Carefully picked it out, & wiped bag with handkerchief. Blowing furiously, the blizzard howling round the little tent, the snow driving upon it like a heavy rain. canvas flapping, - tent shaking, poles setting down in the snow the leeward side bagging in with the drift snow piled against it outside. And worse still, snow was coming into the tent not merely light drift, but I could feel lumps of snow falling upon my sleeping bag, & piling up between Moyes & myself. Could not see where it was coming in, called to Jones on the other side of the tent, sleeping with his head to the door, - he answered that the door was right. Spent some weary hours, keeping my bag carefully closed, & the snow out, awaiting daylight. Slept a little - & the bag was again invaded with snow. When light enough, saw the snow was filtering thickly in thro the ventilator forming in large lumps in the head of the tent & over the poles thence fell upon Moyes & myself piling high tho I was getting the larger share. The drift outside was bringing down the tent side over me, holding me down. Called to Jones who was free of snow, - but also under a bulging-in tent side, - but neither he nor Moyes inclined to do anything! So I struggled up, got my feet out of my sleeping bag, but with it still over my shoulder, to keep as dry as possible, and a midst a whirl of cold powdery snow, & wildly flapping tent, hauled in the ventilator flap & stuffed my handkerchief & burberry helmet over it. Had to stop 2 or 3 times to warm my numbed fingers how they ached - & how I cursed this God-forgotten land! Stopped the main part but some continued to drive in. Naturally, I got a good deal of snow over arms &c. The tent was in a nice mess. The snow was heaped 3 feet high, where Moyes & I lay - & piled high on Moyes bag. All the poles, & tent-sides near the top, thickly covered in places, lumps as large as ones hand. My kit-bag & spare clothes all buried, with the food bags. Moyes "kept close" not daring to move. This snow fell down where I had been laying. My sleeping bag already very wet, so I crouched down on the only spot anywhere free from snow between Moyes feet & the bulged in side of the tent, leaning against the latter - & in that uncomfortable attitude spent weary hours, waiting for the gale to lull a little. Presently the wind got a little lighter - & we heard Wild hail to say they were going to have "hoosh". We murmured "Lucky beggars." They chuckled so when we shouted our predicament, that we guessed they had suffered also. Wind dropped a little more, - Jones put on his burberries, went out & shovelled the snow from the sides of the tent. Fairly exhausted when he got back. I, meanwhile got into berberries, stopped the ventilator effectually; then we shovelled up the snow under the cooker, & laid it along under the sides of the tent, - then laying all our things on one side, shook & scraped half the floor cloth at a time. Some chaff going on between the 2 parties. "Mr Wild, have you had it as bad as this before?" asked Jones. "Yes" Wild shouted back. "Then theres no excuse for you you have been here before we havent". Soon as we were straight, Moyes got the cooker going, & at 12.30 we had breakfast ([indecipherable] & dinner (chocolate) together, with double allowance of sugar & felt much better. I repaired a tear in my sleeping bag with a surgical needle & some thread from unravelled cord. Wind now light but snowing hard. Everything very wet bags of the consistency of chewed leather, & greenish in colour.
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25 March Monday Annunciation Lady Day
We turned in the previous night in quite comfortable circumstances compared to that morning. Tent of the normal size; warmed with "Hoosh" & cocoa; Wind light, N.E., Barometer going up in leaps had risen from 26.17 of the evening before, to 26.83. We were all a bit wet, - our bags very wet but the fellows were thankful to be fairly cosy again the experiences of that Sunday morning had made a great impression! I soon dropped off to sleep, - but lost myself in the depths of the wet sleeping bag and awoke with a suffocating feeling that some of the others have complained of but which I had not experienced before. Wind blowing hard again turned out of the bag to look at the tie of door, ventilator, &c. all secure so to sleep again. Wild called early but before the Cook (Moyes) could turn out of his bag, the wind swept down again. Moyes untied the door, & cautiously peeped out all flying drift. then raised his voice undignunlly to enquire why he had been called out of his bag. Wild retorted "You can turn in again." Had a leisure breakfast later; and thro. the tent watched the unclouded sun travel from East to West but not a moment cessation of the gale. It is now blowing as hard as ever (from the S.E.) and is the fourth consecutive day we have been shut in our tents. I have been singled out in a very uncomfortable manner in this camp Got the balance of the snowing up yesterday; and to-day a fine grit of snow or rhine filtering down mostly off the tent sides I think, - that covers my side of the tent, sleeping bag & clothes with a fine wet powder Moyes get little, - Jones none. I keep it brushed off my bag as much as possible - & slip on the berbery blouse when I set up to meals. So have spent the day long in my bag, heartily sick of it. Cocoa & everything full of Reindeer hair cant keep them out. Reindeer hair stick from the "Hoosh" as you eat it, - float by the dozen on the tea and cocoa Reindeer hair covers your clothes, fill your hair & the stubble of your beard, - & are everywhere! Bar. 26.96 at 6 pm to-night.
26 March Tuesday
Bag, last night, was, in one way more comfortable, for it was frozen, encasing me like a hard shell, instead of lying loosely down upon my face, as the night before. But on the other hand, had to lay either on the right side, or back, did not risk the grit of falling rhime getting in, by having the opening on top (instead of to one side) & get breath thro the "breathing hole" we leave when toggling up the bag. The disadvantage of a frozen sleeping bag is, its cold when you turn on to a fresh place, & so begin to thaw it out. It blew hard thro. the evening, but to-wards midnight, for I lay sleepless, - heard the wind suddenly drop a moments lull, - a puff then a silence that sounded strange indeed after the incessant flapping & rattling of the last few days. Such a silence, that I heard the other tent flap to a passing gust. But it did not last long it was soon blowing again. Blowing hard this morning; when the flush of the rising sun fell on the tent, it showed the shadow of the swirling drift driving push. Heard the others shout but could not distinguish what they said. Got a shock when Moyes read the barometer 26.50 (6 a mt); & a worse shock when, 3 hours later, it read 26.37! by noon it had risen to 26.44; but at 3 pm, was down to 26.33! It has clouded over too, this afternoon, for the sun did not shine. Wind at one time fell to a moderate breeze, - but an anxious peep from the door only revealed a mist of snow. All this side of the tent is covered with snow or frost from the steam of cooking &c; and shakes down in a continuous shower that keeps my bag & things wet. Moyes & Jones trying to keep their spirits up by sing. A voice faintly heard thro the blizzard, has just suggested we had been at the alcohol ([indecipherable] Alcohol carried for lighting the Primus) Wind appears to be increasing this evening. Thermometer in tent showed Minus 2 ° for last night plus 2 ° when we had breakfast; & only 4 ° at noon. Wild looked in towards evening, & got us biscuits & kerosene off the sledge, as he was out on the same mission for his party. Reported that they also had been snowed up on Sunday morning (thro. the Ventilator) some 2 feet deep; & had disposed of it under the edges, as we had Afterwards dug a foot or 2 of snow from floor of tent, throwing it out of the door, - & so had plenty of room now, & had made the ventilator secure with Dovers scarf.
We seem to feel the cold more possibly from laying about day after day,- circulation cannot be too brisk.
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27 March Wednesday
Spent anything but a happy night the wet Reindeer sleeping bag hanging in loose heavy folds over my face the night was not very cold, & it was stifling. If I dropped off to sleep, the heavy leather would sag down until the breathing hole closed, & I would wake for a breath of fresh air. Quiet morning; dull; snowing steadily from the N.E. Hoadley came round during the morning, invited us to the other tent for dinner bring our own chocolate & sugar. I proposed digging out our floor to make more room, but Jones did not think it worth while. Undecided about going out & getting covered with snow. Tossed up to decide if we would go. Lost the toss, but finally decided to go all the same. The scene outside the tent striking. All was a white glare of mist & snow, in which you apparently could not see 2 yds. Then thro the misty light, you indistinctly made out the soft irregular outline of a great snow drift, encircling the tent; from 2 eddys in which tapered up the conical light greenish tent tops. Only some 3 feet of the other tent visible above the drift - & that well coated with ice & snow to - leeward. The sledges had been completely buried, but a strap was visible where Hoadley had been digging provisions out a short time before. Nothing else could I see only that intense whiteness all around, filled with the falling snow flakes. How soft it was, too, that newly fallen snow soft as the softest of down or cotton waste cut into tiny pieces! How different to the hard wind-whipped snow of the blizzards! That veteran explorer Wild, had been busy in his tent. A circular well, just within the tent-poles, had been dug out nearly 3 feet deep, standing back under the poles. it was surprising what a lot of room it gave the floor was really larger than the spread of the tent At least twice the room we had, for our tent had cramped in during the blizzard. A step had been left under the door. We had dinner, & compared experiences during the blizzard & snowing up. After dinner, they got out their pipes - & I soon began to feel unhappy! The door tied up, the ventilator fastened, no wind & the wet tent practically air-tight. Six of us in it - & 5 smoking! I lay back on the floor to try & get out of the smoke finally had to make a bolt, when Dovers untied the door. - & only just in time. Was very sick when I got into the fresh air. After a few minutes, made my way back across the drift to my own tent feeling quite shakey. Dug out my doorway, cleaned myself of snow & into my sleeping bag, where I dosed until the others came, t 5 p.m. Then set our tent in better order, & I started my weeks cooking by boiling "hoosh" for tea Late when we finished cleaning up, so 7 pm before tea was over - & dark. At noon to-day 14 days out of which had to spend 7 ½ in the tents! very disappointing. Bur. Rising slightly. 26.61, in the evening Temp. high 23 ° Fahr so moisture in tent plentiful & uncomfortable.
28 March Thursday
So mild during the night that I put on my felt hood & lay with my head out of the bag. Could not sleep until well in to the early hours of morning. Jones also wakeful. How still it was! The little air from the N.E. had died away no snow falling, or drift eddying. No sound of beast or bird or tree to break the night silence of this frozen land! After a while, a heavy slow flap of the tent to a light air from the S.E. Towards morning, had to retire into my bag, as the rhime began to fall - & then slept. Morning dull, wind moderate S.E., heavy drift. This is the 7th day shut up in our tent how tired we are of it! & how uncomfortable! Everything wet & crowded for room. After breakfast, we put everything on one side & with the lid of a tea-tin, scraped the inside of the tent to get the layer of rhime off. Improved matters. Bar. 26.81 at 9 am. This slow rise is promising After lunch, Wild called that he was going to dig the sledges out. So we put on our burberries - & turned out to see why such exclamations & swearing from the other party. And I exclaimed too, when I got outside! The sky was fine, light clouds. The white glare of mist had gone but all the land-scape was soft shadeless white! It was not merely a drift round the tent all the place was snowed up to an average depth, suppose, of about 3 feet. All that hard rough surface of Sastrugi had gone - & in its place a soft white waste [indecipherable] just rippled with lines the beginning of another set of sastrugi. The upper half of the 2 tents showed each in its little well, the walls of which were a good three to nearly 4 feet high. The sledges were completely buried feet deep. As we walked about we went down just above the knee here & there, the under surface would be a bit harder. Steadily as it had snow, we never thought such a quantity of snow had fallen We "took bearings" located the sledges, & dug them out. Snow surface was breast high, as we stood in the holes, lifting out the bags of provisions &c, - & then the sledges shook most of the snow off & loaded up again. Hoadley took some photos; & I a rough sketch, - with fur mits on my hands while I did it! We tried a walk afterwards but soon got tired of wading through the snow knee deep. Do not know how we will drag the loaded sledges thro it! Wild has never had to sledge through such a depth of snow, he says. Did not get a chance to finish off my sketch tonight, as I am cooking now, alas! Altho the cooking is simple, still it takes time, filling cooker with snow, melting it down &c. Need I mention there is no washing up after meals? We are on too strict allowance of oil and rations So "Hoosh, cocoa, tea, follow in succession, in the same cooker, pannikins & spoons. They have not been washed since we left the hut. Our outing this afternoon gave us an appetite, & we enjoyed the "hoosh" more than usual. Sky looks fine, & barometer steady at 26.81. Temperature in tent tonight plus 3 ° - wind rising.
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29 March Friday
Sleeping bag frozen, so stood rigid, & more comfortable, some what cold towards morning. Wild called early could not distinguish words felt anxious lest something had gone wrong with their tent. Wind stiff from S.E. turned out later & prepared breakfast. Cold morning. Thermometer in tent, minus 14 ° Bag covered with frost; Wolfskin mitts hanging from the tent pole ornamented with exquisite feathers of snow crystals. How my fingers ached brushing up frost, & moving cold cooking utensils. While we were having breakfast, heard Wilds [indecipherable] turn out, altho. blowing fairly strong. Called to us that they were going to leave the Depot provisions, & turn back for the hut; that this was no "White mans land!" We hurried over meal, & put on frozen berberries. Oh the misery of putting on frozen clothes, & tying up ties frozen stiff with snow worked into them in a "minus" temperature! The lamp wick ties were solid as tarred rope! & that wet powder of snow over everything. We had to stop again & again, slap our aching fingers & warm them under our clothes. And remarked that old Dante must have suffered it when he puts extreme cold as his lowest hell. Outside they were having a bad time; Dovers had to temporarily retreat with a frost bitten nose - & for the rest of the trip was ever asking "Hows my nose. It was bitter out there! The thermometer instantly dropped from minus 11 ° of the tent to minus 15 °. The fine drift eddied up all around, covered clothes with snow - & ever whirled into the faces Soon each man had a white moustache, white eye browns & eyelashes & strange they looked! The white smooth surface of yesterday was ploughed into small sastrugi, & great smooth drifts with considerable spaces that looked like a tiled roof reversed the edge of the "tiles" set to-windward. The whole surface covered with a thick smoke of white drift for ever flying before that bitter wind. The sun shone but the sky looked stormy. We started off with one sledge & only the depot provisions & the shovels on it, Wild & I in the lead With only that weight it was terrible hard work each step plunging in from 6 inches to well over the knees. The smooth drifts were the worst the softest & deepest, some going half way up the thigh. And that bitter wind & drift ever driving into our faces. We had to stop more than a dozen times, in that half mile or so we did before gaining the crest of the ridge. Then Moyes returned complaining that his feet were near being frost bitten. We raised a great snow mound about 8 feet high & of considerable dimensions planted & stayed a bamboo in the midst, - bearing a black flag. Stays tied to tins of kerosene buried in the snow. Piled the bag of food & tin of biscuits under one of the stays. Left minimum thermometer there too. Then back to the tents with the empty sledge. It was hard work just wading back thro that shifting snow. In some places, drifts & feet high had formed across our tracks! Best we could do, however disappointing. And we are likely to have a bad time retreating to the coast, I fear. Into our tents. Moyes had the cooker going, had some lunch; then off with snowy burberies & brushed them, & scraped about ½ bucket of snow from floor cloth with [indecipherable] of suffering fingers! Then into our bags to get warm. The everlasting rhime raining down all over us. Sat up for a while & drew bag over my head while I wrote Barometer fell from 24.80 to 27.76 but appears to be rising again. Temp in tent, minus 3 °
March 30 Saturday
Turned out early & breakfasted. Temp. about zero all hoar frost. Wild hailed to enquire what the day was like Their doorway was snowed up. I looked out, & reported all grey, misty, & indistinct except to the East, where there was a break of yellow cloud. Wild decided upon commencing the retreat to the coast So I put on berberies, & dug out their doorway. it had been blowing stiff in the night. Dug out the tents - & I made a rough sketch of little tents & the snow wall, some 4 feet high around - & got the tips of 2 fingers bitten doing it. Loaded the sledges & made a start Dreadfully heavy drawing the legs sinking in from 6 inches to well over the knee at every step - it would have been heavy dragging ones self thro this without the weight of the sledges behind! Oh how heavily they dragged! Ploughing deeply into the soft snow, one runner going down into the track the line of feet had made, the snow heaped up in front & ploughed up by the luggage. all the space between runners & decking & amongst bags caked up with snow. So deeply would she plough in on one runner, that she actually capsized two or three times! We had to untoggle and take the sledges singly out of this hollow we have been encamped in Satans Hollow is the politest of the many names applied to it! We dragged, struggled, ploughed thro drifts fell, & tried hands & knees - & at the cry of "halt!" sink down gasping It took us about 3 hours to get the 2 sledges 900 yards! Then we cleared away snow, pitched tents & had lunch. Then a short drag to top the ridge, - where we could see the Depot flag & mound. Built another mound, rigging flag & piece of tin to a bamboo hoping the tine would flash like a heliograph. as a guide to the Depot. Coast now in sight down the long valley, now to the East of us. We made straight for the coast, - straight down hill, following "the line of least resistance" - ploughing deeply thro the soft snow but thank goodness with both sledges in tow - & as we can put more weight into it down hills, we made better progress. But the actual distance made towards the glacier to-day is only 1 mile 450 yes - & terribly hard work at that! We are only dragging about 1 cwt per man, instead of 2 cwt How we had been looking forward to the return down hill with good going & light loads Light very bad when we started this morning. Could not even see the sastrugi at your feet looked a smooth white surface. Looks fine now & Barometer steady. Very pretty in the evening Clouds over the bay dark blue grey, pretty soft grays & yellow tinted above, sunlight blending with the grey misty clouds, & indistinct glacier, barrier, island, & far sunlit slopes of the ice-cap. All in great spirits at the return the boys have had enough of blizzards! Am writing in my sleeping bag. Wild, in the next tent, upon me reminding him of the day, sang a couple of verses of "Sweet hearts & wives! The girls, God bless them First our sweethearts, then our wives!" rang out over the dead, God forsaken, ice bound land While the yellow gleam of a moon, low down in the N.E. shone thro. the tent walls. Cold evening, everyone having trouble with frozen sleeping bags. I do not object so much to the iron-like shell as to the frozen moisture you thaw out inside! Wind rising to-night. Wild estimates, possible progress at 4 miles per day "With infinite labour & much cursing." But as we must be about 2000 feet above sea-level things should improve as we get down.
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Sunday 31 March
Turned out fairly early into a temperature of minus 8 ° according to Moyes little thermometer in the tent. The minimum thermometer left with the depot. How cold it is, handling the aluminium cooking utensils & enamel mugs in such a temperature. The light powder of fine frost over everything, as usual. Wind high, but sun rose & could see it was a bright day. Hailed our leader if we should pack up, & he said to hold on a bit, as the drift was very thick. So we hastily tumbled into one sleeping bags, to get some warmth into our aching toes & fingers. After getting warm, set up in most uncomfortable bent up attitude, with sleeping bag drawn over head & shoulders, to keep off that wretched falling grit wrote up "log" read, &c. Soon get cramped in that attitude, & relapse full lenght into bag again Hail from the other tent, towards noon, to get dinner & we would make a move afterwards. Hailed with delight by my two tent companions, - who, to get back are ready for starting in nearly anything. But they were in for a disappointment The breeze freshened up again, - & Wild decided upon staying here. Moyes put on berberies, & went out for exercise Reported drift thick; & very cold. Rear sledge nearly covered up; the replaced snow on tent flap that had blown away, & handed me in Kerosene, so I had not to go out. Meanwhile, I scraped snow off floor, & we fixed ventilator more securely. Dont want a repetition of last Sunday morning! Tent dries & cleaner now. Reading, or lying in bag in afternoon. No snow falling wind stiff, but not half a gale. Barometer fallen two more points in evening. Thermometer only rose to Zero to-day so no wonder I found it very cold on the hands, with handling the snow and cooker. I do not go outside for snow in bad weather Merely turn back the floor cloth on one side of tent & scoop snow from under the edge of that, with a pannikin On the opposite side of tent, any slops, sweepings of snow, tea-leaves & so on, are disposed of in the same way.
Monday April 1
Another day, such as yesterday, & most of the last ten days. Will it ever fine up again? Wind stiff - & the fierce patter of the drifts stinging the tent. Jones & Moyes anxious to proceed Moyes quite pathetic in his enquiry "You will go on, will you not, Mr Wild?" Wild investigated from the door of his tent - & we heard him cursing the weather. "Ten times worse than yesterday! " Since itwas blowing, I could have wished it was much harder, for its the fierce wind scourging the snow under a low temperature, that hardens the surface. A dull day, no sun visible. We had to contain our souls in patience & stay in our bags all day; but as there was not much falling grit, I sat up & read "Marco Polo." At noon, glass was rising rather rapidly hope it does not mean more snow. Toward evening I had a peep outside all a thick mist of snow, grey and indistinct. Was putting berberries on to get biscuits, when I heard Hoadley outside on the same errand so he passed me in some. In luck! He reported that he could then see the outline of nearest ridge, no snow falling, only drift. So we are hoping for a fine day tomorrow. Barometer at 6 a.m. 26.56; Ther. plus 10 ° Noon, Bar. 26.58; Ther 13 ° - 3 p.m. Bar. 26.65; 6 p.m. 26 75. Ther. 11 ° - so it has been quite a mild day. We make elaborate preparations for facing the cold night which my mates especially dread for to my surprise, I seem to stand the cold quite as well or better than the younger men. First, a good tea hot "hoosh" I, as cook, have the scraping of the pot, which occasionally gives me perhaps a spoonfull extra. Plasmon biscuits, which I find get quite soft when heated on top of the cooker. But the best "warmer" is the mug of cocoa hot as we can drink it! (We bless the good Quakers (Cadburys) who not only made it, but gave all that cocoa and chocolate to the Expedition!) Warmed by the meal, we immediately retire to our bags, before we can get cold again. I dried my scarf yesterday, by winding it round my body, under the sweater! And the last 2 nights, have twisted round each leg. Then, in addition to the 2 pair of bed socks & 2 pair of walking socks on each foot, I add a felt mit - & feet keep warm One feels dreadfully lumbered up with clothes. In addition to the articles already mentioned, am wearing singlet, combinations, pyjama pants, & sweater, (marching dress) & over that, the additional sleeping garments, pyjama trousers & coat. Not a bad array! Jones & Moyes wear also their felt helmets, & extra finskoo instead of felt mits. Last night I was warm & cosy in my stiff frozen bag But alas, - she thawed & came down in heavy folds in my head had to prop it up with my sheathe knife. Hoadley has just hailed that breakfast at 5 a.m. How zealous they are to get back:oad
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April Tuesday 2
Cosy enough last night but couldnt sleep turned from side to side -& watched the moonshine upon the tent. Wilds party called us before daylight could hear them all up & singing gaily. I shocked them dreadfully by leisurely drawling out "Are you going to move to-day, Mr Wild ? Fine morning, but fresh wind & drift pattering. Barometer still rising 26.82. Temp. 2 ° (plus) when we started 5 ° - only rose to about 8 ° thro. the day. Sledges just about covered. My companions dug them out while I got my cooking gear in order It was a wretched days travelling! Surface harder then Saturday but would not bear our weight or even the sledges. Now & again we would strike a yd or two of the old glazed sastrugi, exposed still, - but most of the surface just had a hardened crust, upon which you placed your foot and at the first pressure , it broke thro, - & down you went, 6 inches or a foot, - with a jar - & had to drag your foot out of the hole again for a hole only the size of your foot broke thro. sometimes soft smooth drifts thro. which we ploughed knee deep the sledges dragging heavily on one runner. It was faster "going" than Saturday but terrible hard work. We struggled on, sweating, until the persperation dripped from our foreheads - & we felt wet thro. Yet outwardly how cold! Ice on the faces berberries covered with snow noses running. Dovers & I were in the lead the hardest place Some times I felt I could struggle on no further that I must throw myself down but I managed to keep going. When at last Wild would call a "spell", down we would fling ourselves reclining or full lenght, - heedless of the drift - & covering my face from the flying snow with my fur mit, I would gasp for breath for some minutes. Our course was down hill or occasional level on the latter we encountered the deepest snow. Wild, who was with Scott & Shackleton, says he never sledged thro. such deep snow or did such hard work! We toiled on thro. the morning, with frequent "spells", - one long one, while "bearings" of distant mound & flag - and island on the Glacier, &c , were taken: & stopped early for a Meredian observation yet had not quite 3 miles to our credit. After lunch, more downhill, - & for a while better going. but soon the old hard dragging. We were skirting valley heads apparently branches of the great valley that we had travelled up the E side of (& which was now on our right so we had crossed it before the Blizzard.) To-day, these valleys were steep, - & fairly deep large hollows as far as we could see for the smoke of drift. To-night we are encamped on the top of what looks a long & fairly steep fall so our dragging should be easier tomorrow - & if fine, should see us near the Glacier to-morrow night. Total distance done to-day, 5 miles, 100 yds. - & terrible hard work. Cannot exactly say how much we have descended, for the barometer is rising should say about 500 feet. Nor, as the "light" is bad, can we see clearly how far the Glacier is away or what the country is like between. All very tired very dark for writing up these notes. General course about N Easterly - straight down for the Glacier.
April 3 Wednesday
Fine night, Moon shining on tent. Slept very well. Turned out about 5 a.m. on call from Wilds tent. Temp. about zero. (after breakfast, it was plus 2 ° in the tent, minus 2 ° outside) Fine morning, the distant slopes of the Ice-cap shining under the sun. Going improved - & we met frequent patches that would bear our weight. Descending in somewhat terraced formation, the heads of valleys that swept away in deep rounded gullies into the large main valley towards the east. This valley appears very rough heaved up into broken high ridges, long & rounded, - with deep hollows between. All, of course, is the ice-cap only, - that hides the lost land not a stone, rock or pebble, of it have we seen! Morning cloudy beautiful sky & cloud effect. Under the sun, almost colourless yellow Between the clouds over head, a glorious deep blue. To the S., low down, a pale clear green shade. We made good time, for the sledges did not sink in much; tho we did often half way to the knees so found it hard work, in spite of considerable descent. All fagged at noon but we had a little over 5 miles to our credit. Chocolate had run out but I had enough pemmican &c to give them "Hoosh" for lunch which was duly appreciated - & my week of cooking was finished! In the afternoon, Jones & I in the lead. We struck good surface straight away old surface too. How pleased we were - & the sledges grating along gaily! In the first spell (1 hr. 10 min.) We had 2 Ύ miles registered! More than half the progress of yesterday and at infinitely less exertion! Sky thick, - & light very bad could scarcely see the sastrugi at our feet. 10 feet in front all appeared a smooth white surface I might almost say "a white vacancy!" The distant skyline, the island on the Glacier the West Barrier (when we caught a glimpse of it) were distinct but all between blurred into one indistinct whiteness We could not even see the land was sloping until the sledges started running down on us - & Wild, turning to check them turned an involuntary back summersault over a sastrugi! Very peculiar sky. Above the horizon, below the hidden sun, a break of clear sky was a pale chocolate the colour of chocolate when a little milk has been added. The fringe of cloud above rosy-pink, darkening into a chocolate shade, deeper & deeper until it merged into the dark stormy blue-grey of the dense cloud bank. All that after-noon, a faint indistinct line a-head, - as of the crest of a ridge a crest that we never seemed to reach! Then we saw a steep slope on our left against the dark sky - & shortly after, Jones & I stopped suddenly apparently a hole of about 4 feet deep & as many square at our feet. When I stepped cautiously in, - found it a patch of neve, perhaps 4 inches below rest of surface. The hollow ring of a crevasse so we swung more easterly to cross at right angles - & went straight down the slope. Heard it ring hollow in one or 2 places - & then knew by the weight of the sledges that the surface had flattened out so we resumed our NEasterly course. A second time we crossed crevassed ground - & finally found ourselves in what appeared a large shallow basin, with a ridge all around certainly a ridge ahead for it has shut out Glacier & skylight. There we camped. Distance to-day 12 miles 800 yds so all tired - & after such a hard day as yesterday. Must be very close to the Glacier now We have come nearly 19 miles & to-day descended something like 1400 feet.
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April 4 Thursday
Fellows roused out by 5 am, & away to an early start. Morning fine but cold very cold fresh breeze & low drift Back on the hills we could see the drift flying in clouds that obscured everything - & both wind & drift increased as we went on. Dragged on over the ridge - & down slope & over irregular ridges, then saw the great Glacier ahead. No definite division here between the ice-capped shore & the Glacier but long low tongues, a little higher, running out into the level surface of the Glacier in places, broken & crevassed. Jones found one, but only stumbled. From "Saturns hollow" to coast about 21 miles; we had come straight down, only varying our course a little as circumstances required & nature of country required us to. Exactly where we left the ice-cap & trod glacier, we could not say Saw away to the E. the ice-fall we had visited weeks before, & [indecipherable] many miles distant. This is a better road inland than the one we had followed; but between drift & low country, could see no land marks as a future guide. To our delight, found Glacier surface excellent going, - better than when we had travelled it three weeks before hard & glazed. Evidently nothing like as much snow here as on the hills. Indeed, even then, looking back, we could see it snowing on the highlands we had just left, - & to the E.ward, where the sky was clear, great clouds of driving drift. And as we got out on the Glacier, away from the land, we lost both wind & low drift! The boys "stepped it out" anxious to get home - & by noon we had 12 miles, 800 yds to our credit. Tho it was a splended hard surface, low sastrugi not what you met upon the hills, There was the constant drag of the sledges, so it was a good mornings work. We had a "whack" of sugar at 10 a.m. Double rations for lunch. Between 1 pm & 4.30 pm made our milage up to 17 miles 1600 yds. It was steady tramping - & dragging too, - for some of the traces would get a bit slack as the tired fellows felt the miles! Pitched tents, had a double ration of "hoosh"; & started again just about 6 p.m. No signs of hut or even W Barrier, or bergs seen yet. It was clear twilight, the clouds breaking, & Ύ moon coming out. All around the great White Waste of the Glacier, melting into the distance. Then as the moon ascended in the SSE, the Ice-slopes of the distant land beneath her showed white & misty, & a white irregular "wake" of light across the Glacier surface to us here & there in it, patches of glazed snow shining like water. Harrisson Is. A low indistinct white line on our right. Passed some pressure ridges, but did not tumble into any crevasses, tho. we took precaution to swing round & cross at right angles. Looking for the hut was like looking for the proverbial needle in a bale of hay. The Glacier could not see any distance, - nobody knew the exact position direction of or distance of the hut. Presently Wild judged by direction of sastrugi that we were far enough - & altered course to N.W. Still the same indistinctness - & at 8.30 our leader threw down his harness in disgust. So we pitched our tents & turned in. Distance done 22 miles 880 yds. Beautiful night & barometer high
April 5 Friday Good Friday
Good Friday morning! Awoke to the roar of the blizzard, - & flapping tent. It was blowing fairly hard; & as our tent was slightly in the lee of the other tent, it threshed harder than if in full sweep of gale. The previous night had been so fine! All the glorious Southern constillations shining above, from Scopio in the S.E. to Orion in the W., - Moonlight, & barometer high. She had fallen thro. the night, but not in time to warn us. Naturally, so late, & after such a long hard day, the tents had not been pitched as carefully as they might have been, & Jones had not piled as much snow on the flap as he would have under other circumstances. [They often laugh at the amount I pile on when I do it!] We had breakfast, & lay down again in our bags, dozing & waiting - & cursing the blizzard when one fine morning 2 hours even would have enabled us to reach the hut! The wind increased before noon it was blowing furiously one of the hardest indeed, general opinion, the hardest blow we have had. Weather side of tent bagging badly. I woke from a doze, towards noon; - Jones just gone outside to try & do something Moyes trying to fix ventilator, but the string has torn the canvas, & baggy tent threshing so wildly, could not fix it. Jones returned reported he could do nothing; could not stand up against the fury of wind & drift - & impossible to shovell snow on flap. I started to put on berberries to have a try but tent dragged so it was too late to do any good. Jones & Moyes turned round with feet to windward. I remained head to wind ward, and as the dragging tent pole came up to me, I made a wide finskoo tie fast & called to Moyes to hand me a strap. He handed me another tie It broke, but better than nothing. Getting a turn round my shovel I hung on to the pole for an hour or so rolling over, bag & all, so as to bring the opening beneath me & laying upon it to prevent falling snow from getting in. I believe holding on so to the pole enabled the tent to become partly covered with snow, & prevented it going more than it did, - for presently the pole ceased to pull (could scarcely hold it at first) so I let go; & turned my attention to keeping the snow out of my bag. Tent by this time well snowed up for my legs were covered & could not move them. But the fierce wind, sweeping under that flap of the tent, was cutting the snow away beneath my head, & kept forcing little openings in the flap of my sleeping bag - & driving snow in. I was soon in a very uncomfortable position. Fixed fast to the hips, a hard bank under my breast - & head & shoulders hanging over, with wind & drift pelting against & under end of bag - & constant work to keep snow out. Could hear nothing of my 2 tent mates - & of course could see nothing of them. Yet in spite of uncomfortable position, I dosed off, with head supported on hands. Awoke with a start a tent pole was thumping me about the hips, & in the small of my back Could not get out of its way as to my waist, I was immobile. A handful or so of snow had also driven into the bag. Put snow out carefully, & then thought desperately "I would be no worse & might be better out on the Glacier. if I can only get free!" Giving a convulsive jerk forwards, the lower end of bag drew out from under the snow,- & I shot out under flap of tent on to the open Glacier & into the full force of the blizzard. I wriggled away a yard or so to get clear of sweeping wind round tent Fortunately managed all this without getting snow into bag. Just about dark. Carefully secured flap & lay on it, - & committed myself to the Heavens mercy.
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April 6 Saturday
The blizzard blew hard all night, whistling round the head of my bag, and drift pelting upon it but I was just warm enough not to warm and slept fairly well; Very stuffy in the bag but kept all the snow out. Fortunately for me, temperature not very low, - for the bag did not snow over, as I hoped, but only along the sides. Welcomed the morning light showing thro the thin parts of the sleeping bag. And still more the sound of Wilds voice enquiring if we were all right. I yelled "Yes" & indistinctly heard Jones "Moyes & I all right Harrisson missing." So I shouted over again - & had a hearty laugh as I though how they would wonder what had become of me. Wild shouted "You are all alive then?" To which I shouted "Yes." Afterwards heard that Wild could not catch what was said, - altho his tent was only a couple of yds or so to windward of me But Jones (to leeward) heard me indistinctly It was a long weary morning had a few bits of chocolate & sugar & fortunately I could turn on back & either side & had a finskoo drawing block & note book for pillow. No snow had come in, thanks to the care with which I had shut the opening & laid upon it. Felt a bit damp along that opening. Rest of the bag frozen stiff. Wrote up my log in the cramped dim twilight of the bag. At mid-day, wind had dropped considerably. Our Leader hailed again, - & I hard Jones shout that they "had heard nothing of Harrison for some hours." This was the first they knew (in the other tent) of my being outside - & they put on their burberries in some consternation to look for me - & very relieved to find me all right. Wild dragged me bag & all to his tent & Dovers dragged me in - & was very astonished when I crawled out warm & dry Dryer than they were for their tent had snowed up too. My 2 mates spent a bad night covered with snow but the tent down on top of them, & snow on it, sheltering them somewhat Morton Moyes in one tent, - & Dovers in the other, had to sit up all night! So I put on my burberries, while Moyes & Jones their tent put up again by Wilds party did the same. Then we harnessed up & started on again. It was snowing fairly hard Wind fresh from the N. Dragging not as good, - a layer of snow 3 or 5 inches deep. While changing my clothes, I ate a bit of raw pemmican, & a little sugar & chocolate, but after the first lap dragging. Began to feel thoroughly done up. Last regular meal was breakfast the previous day what I had since was only equal to one meal suppose that what tried me. Jones & Moyes also not up to much. When Wild cried "Halt" I flung myself full lenght down, panting. Presently Wild served out a ration of sugar. It was clearing somewhat, - but felt little hope of finding hut in that thick snowing windy afternoon. We lined up to start again, when Hoadley shouted "The Masts, boys the masts!" Yes - there they were, showing over a pressure ridge How we cheered up - & tramped along - & lined up at the door and shouted "Mulled Port!" & tramped in - & were welcomed by Watson & Kennedy - & changed our clothes - & the great dinner we had, - soup, turkey, rabbit, tinned pears & pine apples, - a bottle of porter each a mug of tea, - & in the evening warm mulled ports to drink" Sweethearts & wives!"
[Down side of page] Distance from camp to hut, only 2 miles 100 yds! Total distance travelled, not counting extra from having to relay, about 105 miles. We had hoped to go that far on the outward journey alone!
April 7 Sunday Easter Day
It was a great treat to undress, for the first time in over three weeks, and turn in to warm Jaegar blankets, & sleep on a mattress, instead of a sleeping bag, wet leather 7 damp hair, lying on the hard snow as hard as any ground! We had a good dinner - & a good drink How thirsty I was! Drank a small bottle of porter part on arrival, part for dinner half a mug of water, a mug of tea, Ό mug of mulled spiced Port, & about half a mug of weak whiskey & water, hot! In extenuation must urge that I had not a drink since breakfast the day before. And this is a dry climate We cannot even eat snow & ice, for it inflames lips & mouth - & water is not to be obtained without melting. Then, as the temperature on Sat was high, I perspired very much dragging the sledges. Well, after writing up diary, turned in & slept well. Shoulder very sore probably a touch of rheumatism. Woke to the old music the Bass of the Blizzard, the fierce treble of the Drift and thanked the Lord, I was lying there warm & comfortable, instead of in my wet sleeping bag out of the Glacier Wild remarked that if I had not been out on the Glacier, he did not think he would have turned out - & so would not have travelled. Fancy being camped there still, only 2 miles from home. At the service this morning, Wild read special Thanksgivings for Divine Protection. Hymns, "Jesus Christ is risen to-day". And "Fight the good Fight with all thy might." I for one joined with thankful heart, Wild is of opinion that had we got another 30 or 40 miles inland (as we intended) we would never have succeeded in forcing our way back thro. the thick soft snow & gales.
Up on the hills there, George Dovers had rashly promised a State dinner on Easter Sunday, if we got back in time. So to-day, in dire tribulation, he prepared to carry out his promise. He was at it all the after-noon - & item by item cut down his elaborate menu. George, as cook, leaves his washing up water in the basin - & crockery on the tables - & not too particular. As he had evidently undertaken more than he was equal to, I took the pudding off his hand; Many years since I made an apple pudding - & this one was an experiment. Only had self raising flour - & could not get the dried apples in the blizzard so I made a huge pudding, & put 3 tins (2lbs tins) of preserved apples in. George served the soup very good then Salmon with white sauce Good too. Then he had to dish the roast mutton. Underdone - & not good but the potatoes peas & turnips were first rate. Then in much doubt, we fished out the pudding To our great relief it was all right. Wild had asked me to take the head of the table this week. I served generous portions of pudding but they returned again until not a scrap left! Then cigarettes tea, & Preserved figs, after the simple Grace had been said. And we leaned back & acknowledged that we were "absolutely full."
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April 8 Monday Easter Monday
Still blowing hard from the S.E. and drift flying thick. Do not think any snow falling. We went out this morning in our berberies. Blowing hard all grey the sky above a little darker, - all around the drift driving like thick light coloured smoke. It was abominable whichever way we turned our heads, the soft wet snow came driving in I can only compare it to facing the spray driven from a force pump. Even if you hung your head, it came eddying up from the ground. The temperature was high 13 ° Fah; so snow melted on the face, but froze on hair and inside of berberry helmet; and all our berberries smothered with snow. Wild & Watson digging out entrance. Hoadley, Kennedy, & I went to the nearest pressure ridge for ice. So hard was the wind that the sledge drove off sideways - & had to be held while we loaded her. Could just make out the dim shadow of the house, & the one wireless mast. I these sided with the doorway. Instead of digging her out as before, Wild & Watson cut the snow out in blocks (with a saw) & built up an arched (covered in) passage. It was most unpleasant Could see nothing with the fine snow driving into the eyes scarcely see the tools & snow blocks at our feet. We had to give our names to each other unrecognisable with the front of the helmet all blocked with ice. - & could not look fair into the wind. Left off work at lunch time; & in afternoon I was cleaning my berberries, sewing sleeves into my fleece suit, &c. Wind & drift increased thro. the day.
Our regular winter routine now set. Cook by turns, week about. Night watchman, to keep temperature up, guard against fire, &c, go on duty from 9 pm to 9 a.m. & get the breakfast ready. We to take it in turns night about alphabetically . Besides this, there are special duties. Watson responsible for dogs. Jones & Kennedy for Acetylene light & plant. Hoadly to keep verandah in order, & supply of tinned foods &c, thawed Mine are not onerous to look after the 2 hurricane lamps & check supply of kerosene. Are to work of a morning, but when practicable, have the afternoons to ourselves.
Watson & Kennedy tell us that both the Wireless masts came down in the first blizzard. They subsequently erected one, shortened down. Also report that the dogs are working very well, & with their aid, had got practically all the stores & coal up from the cliffs. Part of the wireless gear missing so no attempts at getting messages.
Dovers served up dinner Kidney soup. Ox tongues, hot - [indecipherable] greasey. Parsnips & beans. Suet pudding (balance of dough I mixed yesterday.) Hoadley clipped my hair & beard for me & I had a wash first since we left here in March.
April 9 Tuesday
Wind fresh thro the night, but eased down about day break. Doorway blocked with snow so that no more could come in. Wild took a photo of it with the hurricane Lamp, late in the evening. Kennedy, following Jones, was night watchman to his great disgust. The last I saw of him, he was standing disconsulately in the middle of the room hands deep in his pockets, gazing round at the fellows all rolled in their blankets. Asked him how he liked the prospect. His reply was as brief as forcible! He got into trouble this morning breakfast table not being properly set; Ken & George have lots of jokes aimed at them - & are equally ready in reply. After breakfast Wild & party went at the tunnelling; I put away a lot of packing materials (for stuffing birds) set some of the things under the verandah right, & brought in & scraped a couple of the frozen sleeping bags. These weighed up to 19 lbs each almost double what they did when we started on our journey. After lunch, all outside (except the Cook) Wild & party still at the tunnelling , Hoadley & I digging out boxes & packing them away. The Glacier, round the hut, is many feet higher, than before. The hut is snowed up over the eaves all round; & most of the roof has snow on so its possible now to walk right over the hut from any side. Round & encasing the (once) revolving cowl, is a huge solid casing of snow, hardened nearly to ice, - nearly 3 feet high, & perhaps as thick. Great snow-drifts extend to leeward & to N., - many of the boxes completely buried. Both wireless masts had come down not rooting up, - but broken off above the ground & again above where the topmast stays were fastened. As these were sawn pine, 4 in x 4 in., - it will give an idea of the force of the blizzards our little tents weathered thro! Dogs do not look too well. Crippen dead probably of terror & misery as they were his most noticeable traits. Wild & party cut great blocks of snow, & built an arched way over 30 ft long from the door. They built the roof, & then dug out the passage beneath, thro. the snow drift. This covered in way, should prevent the snow from drifting in to the verandah & blocking the house door. It gives the place unique appearance the hut almost buried - & the entrance dug in thro the snow drift. If buried so deeply already, what will it be when the "Aurora" returns? Afternoon & evening beautiful. Light breeze, drift ceased. Sunny & bright. The faint distant land visible where we had such trying experience. Evening glorious. Sun set about 4.30 p.m.; from then to almost 6 pm, twilight; glowing all bright & rosy in the W, dark smears of cirrus cloud, - & a pale green sea beneath. Pink all round the horizon, - then in the purple South a half moon shining a waning moon!
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April 10 Wednesday
A beautiful fine morning, & waking up with a bad head-ache, I dressed & went out on the ski. It was delightful, clear, bright, sunny event he distant land faint & beautiful But such a cold breeze. Went down to the cliffs, not much change, - sea beautiful grey green - & apparently partly frozen. Glacier good surface now hard, & long drifts of hard smooth snow. The sastrugi not nearly as coarse & high on the Glacier as on those Highlands surface resembles more sand that a strong current has been flowing over. Back to breakfast at 9 am. Then we went out to work. Wild & party went on with the entrance Hoadley & I digging out the cases that Ken & Watson had sledged up. I felt very out of sorts head aching badly; felt rather sick, shoulder still sore One of the front teeth, & lip a bit gathered. Went inside & laid down for an hour, and dosed At lunch time, Dr Jones gave me a couple of tabloids - & I soon felt another man. From after lunch until about 4 pm. I was sketching the snowed up hut & the new tunnel entrance made an effective little sketch in crayons (chalks). Then digging out cases. Wild has made a great job of the entrance Lofty as it leaves the verandah, lower at the outer end. About 5 feet wide & nice smooth level floor. Then it goes up steeply to the surface of the Glacier. Wild & Jones dragged out snow on sledge - & one would jump on the sledge when coming back - & ride down this slope occasionally sledge shot down at such a rate, the passenger would be dropped on the broad of his back! Beautiful day & glorious evening the broad sun slowly sinking below the W. Barrier, - in a blaze of yellow below the light green sea almost a pea-green, with something of the sheen of the green in the peacocks tail - & nearer, the pink grey snow. All the horizon round went a deep rose pink to the E. the purple came up below - & in the S, a purple band below the rosy then the cold faint land of a greenish tinge. And there the waning moon, that has been circling round for the last day or two without setting. Aurora this evening We often see them always in the N. George Dovers getting on very well with his cooking - & if any one questions it, Dovers promptly invites him to "come outside & settle it," even such apparently innocent questions as "Is this a stew?" are promptly [indecipherable]
[In margin] Highest temp. today 5 ° Fah. Cold for sketching even with gloves on!
April 11 Thursday
Aurora last night was low down in the N.; about 11 pm a curtain of bright ragged light the light "brushed up" into the sky, giving it an irregular ragged appearance. To-night, its right across over-head from S.W. to N.E.; 2 or 3 bands, the patches of light also having irregular "brushed on" appearance. The heaven of stars burning brightly, the Southern Cross right overhead. Another beautiful day, but cold, the Thermometer in the Metrological screen did not get up to zero all day. This evening stood at Minus 12 °. The distant land showing very clearly - & this afternoon could see clouds of drift driving across the part where we were, this day fortnight. Only a light breeze here, - & that very cold. Barometer falling. 28.96. so this fine weather will not last much longer.
Have been digging out cases all day; Shoulder & breast feel the lifting - & are sore. Wild excavated another passage from the one dug out (the entrance) down outside the verandah, under the snow drift; so we can get at the flour boxes &c. Cases with guns in, opened today. & I got the little "specimen gun", a nice little single barrel breechloader, .417 bore, very light, and small, & cleaned her up. A little snow in, but gun in good order. Afraid Ill not get many chances to secure specimens here! Have not seen a bird since the morning we left on the sledging trip! Sea, today, appeared to be frozen as far as we could see but some clear water, at least, in the afternoon. Along the Glacier to the N., all miraged up, until it looked sometimes like a line of ice-cliffs sometimes a misty phantom wall,- & the sea horizon heaped up like great tidal waves. Sunset beautiful. Two bands of hard dark warm coloured clouds, the lower part of the upper one all closely flecked with red the sky between the clouds a beautiful green beyond the clouds, all yellow; - & round the horizon, that beautiful deep rose-pink, with the purple coming up beneath. Dark cloud band to the N. Dovers thanking the Lord his week of cooking nearly over! To-night, dinner, soup, & then curry and rice, - Curry made of rabbits but no curry gravy a slight flavouring of curry only discernable; - & rice rather moist. Not bad. Especially the rice. Baked bread & butter pudding buttered scones, biscuits crumbs & currants the ingrediants. George is great on currants - puts them in everything from stews to puddings.
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April 12 Friday
Day much better than we expected, - a fresh breeze most of the day and drift fairly thick occasionally. Very cold thermometers in screen did not rise above minus 8 ° all day wind cuttingly cold. Most of the day windy looking, (tho. sunny) hard bands of cirrus, and a "smokey" appearance around, owing to drift. In the middle of the day, clearer, and we could see the far sunny land, - not a cloud over it, in the sky but low yellow patches of cloud moving along the land apparently great clouds of drift, flying before the gale there. All day a grey haze along the coast to the W. should say it too, was the drift snow driving from those better high lands. To-night wind breezing up, & drift flying here. A worn down tooth had been giving me trouble since that very cold day on the hills. And an abcess forming, I showed it to Dr Jones, who advised having it out - & yanked it out in creditable style. Felt much better tonight Jones & I started to-day another tunnel under the drift, leading out of the entrance passage in an opposite direction to the one dug yesterday, - that is, down along the front of the house, leaving a wall of snow a foot thick, or so, along the house wall. It is intended to store boxes of provisions there, so that we will not be eternally digging them out after every blizzard. Moyes, Ken. & Watson, sledging out the snow. Not too easy shovelling out the snow; there were hard belts the trodden surface of the drift after divers blizzards, & shovelling snow from the doorway. Had to take the pickaxe to it occasionally From about 4 to after 6 p.m. was sticking up a corner curtain to shut in the end of the entrance passage & keep out the drift. Search made for the Skuas Gulls shot early in March with no success Dogs had evidently dug them up and eaten them. Skua never come now there is no floe ice we never see a wild creature of any kind
April 13 Saturday
My turn as night watchman last night. Laid down after dinner but could not sleep, - The night watchmans duties are to commence at nine p.m. but nothing to do for an hour or two. There are no meteorological observations to take yet, so really only the fire to keep up. I wrote up diary, - & some four days of sledging trip from short-hand notes. Then found temperature falling so made the fire up, and had a bath; then made a mug of cocoa, & tried to toast some scone before the grate, - but not heat enough. Read a little, - & did some washing, - then found daylight was appearing & had to set about getting breakfast. Took some time finding the different utensils Dovers has his own places for stowing them. Did some tomatoes in the oven, with biscuit crumbs. Made porridge & coffee, & fried bacon. Rather warm fire - & the bacon makes such a "fog" in this low temperature & close hut. Head aching a little. We have the hut pretty tight, & with the snow all around up to the eaves; the stoves like the Vestal fires of Rome never allowed to go out. & the Acetylene plant leaking a little, - to say nothing of 7 fellows smoking, well, the atmosphere is nothing like as fresh as outside nor anything like as cold. Wild says she is a warmer hut than they had on the last expedition She always feels pleasantly warm generally going between 36 ° & 48 °. But the skylights above are thickly covered with frost, - and frost on the walls, behind the mattresses. Wind freshened up and blowing pretty hard occasionally. Wild does not seem well today. After breakfast, I turned in & slept solidly until the noise of lunch going on aroused one. Turned out at 3 p.m., - had a sandwich, then went at making a locker beneath my bunk for clothes. The others laying about, or reading. Too windy for doing anything outside. Dovers rejoicing mightily his week of cooking is up to-night Mine commences tomorrow. One of the first thing Ill do will be to scrub down this table nearly as dirty as it was on the "Aurora". One advantage of our snow passage. Can walk up & down there in bad weather & get thro the snow walls, or better air than in the hut. "Sweethearts & wives" tonight.
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April 14 Sunday 1st after Easter
The beasts are fed, all the washing up done, & pots cleaned. boilers filled with snow could not get ice to-day Slop buckets poured down a hole in the snow passage outside (where they seem to melt their way down to unknown depths. can pour a couple of buckets down at a time) coal in for the night, but swept, & lamps trimmed. Now, 9.15, Im done for the night, - except to take some scone bread from the oven. The first day of the weeks cooking is always a hard one - & except for meals Ive had no time to sit down since 9 a.m. Its my luck that I follow an indifferent housekeeper If I followed Hoadley or Moyes things would be in better order. For the last month, Watson, Kennedy, & the last week Dovers have been housekeeping - & things were but indifferent. Before I washed up this morning, I set to work & cleaned down the shelves & side tables. Dishes & plates taken up with scraps &c, or dirty shelves & tables with Jam, water & so on, spilt, fresh or dried When I had washed them down, & collected the dirty things, I found the clean enamel-ware consisted or 5 basins, 2 vegetable-dish covers, & one jug. While the dirty things! There were 27 plates to begin with. Under the circumstances would not have taken it amiss if the retiring housekeeper & cook had offered to wipe for me, instead of reclining on his bunk. For lunch, the boiled ham, 2 tins preserved pine apples, as it was Sunday Made a scone in the pan for afternoon tea much approved of - & difference in flavour to those in oven noted.
For dinner this evening; Oxtail soup Roast leg of mutton, green peas, potatoes; boiled plum puddings (tinned) (Paste board & rolling pins covered with dried paste!
Only Moyes outside for a few minutes to-day; Blowing pretty hard from the SE, & drift flying thickly. Fastened the curtain over the end of passage keeps the drift from eddying down. Only the mouth fills with snow. So everyone in the hut, asleep or laying about or sitting round the fire. They complained of cold but I, working, had to doff sweater Moyes took service this morning. Hymns "The fight is oer the battle won, Alleluia" & "Through all the changing scenes of life". They had a phonograph concert to-night Some very pretty pieces also "God be with you till we meet again" - & old Hobart & the dear ones there rose before my mental vision. Wild & Watson afterwards photographed Moyes in his bunk, showing its fittings. Moyes sat motionless for 5 minutes - & then they discovered they had not taken the slide from camera
April 15 Monday
Gale ceased during the night; Day bright, fine, but cold. Could see clouds of (apparently drift flying from the hills, but quiet here. Wild & party working outside. Made a "Companion Hatch" in the roof of the tunnel for use in blizzards, where the mouth of the tunnel is blocked. A square hole dug in the roof of the snow passage, lined with boards & a lid fitted on just like the hatchway on a ship. The wind, sweeping round this raised hatch, should keep it from silting over; & using the ladder in the passage, provide a convenient way out when door is silted, & for passing down boxes in a blizzard. Hoadley digging for boards buried under the drift. Dovers digging all day for a pile of carbide tubs, the exact bearing of which has been forgotten. Kennedy at work rigging up a magnetic station. His tent went down in the Blizzard, centre pole snapped. He was unwell this evening, but better now. Wild preparing for a sledging trip to find where the glacier leaves the Icecap on its western boundary hoping to find some floe still in, there; & bring back a load of seals meat. Watson & Kennedy, who did not go last time, were going, - only a 7 man party. I was anxious to go, on chance of finding an Emperor Penguins Rookery & chance of getting eggs in winter, - & other biological work so he decide upon taking 2 teams, - Jones & Dovers making up the six. To start on Wednesday if fine. Some Snow Petrels came round hut this morning took out the little specimen gun, but they had gone. While I was making a pudding this afternoon, they returned, & the fellows brought in 3 they had shot. Another hard day at the cooking one of those days when everything seems to go wrong! The night watchman getting breakfast ready allows the cook a little more rest I gave them, warmed kippered herrings for lunch & preserved mulberries. Scone-bread, butter, honey, jam; for dinner Julienne soup. Rabbit, to which I added onion sauce & made gravy. Potatoes, spinach, & suet pudding made with dried nectarines. Latter appear to be appreciated & dough all eaten as well as the fruit. Tents in to thaw out, & dripping over me all the time I was at the fire Would rather face a week on the Highlands than this cooking
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April 16 Tuesday
A fine morning, followed by a fine day & evening but cold highest temperature about Minus 10 ° - in the shade. A light breeze very piercing. Wild getting food, &c, ready for the sledging trip Hoadley & Jones repairing tents, - Dovers dug out carbide this afternoon, after a couple of days digging for it. Kennedy busy with magnetic observations & an "igloo" for conducting them in coming in to the house occasionally for a warm swearing at the cold. Fellows, to-night packing up & getting ready for trip. Not the trouble to make up bags this time as our leader allows 12 lbs per man. Evening perfectly cloudless, - all rosy pink & purple round the horizon, the half frozen sea that green tinge noticed before. Oddly enough, the sea some miles out looks as if solidly frozen over, but nearer the Glacier edge & distant Ice-Cap, it shows blue water yet. Aurora tonight, from N.E. to S.W- low, about 15 ° to 20 ° at highest above N horizon, coming up in a narrow bright spiral form in NE, & sweeping across to S.W. in bro white light, upper edge irregular with short streamers. Between 10 & 11 p.m, Bright enough to show some reflection on the snow & to show the bay light in the distance. Another hard day cooking. Theres such a lot of washing up. 25 plates alone for breakfast, & 15 mugs! The fellows all except Mr Wild, do not show much consideration or rather never think, - but one or other always helps by wiping after dinner. To-day, sledge cloths & gear & clothes hanging about, very much in the way & dripping water around the stove. I got time to finish my working & put things "out to dry". Brought them in at 4 pm (sunset) frozen so stiff that you could hold the combinations up by one leg, - still as a leather suit! Gave them ham & cherries for lunch. Dinner, Green pea soup Stew made of mutton (of Sundays dinner) with a tin of Mutton broth in it, onion & pearl barley. Tapioca baked in milk with currants in it was more appreciated. Potatoes & leeks latter not liked. Remains of apricot pudding eaten cold. Today. Midnight Aurora very bright Great sweeps of half circular curtain
[In margin] Made the first brown scones to-day
April 17 Wednesday
Another beautiful fine day, Did not notice a cloud in the sky. Cold, - night temperature down 20 ° (minus) & remained below Zero all day about Minus 13 ° Bay frozen but showed blue water near the cliffs in the afternoon. Distant land had appearance of drift flying or patches of mist upon it. Cannot think it can be drift yet no patches of mist seen when we were up there. Did not get away on trip to-day. Tents &c not ready until after lunch. & the afternoon so short, it was not worth starting. Everything ready now, sledges loaded, &c - & such nice neatly packed loads all dry! Very different to what we dragged back. Its a beautiful starlit night, - but barometer falling slowly & steadily tho. only 25.50 at present, - fairly high. Aurora again to night. When I went out early, it was very pretty, across the zenith from SW to N.E. or rather 2 large array of curtains, one in SW & other in N.E. It looked as if (for sake of giving an idea of appearance), the light had been lightly brushed upwards with a lightly touched sweeping movement or a gigantic brush. Phantom curtains, suspended in mid heavens, with the distant stars shining undimmed thro. Later on, it was a narrow blaze low down along the horizon. Later still, moving curtain of streamers rasing in a peaked square sweep that I have not seen before. The sky under the well marked lower edge always very dark. The upper edge seldom defined being "brushed upwards" into the sky in fine streamers. Have finished another days cooking, packed my kit-bag ready for starting in the morning; & clipped moustache, whiskers & beard as close as scissors will cut them, so ice will not hang on. For luncheon made a stew of remains of stews of last 2 dinners with tomato added; & preserved gooseberries. No afternoon tea today, but I made a batch of scone bread. For dinner, - Mock Turtle Soup, Salmon, hot, with white sauce Potatoes & beans. Roley-poley golden syrup pudding, about 18 inches long & as large round as the sleeve of my coat (Memo. To put more treacle in it had almost all boiled into the dough or somewhere!) It was much appreciated & they declared that my speciality was boiled puddings. Anyway it all went Indeed all the puddings I have made have been eaten if not finished the first night, the following day cold.
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April 18 Thursday
Up fairly early, & breakfast at 8 a.m. As there was some delay packing & being photographed, it must have been nearly 9.30 before we got away. Beautiful morning, bright & sunny cloudless, & but little breeze but, oh, was not that "little breeze" cold! Minus 20 ° thro the night, minus 14 ° when we started. The pulling warmed us in body, - but nose, ear cheeks, tingled. Ice on the eyebrows & beards. Dovers nose soon showed signed of frost-bite, & he had to rub it well. We stopped & put on berberries to keep the wind out It was such a "lazy wind" it certainly did not take the trouble to go round us. Our general course was about S.W. or S.S.W. after passing the first line of pressure ridges) over the "great white waste," with the sea on our right; sometimes in sight, - more generally at some distance. The "going" was first rate sometimes our feet sank in a few inches. Sometimes so hard that there was scarcely a trace left of our passage. Often there were great smooth strips, 10 yds wide, - & a few hundred in lenght how a bicycle would going flying down them! Sastrugi on the Glacier is small & easy to travel over compared with that on the Highlands. By noon we had done 6 miles, 90 yds &igh and pitched & had lunch. I held the three spoons in my hand, [indecipherable] drew my spoon. My luck! had to cook. In the afternoon we came upon "rolling" surface great rolls & hollows, larger & deeper than we met upon the last trip. & Wild broke thro. into a couple of small crevasses. We drew in towards a bay in the barrier, with 3 great bergs, apparently aground in it; beyond, the Glacier appears to take off more Westerly, or to join the Ice-caps & end there. A little more to the W. a point & apparently a great valley, & the land beyond considerably more distant. On this point, & some distance up the Ice-cap; a noticible feature, - like a great embankment thrown up, up & down hill, many rough blocks showing on the near end. Probably ice-cap ploughed up by a reef far down below the frozen surface. The whole face of the land, from the long point on our left (between us & where we came down a fortnight ago). & previous mentioned point to the left West, much more broken, than where we ascended a month ago. Ice-falls, little valleys & knolls, & occasional ridge ribbed across with crevasses. Long "rolls" coming from the land perhaps "shoals" below, - or else the pressure. We are camped close to the edge of the Glacier; ahead the bay with the bergs, & apparently some old floe-ice, held in between the cliffs & the bergs Fellows in high spirits get a load of seal meat in the morning , - & home that same evening! Especially Dovers always the most anxious to get away always the first to talk of getting back & most zealous to drag back thro. everything! yet talking of another trip before the hut is reached! Temperature cold for sledging [indecipherable] highest shown by our Thermometer to-day, minus 7 ° & that was late this afternoon. Yet sun bright, & only saw 2 tiny flecks of clouds in the sky all day. Barometer steady all about 26082. Wild Watson & Kennedy, in the other tent. We have a 3 man sleeping bag. Lost draw again, & take the right side. Distance done to-day 11 miles [indecipherable] Beautiful evening Snow Petrel flew round tents just at dusk.
[In margin] Do not like a "three man bag" it opens across near the top. We were certainly warm enough but the folds coming down on my head, made it ache - & ached all next day
April 19 Friday
Our Leader did not call us until 7. am. Minus temp., Very cold handling cookers &c. Hands got cold - & suffered a purgatory getting on & tying up finskoos & berberries. Outside a bitter wind was blowing fairly stiff, & thick low drift, like white smoke over the ground. Oh how it cut nose & faces, under the berberry helmet! we "toggled up" & started on to get a little warmth into us In this climate one has to work or die! Our bay did not look anything like as promising by the morning sun light We could not see any break between cliffs - & what looked like floe but many big pressure ridges. We dragged on about ½ a mile then left the sledges, roped up in 2 teams took our ice-axes, and went to investigate. Ascended some neve to the summit of the nearest pressure ridge, steadying ourselves, in the stiff breeze, with ice-axe. Then we saw there was no floe the Glacier, for some reason, fell, - its outer edge apparently not more than a doz. or score of feet above the water the point pressed up to (or close to) the nearest berg. In the foreground, pressure ridges heaped up, breaking the slope down closed crevasses & neve slopes, - Beyond the sloping Ice-cap, broken, as before mentioned, by Knolls & Ice-falls. This bay appears to end the Glacier-edge. For the other side, a line of broken ice cliffs, with a berg jammed up against them, - & blocks of ice fallen is evidently the termination of the Ice-Cap sloping down over the land, - & perhaps a couple of miles away. Further along this line of cliffs, a peculiar pyrimidical berg probably a "tilted berg". Far to the westward as well we could see, there was no floe. would seem to be little or no floe this side of the W. Barrier. This means that a vast field of Floe-ice, 12 miles broad, has gone out since the "Aurora" left us! Unfortunate for us, - as we will get no fresh meat until the sea freezes & we can get down onto the new floe. The land then, at its nearest point, is at least 14 miles from this hut. "Right about face - & home!" said our leader. "Cant stand this wind we will find the wind drop as we get away from this land!" I turned with great reluctance in spite of the bitter cold. The barometer was rising, & I would have liked to explore there a little. Looked as if it would be a pretty corner - & I should like to go along to the W. point perhaps 5 miles away. Watson & I agreed to make another trip down, - if temperature did not fall too low. Kennedy & I in the lead. Hard dragging over those long high "rolls" - & we "set the pace" to get the 12 miles done before night, for the morning was already advanced. I - & many of the others too were soon wet with persperation that froze in white frost on the top of our helmets, back of our sweaters & hands of our gloves, as well as the front of berberry helmets yet ears & faces would be tingling with the keen bitter wind so we had to rub them to prevent frost-bites hold our fur mits over the face As the morning advanced - & we got away from the land, the breeze fell, - & quite calm when we stopped thoroughly tired about 1 pm. Yet the thermometer showed lower temperature than the morning Minus 14 ° - My gloves so wet with sweat that I took them off while having lunch - & suffered purgatory again getting them on & my hands warmed. Only 6 miles 100 yds to do in the afternoon - & a more level surface so we arrived at the hut a little after 5 pm tired & cold temp. Minus 17 ° Evening like the day beautifully fine.
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April 20 Saturday
Very cold day, with all indications of a coming blizzard Sun faint, shining thro smeary clouds, - a great halo & parhelion 2 bright spots on either side, & above the bright circle another inverted section of a circle thus [drawing of inverted circle sections] Bitter cold little wind, from the S.E. Barometer steadily falling fell 5/10th in 18 hours & now stands about 28.70. Wild unloaded the sledges & put the gear away. Great disappointment getting no seal-meat. We would have liked fresh meat, - & dogs are looking very bad. Crippen & Nansen dead Tigress shot as useless. They are, of course living upon biscuits & scraps from the kitchen. Showing hard sweating & cold, nearly all the fellows seem to have lost weight in the 2 days sledging trip some who weighed as much as 4 lbs. I did not weigh. The other fellows, this morning, excavating & sledging out snow from the "No 2 Grotto" the drive down under the snow-drift along side of the house. In the afternoon, off, - I took up the cooking & so finished the week. Wilds birth-day on the 18th the day we started with the sledges so we celebrated it to-night. I was going to dig up one of my penguins but not time to get it & thaw it out. Also going to make a plum pudding but our storeman Hoadley did not know where the raisins where. I made & baked some "cheese-straws" - & a macaroni savoury, with tomato, onion & cheese partly following recipe from Cookery Book. So dinner consisted of following courses Mulligatawny soup with Mushrooms in. Macaroni & cheese savoury. Duck & Green peas (tinned) Potatoes, Peas. Plum pudding (tinned) with White sauce, Wine Jelly, Cheese straws. For desert Preserved ginger, almonds, Brazilian nuts, & some raisins that Hoadley had. Hoadley assisted me by making white sauce & Jelly. All seemed to enjoy dinner. Was really very good, -but you dont enjoy things properly when you are cook! Hoadley, Watson, Dovers, & Moyes had put in much of the afternoon upon elaborate menu cards I drawing the penguin & crossed Ice-axe & Ski-stick, - which they copied. & the cards were very creditable. We drank in port the Skippers health. In replying, he told us he had never met a band of fellows who had so readily & efficiently "dropped into their places" & he considered us more efficient than many experienced men he had been with. Then we drank Dr Mawsons health & success to the Expedition Then Kennedy proposed "The Ladies" & made a very good little speech every one round the table prompting him - & Andy Watson replied for them hit at one or two, who claimed "to have had no experience" yet in unguarded moments admitted having felt a thrill at a girls first kiss! &c Andys speech "brought down the house. Wild then sang "Kabul River" & we joined in the chorus.
April 21 Sunday
Contrary to expectations a fine morning, quiet, light breeze from the S. very cold. Sun shining faintly, sky more or less covered with light smeary cloud. Barometer steadily rising to-day, now up to 29. Low bank of cloud in the N. perhaps snow coming, - for we have noticed that the barometer appears to rise with snow from the W. or N.E. Very dark this morning; could not see in the room after coming in from outside so after breakfast, I went out & found 2 skylights covered with snow. also shovelled off the great bank of snow, a couple of feet high heaped up on the ridge & N.W. roof. Inside, Wild, Jones, Kennedy, got at the inside of the 3 skylights, scraping the frost off with sheath knives. On the S.E. window it was a good 2 inches thick; & they got more than 2 buckets off the 3 skylights. Made a wonderful difference quite light in the house now. Wild held service this morning. hymns "Praise to the Holiest in the heights" and "For ever with the Lord." After lunch we went out & had some target practice with the rifles. Target, a small venesta case lid. First time I had ever fired a rifle. All my shots were straight but either high or low. Wild & Jones both seem good shots. Watson & Dovers had a match With rifles, Dover got 2 hits outside the circle Andy , one. Shot guns at tins thrown in the air, Watson missed all Dovers hit 1 out of the 3. with revolvers, both missed every shot! The cold caused the Winchesters to Jam, & the fellows made for the warm hut. I tried the little specimen gun with dust shot. She put a few scattered shots in a lid at 40 yds. At 20, she peppered a biscuit tin, but did not pierce it. Dovers threw a potato tin in the air for me, & she peppered that properly tearing the paper off the smallest bird would not have escaped, - but it was close range. Then put my ski on could not get any of the others to join me, too cold. Wild & Moyes had gone to the landing place; but made home again. Took the little gun saw a Snow Petrel just beyond the Blue Devil, - but it did not come within range. Tried to follow the cliffs N but got amongst large pressure ridges, - & altho. I was on ski thought it too risky to continue over the crevasses & neve slopes. Came back & went along this side of the Blue Devil, but did not reach the sea . Back at dusk just before 5 p.m. Cloudy to the E. at sunset - & a most beautiful flush of deep rose pink & purple. Baked mutton & a huge apple pudding for dinner. Gramaphone concert afterwards.
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April 22 Monday
Still fine! The eighth fine day a pleasant surprise to one for we had come to regard blizzards every 3rd or 4th day as the order for the winter months. After breakfast, I took a sledge & went down for the penguins I had buried on the cliffs in Feb. The sun is low now so has very little power, - and a bitter cold breeze blowing from SE. I had not put on berberries and had repeatedly to rub nose, chin, ears & cheek, - for they ached with the cold. Took me all the morning to disinter the penguins for I had not located the position very accurately - & I found them buried deeply I was breast deep in the hole! Threw blocks of snow to windward - & so was screened in the hole from the wind - & fairly comfortable. But when I started home! The 5 penguins stiff & solid as if carved from wood were as much as I could drag up the steep slope yet I had to rub face again & again feeling it nearly frost bitten. When I got home found the thermometer stood at minus 25 °! It did not rise higher than minus 22 ° to-day. The sea is now frozen over, a thick scum of ice Wild thinks about 6 inches thick, with cracks & holes visible, - but neither seals nor penguins visible. I saw a mass of ice fall from one of the cliffs the fine snow blowing away for 5 minutes in brown "smoke"! After lunch, assisted dragging out snow; - for the others continued Grotto no 2 (down along front of the house; & started another parallel to this, & further from the house. Then we took in a lot of cases & stowed them in the grotto. After sunset about 4.30) Wild & I took ice-axes & alpine rope, for he wished to see if the snow slopes (by which we had formally gained the Floe) still existed. Found only pricipetious walls in one place, saw cornice overhanging 40 feet. Where the ice had fallen that morning, the young floe was broken a considerable distance in successive half-circles but the quantity of ice lying upon the floe showed the latter was already of considerable thickness to bear such weight. No seals or penguins visible. Watson & Moyes had gone for a sledge ride with the dogs as we reached the hut saw dogs had given them the slip a Ό mile away - & were making full speed for the hut. One unfortunate dog (Sweeps) evidently had not been prepared for the start, & was being dragged along under the sledge We could hear his wails by the time they arrived he was past whining,- but after a while, appeared little the worse for his adventure. Very cold when you go outside the wind seem to fairly burn your face not exactly the feeling of being burnt with steam yet that is the nearest comparison
April 23 Tuesday
Another fine, cold day, Sunny & bright; - scarcely any breeze in the early morning, & so did not feel so cold, the Thermometer was "minus". Jones, Moyes, & I helping Kennedy with his magnetic hut. He gave up the idea of building iglooyah fashion, as he wanted a room of some size; so we built a square room, about 10 x 7 & about 8 feet high; cutting the blocks of snow from the Glacier surface with saws. Can get them nice & square, & fitting well with a little trouble. Some I cut were over 3 feet long & 18 inches broad & deep had to get Moyes to help me lift them into position. Arched doorway; - and then pole & bamboos across top of walls, as a tent fly then had for a roof Doubt if latter will stand the blizzards. Very cold as we finished just before 4 p.m. a thin piercing wind blowing, & thermometer in Metrological Screen showed minus 30 ° Wild & Watson had been stowing boxes in the grotto. & came across the box containing games. Hockey sticks, football, dominos, Chessboard; but neither chessmen nor draughts. So, after afternoon tea, Wild, Watson Moyes Kennedy & I went out with the football & put in nearly an hour. Fine warm working racing after the ball, dodging, and slipping, - & in a glow in spite of thermometer standing just then at minus 27 ° And half of the Skyline was glowing yellow and almost crimson the other half a "colourless" dark cold purple grey against which the white walls, we had erected that day, stood out so strongly that they kept catching my eyes as a light would have; - and Jupiter glowing in the dusk above. It was Kens birthday. Hoadley had a "state dinner" Soup, Welsh rarebit. roast ribs of mutton, potatoes, peas, turnip, Apple pie (very good, made of preserved apples) devilled almonds, figs, Muscatels. Drunk (in port) the Kings health - & then "the guest" With musical honours. Ken responded took a lot of prompting. As I was night watchman, I laid down & dosed until 11 pm. Thermagraph out in the screen stopped with the cold so, until going again, the nightwatchman has to go out at midnight, 3 a.m, & 6 a.m., to read thermometer Just been out (midnight) still stood at 27 ° below zero. A fine starry night. No moon visible. A narrow bright curtain of aurora, rising from N.E. is sweeping in folds to the W rising to about 20 ° above the horizon in the middle. In the W, it swept round and back to about N., faint & low down. Very pretty, & bright but faded as I looked at it. When out a few minutes later to empty a tray of ashes, it was a narrow, bright, irregularly edged line, from NE to W. Auroras every night, - or at least at some time thro the night.
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April 24 Wednesday
Spent the early morning hours writing diary, washing &c. Went out to meteological screen at 3a.m. Temp. minus 25 ° Aurora in broken arches across the sky, in one place 2 or 3 faint arches below the bright upper arch. I then had supper, some cold apple pie, a couple of preserved figs, & cup of hot cocoa. Thermometer at 6 a.m. 19 ° (minus) Dawn in the east; a low line of rosy pink along the horizon, thin bright yellow, pale green & dark grey blue sky above, with Venus burning bright The most peculiar appearance was a low line of dull grey like thick smoke, from near the dawn across to the land. In the S. the N end of it (on the glacier) tossed & ragged streaming up, & the bright sky showing thro here & there. Presented exact appearance of a great cloud of drift coming down before a hurricane, - but I could hear no noise. I made a start to cut out a set of chessmen cut 2 knights out of a bit of Oregon pine, which were admired by the fellows By 7 the above mentioned bank showed higher, but was evidently more cloud than drift, - altho breeze was freshening & drift driving here. Made some brown scones not a success cannot get them to rise - & then tried frying scones in dripping, (as I have seen my wife make them) Not a success either. altho what I did was appreciated, but the fragments in the pan burned & set Wild coughing Odd he can stand a tobacco "fug" that turns one up but the least smoke from fat, - & hes nearly choked with coughing. Frying is no treat here. After breakfast turned in & slept until lunch. Day then fairly fine, but cold. Breeze gone down & drift ceased. Wild shared out the Wolfskin gloves. I got a pretty, reddish pair for taking home, & another plainer pair that I will use. All the afternoon at my lockers. Got locker under bunk finished. Very [indecipherable] that frost forms so thickly on walls of locker, wall of hut under the bunks &c. Scraped a handful off the wall just where my mattress touches it. Watson, Jones, & Dovers went with the dogs for a ride. Dogs didnt bolt tonight but stopped to have a general fight in suppressing which, Andy got his hand slightly bitten. Jones down a crevasse when a loud report rang out startled him a bit. Ice is often split This week we have been put on allowance of sugar. Each man has his own tea-tin with 2 lbs of sugar, & from appearance will last out the week. They have been using it at the rate of 4 lbs a day! Without doubt, we all eat more than sufficient the cold, - & clear thin air gives you an appetite & & tempts to eat of the abundance of good food. We could always have eaten more on sledging trips yet evidently had sufficient, yet here we eat far more than sledging ration
April 25 Thursday
Day somewhat overcast, smeary cirrus, and misty Barometer dropping steadily, and appearance of the long spell of fine weather breaking at last. Wind very cold. Jones (who was nightwatchman_ mentioned that the dawn showed most beautiful colouring from deep orange to pink. After breakfast we went at excavations for awhile, - I helping Watson to drag out the snow; - but finding the slope outside passage too deep, we made the grade better. Afterwards I cleared snow away from about the opening of our snow passage, so that the drift could blow over & not pile deeper than could be avoided. Others carrying boxes in to the grottos; Wild & Kennedy stowing them away, & opening some. In the afternoon cleared up outside & made straight for coming of bad weather. Before 4 pm, drift was flying fairly thick so our canvas curtain was dropped cutting us off from the outside surface, & confining us to our hut & snow passages. How completely we are cut off from the world here, without human beings nearer than 1000 miles - as far as we know! Many missing boxes have turned up in the sorting, but not that containing the "buzzer" & missing parts of the wireless so no attempt made to receive messages. Wonder if Hannam is sending us messages every night? & if so, what he will say when he hears! How I wonder how things are going at home! & if the "Aurora" got back with our letters but of that we have little doubt. More than 9 months to go before we can hope to see the old ship bringing us news of home & loved ones! Fortunately time goes fast plenty to occupy us & interest us but looking back! It seems ages since I parted with them all in Hobart We have gone thro so much seen so much in the interval! This afternoon I was at lockers & making a bracket at the head of my bunk to stand a candle on now, mean to cut out another knight in the set of chessmen I am making. 4 of the others at Bridge, 2 more reading in their bunks one studying Antarctic maps. Now & again some one puts a record on the Gramaphone.
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April 26 Friday
Day finer than we expected, only a little drift altho. it had blown with some force in the night. We did a little about the place during the morning, Clearing up verandah, hanging different things up on the walls, out of the way. &c. The roof of the verandah (inside) is getting covered with frost, or ice crystals, & a quantity collecting between wall, & lining &c. To be hoped that it will not thaw out before we leave next year, or things will be wet in the hut! Where there is any steam such as where slops buckets, &c, are emptied in bad weather, exquisite ice-crystals form large, light feathering, some nearly as long as my fingers, & an inch or two broad. They fall to-pieces if you touch them. House getting dark again, from the frost accumulating on skylights. I then went at my lockers, - making a large one on the wall over my bunk, in hopes clothes will keep dries there. Outside 2 or 3 time, getting wood, &c. Little drift, but cold wind. Doorway only partially snowed up. Distant land, this afternoon, dark steel grey with great clouds of drift driving over it. Sun feeble, obscured by cirrus. Very cold this morning, feet & hands both suffering, but this afternoon, sawing &c, warmed me up well. Hoadley week of cooking nearly over. Dinner to night, rabbit with bacon & mushrooms in it. Potatoes, turnip, suet pudding. Somehow or other, the chaps seem to get more time off when cooking than when I managed to. Dont know whether its because I am slow, or do things more thoroughly. Going at my chessmen now. Wild, Hoadley Watson Dovers playing bridge. Jones & Kennedy reading in their bunks. Moyes asleep. The gramaphone plays a great part in our home. There are a few comic songs (that Im deadly sick of!) but many fine selections. "Remeniscences of Offenbach" (played by band of Coldstream Guards) one of the best. Then theres "Gems from Maritana" "Tis Known to All" (from Daughter of the Regiment. "Land of Hope & Glory" "Mountain Land" "I dreamt that I dwelt in Marble Halls" I know that my Redeemer Liveth " "Star of Bethlehem" "[indecipherable]" & many others.
April 27 Saturday
Another unsettled day. Finding that there was not much drift; we put on berberry trousers & blouses, & dug out the doorway. Then dug out & sledged down boxes, standing them away in the little grotto last dug. Have most of the boxes stowed away in grottos or the verandah now. Wild shot "Tiche", as useless. She was in low condition "Sweeps" also very poor, & is to go too, & save biscuits for the others. Only Sandow, Switzerland, Amundson, Zip, - & none of them in good condition. Pity that they had not been left at Adelie Land. Switzerland had a bad time to-day. One proud day he "downed" the boss-dog, Sandow - & the others seem to have a "down" on him for doing so. Wild & Watson kicked him out from beneath a pile of struggling, snarling dogs to-day, - not the first time they have set on him. They did not take the slightest notice of poor Tiches death. The day dull & over cast, land not to be seen in misty light. Breeze freshening & a considerable quantity of drift flying before the morning over. So got a load of ice before lunch, dropped the curtain & retired from the outside world. Scraped the skylights again. I scraped the one above my bunk, the S.E. over an inch of frost since last Sunday morning. Other two about the same. Afterwards at the locker I have built on the wall above my bunk, - its a fine roomy one. 46 inches x 20 x 16 should hold all my underclothing easily; & keep drier than below the bunk. Dinner, Giblet soup, Salmon, Rheubarb pie, - Latter very good.
One good thing about the hut snowing up No blizzard could move it now, however hard it blew. Only the apex of the place shows on which the wind can get no hold. Do not think she can "go under" altogether, the wind will keep it clear when theres nothing to keep the snow against.
Cut out another chessman a bishop this evening. Pity that there is nothing to cut them out of belonging to Antarctica the only thing would be Weddell seals teeth - & they would be too hard to cut with a pocket knife. Bridge players so engrossed in their game that we (for about the first time) did not have "Sweethearts & Wives" this Saturday evening.
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April 28 Sunday
Wind fresh & drift flying I was not outside at all, but Moyes & Dovers, who were out, reported that drift was fairly thick. Quite a mild day plus 5 ° outside Barometer steadied up this afternoon at about 28.52, but seems inclined to fall slightly again this evening. Dark inside in spite of scraped skylights. Moyes took service this morning. Confession, prayers Cree, collects &c. Chanted the "Venite". First hymn "For all the saints who from their labour rest." The second hymn appealed to me - & I joined with heart & voice
"Holy Father, in Thy mercy
Hear our anxious prayer,
Keep our loved ones, now far absent,
Neath Thy care."
I thought of my loved one, far away in Tasmania, and prayed that all might be well with them. This hymn was sung at the Hobart Cathedral the Sunday before our departure, - (I was there with my wife_ but the 3rd line had been changed then to "Keep our brave ones, now departing".
After lunch, I got out my water colours, & worked up in burnt Umber, the Drs little sketch of the snowed-up tent in Satans Hollow, that Sunday morning in March. Could not make much of it, interior of tent so small, have to get perspective as if seen from outside - & as you cannot show all the round of the tent, it naturally follows that the crowded appearance cannot be shown. I was jammed in between the bulged in, snow loaded side of the tent, & bulged in door, with the heap of snow behind but the door, loaded with snow, protruding into the tent, does not appear in the sketch. Jones cook this week. Roast mutton somewhat underdone but our joints never get properly cooked! Potatoes, beans, rice pudding. Tin preserved pears.
April 29 Monday
A fine day. Beautiful morning with light scattered clouds, scarcely a breath of wind; misty cloudy & indistinct over the land. Temperature stood at Zero, - So fine & warm that I was tempted to so sketching instead of the excavations. Dovers & I started another grotto, on W side of passage, opposite No 3. The others Hoadley & Watson (going out thro. the hatch) cleared the snow from the doorway; then sledged out the snow Dovers & I dug out. Moyes, after Meteorlogical observations, aided them. Ken. At magnetic work in his igloo. Wild, after his night watch, turned in. By lunch time, we had a distance of about 6 feet excavated, high enough to stand upright in, & rather more breadth. After lunch, cleaned up passage, then I put on the ski, and took my axe, for a walk. Started towards Icy Point, Watson & Hoadley on dog sledge overtook me at the first pressure ridge the "Basilisk" we broke thro. in one place & peeped down Could not see far, as the crevasse at the top seemed filled with icicles, - all encrusted with ice crystals great square, hard, clear, crystals; nearest I can compare them to is large crystals of coarse salt The 4 dogs dragged the 2 chaps as far as the Basilisk but after that, they bucked, & one fellow ran along & drove. I could not keep up on the ski. The latter are faster than walking, as you get the stride and a certain amount of slide as well. But they are awkward to keep on, & manage, & didnt go too well on the sideline leading down to the cliffs. Passed many crevasses, & got as far as the slope leading down to Icy Point. Beyond this is all high pressure, like a relief map One, the others reached, most have been 20 ft high. The sun had set, & the deep rose pink had almost faded from the clouds; so we turned back. Could not see bird or seal on the frozen sea; - No broad crack, or "leads" of open water visible. As I topped the slope coming back, was surprised to see the Ύ moon shining brightly in N.E. Except for the shapeless thing on the Glacier edge one night last week, we had not seen her this morning Nearly dark when I got back (4.30) & temperature down to minus 14 °. Beautiful night.
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April 30 Tuesday
Another nice day, bright, and not very cold. Very light breeze from the N.W. most of the day. Wild & I finished the grotto started yesterday. Only a small one about 8 ft long, by 10 wide, at the end. Then we sledged in more cases, & have almost all underground or more exactly under snow now and no more of the everlasting "digging out" after a blizzard, After lunch finished this & went to the "Basilisk" for a load of ice. Andy Watson took 3 of the dogs. While we were mining the ice, the 3 dogs simultaneously made up their minds to go home, & started off so suddenly they capsized the ice boxes off. Andy grabbed the sledge & after dragging behind for some distance brought back his team, looking as if nothing had gone amiss, but watching the whip closely out of the corners of their eyes. Three of the fellows then went off to go down the "Blue Devil; which Wild & I, with Alpine rope & Ice axes, went down to the cliffs to look at a place I had noticed yesterday from a distance, that appeared passable. We were disappointed A nearer view showed it impassable or at least not advisable to try. The cliffs must be about 100 feet, sheer; or with long cornices hanging over, blue shadows & long icicles. At their foot, a tide crack, like a ditch; Then the smooth floe, cracked in one or 2 places, - & there a lot of small shattered ice or snow; spread out, where a great corner has fallen. No bird, or beast, or fish! Two small dark specks at the foot of a cliff, might have been penguins but more probably cracks. We saw 2 snow petrels at noon to-day. The first for 10 days. The sun had set, as we turned back, the East was glowing with a brighter deeper colour than I have seen before Almost the tinge of blood in it! Beneath, the cold purple - & as if dodging from behind a lump of pressure, the great bright moon suddenly stared us in the face! We almost started, - so suddenly & brightly she beamed on us, in that dark cold purple beneath the glowing pink Ken gave an "At house" in the magnetic igloo; we mostly arrived on ski; Wild in state on the dog sledge. Ken has a snug little room there his instrument set up in the middle. Over afternoon tea, we arranged to make that trip to Junction Corner" [where we were on the 18th, 19th inst.] Watson wants to look for a possible sign of the lost land, in the shape of reef or rock at the foot of the ice-cap. & to take photos. Hoadley to see the place. I, to see all to be seen & to explore. So have been busy this evening getting things together & packing sledge for the trip. Going to take the dogs.
May 1 Wednesday
On previous evening, Wild arranged for us to take an hours watch each, for which we drew Moyes then tossed 3 fellows for their hours amid much merriment - & lost every time, so was billed to watch from 1 to 5, when I went on. I then tossed him, & lost, so I had to go on at 4. Wind was fresh W with drift, when I got up so consulted Wild before preparing early breakfast. By 8 (when breakfast was ready) wind had fallen, & promise of a nice day. Slipped "God be with you till we meet again" on the gramaphone - it has heralded our departure on every occasion Hobart - & each sledging trip - & away at 9.15. Watson had the 4 dogs ("Sandow" Switzerland" "Ammundson" & "Zip") & when I led the way, they followed well, dragging the load (about 350 lbs, sledge & all) without difficulty. They would follow any one leading the way, but would not go well otherwise. As they go better at a trot, I set a good pace, - We had a couple of spells yet passed our old noon-day camp 6 miles 90 yds, at 11.5 so that was good going. A couple or three miles out, we picked up the old sledge marks, & followed them. Land ahead miraged up until at times it looked like a sheet of dull glass with white reflections running over it. We had no sledge meter but must have done 8 miles when we stopped at 11.45 for lunch. Temp. was low, some 7 or 8 below zero. Dogs went as well in the afternoon, - & we passed the site of our old night camp (11 miles 1550 yes) at 2.20 p.m. We had roped up before this, for we were amongst broken ice. We travelled along the hollow, below the pressure ridges, - Crevasses running parallel to the ice-cliff. Evidently the whole piece would not require much strain to break it away. We skirted one short & broad crevasse, not liking the look of its sunken bridge some 20 or 30 feet broad, until it narrowed & we crossed to a high noticible mound of pressure standing picturesque on the edge of the old cliff. Anchored the sledge by driving a shovel into the snow more beautiful than I can describe, - hung with icicles & feathered with snow. Along the open edges were ice-crystals different to what I had hitherto seen perhaps an inch & a half long by an inch broad, - or even 2 inches long the outer part like Emu feathers, flat & exquisitely firm & thin, - the inner part a down of snow. They were not an 1/8 of an inch in thickness. Past the corner by two or 3 great ice bergs, stranded somewhat over a mile out; & at the foot of the slope, a nice smooth camping place. So we took the dogs from the sledge, & ran her down, "breaking" her as well as we could: pitch tent there, partly sheltered by aforementioned mound, From this mound, a line of ice cliffs S.E., S, & away to the S.W. mostly with banks of drift snow piled high against them. Tied up dogs to crowbar, shovel & ice-axes driven into the snow, then went up to look at a great rift running thro the mound. Watson slipped on a bit of neve & came down on his face. The felt hood saved his fore-head, but he skinned the whole lenght of his nose, & got a bad shaking. I regret it much not only for Watsons sake, but because this is the first trip Wild has not been with us, & I am in charge. However Hoadley bound it up, - & he seems fairly well, tho head aching as might be expected. Fine night, - but barometer starting down
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May 2 Thursday
Turned out at 7.30 a.m. Mild, temp. at zero. Watson better. So after breakfast, we went up to the ice mound where he took some photos. Then we went away over the old floe. It fills this Bay apparently
[Arrow to side of page note "See entry 19th April. how we then in a smoke of drift, - took this floe to be a low part of the Glacier, - Yet did not feel satisfied that it really was so."]
held in by the 3 icebergs aground there, & is evidently old. A large portion is neve especially along the cliffs & towards the Ice-cap. It seems very solid, the cracks of any breadth are mainly filled with neve or snow. the narrow cracks with snow incrustations & ice-crystals. Along the edges of some of the narrow cracks (almost meeting over them) were ice-crystal of the lovely forms seen yesterday; - or else still more dainty & exquisite, like frills of the finest lace. It would seem that this old floe does not yield to tidal influence. Further from the cliffs it was rough sastrugi; - where it jammed against the berg, it heaps up 40 or 50 feet high. Both penguin and seal dung upon it but not recent deposits. The nearest berg must have been well over a mile away, a beautiful crevassed, stratified, cobalt shaded isle of white ice. One great piece leaning out, deeply cracked, ready to fall, a broad rift of deep blue behind. A little gallery at the foot hung with long icicles. Hoadley climbed across the frozen tide crack & sat amongst them with the 2 dogs, while Watson photographed him. The young floe was cracked, but the cracks frozen over thin splintery sheet of ice standing up evidently effect of pressure. It was dark in most places, so I did not know if it was quite safe Very hard. Dug through near a crack & found it 5 inches thick there. We walked round the berg on the young floe, & back on to the old on the s. side. Beautiful there berg distinctly stratified & in one place strata runs up to a point at the top. Many deep cracks shows depths of blue; while floe ice, piled up by pressure in the foreground, show some blocks distinctly green. Back to the tent for lunch at mid-day. Then Watson, feeling his head, laid down, while Hoadley & I roped up & went up on to the Glacier, & along towards the Ice-Cap. It was a dull thick day, no sun, wind cold and stiff, a low drift flying. Barometer still falling. We found it much crevassed, - crevasses or cracks at short intervals. Broke thro into one or two. The one was sheer walls of ice, no shelf or icicles only that depth of deepest blue. We did not get along very fast, & land 2 or 3 miles even in a straight line. We marked a deep rift or broad wide crevasse that seems to be a split between Glacier cliffs & continuing cliffs of ice-cap. Returned along edge of cliff neve and much better going. In the corner near our pressure mound, the cliffs in one place were snowed up to their edge down this slope we glissaded standing rigid with set feet. Hoadley afterwards suggested a glissade down the slope behind the Mound so we cut steps & climbed about 60 feet up then slid down on our backs at great speed. Liked it so well we climbed up again but in turning at the top I somehow slipped - & first thing I knew, was shooting down head first at great speed! As the evening advanced the sky cleared, Barometer, tho. falling, is still high. 29. 48. so hope for a fine day tomorrow to push on to the S.W.
May 3 Friday
We did not awake until nearly 8 a.m., so breakfast late, - & the fellows made it very late, by loitering over their cigarettes. I did not mind so much, as I did not fancy the trip down over the young floe to the point in the S.W. The barometer still falling slowly but steadily, - 29.32. Decided to cross the floe to the other ice-berg, & go on if the day improved. One thing made me reluctant to venture on trip, was uncertainty of being able to get up on Ice-Cap at the points, - or find old floe to camp on could not pitch tent on smooth bare young floe. Harnessed up the dogs, who went off at a great rate over the level floe could scarcely keep up with them. Sledge upset once over some sastrugi. Saw more signs of penguins but not recent. Nearly a couple of miles across the old floe to the berg - & floe there, almost all neve, with some large cracks, partly filled. Wind & drift increasing fast, blew sledge off sideways & once or twice nearly sent it into wide cracks. We therefore headed up to the wind, & made for the shelter of the cliffs. I did not know how the dogs would face the gale but they went well, following Hoadley at such a good speed that Watson could not keep up, so I went with sledge. Noticed, as we passed bergs that they were very rotten and ruinous, - while beyond were the remains of 2 more still more ruinous mere basal heaps of wreckage. Reached cliffs of Ice-Cap near where it leaves the Glacier, but did not like the look of it for camping, - it was too lean swept, - & drift eddying about would drive at a tents door, if open. So we went on for the Glacier cliffs and camped in the corner, near the great cleft that apparently marks the termination of the Glacier proper. This part of the journey was very cold, - the face & helmets loading with ice, - ears, noses, chin & cheeks getting nipped by the bitter breeze. We pitched tent on a smooth snow drift, 2 or 3 hundred feet from the cliff, & out of most of the drift that was coming over from the Glacier, like a cloud of brown smoke. A difficult job pitching tent in such a breeze. Watson held the poles, Hoadley & I threw the tent over easily enough; but getting it fastened down was the job! We got the weather corner loaded with snow then the corner open each side then inside arranged & spread the poles, - out again & drew out the flap with the snow upon it, - then finally loaded it heavily with snow. Fastened the dogs to shovel & ice-axes; & dug each a deep hole in the snow to shelter in. Then we dived into our tent, had dinner, & into our sleeping bags. Afternoon not cold temp. about zero.
We shall have to turn back when this blow is over. Watsons face is going on well; but Hoadleys clothes has chafed one of his legs badly, so as we have to be back within the week, there is little use in attempting to reach the distant point. Am disappointed. Hoped to get there, & see what was beyond, for appears large bay beyond point & from appearance this morning, old floe right up to the point. Had also hoped to get up the Ice-Cap to a most noticible upheaval of some sort on the slope above.
Barometer to-night 29.25. Blowing still, & considerable drift over the cliffs but we are so sheltered can go out or even leave dogs open. A bright & pretty aurora at 3 p.m. altho. nearly full moon was shining brightly.
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May 4 Saturday
Blowing fairly hard, & a smoke of drift over the cliffs, - low drift flying here, but nothing compared to what it evidently is upon the Glacier. Watson went out & fed his dogs, without putting on berberries; & we could leave the tent door open while he was out. Lay in our sleeping bags all the morning, hoping the wind would drop. Barometer had steadied at 29.23. After lunch, I put on my berberries & went for a walk; neither of the others cared to go out. Was glad I had turned out it was not bad under the shelter of the cliffs, sun was shining, & I enjoyed the walk. Temp. at zero I went along to the great cleft, climbed a snow slope with the aid of my ice-axe, & looked up the ravine Icy cliffs & buttresses rising from snow slopes of spotless white, - & here & there depths of cobalt blue. It was too risky to venture to explore alone, so I walked on under the cliffs of the Ice-cap towards the S.W. Here I was well sheltered, little smoke of drift just eddying about, as you see the puffs playing upon the water under the lee of high cliffs. This part of the floe looks still more ancient all the floor of neve just under the cliffs large drifts of hard snow. As I neared the berg near the cliffs, the neve floor of the floe broke up into long rifts & cracks, filled at depth of a few feet with neve, & projections of ice, worn & roughed. The great berg was very picturesque A wall with rifts of blue; & beyond slopes & buttresses, tottering piles of ice or heaps of fallen blocks. Much of the slope of the berg turned to neve Between the berg & the cliff was all scattered blocks of great size, - great snow-drifts piled up amongst them, & hollowed into deep wind swept hollows. So wild & broken up, that I did not venture that way, as there was the probability of hidden knobs On the other side of the berg, the floe appeared to be loaded with ice blocks, between this, & the second berg. The bergs, the piles of ice-blocks, & the drift hid what was beyond. Between the two bergs the wind blew with such force I had to look carefully to my footing, - so soon turned back. But before doing so, sketched the side of the berg. It was under difficulty for the book page was continually covered with flying drift. This corner of the old floe suggested to me a receding barrier, slowly break away & disintegrating. It was colder going back, - the wind was harder, & in my face, more than it was before. The sun set in a rather wild sky of reddish brown clouds, yellow, pink & green. Above, the pale blue, flecked with brushes of thin cirrus. After filling the cooker with neve, & feeding the dogs, I got into the tent & peeped out of the door. The west was glowing in lovely colours of crimson, pink, & yellow, upon a heaven of clearest palest green. After tea, lay in the bag for a couple of hours. I get on better this trip, for I trice my corner up to a tent pole & to keep it off my head. Wind blowing hard. Then one of the fellows suggested three handed Bridge lit candle & set up but too cold at plus 2 °, so after a rubber, we laid down & went to sleep. Sang "Sweethearts & wives"
May 5 Sunday
Fine morning, clear & bright; but breeze stiff, & considerable drift still flying. We did not wake until 8 a.m., so late before we could get to sleep the previous night. After breakfast, Watson & I took our ice-axes & the rope, & went to investigate, the great cleft that apparently splits the Glacier from the continuing cliffs of the ice-cap. Went to the slope on the W. side, roped up, & cut steps up the almost precipitous face first snow then neve. After passing over the brow, found our road barred by a deep crevasse over 20 feet broad, & partly filled with snow did not try to cross on the snow, as the opposite side overhung, & we could not have climbed it. This crevasse appeared to run right across from the cleft to the cliff edge. It may be narrow enough to cross further along; but the wind was stiff & I did not like risking further along the steep sloping neve, near the edge of the cliff, as a slip in that breeze, & we would both go over. Nor was there time to spare. Disappointed that we could not see the nature of the surface where Glacier & Ice-cap part company. Our luck has been out, this trip. Could not see another place that promised a good road. Back to the tent, loaded the sledges, harnessed in the dogs, & off across the neve surface of the old floe to the slope by which we descended on the Wednesday, & which seems the only slope that a loaded sledge could be dragged up. Dogs made great pace over the floe made such a pace that both Hoadley & Watson rode, & they dragged them easily, in addition to the load. Watson toggled up to assist up the slope on to the Glacier, Hoadley drove, I on the Alpine rope leading. We dragged up, & over the several crevasses without difficulty, then taking our road along the slope on the Glacier side, instead of along the bottom of the great hollow, as we did before. Found the slope freer of crevasses, & good going. Soon cast off the Alpine rope, as we could not keep it clear of the dogs & sledge. They will not run steadily, break into a trot where its easy going & slow down in harder dragging. Sighted the site of night camp (18th March) & passed it at 11.30 a.m. Could not pick up our old sledge mark, must have been obliterated by the late blow. We got rather far E, - then rather much to the W so must have crossed them twice. Most of the surface excellent, - but in one part soft rotten sort of snow over apparent neve, & we broke through into a wide crack or two. Glad when we got clear of it. Pitched camp, for mid-day meal at 1 p.m. Temp. low minus 27 °, - & we endured an agony of aching fingers packing up & strapping load on again & when all was straight, set off at a run, & kept it up for the first quarter of a mile. After a while, warmed up, & fairly comfortable. Inside of helmet covered with snow. Eye-brows & lashes white A 2.40 p.m., saw site of noonday camp (of previous trip) a couple of hundred yds to the E. of us; & just after, the hut bobbed up & looked at us, - then down - & up again. (Mirage) Passed line of pressure ridges in the late gloaming, & arrived at the hut a little before 5 p.m. Fine evening, Moon (circling round without setting) [indecipherable] gone, shining in the S.SE. found all well at the hut, & thoroughly enjoyed the roast mutton potatoes & beans macaroni with cheese, & fruit, that Ken served up. Night temp. M-31 °
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May 6 Monday Accession of George V.
On the Wednesday, Wild & party went W. on the Ski six miles but saw no good road down to the floe nor seal or penguin upon Floe. They also dug out another small grotto to the N, beyond last dug, - and stowed Kerosene & carbide there-in, - So we have almost everything collected and under cover now. Am anxious to get a grotto for my biological things, - & that I can stow packing (for stuffing birds, - & sawdust for the skinning, &c, - as well as the bottles spirits &c. The blizzard was not very hard here, - but snowed the entrance right up, & heaped snow high over the debris carted out from the excavation. Their temperatures were lower than ours, so we were well sheltered that line of cliffs in Junction corner. They had scarcely hoped that we would get seal or penguins. I suggested advisability of sledging N. for a day or 2, on the chance of reaching edge of Floe, where seals surely would be found, - altho. possibly could not reach them from the Glacier above! Our Leader decided to make such a trip. This morning, Moyes & I dug out, & regrade entrance to our passage. The overhead snow had come down & the passageway beneath gradually trodden up, until we had to bend double to enter. Sledge snow away. Wild planted the broken mast, blown down in March, to tie sledges up to, so they will not get snowed up. Hoadley & Watson, putting away things we had on trip & drying them Ken. Cook. Jones asleep, night watchman. Day beautifully fine, but cold breeze from S.W. Nobody outside this afternoon. I at a couple of small cupboard I am making from carbide cases, with a bookshelf between. Dovers wanted to learn poker so 6 of them playing, - for matches Wild, at dinner time, coming out with 5 boxes of matches! Dinner, stew of tinned meat, turnips, - rice pudding & plums. Alas! A miscalculation made about potatoes! Now find they will only go 3 times a week! After dinner this evening it was found that Dovers had committed the offence of concealing his birth day He was dragged out & rope ended then his health drunk with musical honours. A speech was demanded but George got hopelessly stranded there! Fresh W wind to-nig Aurora in bright arches & altho. moonlight very bright now in long irregular streaks across from NE to S.W.
May 7 Tuesday
My turn for nightwatchman. Night went quickly; did some washing, writing up "log", - About 5 am, had a "supper: (?) slice of scone bread, toasted, & a cup of cocoa. At 3 a.m. the thermometer in the meteological screen stood at Minus 14 ° night fine & bright, Wind west, no aurora visible. Barometer had fairly tumbled down to 28.61 but mounted up even more rapidly to 29.32. At 6 a.m., Ther. Minus 25 °, Wind Southerly; Morning still fine & clear, dawn showing rosy colour. At 9 a.m. there was a strong wind and smother of drift! I do not object in the least to the night watch, but getting breakfast for 8 men after 24 hrs without sleep is a fag. I commenced at 7. Getting in coal, sweeping room; - got some flour & made a few scones, found one clean pot, - but no frying-pan clean, so put scones in oven. Mixed up milk, got out butter, set the table, & "cleaned up" washed mugs Woke them with "Gems from Muritana", followed by "The Lost Chord" cornet solo Put 2 tins Herrings in Tomato sauce on the stove to heat one exploded - & a spray of gravy & vapour shot up to the roof ! Then breakfast, - emptied slop buckets & ash-tray got smothered with drift. Made my bed & turned in, - tired & head aching. Jones putting up another book shelf woke me, dropping a book on my face with exception this interruption got in about 3 hrs solid sleep turned out to lunch 1 p.m. Had a bit of cold rice pudding & canned mulberries, & scone then until 11 pm working at my lockers & "fixing up" wall over bunk. Its beginning to look homely Got my photos out & in place, -so my dear ones are watching me now with a little shelf over, & watch & compasses - & over that the Xmas cover of Tas. Mail (my work) Hope to finish locker & bookshelf tomorrow. Do not know if I mentioned that we are called at 8.30; breakfast 9., lunch 1, dinner 6.0. tonight extra good things in honour Dovers birthday. Tinned fowl not up to much; turnips, peas, potatoes, plum pudding (tinned) Almonds & figs They started this morning excavating, but did not do much Blowing harder than it has since that Good Friday (that is considered the hardest Blizzard we have had on this place) & drift swirling fiercely.
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May 8 Wednesday
Wind high last night but dropped towards morning. After breakfast Dovers was set to scrape skylight & Wild tried an experiment with the N. light. Had the frost melted off with Jones blowpipe lamp & cleaned with a dry warm cloth. One skylight pane was then rubbed with olive oil, the others with glycerine but tonight all three skylights seem to be frosting over again. Wild & Watson preparing & weighing rations for sledging. I as one of the best needle men, was set to overhaul tent; Jones putting up shelves in the lobby. Moyes, (after his meterological work) & Dovers, dug out the entrance, then a load of ice sledged in. After lunch, I put on my berberries & went for a walk (after 2 days indoor) the others did not fancy it. Ther. had shown plus 7 ° this morning but the wind very cold. Day, dull & thick clouds indistinct around the horizon. "Tis wintry here now Glacier, Ice-cap, sea alike white! But the clouds to-day tell us that the ice has broken away to the W, & that there is open water there - & also beyond the Western Barrier; but the Floe extends as far as we can see. From the cliffs, I saw that a rather broad lane had opened in the floe in our little bay, & coming together again, had raised a great pressure ridge for some distance apparently 4 to 6 feet high, Wide, over hanging cornices & deep blue rifts, where I could see the cliff-edge, - but can only see the edge now, of corner, in corners, or at a distance. Neither bird nor seal to be seen. In the latter part of afternoon at my 2 lockers, made of carbide staves (rounded) & book-shelf between, with thin venesta wood over it [sketch ] Dovers, after inspecting it gave his opinion that "a man who can make such "gadgets" should be made to make "gadgets" for the whole company!" I disagreed. Now there are four at "bridge" 3 asleep - & Im going to "turn in". Ken rejoicing that 4 days of his weeks cooking is over. Dinner, soup, tinned stew, carrots, spinach, tapioca pudding & stewed apricots. After boiling the tapioca, he baked it; - with milk, - intended pouring in a few drops of Essence of lemon Ken. However, made a slip, & a whole stream of the Essence went in. He looked disconcerted tasted it, - ejaculated "Oh damn!"; well, theyll have to eat it theyll get nothing else!" so he added vanilla & nut-meg - & it really was not bad.
May 9 Thursday - Proclamation Day
A bad day not blowing hard, but still a stiff wind & too much drift to go out, - only Moyes out, about his meteological work. No sunshine. Temp. above zero. Barometer, - after its fall, & rapid rise again (the day before yesterday) has been falling steadily since. Now stands at 29.70 - & still falling. Of course the sledging party cannot start until the weather improves. Upon their return, I hope to go round Junction Corner again, explore from thence to the W. Barrier, along the Ice-cap edge. This should be an interesting trip, if we could only get a week of fine weather. Days are very short now. Sun sets a little after 3 p.m. Then its only 6 weeks now to the shortest day and then the returning sun again! Warmer weather Opportunity for sketching The old "Aurora" News from "dear ones now far absent" - & home again!
This morning I was overhauling & patching one of the tents, - Hoadley the other; Wild & Watson fastening the bamboo poles in their leather caps replacing screws with wire. Moyes and Dovers rasping down the knots upon the bamboo. Jones (nightwatchman) asleep. Ken. Cooking. This afternoon I commenced another locker under the bookshelves at the head of my bunk. Others at draughts (Watson sawed up a broom handle to make men, staining half with Condys Fluid) Bridge, & reading.
Dinner to-night; Soup, Preserved rabbit, turnip & beans; Apple pudding not bad, - but would have been better if Ken had not dished it an hour & a half before, & put it in the oven, to make room for other cooking. Served with custard that had been made yesterday for a blanc-mange but as said Blanc-Mange would only freeze - & refused to "set", it was utilized for a custard.
Wind blowing harder to-night & drift pattering on roof.ad the frHa
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May 10 Friday
Another day like unto yesterday, Moyes, who was out, this morning, to his screen, reported that he could only see a few yards, wind not very strong, but drift thick. Thermometer stood at plus 23 ° - quite sultry! Only 9 ° of frost! This afternoon it stood at plus 10 ° . Drift not so thick, could see as far as the Blue Devil. Apparently a good fall of snow and place silted up. The snow has drifted in the end of the passage, past the sides of the cases. Curtain, forming a beautiful pure white bank, both bank, walls and roof, encrusted with soft beautiful moss like tufts and fringes, ridges & projections. The snow is beautifully soft and feathery where it drifts in out of reach of the wind, - be it our passage, or a partly open crevasse Very different to the hard wind whipped surface of the Glacier. Hands employed as yesterday except that Jones was tinkering up the rim of the big boiler that had worked loose; & it was Moyes turn to "lay in". After lunch I had a couple of games of draughts with Watson - & lost them. Then at my locker under the bookshelf. Wild & Jones made prizes for the Bridge players. The one, a neat little tin medal with "Good luck" stamped upon it, hung on lamp wick; with cross bars of tin, neatly made, & fastened on, inscribed respectively "250", "500" "750", "1000," "Top Dog." This was presented to Hoadley, who was leading upon points. The other, the "booby prize", was a double coil of 3 inch rope, from which a broad strip of canvas hung, bearing a tin medal the size of a saucer stamped "Jonah". The cross-bars were respectively inscribed "250", "500", "750", "100000" "The Limit", "Poor Beggar!" This was ceremoniously hung round Dovers neck - & he had to wear it while playing until some ones score stands lower than his own! I fear he will wear it some time!
Our ice-halls are an advantage this weather, one can trot up & down the passage & get warm & fresher air than in here.
May 11 Saturday
Wind dropped; still, dull, morning; light fleecy clouds overhead, bank along W horizon, dark steel grey above the white surface giving to dull yellowish tinge above; with a fan shaped yellow light above the hidden sun. Pretty, & suited the frozen landscape. Drift above our grottos a foot or two deeper, & soft drifts about the Glacier in places. Barometer slowly rising now 29.20. Thermometer to-day, plus 5 °. Dovers, Wild, Jones digging out entrance. Considerable depth of snow there. Now, on such occasions, we can use our hatch and get out in despite of blocked entrance: Hoadley at stores, - sorting out, &c. I cleaned ice off inside of skylights, mended small hole in SE. light; - then cleared snow off upper part of roof. Its strange to walk up a snow drift & see your cowl (surrounded by a great casing of ice) sticking out of it; & dig down into the snow drift to find your skylight. The apex of the roof on the windward side keeps clear, & only partly covered on the sides; but the entire lee roof is deeply hidden after a blizzard. After lunch, as it was such a mild day, Hoadley & I went for a walk along the cliffs towards Icy Cape. We roped up, & took our ice-axes. The cliffs are beginning to "silt up" banks of snow forming below where it has been blown over. No way down visible yet. Great cornices over hanging the lodged snow, with beautiful blue depths of cobalt beneath them. Floe has a good deal of snow on, cracks more frozen over than when I saw them last.
We stept it out walking a little apart, as we found crevasses now & then, "Light" was very bad. Glacier & floe alike white the Ice-cliffs a soft shade of grey-blue, with blue hollows the only depth of shade was in the sky low down, above (apparently) open water in the N. All the rest frozen, erie, indistinct. We could not clearly see the cliff edge when it was only 30 or 50 feet away - & might have walked over the edge even, but for our local knowledge, slopes were covered with soft snow; the higher parts hard. Then the great pressure ridges in the hollow this side of Icy Cape rose like a miniature Alpine land. Ridge upon ridge, 40, 50, feet or more high. We climbed the first It dropped steeply down on the other side to a great square dock that had broken out in the midst of these pressure ridges. Beyond were the cliffs of Icy Cape a sheer wall, with beautiful blue, horizontal, as well as vertical. I must get a sketch there! We tried to work round amongst the ridges, feeling our way with our ice-axes, - finding broad crevasses, some we crossed others, we could find no place strong enough to bear the light was getting worse we could scarcely see a sheer drop of some feet So we turned up on to the glacier & walked home in the dusk, over the white weird landscape with a gloomy belt of dark cloud along the horizon. Then I finished my locker. "Sweethearts & wives" drunk tonight.
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May 12 Sunday
Snowing to-day, not much wind with it, but thick powder of snow driving round the entrance, Most of us in all day; Kennedy out at magmeteor work, & Wild out this evening. Thermometer above zero all day. Barometer steady at 29.10 if anything inclined to fall. Service just after 12, when Wild, who had been Nightwatchman, turned out. As usual now, confession, prayer, Creed, Gospel & collects. "Benedictus" instead of the "Venite". Hymns, "Jesus, lover of my soul," and "Oh God our help in ages past." Most of the day I have been arranging my wall. Put a narrow band of black paper (the only coloured paper that we have) top & bottom of the 2 rounded lockers, to hide the rusty torn end where the iron bands were round the Carbide staves. Then arranging my two photos, watch, compass, hand mirror, Sheathe knife with the ice axe & specimen gun, hanging under the large locker, the only things I have to adorn my wall with. Most of the other fellows brought a number of photos & nick-nacks. The books on my little bookshelf makes a great difference! My little share of the Common home is beginning to look picturesque & home like; & the others, who have mainly gone in for shelves, or lockers made by nailing a square venesta box to the wall. Others mending sleeping bags or rather inserting strips to make them meet, - they have shrunk so after the wetting; or playing different games. Dovers very depressed he played bridge into the early hour of morning with the great "Jonah" round his neck - & came out 600 to the bad so still less show of passing the said "Jonah" on. Our leader informed me tonight that I was to go on this trip W Its at Hoadleys expense; the chafed place upon his leg is not well enough to risk another journey. Not much show of going tomorrow, as the wind seems to be freshening.
May 13 Monday
Morning fine, tho. rather wild cirrus streaked sky. Cleared snow off skylight & apex of roof. Our Leader decided to abandon trip to Northward (Temp. then stood at Minus 14 °) as the possibility of getting down on to the Floe seemed small, and trip not worth the privations. At the same time gave any of us permission to go if we desired to. I said I would go if any of the others desired to go. Watson said that he would make one, & Dovers another. So I set to work collecting the things & started to load the sledge. Then difficulties cropped up. Watson suggested going to Harrisson Is. as he did not see much in just following along the edge of the glacier cliffs - & perhaps not be able to get down even if we saw seals or penguins. I favoured Waltons suggested change or going to explore the base of the Ice-Cap & the old floe, between the Glacier & the Western Barrier. But George Dovers wanted to follow the cliffs of the Glacier "to make a survey" (the "Aurora" coasted them going back.) Wild suggested we go to the Is which lies slight N. of E. then across to strike the Glacier cliffs (which as far as we can see, take away N.N.E.; and coast back for Dovers survey. This pleased Watson & I well; but as he could not have his own way, Dovers pettishly refused to go at all. So another consultation. None of the others were on for going, except Hoadley, and his leg was not well enough, so Andy & I decided to postpone trip until next week, when Hoadley could go. The worst thing about it is the days are shortening in so. Set to & unpacked & stowed things just got finished in time for lunch. In the afternoon I put on ski for a run. I think getting out as much as possibly not only keeps one more healthy, but also more "fit" for trips, & to stand the cold. I took my ice-axe and went away N, past a long line or pressure ridges, and down to the cliff perhaps a couple of miles from here. Then worked my way cautiously over some pressure Ridges & crevasses to a point where I could get a better look. Cliffs perpendicular no slopes, - and high. Sea more solidly frozen than in our little bay not even a tide crack to be seen or open crack of any description nor any sign of life upon it. Several crevasses but the 7 feet ski gives practical immunity. Two or 3 times the axe, used as a walking stick, broke thro. But the ski would bridge most easily - & from the lenght of surface they rest on, would not break thro where a foot would. The sun had set in a heaven glowing with shades of salmon pink, some time back; & the deeper, colder pink, with the cold dark purple beneath, had come up, then faded in the E. so I turned back. Too dark to see much when I got home 4.30. Warm as a toast but ice on face & berbery helm. Dovers very subdued at tea time Pleaded a headache. Played a game of draughts with Andy Watson, & beat him for the first time
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May 14 Tuesday
I was nightwatchman, last night. Lay down for a couple of hours, - then had a supper of cocoa & cake with Andy Watson, Hoadley, & Ken; wrote up Diary and read over some previous entries. Read the "Tas. Mail", Xmas No. (forwarded per "Toroa") had a hot bath, & washed clothes. Mug of Cocoa & a slice of hot buttered toast about 4 a.m. Read a bit, &c. Aurora rather variable. At 11 pm it was a bright arch in the E. (an unusual quarter) of thin pointed streamers. At midnight, only a few diffused nebulous patches scattered over head. At 3 a.m. a low bright arc in the W. another, but fainter, in the N. At 6 a.m. a bright broad band from E to past the zenith; as if swept up with a brush, spreading broader as it went. In the N.W. three successive bands, scarcely curved but with a faint indication of the curtain formation. The dawn then showed, a low glare of white light. At 7 a.m. No aurora. The dawn a narrow bright line of orange, pink, or crimson? Or a blend of all three? Then abruptly passing thro. yellowish green into a clear light luminous green. The whole was only some 10. then the dark sky. Just after 6 a m started cleaning up, &c. Cooked scones in the frying pan & oven. Boiled porridge, warmed a couple of tins of fresh herrings. Morning fine but thick in the W. Turned in after breakfast, & slept until lunch. Then put on berberies & went on the ski over the White waste of Glacier for upwards of 2 miles. Cold; tem. Ranging today from Minus 26 ° to 16 ° Light bad. Got back just at dark (4 p.m.) An erie, colourless evening White below yellowish grey above except in the S.E. where a band of dark steel grey gave the only depth of colour & shade to earth or sky. Looks like snow. wind rose with the evening, & stiff now. Wild has decorated his room with the pictures from my "Tas Mail" - & I have a view of Beech forest & the departure of the "Aurora" from Hobart on my wall. Resumed work on my chess men this evening, & cut out a rook. Bar. 28.85.
May 15 Wednesday
Wind & drift ceased through the night; - Watson, Dovers, & I cleared the doorway. Others did a few odd jobs then work over. As it was not noon, I tried a crayon sketch looking down our entrance passage & showing the ladder up & the reflected sunlight thro. the hatch. Was driven in to the stove twice to thaw out aching, smarting, fingers. altho was sheltered from the breeze. Still, sketch was not bad. After lunch Watson, Dovers and I went over to the great pressure ridges in the dip this side of Icy Cape. Went ahead on the ski, & reached the pressure ridges Went round the first, over a big crevasse, to where Hoadley & I turned back on the 11th, crossed the hollows there on a huge snow-drift to the Neve Slope beyond. Then seeing the dog team coming down the slope behind; I went back and joined them. Dogs had bolted hence delay. Watson Dovers & I roped up, & I led the way across the crevasses again; to the drift down this we went cautiously to what on the previous visit, we had taken to be a square rock broken out in the cliffs but found it was only partly sunken in, & formed a chasm. We went up a neve slope in turn & looked down at its beauty of snowey slopes and blue hollows. Then to the cliff edge. (which we had seen from further back was sheer & not "undercut") crawling to the edge & looking down on the floe below. No water visible. The very tide crack seemed nearly filled with drift snow. Seeing what looked like a way down, we came back to examine it. The "light" was bad; but as far as we could see the floe might be reached, if we lowered ourselves from the neve cliff which was solid, to a neve ridge from which a snow slope led down to the floe The cliffs were low & the ridge did not look more than 30 feet below. The sun had set some time so that wonderful deep rose pink was fading from the E. so we turned back I led on the ski, the dogs following, sometimes both the fellows riding, sometimes taking it in turns. N a bit of good "going" the dogs passed me. I caught the end of the Alpine rope, set the feet - & towed along behind, Afterwards brought the long ski side by side, & with my feet still fastened in them, - set down on my ski - & towed in comfort; took some managing reminded me of the whaleboat towing behind the old "Aurora". Reached the hut at dark (4 p.m.) evening rather cloudy. Bridge players getting a bit "off" the game, so I made a fourth for the first time since landing. After dinner played a game of draughts with Watson played 2 hours & reduced to 3 men each then I made a false move & lost the game.
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obart
May 16 Thursday Ascension Holy Thursday
Fine morning, but cold. Temp. from minus 21 ° to 14 °. After breakfast we went over to the pressure this side of Icy Cape. Mr Wild and I on the skis, Hoadley & Watson with the dog sledge; & Dovers, on his ski far behind. Upon arriving at the pressure, we "roped up", Wild & I on the one rope, Hoadley & Watson on the other. In the bright morning sunlight we could see clearly, far better than yesterday. The place we had noted yesterday was practical with a rope only about 30 feet, and a good slope. Then we went round the great pressure ridge to the snow slopes behind, & down to the chasm; It looked well in the sunlight & shadow, - the snowy slopes, cornices, & blue & green depths Wild led the way round to the other side; - then I cut steps down a little ridge to the bottom of the chasm - & we looked down, only about 25 feet to the floe. There was a cave below - & by the soft green light coming up thro two or three holes, they evidently led to the cave. Wild tried to break thro one of these holes, but while we were doing so, Watson discovered the end of the cave further up the chasm. We had to crawl down this cave, for from the roof heavy great icicles not of ice, but of snow built by the snow blowing thro, & all curving the one way. Dozens of them from a foot to half a dozen feet in lenght - crowding thickly but we crawled down one side without breaking them - & out on to the floe! We first made for the large ice-cave on our right: At the end was a haze of violet light, - so I led the way along a great snow drift up the middle of the cave on each side a narrow lane of ice, with small ice flows on it, - like little tufts of delicate ferns or feathers, - in ice crystals. Looking back was striking. The great walls & roof of the cave the long white drift how soft it was! but beyond, the surface of the sunlit floe, rough with snow showed a regular warm purple! We came to the end of the cave, - round the corner - & found ourselves at the far end of the afore mentioned chasm sloping up all round us were snow slopes & neve cliffs, - & the square of clear sky above looked by contrast a regular chocolate! Going further along the cliffs, we came to another opening, with a fine cornice curving round. Then we went along the wall like cliffs of Icy Cape sheer, - perpendicular with "strata" showing, - & broad green ice strips. In one place a great pile of ice hung out, with that deep beautiful blue in the cleft behind. I hope it will not fall before the hot weather comes as the deep cleft of blue contrasts beautifully with the white walls. The floe is not thick but jammed close only a tide crack a few inches broad along the cliffs lines of bristling ice stood up showing where the floe had cracked - & closed up again. We got home a little before 2 p.m. all enjoying the day. I worked then at my corner, - putting up some more illustrations from Mail. Filed down a nail to jam into one of Kens watch keys as all are too large to wind my watch. Think it will answer. Then at chess men.
May 17 Friday
We made another trip to the Icy Cape pressure ridges & the floe, starting after breakfast. A fine morning with pretty cloud effects, but very cold. Ther. minus 30 °. Jones & I were first away on our ski. Wild followed in state on the dog sledge. Then far behind, Hoadley & Dovers. The dogs arrived first, but we were close behind. Our leader, Watson & Hoadley had cameras; the day clouded, however & light "bad". It looks well on such occasions, - The ice cliffs & cornices hanging over sometimes nearly 20 feet wide are indescribly soft: the blues are deeper, & it has almost an unnatural effect, - it all looks so soft & phantom like those great solid cliffs of ice & snow! But its terrible for the camera men! Looking into th3 gulch or chasm down which we climbed, was as if looking thro a white vapour the cornices of the cliffs were about the same shade & scarcely differed in colour to the clouds above. The finest bit was the ice walls of the Cape, for they towered up against a dark bluish sky, with a rift of yellow light above. Had my crayons with me, & should have liked much to have sketched it, but the wind was too cold. So I retreated into the big ice cave, & tried a sketch with very indifferent results. Could not get the shades very closely with crayon, - now work it finely the surface of the floe a warm pink (contrasting with the cool shades in the cave). Mr Wild told me he was going back, - & I was getting perished, altho out of the wind. Hung on until had finished off the sketch somehow & then suffered the usual agony of frozen fingers. Mits had got cold on my hands, - I was cold all through would put the things together then stamp about until I could use fingers again but before I could even get the straps on & buckled, the agony of smarting fingers would become unbearable. Then had to get them warm again before I could pick up my ice axe even with the fur mits & woolen mits on for the wolf skin was cold & axe pressing it against fingers froze them. Its too dashed cold to sketch at minus 27 °! A great relief when I had my swag on back, & on cliff top with ski bound on. One can keep warm then! Most of photos taken were failures. Reached home just after sunset (3 p.m.) & did not go outside again. Most of evening playing draughts. Looks very doubtful tonight, & barometer tumbling down. Now at 28.50. Well, most of the week has been fine
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May 18 Saturday
A beautiful morning. When the sun rose at 9 am there was only a few wisps of cloud; only the lightest of air and that from the W.; while the temp. was quite mild thermometer showing minus 10 °. General regrets that it was not such a day yesterday. Hands generally employed for a couple of hours in the morning. I was scraping the sky-light, getting Ύ of a bucket of snow off the inside of the 3 lights. The stove beneath the others keeps it fairly clear. The panes treated with oil & glycerine, altho coated as thickly as the others, cleaned easier. Used a table knife to cut coat off. Hoadley & Dovers replacing under the verandah the briquettes of coal that had been used in bad weather; bringing them in from pile outside. Finishing work about noon, I tried a sketch from verandah, looking along entrance passage. As it was dark there, had to do it by lamp light. Got it rather too bluey-green in the shadows. First it difficult to get the colours of ice & snow in shadow hope to succeed better with the paints, & look forward to the sketching when its warm enough. Wild, Kennedy, & Jones warming themselves with hockey. I, desperately cold, after the sketching, tramped off at a good pace for the Laundry Place, & back. Then a few runs after the ball & in. It was a beautiful evening, - some time after sunset that wonderful deep rose-pink in the E. was deeper than usual, blending & merging into the dark shadowy purple below. Moyes completed his weeks cooking. One of our best cooks. - & good at pies & tarts first rate apple pie (with dried apples) last night. Tonight, salmon fried up with breadcrumbs, plum puddings, some of the plum puddings very indifferent tasting a bit mouldy. Thro. latter part of afternoon & this even have cut out the 2 queens in set of Chessmen "Sweethearts & wives" drank & the chorus sung. This is now always coupled with the names of Harrisson Watson Kennedy the first owning a wife, the 2 latter owing to sweethearts. Wild then sang "Kabul river" by request.
May 19 Sunday
Day dull, wind from W & S.W. Felt sleepy, as it was very late when I went to sleep the previous night. So lay down for a while after breakfast. Then helped copy out hymns. Mr Wild, who had been nightwatchman, turned out at noon; & Moyes held the usual service. Sang the "Benedictus" & the hymns "Jesus shall reign whereer the Sun" & "Our blest Redeemer ere He breathed." Others had amused themselves in divers ways before service. After lunch I put on ski, & went for a run by myself, as none of the others seemed inclined to turn out. Some of them did turn out, however, & played golf with hockey sticks & a ball that Wild had made, by rolling a twine ball & covering it with leather a very servicable ball too The light was very bad, dull overhead, - all vague shadowless whiteness around, unrelieved by shadow or colour. I went over to the big pressure ridge where we go down on to the floe: and had some "tobogganing" on its slope. Very exhilirating flying down the steep neve slope, & away over the snow slope below & stopping on the level that is, when I did go flying down so, - but more often had a spill, - however you dont get hurt on the soft snow. Its not so soft, tho, when your ski shoot apart - & leave you sliding down the hard neve on your back! Could get a run of about 70 yds when I managed to keep my balance & steer right. Pity there are no long steep snow slopes here. Did not start back until 3.40 light then very bad. Could not see the sastrugi beneath your feet, nor a rise until struck it with the ski - & what looked like a steep drop would only be different texture in the snow. Soon got quite dark a line of vague pressure ridges showed which I knew must be the "Basilisk" I felt my way carefully across the ridges & crevasses when I got to the other side could see no signs of the hut nor anything to "take my bearings by," except the breeze. For a moment I wondered if I was "lost" then thought I detected a vague darkness, & making for it, was delighted to see a faint speck of light our skylight! Home at 4.40. Watson cook this week. Usual Sunday "roast mutton" for dinner with soup, turnips & peas. Blancmange & jelly. At chessmen in evening. Bridge players at the game. Wild wore medal for highest scores - & Dovers to his great joy lost his "Jonah" to Watson.
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May 20 Monday
Thick & snowing, but not much wind. After breakfast we put on berberries & brought up a load of ice. The falling snowflakes were large & soft like pieces of cut up cotton wool the largest flakes Ive seen here. Two of the dogs missing; "Zip" & "Sweeps". The latter is no loss but "Zip" is one of the best dogs, & has improved much, - now a nice looking dog & the most willing workhorse A mystery where they have vanished to. Had it only been "Zip" would not have been so surprised. After getting the ice, Moyes & I went down to the landing place; but could not see over the cliffs to the floe. Wind was stiffer there, & more drift, so all a white vagueness beyond. Towards noon, it broke. By lunch time falling & drifting snow had ceased, & it was a fine but cloudy afternoon. Much speculation at lunch time over missing dogs. Dovers was going to look for them, but thought better of it & went to bed instead. So I set out alone on my ski. Went up Eastward to a crevasse Jones & Kennedy had opened yesterday Could see no signs of them. Then down to cliff edge. There is a slight fall in the level of the Glacier past our hut to the cliffs, - the "going" was good & the wind behind; so I went along well, - sliding from a foot to 3 or 4 feet, in addition to almost every stride. I had followed Wilds example & made a 7 feet bamboo ski-stick, instead of the short one taking spike, ferule, &c; from end of latter, & fixing them on the bamboo. Coasted along cliff for a mile, but could see nothing of dogs on the floe. Came back across the pressure ridges of the "Basilisk", - & also had a look amongst pressure ridges of the "Blue Devil", but saw no open crevasses that dogs could have fallen into. Others indoors all the afternoon, tailoring & reading, &c. This evening Bridge party as usual. Dovers, so encouraged by loosing his "Jonah" that he was playing again - & had the "Jonah" back before evening was over! He was solemnly presented with it; - & "speech" was called for but George was too disgusted to reply. I laid down for 2 or 3 hours. Then finished off King I was cutting out last night; & cut down all the rooks, as they looked rather large. This took me to 3 a.m. Aurora at midnight in [indecipherable] of an elipse in northern heavens, upper part about 45 ° high, broad bright diffused. Cloudy now
[In margin Temp. today, just below zero (minus 1 °) to zero
May 21 Tuesday
Midnight beautiful bright starlit night, - 3 a.m. thick, 4 am blowing fresh & drift flying. 6 a.m. Dawn showing Went out and got coal bricquette no drift. Read a bit, - then prepared breakfast. Fresh herring mashed up & mixed with a little cold rice, egg powder; white sauce, salt, pepper & butter. Baked. Was pronounced good. For the first time was not rushed & had everything done; so turned in by 9.30 & slept solidly until about 12.15, when somebody sliding down the roof & the snow slope behind, right over my head, woke me. Lunch at 1 p.m. Wild & Moyes came in from a round at golf. Then Hoadley & Dover, in great spirits. They had seen "Zip" down on the floe, & had gone along the cliffs until they found a place where they had got him up; apparently none the worse for his adventure. After lunch, Wild, Jones, Dover, Moyes & I went along to this place only about half way to the place we had previously reached the floe by. Found a broad shelf going half way down the cliff then a steep snow-slope. Fastened a rope to an ice axe & my long ski stick; & holding on to the rope, slid down the slope one by one. It looked well a line of cliffs; snow slopes with icy buttresses; long cornices curling over; icicles hanging in fringes; & beyond the cliffs of Icy Cape. At the foot, the frozen sea, - long stretches of soft smooth snow then the darker surface of the floe; - here & there, long ragged ridges forced up by pressure. The day was dull, the sky dark, the line of cliffs & their cornices wonderfully soft. I always feel a sense of unreality that its from some wonderful majestic pantomine, or fairy scene, rather than from every day life! We went along the floe towards the old Landing place. Where the floe had cracked & come together in some places, long lines of ice had been forced up as much as 4 feet, - splintered, bent & buckled; now partly snowed over. Noticed another slope that could be climbed I went up some distance by driving my toes into the slope then slid down landing in a cloud of soft snow. The wire cable, up which our things were sent, is still hanging from the cliff, & might be utilised again. Beyond this, at the end of the "Blue Devil" pressure ridges, there is a fine cliff mostly blue & green ice, with white snow veined over it. I must get down there with my colours, when its warmer. Prints of dogs feet in every direction, - in one or 2 places had climbed steep snow slopes 60 & 80 feet high! Zip must have had a wonderful escape falling over! Could see nothing of "Sweeps" only wanted to find him to kill him, & not let the brute starve. If fine tomorrow Wild, Moyes & I are going to try fishing & the fish "traps". Others are going along the floe.
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May 22 Wednesday
Shut up all day in our den. When we turned out this morning the entrance was snowed completely up; - had a peep out of the hatch later; Snowing & drifting, too thick to see anything as far off as the old dog lines, or Kens igloo; but not much wind. Needless, to say, projected day on the floe did not come off. No work assigned us today Busied myself thro. the morning putting the lobster pot (wire, folding up) together; & bending hooks &c, on the lines. Have a great lenght of thin fishing line , I reckon about 400 fathoms, so should be able to "sound" along the Glacier edge, & ascertain if inequalities in its surface corresponds with inequalities in the bottom. Do not expect many fish - & of course its far too deep for dredging. The line is thin enough to use on a reel yet the majority of the hooks are as large & larger than used for barracouta in Tas. most liberal supply but absurdly large for such a line. No hooks as small as used for perch in the Derwent. In the afternoon played a game of draughts with Andy, read a bit, & cut out the other king for the set of Chessmen This evening cut out a bishop. Others at various, employments & amusements. Sewing, reading, bridge, Dovers plotting out courses on Depot trip. Ken went to his igloo & did some work. This evening blowing pretty hard what a whirl of soft snow must be flying, for there was a good deal drifted about We are looking forward to it making a slope from the cliff edge to the floe that we can glissade & toboggan down; its good sport.
Shut up these days, my feet get very cold, in spite of 3 pairs of socks. Yet the hut gets up to a good temperature for polar quarters. It has got up to 60 ° from 40 ° to 55 ° more general temperature Mr Wild says its a warmer hut than he has had before. Being snowed up so, keeps in the heat; & makes it safe We listen to the wind howling over the apex of our roof, & know there is no danger of it blowing down! We could get the temperature higher with more expenditure of coal. Only use 2 or occasionally 3 briquettes a day, & some slack at night.
May 23 Thursday
Blowing hard, when we awoke this morning, dark & cold. Did not like turning out of the blankets. It is more difficult to keep up teerature of hut during a hard blow, even then the thermometer is generally about zero, than with much lower thermometer in quite weather. And yet, snowed up as we are, we do not feel much draught. Last night temperature went down to freezing - & to-day Watson had to burn 4 briquettes instead of 2. Moyes had a look out after breakfast, but could see nothing a blinding drift of powdery snow. He dare not venture from the hatchway, so returned. Wind increased thro the day, & is now blowing furiously. Wild reckons as hard as the Good Friday blizzard that blew our tent down - & that this, & that one are the hardest we have had on the Glacier. The wind roars over our roof & the drift can be heard scouring over. Have been in semi darkness thro. the day. Barometer fell in the last 24 hrs from 29.50 to 28.50. Fellows spent the morning reading, doing a bit of sewing, &c. I wet edges of Reindeer sleeping bag; preparatory to sewing on a new flap, - for my bag, like the others on that Depot trip, shrunk so in drying, that I could not toggle it up. Dovers, whose bag was the worst, was given a new one, & his old bag cut up to patch the others with. This afternoon made a fourth at bridge, playing thro the afternoon, but generally lost. This evening sewing new flap in sleeping bag.
I spoke to our Leader last Sunday about postponed trip to Is. & up Glacier. Spoke again about it this evening. Mr Wild thinks days are too short & rough now, - that the gear would probably suffer. So I suppose we must resign ourselves now to 3 months of inaction as far as exploration goes. But for Dovers obstinacy we would have got away Monday week had 10 days of fine weather. On our one trip (to Junction Corner) the barometer started down on the first day - & we had not a single fine settled day! My luck was in on the blue sea but I have had no chance to do anything since. Nor is there much chance of any exploring trips next spring. The Eastern depot has to be laid; & they intend moving the Western depot from where we dragged it with such labour, down to the hill slope near the coast. Then the long trips while I as biologist will stay here with Moyes the Meteologist. He is a good fellow, & I think we will hit it
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May 24 Friday
Blizzard still blowing, & blowing hard, but not as furiously as last night. Wild & Moyes put on berberries, tethered themselves to the hatchway & fed the dogs; Stumbling about in the blinding drift until Wild saw a dog at his feet, half buried. Sandow, wise in his generation, would not turn out from under the snow; so they poked a biscuit down between his paws. Zip not visible trust he is buried under a snowdrift - & not wandered again. Wild & Moyes could see nothing but able to find the hatchway again, as they were tied to it with Alpine ropes. Meteological screen blown over. Thermometer recorded plus 15 °. What a difference the wind makes. Its actually the warmest day for some time ( according to thermometer) yet bitterly cold to us! In here, the temperature got down into the 20s last night! & Ive suffered from cold feet to-day. Can get a walk now, of about 60 feet, along our ice passage & the continuing side of the verandah - & I take some exercise there. Fellows reading, sleeping, sewing &c. I spent most of the day over my Reindeer sleeping bag. Sewed on new flap; moved toggled & [indecipherable] as required; patched where necessary; & a piece of canvas across the bottom of the opening, - where they are liable to tear. She is in good order again now. Party at bridge, as usual, this afternoon. Wild won medal for "top-dog" from Hoadley last night - & Dovers to his great satisfaction, lost his "Jonah" to Watson. Its difficult working here, this weather. Had a light going until well past nine this morning. And had to light my candle to see to sew, a little after 2 p.m. Acetylene gas is on from about 4 pm until 10 p.m. with a single jet for the night watchman after that. It gives a good light, but if doing any very fine work require a candle in addition. There are occasional difficulties with the plant, & not surprising, as it generally has to be thawed out every afternoon with our Leaders little kerosene heater. This being Empire day we drank this evening "To the Empire" & put "Land of Hope & Glory" on the gramaphone & sung the chorus "God who made thee mighty, - make thee mightier still".
May 25 Saturday
Wind dropped in early morning; and we had a look out after breakfast. Still a fresh breeze blowing, and drift pretty thick. Wild, Kennedy, & Dovers went out, fed the dogs, &c. Hoadley scraped ice from the skylight, and Jones & I cleared up & swept verandah and ice passages; & I oiled the brace. The cold tools are dry enough under the verandah; when brought into the room for use, the cold steel is instantly covered with moisture & so rusts. Then we put on berberries & went out to assist drag up a load of ice from the "Basilisk". Drift was still thick enough to make all misty around even as close as the "Basilisk" while the "Blue Devil" pressure ridges, between us and the sea, merely showed as darker lines. In lulls we could see that all was still white beyond so the floe has not been broken up. We did not expect it to "go out". but we hoped that it would be broken, and show "leads" of open water, that seals might come down. The level around our hut seemed lowered, instead of raised. All the soft snow blown away, & some of the late falls also cut up & blown away. The wall built to shelter the dogs, is gone entirely The blocks were soft, & cut away entirely by the fierce wind & drift. Kens igloo is a wreck the roof (a tent fly) torn up, walls eroded by the drift, cut through above & only half former thickness below, on each side. Instruments buried under the snow. Mr Wild had put up a short lenght of the broken wireless masts, & tied the spare sledges to it, half a doz. sledges, standing on end. The mast, Oregon, 4 x 4 in. has been snapt off just above the lead of the Glacier. This gives an idea of the winds force. The other long mast with stays, has stood all right. Dogs all right. Lumps of ice sticking to their coats. The temperature has been high. Ice on the handle of the shovels. Outside this afternoon showed plus 21 ° inspite of the cold breeze. Inside temperature went up rapidly when the breeze dropped. 63 ° tonight. Outside a half moon shining & drift ceased. I played a couple of games of draughts - & at my chessmen. Watson finished his weeks cooking & had done very well. Meat pie tonight & Canary pudding. Latter not quite what it should be very sticky but not bad. Drank "Sweethearts & wives" this evening clinking glasses all round Mr Wild singing a couple of the verses & all joining in the chorus.
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May 26 Sunday
A beautiful morning. When I went out at 9.45, the sun was just clearing the horizon; a great bank of clouds alongside had a veil of lovely rosy light mist across it, - while the clear sky behind shone in opalescent colours, - shades of blue, green, yellow clear, bright, elusive. A beautiful sky yet would be difficult to paint altho here such "sunrise" or "sunset" effects last upwards of half an hour, so low is the sun. Indeed at its highest now, the sun only rise about a dozen diameters above the horizon. I went down to the cliff edge - & finding a fine slope of hard snow, went back & got the ski. But they did not go well; so, with Jones, slid about on the neve slopes of the "Blue Devil". Went back & helped Moyes copy out the hymns. Mr Wild (nightwatchman) turned out at noon & we had the usual service; singing the "Benedictus" & the hymns "When God of old came down from Heavn, & "Sun of my soul". After lunch, Mr Wild & Moyes went "golfing (golf played with hockey stick & a ball made of twine & covered with leather, about the size of a cricket ball) Jones went skiing on the Blue Devil slopes. Hoadley, Watson & I went along to the slope & down on to the floe. The glacier surface hard and "faced"; looks like last seasons surface. Snow slopes under the cliffs not increased much in most places but huge drifts on the floe beneath. Twelve feet or more in height, - 50 to 100 feet broad - & running diagonally away for Ό of a mile & [indecipherable] down as they go. The floe, loaded with this weight, has sunken along the drifts & cracked, or swamped with water oozing thro. Besides this the floe has had some nasty "jars" during the blizzard, as huge pressure lines shows. We had some great sport on the great drift with my ski. Sitting on it, as on a toboggan, we took it in turns, - & shooting down the steep slope, got "way" enough to shoot up over a smaller drift; down that & over the 3rd a small steep drift that the ski fairly leaped & landed on snow ridges beyond. Finally split back end of one of the ski Andys 13 stone must have been a bit trying but there was a fault - a knot in the ski. We then went along to the cave, passing over other great drifts. Found the cave partly filled with snow yet still more beautiful for the walls were covered with lovely snow crystals & encrustations after the manner of but more beautiful than fungus growths. The underground passage with the snow stalactites was gone filled solidly with snow. We went back, - a beautiful twilight with a Ύ moon in the N.E. . Climbed the snow slope to the ledge then the fellows cut steps higher up about 70 feet above the floe - & slid down on their backs. It was at an angle of about 80 ° - as near the perpendicular as could be slid down The tide crack made a gap leaving a drop of some 3 feet Watson & Hoadley flew down with the speed of falling [indecipherable] & landed with a thud in a cloud of flying snow. They said it was great" I didnt try it. Skied home in the moonlight there about 4.15. Temp this morning minus 14 ° but little breeze
May 27 Monday
My turn for nightwatch. Laid down after dinner, but can never sleep. Got up at 11. Wrote diary, had a bath, & did some washing. Read a little. Toast & butter; & a mug of cocoa at 3.30. Made some scones, and fried bacon. Get on better now with the frying. Learned that a slow fire is necessary. Drifting pretty thickly at 5. but after breakfast, had stopped. Dull & cloudy, - to the W both Glacier & sky the same vague whiteness a band of deep slatey blue cloud or water sky between. Was late getting in to bed, & woke again at noon. Wild & Kennedy went down & made passage to the floe, just below hut, where theres a gap at the end of the Blue Devil pressure ridges. Have to use an Alpine rope, but do not depend upon it entirely, as you can get your toes into the ledges & steps cut. After lunch Jones & I went down to the floe, & had some sliding on the big drifts. We left immediately after lunch, but the sun set as we got on the floe a fine "break" of nearly crimson, in a picturesque but rather wild drift of cirrus. Drifts running out from the line of cliffs that rose a white unreal looking wall against the pink & purple in the E. Finding drifts not steep enough there for exciting runs, we went across to the big drift we were on yesterday. There we had some runs across the ridges, sitting, - or laying along the ski, holding on by their up turned points. Then I went to a temptingly steep slope but going over the second ridge I saw a wind-blown hollow at the foot a hole some 3 ft deep & straight ridges on each side. I promptly tumbled over there & then. But Jones following kept on flew down the second slope & tried to shoot over that hole the next moment 2 ski were flying, - & Jones was doubled over the ridge. I could not speak for laughter Jones was just in the posture of being "hung out to dry!" We had spills innumerable but they only added to the merriment. We were running now, standing, instead of sitting or laying. These followed the cliffs round to our gap; with the occasional runs down slopes, - but slopes not quite steep enough. We enjoyed the afternoon, - and came back warm & hungry & altho it was well down in the "minus" Minus 20 ° at dinner time, but a lovely bright moonlit night. This evening Hoadley & Watson photographed 2 or 3 of the bunks and their respective locker &c. Mine included, with Andy and I playing draughts. They dug out the entrance this morning
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May 28 Tuesday
A beautiful day, temp. Minus 15 ° but bright, & very little breeze After breakfast six of us started to go north along the floe Hoadley & Dovers electing to stay & take photos of the cliffs near the hut. Watson & Kennedy took the dogs down the slope a mile away. We went down the rope. Along the cliff, beyond the old landing are great snow mounds, where the drift has poured over the cliffs. Like great sand dunes, only steeper, backed up against the cliff. Wild made for one about 30 ft high we followed him to the same one. Then he threw himself down on his face in the attitude of diving and shot down the almost perpendicular side at a great pace out on to the drift at its foot. I screwed up courage & followed. It requires a bit of nerve to dive down, head face, an almost perpendicular slope you simply fly down - & so smooth are the sides, that its like falling, without the shock of "bringing up" at the bottom. A little farther along, a wonderful tongue shaped project stood out from the slope. Wild & Jones followed by Kennedy climbed up high behind this (cutting steps) & Watson arriving with the dog team took a photo. Wild worked out along a ledge of snow that over hung the slope, Kennedy followed. They did not like the look of it. Ken screwed up courage & dropped feet first & face down It was a sheer drop for about 8 feet, then he hit the slope & flew down. Wild followed on his back, rapping the back of his head against the slope, as he struck it, - but arrived all right. We only got about 3 miles along the floe there were too many snow slopes Each would look better than the last - & all stopped to try it! Then Ken tried coming down on his back, head first; he could not see where he was going, of course. So Wild ran to the foot of the slope, & as Ken shot for him Wild leaped up & let Ken shoot under. The expression on Kens face when he suddenly caught sight of a man poised in the air above him was most ludicrous! It nearly killed me! We came to a higher but not steeper slope with a slight ledge near the bottom. After a slide or two, Watson, Jones, & I took the 7 feet sledge up. It was a crowd 3 on that little sledge. I only had about 18 inches at the back to sit on. Wild pushed her over the summit - & down she shot with bird-like speed! When she reached the little ledge she leaped 3 feet from the slope, landing 20 feet away on the drift! Oh dear, what a bump! It broke one of the "deck beams" of the sledge, it shot me off my precarious seat, & as my legs were under Jones I dragged the rest of the way on my back! When she stopped, we laughed & laughed, with a groan or two all shaken up & a bruise or two. Great merriment over that run but no more volunteers to shoot that ledge! Had some lunch at 2 pm. Then the others turned back I went on to a point over a mile further on. Round that, came on a fine cave in the cliff, not very steep, but high; hung with icicles, encrusted with snow formations, like bee comb fungus growths &c. Shaded in blue green & white. Beyond that, islands of solid ice, 30 ft or so high; dark green, yellowish green, and blue. All around, the sea was paved with ice blocks, now cemented in with floe 50 acres of broken up surface. Wild says this is broken from the lower part of the glacier & came to the surface it is all wave worn, saucer like depressions. The stars were shining, & a Ύ moon. Cold walk back, arriving at 5.30 tired, hungry & a bit sore, - Enjoyed the day greatly.
[Along the side of the page] Saw a snow petrel fly along the cliffs, first living thing seen since Ap. 30th.
May 29 Wednesday
Made a fourth at bridge last night & a long rubber took us to 12.30! I won steadily all the evening, getting into "plus" again Watson my partner most of the time. Andy still has the "Jonah" & Hoadley the "top dog". Felt "off colour" when I awoke this morning. A glorious day. At 9 a.m. the N.E. was glowing the S.W. all rose and purple, with one bright point (Jupiter, I think) shining there. After breakfast, Wild, Hoadley, Moyes & I went down with picks & shovels, and cut away the edge of the cliffs, to improve our roadway. Cut down 6 or 7 feet deep, fashioning steps back. Watson & Jones brought down the dogs & we passed them over, they leaping from the ledge to the slope & rubbish we had cut down. Then Watson & Jones went with the team to the far slope for a small crowbar left there. Last night, returning they heard a seal breathing in a crack, & cut thro. a small hole. We heard him repeatedly blowing, this morning The deep breathing snoring of a cow when asleep, only much louder. He apparently went away, returning at intervals for air. The other two reported that the dogs made a rush out to one of the lines of crack & pressure that traverse the floe, & they saw there plain signs of a seal, or seals, being on the floe very lately. They do not care about coming out much in this cold weather, but its apparently only a matter of time now getting one; & the fresh meat will be welcome Upon the return of the dog team, we went along to the "tongue" of snow made by a cornice forming on a snow slope where Hoadley Wild & Watson photographed Wild, Watson, Hoadley, then climbed up to the "drop slide" - & came down head first on their stomachs. They dropped "flop" on to the steeply sloping sides from the ledge above, & shot down at a great pace. I did not try it. It looked more risky than enjoyable, & Im not taking needless risks. I tried ski-ing down a steep but not high slope, standing erect on them. It was a sharp edge & sudden drop I flew down but fell like a sack of flour upon taking the sudden change from steep slope to sloping drift. Wild then tried, & fell too it was the bad "take off" However he mastered that & shot down next time successfully. Then Wild tried shooting the 30 feet slope It was great to see him go down, - his body at right angles to the slope, - so almost horizontal, - he kept his balance, - flew down the slope & away a hundred yds over the drift! There is a good "take off" on its rounded summit. I tried a low slope with such a rounded summit & got on all right. Its a delightful sensation like flying! We went home for lunch, getting there about 2 p.m. as the sun was setting. The colours under the sun were beautiful in their clearness & purity but opposite, in the S.E. it was all a lovely deep rose with the moon like a silver shield hung therein. Beneath was a low bank of cloud, - & the rose carried down into its purple. We were discussing the colour of this cloud. Watson suggested heliotrope, I Imperial purple, such as the Roman Emperors might have worn or not so bright. Felt so unwell I laid down for the afternoon.
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May 30 Thursday
A rather dull day, & very cold. The thermometer through the night showing minus 35 °. At breakfast, 30 ° and 23 ° about 6 p.m. We went down at worked at the road to the floe. Wild & I on the edge, where we had to take to the pick axe, for we were down on ice I took a turn of the rope round one, & cut down the steps on the outside, until we could get to the slope without the rope. Hoadley & Jones cut back steps into the sloping surface above the cliffs. So now we have a deep cut road descending in great steps to the top of the heap of rubble we have sent down on the snow ledges & drift below. The next blow should cement this into a smooth descending slope from our steps to the floe. Could keep ourselves warm working, tho. the frost was thick & white on brows, eyelashes, & lip. Coming back to the hut agreed the breeze was bitter it burnt fairly seemed to burn, the exposed parts of the face! Only Hoadley and I went to the floe after lunch, for ski-ing they had a great afternoon yesterday down there. I had been looking forward to it, & very disappointed at not feeling well enough to go. They had taken down a 10 ft sledge, & run down some of the slopes Ken. getting pitched off, 9 ft away on one occasion! This afternoon the light was bad, as usual on a "colourless" day when the lack of shadow & colour leaves a "whiteness" that, as far as seeing goes, is nearly as bad as darkness. The great cliffs & cornices looked unreal & phantom like. We tried running down some of the low mounds & drifts standing erect on the ski. slopes of about 6 or 8 ft. We could not distinguish slope level, or rise, so had to sway our bodies by the feel, as we rushed down. This is a great handicap, as the eye naturally prepares one to meet change of level. I managed to run down steep but well curving slopes; but under the circumstances failed every time. I tried slope that dropped very suddenly & level up as quickly. Hoadley went back early. But Ken came down & ran down the 30 ft precipitous mound, lying on his ski shooting away more than a 100 yds across the drift. Once he "broached to" at the foot of the slope, rolling over & over, fairly bounding like a sack of flour. Night rather thick & ring round moon.
May 31 Friday
A dull morning, but warmer than yesterday. Breeze very light. I assisted Ken to rebuild his igloo. He had dug the snow from within, & then thrown it over the S. walls, - so that wall is pretty thick now. We cut large blocks from the Glacier surface with the saw, about 2 x 7 Ύ x 1 Ύ ft & built the N wall of double blocks the E wall is level up, on sloping drift, - So it should stand now. The blizzards surely will not cut through 3 solid feet of snow - & that in the thinnest part. While working there, the sun rose turning the clouds in front of it all yellow a little point of rainbow showing to the E. The end of the W. Barrier was not only miraged up high, but distinctly showed the sunlight flashing back from its buttresses - & the shadow of a cloud passing over it. A few minutes later, this disappeared & the Barrier dropped to its ordinary low line on the horizon, while the bergs near to it remained miraged high. Then they too dropped to ordinary level. Wild & Hoadley making triangle or "popped-head" preparatively sinking a shaft down to test the ice of the Glacier. Others getting ice, & bringing up tools & sledges left on the Floe & road. No seal yet seen out of water tho. they have been up on the floe. After lunch, I went down to the floe, by myself, as the others did not seem inclined to go However saw 4 of them down later. I went S along the cliffs to see if the drift towards the cave were good for ski running To soft & longest not enough for a good run. The invisible sun set, without glow or colour, - but afterwards, a beautiful flush of rosy colour shone up from below, spreading over a small fan shaped space of cloud. As usual on such dull days, light very bad. I could not see what was slope & what level Running down which I took to be a long slope, brought up by a rise or something so suddenly that I pitched headlong over the front of the ski. Jones & Ken also got damaged a little, falling the one ploughing up the snow with his forehead & the other with his nose! The sky was grey, of a slightly warmish yellowy tint. The floe almost the same shade, but colder, - the cliffs a little lighter, - ever so little lighter with a slightly bluish shade. The ice-buttresses sticking out of this several shades darker & of a greyish bluey green or [indecipherable] blue. As the afternoon wore on, could not distinguish the edge of the cliffs against the sky! After tea, had a game of draughts with Andy & lost then bridge with Hoadley Watson & Moyes lost on the whole. Stained my chessmen by soaking things in red ink.
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June 1 Saturday
A fine morning, - when I looked out at 9 am, the N.E. was glowing in crimson, yellow, & green deep green & clear pale greenish yellow, - behind a half drawn curtain of thin purple cloud. Spent most of the morning sewing up the split & torn canvas that served for a roof for Kens igloo. The Magnetic Igloo is set up once more & Kennedys troubles will begin again. The fine wires in his instruments are continually breaking with the cold. Vernier & glasses clouding with the lightest breath or heat & freezing & be-mittened fingers are clumsy to work with. Altogether his work is rather trying, & no great wonder if there are some "blessings" loud & deep over it.
After lunch (about 1.30 pm) went down to the floe. The sun was already on the horizon, slipping lower & lower as it moved along. The cliffs and snow slopes were beautiful in faint sunlight & shadow. And then, as the sun slowly vanished, that wonderful colour came up in the S.E. There were some thin cloud there to-night, & seen above the cliffs, the whole sky glowed like highly burnished copper that pink-purple I spoke of the other day. Wild & Jones followed, & we had some ski-running down the slopes - &, incidentily some beautiful "busters"! I kept to the lower slopes, for I do not much enjoy rushing headlong down the very steep high slopes; & a few heavy falls makes my head ache. Wild & Jones had some runs down the high slopes, - sometimes shooting 130 yds out over drift & floe; sometimes sitting down with great suddenness & force at the foot of the slope, & watch their ski run on without them sometimes pitching over any how when man, ski, ski-stick & flying snow would be all mixed up together! You rarely fall on the slope its in accommodating yourself to the sudden change of level on the drift. We went along to the next point N, where we found a high but more even slope & better running. Heard the seal breathing at his hole, but cant get him ashore. Have cut out the "fighting line" of my chessmen (leaving pawns to be cut later) & stained them with red ink. Dont look too bad. Had first game with Andy Watson (using "Halma" men for pawns) - & lost to my disappointment but won second game. Then showed Hoadley the play.
"Sweethearts & Wives" we drank the old toast as usual Wild singing the chorus. Another month has gone! Bringing us that much nearer to seeing our beloved ones "now far absent", once more. Tomorrow we will be six months out from Hobart A whole half year since Ive seen my wife & little mites. By the end of the week it will be six months since Ive heard of them how they are, & how they have fared. "Mizpah" wife.
June 2 Sunday
Dull day thick & "white". Most of the fellows had a nap thro. the morning. Half of them turned out for "Golf", on the floe this afternoon. I am on cooking again but not such a rush as last time. Dovers is improving in cooking; & cleaned things up yesterday Andy Watson being told off yesterday morning to help. I cleaned up this morning, & got things more into my way. At 12.30 the fellows turned out, & Moyes held usual service. "Benedictus" & hymns "Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty" & "Fierce raged the tempest oer the deep." Had to get the mutton this afternoon. No easy job sawing a foreqrtr out of a woodeny sheep, & took some time. Tried to joint it but fat & flesh flew in wood-like chips. So I left it for George Dovers (president, this week) to worry out at the dinner table. Very dark inside all day. Had to light a lamp after lunch. For lunch remains of cold ham, & sausages left over from breakfast. Rheubarb pie not much in demand. George made two last night, - & half the fellows were unwell after dinner suspicion falling on the pie. This is a risk we always take with so much tinned stuff, & occasionally some are sick after a meal. For dinner Mullagatawny soup. Roast mutton & mint sauce, potatoes & turnips. Plum pudding (tinned) with Sweet sauce flavoured with whiskey. Tea, cigarettes & fruit preserves (Algerines, I think they are called.) One of the other cooks introduced innovation of serving soup round on plates each mans plate then serving for the next course (meat ) this is a great saving Saves 8 basins. Appetites gone off very much. Not that we do not eat well but gone are the days where we had a tin of sardines each at a meal! I remember eating a whole tin 20 or 24 sardines one evening after a long day house building! Our weights have increased, Ive gone up to 10 stone 9, & did not alter this last week. Watson 13 stone 11, is our heaviest man Drifting a little this evening. Bar. Been low for some days. Have finished now, & am going to turn in, & read for a bit before going to sleep. Tired & depressed all day. Late going to bed last night read into the morning hours. & then lay long thinking - & must confess to a bit of "home sickness".
[On margin of page]
Watson & Hoadley turned out at 4 am. To photograph the snow mound & cliffs. The snow comes out better (this time of the year) beneath the high full moon than the low sun 25 minutes exposure. Got one good photo then it clouded over
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June 3 Monday Kings Birthday
Dull day, stiff wind, tho. not a gale. Drifting. Only Moyes out & did what was required outside. Bar. Went to 28.40 about 3 days ago; going up since now about 28.89. Wind & one or 2 of the fellows making a rope ladder this morning. Jones cutting a harpoon out of one of the small spades. Might be able to secure that seal in the water, since he does not seem inclined to come out. This afternoon most of them reading, sleeping, or playing games.
Wild & Watson had a game of chess, the "canny" [indecipherable] Scott winning. Now Wild Moyes Hoadley & Watson are at Bridge. I have finished the long days work Sardines & cherries (canned) for lunch. For dinner Mock Turtle Soup, - Oxtail stew. of tinned ox-tail to which I added tomatoes and a little onion fried in butter, with parsley, pepper & salt. Spinach which does not find much favour, - & parsnip These tinned vegetables fall far short of the fresh article, of course, but are really wonderfully good considering. Then Apple pudding, with dried apples soaked & boiled before being put in the dough. With custard, - made with custard powder & "Glaxo". Dinner appeared to be appeared to be appreciated. The dried apples, too, fall very far short of fresh but still makes a good pudding. This was the first time ordinary flour has been used nothing but "self raising" used hitherto. "Glaxo" this is a New Zealand preparation & milk in the form of dry powder, - & is far better than condensed milk, to my mind. & as we have a large quantity of it, we can use milk in puddings freely. It is not sweetened like condensed milk. My predecessors evidently do not consider chopping boards, flour boards, &c as articles that require washing so I had a bit of extra cleaning up Now the washing up done, the pots washed, the pudding cloth washed - & table washed down; room swept. Coal box filled, ice brought in & boilers filled; slop buckets emptied, ash-tray empties, Lanthorns filled & cleaned, Diary written up - & I am to bed tired. & have a read before going to sleep.
June 4 Tuesday
Quiet morning, somewhat cloudy, cold wind. Wild set up the short lenght of broken mast again (to fasten sledges up to) freezing it in with water, as before; but this time putting a couple of stays to windward. Ken at his magnetizing igloo; throwing up a bank of snow all round, to protect the walls. Hoadley, Watson, Jones, Dovers, after digging out doorway; then started cutting blocks for igloo over shaft that they are going to sink. After lunch, Wild, Watson, had a game of "Golf[indecipherable]", I got out for just half an hour, after washing up lunch. 2.30 sun had set, & all the colour gone except a pink, yellowish & green glow in the West. Right SSW, was the Ύ waning moon; Low down over the land, distorted mis-shapen and of quite an orange tinge; set in a very dark bluish purple sky. She rapidly grew brighter, but took all shapes & angles thro refraction. I walked down to our road to the floe, Altho there has not been much drift, our deep sunk roadway is filled to within a yd of the cliff face. It would have been possible to have got down without a rope or cutting steps but would probably have slipped & journey down to the drift below much faster than intended. No seals visible. The nightwatchman Moyes made sausage rolls for breakfast - & there are enough left over for tomorrows lunch. For Lunch I gave them ham & cold mutton (from Sunday) Beetroot & Gooseberries. For dinner Kidney soup a favourite a pie of rabbit, flavoured with ham, onion & Essence of lemon. Some amusement when it came to table for it bore the penguin & A.A.E. on it! Carrots. Pudding "Golden Pudding" made of four, suet, breadcrumbs, sugar, marmalade, - with sweet sauce flavoured with vanilla. It found favour. The bridge party are playing, as usual I am for bed
[Note in margin] Kings Birthday yesterday was overlooked. So drank King Georges health this evening, sang verse of National Anthem. Then put "Land of Hope on the gramaphone that is the nearest thing we have to a "national song".
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June 5 Wednesday
Fine day, but rather cloudy & unsettled looking Mr Wild & Jones took the harpoon & went to look for the seal, but did not get a chance for him. Some of our fellows Jones, Dovers, & so on are very "hungry" for fresh meat; & would "do that seal to death" if they only got the chance! Kennedy at his igloo. Watson asleep, the others at the new igloo. After dinner, Wild, Jones, & Dovers went over to where the seal had been up in the middle of the bay; but with no luck. I got my work well enough in hand to go out for an hour, after washing up lunch. Had not appetite for breakfast this morning, - for the first time, & head inclined to ache. I went down to the floe & had a little ski-sliding. Light was not too good nor sunset noticible. The "The "Tongue" has grown in the last drift, curling over as if to lick the slope below. Some of the drifts are a little higher, but softer. Slopes are yet mostly too steep or not steep enough. For lunch to-day had the sausage rolls that Moyes made, with bread, honey, jam butter. For dinner. Green Pea soup & a hash of remains of cold mutton, with gravy thickened with flour & a little tomato juice, onion, carrot cloves relish, herbs, salt & pepper. Many came back for a second helping. all but the flavouring being scraps left over from other meals. Green peas, Leek. Boiled rice & stewed nectarines Leeks are not liked. I was the only one who had a helping. So I suggested they be crossed off list for future - & "held back for the 3rd winter." Anything the fellows dont like or will not have, is "held back for the 3rd Winter" "Youll be glad of them then" says Wild! I hope we will not have to face a second year here much less a third with no word from home.
June 6 Thursday
Day fine but dull, thick towards evening. Sun now only 2 or 3 diameters above horizon at noon, - & to-day showed as a yellow glare in the misty sky. At 2 p.m. the sun has set, by 3.30 the twilight is merging into the gloaming, by 4.30 the stars are all shining & you cannot see your way about unless you know the road. Jones got some ice, - & went to the floe. Hoadley, Kennedy & Moyes at work on the new igloo. Dovers down on the floe taking height of cliffs; Ken at his magnetic igloo. Mr Wild (nightwatchman) asleep. After lunch Jones, Dovers Hoadley Moyes had a game of Golfkys." I got an hour off & went to the floe with my ski for a bit of an airing. Light bad, sky dark so dark that the cliffs came out like a white wall; - a narrow strip of glowing pink & yellow in the W & N.W. This by the bye persisted until nearly 5 p.m. & had a peculiar effect that narrow strip of colour when all around was dark & the stars shining for the clouds overhead had cleared, tho a bank remained round the horizon. On the floe, I could see little. Would be going along, when suddenly the ski would glide away, & I would have to hastily adjust my balance to a slope - & as hastily readjust it to a rise or level a moment after. Came to a slope with a little rise & ridge. Could glide down the slope & take a little jump over the ridge - & then glide on had many tumbles in the bad light. A great mass of cornice, about hundred yds away came crashing down, in a cloud of smoke like snow. Another days cooking done and towels washed & boiled with soda. but owing to previous cooks neglect, not very white. For lunch Lambs tongue & tinned Mulberries. For dinner Mutton Broth Curry of corned beef, - & rice with some green pea soup left over from last night for gravy, - with apple onions cloves, chutney, & butter fried up & added to gravy. Vegetables Baked beans & tomato sauce. Roley Poley raspberry jam pudding first we have had very good but stuck to the cloth abominably. Dovers says it not economy of labour to have boiled puddings presume that is really the reason we have so few.
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June 7 Friday
Morning fine, but afternoon & evening thick & threatening Thermometer has gone up steeply both yesterday & today. This morning it rose 9 ° (from Minus 14 °) in a couple of hours. This was before the sun rose so its now feeble influence could scarcely have effected it. Hoadley, Watson & Moyes finished building the igloo. They have some mighty blocks in the wall 4 feet long & 1 ½ thick. This snow from the glacier surface is very close hard & solid a cubic ft weighing 27 1/8 lbs (by Moyes weighing) Wild & Jones sewed up some canvas for the roof. They have a good building now, with walls about 6 ½ ft high. After lunch, I went to the floe with the ski, - tis well to get a breath of fresh air, after this tobacco laden atmosphere Got away a few minutes after 2 pm, but sun had set & light bad. I went along some distance set & light bad. I went along some distance under the vague erie cliffs, in a kind of white twilight; sliding down a few slopes. &c It was pretty well dark when I got back at 3.45; & a fresh breeze blowing. Of the others, Wild, Jones, Hoadley, Watson had a game of golf. Then later, most of the fellows "turned in". They do a good deal of sleeping! For lunch, I warmed up curry left from last night; & thawed a couple of tins of pineapple. For dinner, Hotch Potch Soup. Salmon, with a dressing of vinegar olive oil, bread-crumbs & butter "Salmon au gratin" according to Mrs Maclurcan the oil spoilt it Bye the bye it was baked. Potatoes & green beans. Macaroni, with dressing of flour boiled in butter, milk, pepper salt; cayenne, biscuit crumbs & butter. They seemed to like it. The work done for another day. Thank goodness & tomorrow ends the weeks cooking! I wouldnt mind the cooking, itself so much; but its such a drudgery Everlasting washing up, & washing pots carrying out pails of water, - and theres a lot of things to wash and wipe every time. Some of them always help at wiping after dinner. Well, there one consolation every weeks cooking means six weeks nearer home!
June 8 Saturday
Day much finer than yesterday, altho. so threatening last night. The fellows did an hours work this morning, cleaning up the verandah and grottoes getting ice, & securing roof of igloo, &c. Mr Wild scraped ice off skylight. Then they had a game of golf. Cold, 18 ° (minus). After lunch 2 or 3 went to the floe. Most stayed inside. Great amusement over games of chess between Jones & Dovers. All the chances they missed would have their adversary on the point of checkmate but would not see it - & loose pieces instead - & Dovers excessive caution & comments! Both knew the moves - & thats about all! I did not get out, but have had a busy day. Cleaning stove, baking scone bread have got brown bread to rise decently at last, by-the-bye. Washing & boiling the towels &c. For lunch gave them tinned Collared Head & tinned plums. For dinner, roast mutton (tinned) done with butter, ginger, &c, and mushrooms. Make the tinned meat a little more palatable. Prune pudding, baked, Under crust in pie dishes, with prunes upon it, candied peel, sugar, spices too sweet for my taste. Soup Julienne, - & green peas too. Im getting too old to stand this work patiently & have had so much of it in my time! Theres a lot of extra work thro having to melt ice for water, & thaw out everything so many pots to clean. Generally 6 buckets of slops to carry out each day! & cleaning those buckets tonight was the worst job of all! The grease would not wash off with hot water nor brush of thick over everything I cursed more over that job than the weeks cooking It is fortunate that no cold germs are here we run out bareheaded & hot with cooking into minus 18 °, to empty buckets, &c - & ears & bare arms will be tingling before getting back. All the fellows sitting round the stove & crowding about is a great [indecipherable] Well, everything clean & straight now altho past 10 before it was done. "Sweethearts & wives" honoured as usual.e
Ho
alfHaloHo
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June 9 Sunday
A fine day - & I released from housework! Clipped beard & moustache close as possible before going out did not get a chance thro. the week. No service to day as Dovers decided to go out on the floe for the morning (to finish the theodolite work started one morning thro the week) & took Andy and his dog team. Jones was asleep, - so Mr Wild decided not to have service. Hearing this I took my ski & went off for the day (just before noon) Down on to the floe by the mile-off-slope had a slide on the big snow drift & then went off S. Saw Andys dog team take him in to Ice Cape, after a while they went back. Upon reaching the end of the Cape I saw a seal by the pressure ridge, thro which it had got up. Saw Andy had disabled but not quite killed it, so I went on, following the cliffs for another mile & a half. But nothing particular to be seen except one very massive large cornice, capping the cliff end of a little point. It must have been nearly 40 ft sq., sweeping down in many huge leaps [drawing of leaps] No snow mounds along there but huge drifts, hard & smooth, - yet scarcely steep or long easy sides for sliding. Had a few slides standing on the ski, then back. Seal was dead when I passed it. Icy wind sweeping down along the cliffs, & in my face, - so gave up going to the cave, & made straight across the floe for the steps. The brighter stars were shining above, but as the night was clear, the seeing was good, & I had no trouble finding my way. Met Andy, Dovers & Jones at the steps, with the dog team & a lighted lanthorn going for fresh meat. So Dovers got his greatest desire by upsetting the service this morning! After a slice of bread & butter & a mug of cocoa, Moyes challenged me to a game of chess had 3 games - & won all. Hunters returned. Jones believes it to be a different species I took it for a Weddell, - but did not look closely, as it was laying in a pool of slush & blood. After tea Jones & Dovers played chess. Then I made a fourth at Bridge. Lost the first part of the evening, but Andy & I had some great battles later, - making it upon very short hand, - & winning, but did not recover what we had lost. Hoadley cook, & I am president again. Mutton, roast - & apple pie for dinner Aurora very good tonight. At tea-time it was in form of small arch in NE from end of which a great irregular band of bright light across zenith to S.W. Now (midnight) as large bright irregular curtain sweeping so [sketch] with long streamers in the E. from its N end a broad band of light along the N sky, right round to West brightening & fading as you look
June 10 Monday
Fine morning, but very cold, icy little breeze from S.E. I was helping Andy Watson to build a wall to windward of their igloo, to prevent the blizzard from eating the wall away We cut out blocks of snow 3 ft to 2 ft, by 2 broad & about 1 ½ broad. As there was a vein of ice below, we got them up with rough ice, or crystallized snow so that face would be harder than snow, & was put to windward. I commenced without berberries, but soon had to put them on. Andy, & afterwards Wild, took photos of the building. Wild, taking Jones & Dovers went over to the dead seal, taking an axe; but broke the handle over the half frozen body. It is a Weddel has a large sore or wound probably from fighting. So they returned early; & brought up a load of ice. We left off work early, it was so cold. At noon, the thermometer in the screen showed minus 27 °, & the wind making it far more bitter. After lunch I put on my berberries & went to the floe under the cliffs, even there it was cold, but better than staying in all day. Peculiar appearance, a light mist half veiling the land around, - while over the floe the pink of the sunset deepened to almost crimson & glowed thro a haze of golden light, the floe reflecting the light as brightly as the sky above. At 1.30, when I left, the sun had set. I went along under the cliffs & did some sliding on the ski, haze cleared off; but looking threatening, so did not go far or stay long had to rub face occasionally, as it was, to prevent it getting frost-bitten. Home by 3.30 stars then shining in the twilight: Temp still minus 27 °. Jones & Dovers had a game of chess; - Dovers winning. I repaired boots, then had a game of chess with Watson, loosing, but a good fight. Hoadley cook. Curry for dinner, & mulberry pie, - very good, but not quite cooked & rather sweet. Dovers unwell after dinner. Hoadley & Dovers then had a game of chess. 3 looking on other three asleep. Dovers getting the best. Hoadley only played once with me, - so hes not in practise & knows little of the game. Watched game & sketched heading for Menu Card for Andys birthday.
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June 11 Tuesday
Fine morning, not as bright as yesterday nor as cold. Sun indicated by a blaze of yellow pink light in the streaked & feathery cirrus along N horizon. Ther. showing minus 10 ° Moyes & I went on cutting block & building shelter wall (Watson, Nightwatchman, asleep) Wild, Jones, Dovers, cutting & rounding roof passage. The snow gradually sets down, & the roof was getting in the way of heads. Then we dragged up a load of ice. Hoadley gave us mince pies for lunch. Very good. After lunch I went along floe, under cliffs, to N. for about a mile breeze was stiff light rather bad, & occasionally smoke like drift veiling the cliffs. Did not do much sliding. Nothing like as cold as yesterday. Dovers making menu card, (for which I did the drawing) Now, menus are not made all round, but only for the guest of the evening. Played game chess with Watson for about 2 hours then we drew it (for dinner) he having a knight to the good.
At the call for dinner, Wild & Kennedy came out in civilized attire, - white collar & cuffs included. Andy in a white pyjama jacket over his fleece, Dovers with a striped waistcoat over his fleeces, Jones in fleece & sweater, Moyes in kharki, Hoadley in a white sweater. So I slipped on berberry blouse - a hetrogeneus looking lot! At the first course Kens collar gave way behind & was so uncomfortable that he pulled it off ( it, like the shirt fronts, was only paper) then he pulled off the front! Wilds collar gave way both in front & behind, & went up to his ears! Dinner very good, Seal olives (with stuffing) very good. Plum pudding tinned with whiskey sauce. Preserved strawberries, in jelly were delicious! As president for the week, I had to propose first "The King" then "The Guest of the Evening" did not say much, - but it seemed to go all right. Andy, in reply, thanked us all, & then, seeing the medal that Wild & Moyes had manufactured & put on, proceeded to give us the history of how they were won. How Moyes had fallen into a crevasse & seeing he was dragging his comrades in, cut the rope - & was given the medal for the heroic deed - & just then he woke up! &c Interjections from Jones & Dovers the latter of whom started to make a speech, turned it into a funny (?) story & did not finish it! Wild sang "Kabul River" Moyes sang
[Note in margin] Watsons birthday on 27th June. But as "Midwinter day" Moyes & Watsons birthdays all come nearly together decided to celebrate Watsons today.
June 12 Wednesday
Morning thick and drifting. Mr Wild nightwatchman turned in. Moyes had a look outside, & reported "not too bad" So Watson, Moyes, & I put on berberries and went forth to finish that shelter wall. In spite of the drift, it was more bearable than the previous days for the temperature stood about Zero. I had not to rub my face once to thaw out frozen nose or cheeks! The snow seemed to saw more easily, - tho. do not think temperature could have had that effect on it. Putting the big blocks up some 7 feet was a jolly hard lift, & turned up the shoulder injured at the ice-falls in March. The top row, we built with smaller blocks. Moyes went in to do his meteological journel, & Dovers took his place. So we finished the wall off by lunch time. A fine solid ice-faced wall too, higher than the igloo it is to shelter, angle, bow like, facing the prevailing wind. They can now sink the shaft in the shelter of the igloo, to get samples of ice.
[sketch of wall]
Wind was stiffer when we left off work, but weather clearing. Break after break showed in the N, - beautiful misty pink "sunset" effects, & presently the "tilted berg & end of W. Barrier came out softly against such a "break". Thro the afternoon the drift stopped. Just now, when I was outside, the stars were shining mistily. Most striking effect, looking back. The dark glacier, with the apex of the snowed up hut showing slightly above its level, - but so encumbered with drift that no outline of hut recognisable. One of the fellows had a candle in the passage, brilliantly illuminating its white snowy walls, - & the half blocked entrance sloping steeply down into the heart of the snow-drift. Behind the faintly illuminated skylight. It looked strange those lighted holes in the great misty waste of the glacier a weird habitation for civilized men! Head rather bad, - so laid down all afternoon & slept. Andy tutoring Jones in chess, - Wild, Hoadley & sometimes Jones looking on; - debating the value of every move. After tea, Jones & Dovers had a game. George sums up the result of every move thus. "If he nobles me here, I nobble him back & will nobble that knight too, so Im pretty safe, I think now whats his little game?" Needless to say, George lost. Then I made a fourth at bridge. Lost while I played with Andy. Won with Wild.
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June 13 Thursday
A fine day, altho sun was obscured behind light cloud upon the N. horizon. Andy & I went at the shaft sinking in the igloo, & got down some 4 ft, the last foot mostly ice, & hard. The shaft is 6.ft x 3. Throw up the debris, & sledge it out. Wild & Moyes sledged away the snow that had drifted into the passage entrance. Jones took a walk to the Floe to see if any seals visible. Then Wild Moyes & Jones brought up ice. the dogs dragging the sledge in style. Then they adjourned inside. We knocked off work at lunch. After lunch I wiped up for Hoadley, to enable him to get outside for a run. Four of them at Golf. I took ski, & went to the floe by the mile off slope, & a slide or two on the big drift there, rather soft after the snow with light drift yesterday. Left ski there & tramped off to Icy Cape. Cave almost filled up with snow. No seals visible off Cape. Immense pressure shown in floe here, - one edge had been lifted upon opposite edge of crack, stretching away as far as I could see in the twilight. This was probably done in last heavy blizzard. Struck trail of seal that Andy had killed, & followed the blood marks for a quarter of a mile. The beast had evidently come up thro. one of the cracks in the middle of our bay, & had been frozen out; had wandered on, the rough ice cutting the heavy body; - for the bloodstains were larger & more plentiful as neared where seal was found. Four oclock when I got home & stars all out, but could see my way easily, as the "light was good" & the white surface makes it lighter than on dark land. Darned socks. Mr Wild & Andy had a great game of chess, - interrupted by dinner, but resumed over their cigarettes. They fought until only 2 kings & 2 pawns left. Andy got his pawn in, & made a queen, so won. Dinner. Seal steak, stuffed, & with a little bacon in the steak, & roasted. Very good. Preserved pears. After dinner, I made a fourth at bridge with Hoadley Moyes & Watson. Lost last rubber, but pulled up some 400 points! Wild at needle work & singing, - The Gallant of England" "The Flying Dutchmen", "Drake is going West" & many others. Then Jones & Dovers had a game of chess & we looked on after finishing the bridge until nearly one a.m. Dovers finally winning. I am nightwatchman tonight.
[Note in margin] Aurora (as curve shown) [sketch] bright & large in N. Streamers not particularly noticible . Ken. (who has been working in his igloo & just come in with frozen fingers. Reports no particular magnetic "storm" - but movement of magnet observable when aurora brightened.
June 14 Friday
The night watch passed quietly, and as it always does with me quickly. No unexplained tapping, nor ghostly footsteps outside disturbed me, as they did Dovers on the previous watch. Did not leave off the games until just on 1 a.m. Then boiled soap for clothes, got tub &c, - and a delightful warm bath. We soak the Jaeger underwear for a couple of hours in hot soap & water: then rub lightly, rinse out, & its wonderful how clean they become. During this interval, read "[indecipherable]" Major Richardson forwarded per "Toroa". so had a little news from "Tas!" Fried bacon for breakfast; & into bed by 9.40 slept for 3 hrs (after the 25hrs vigil) & woke when the fellows came in to lunch. Mentally debated if I would turn out decided I would. Beautiful day, but chilly, minus 27 °. Jones had been for a sledge ride over the floe; - the dogs are picking up with the blubber & biscuit diet, - & told the last seen of Jones was dragging behind sledge, as they vanished over the pressure ridge. Bets offered on language no takers. After lunch, put on berberries & went with Wild, Watson, & Kennedy. Glorious bright afternoon, - altho sun had set, - & breeze light, so bearable. Slopes had been increased a little by late drift - & we had a great afternoon, sliding & tumbling. Warm as toasts, altho hood & helmet loaded with ice. That glorious rose - purple came over the cliffs, then the dark purple going into cold blue grey - & the Southern Cross shone overhead while all the W glowed, for an hr & half, in pink, yellow, & palest green. I kept to the ski-sliding, upright. Andy, Ken, & Wild generally full lenght down the higher slopes. Mr Wild came a great "buster" ski caught in a snow ridge & he shot a lenght ahead then rolled over & over for full 8 yds! A little later he got another surprise shooting (standing) down a slope, the ski turned on the more moderate slope of the drift, & Wild finished the run "stern first" he could not see where he was going, - & the ski suddenly stopping at a ridge, Wild turned a lovely back summersault with unlooked for suddenness. Just after, I was caught the same way; but we let ourselves go, & seldom got hurt on the soft snow each fall provoking a burst of merriment, - & we all get our share of tumbles. They got great runs, lying on the ski, down the higher slopes but I do not care much for that too much like falling. Standing we only have toes in straps of ski, so we fall clear of them if we come down. Home by 4 pm. One of the amusements here is to put gramaphone records on, offering 50 to 1[in margin] "in cigarettes" that correct name cannot be guessed in one go. Tonight Wild was caught twice, by Moyes, for the first time, amid roars of laughter. Wild takes it with the best of good humours & makes such droll faces one cannot but laugh. Wild & I played game of chess. I won after a hard battle. Then I played Andy, & lost, but was applauded for the 1 ½ hrs fight I made, after loosing my queen by a blunder. Wild Andy & I nearly equal at chess. Watson slightly the better I think. Jones & Dovers now playing chess all the go.
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June 15 Saturday
Morning fine but unsettled & cold. Ther. showing minus 30 °. I at the Sat. morning job of scraping skylight. We do not get much light thro the lights now, sun so low & about Ό inch solid ice on panes even when scraped. Gas or lamp generally going the whole 24 hrs. Others sinking shaft (down 9 ft now) getting ice, &c. After lunch Watson, Dovers & I went down to floe, intending to go along to the next point, where there is a good slope, but "light" so bad, we stayed on nearer drift. Sky had thickened over, & a mist to the N. The erie unnatural light suits this weird land, - the cliffs & snow slopes look so unreal, yet so soft & beautiful. This vague dim white twilight is eloquent of the mysterious & unknown! We could not see the slopes when sliding; so tumbles were numerous! After sliding (standing) on the lower slopes, Watson & Dovers went up one of the high slopes, for a race down lying on the ski. I went out about 130 yds to judge who won. It was strange, looking back! A faint white line showed the top of the cliffs. Below was a soft tracery & shading of grey, - the ice face showing. All from my feet up amount this soft shading was a vague whiteness partly drift, partly the steep mounds. Could see by the postures of the dark figures that they were climbing carrying their ski; then a clatter, - & Dovers & his ski would suddenly drop some distance pick up the ski & climb again. Then you would see Andy lay down, suddenly shoot down head face4 30 feet, & come rushing out to you. Then Dovers dropped down head first but instead of shooting out to you slewed round & rolled over & over! But you could make out neither level of drift, steep sides of slope, nor top of slope it was all on a mere background of white. We stayed sliding on the lower slopes until we could not make out even the edge of the cliffs above our heads against the sky. Then felt our way up the steps, took our "bearing" & home. Dogs with us, but rushed off home. Breeze was fresh & drift beginning to fly. Temp. rose this evening from minus 27 ° to minus 6 ° . Wind freshened, & drift pretty thick. Watson had a game of chess with Moyes - & beat him Wild, Hoadley, Dovers afterwards Moyes - & I had 3 rubbers of bridge. I lost heavily while playing with Dovers, but recovered some of it afterwards. At midnight Mr Wild, Dovers & I roped up & went up to Kens igloo & brought him back Drift thick, - but bearable. "Sweethearts & wives" tonight
June 16 Sunday
Morning dull & lowering, temp. mild, minus 6 ° - Service held just before 11 a.m., - as usual. Chanted the "Venite" and sang hymns, "O God our help in ages past", and "Saviour, again to Thy dear name we raise." Went with a good swing. Then Wild, Hoadley, Moyes & Watson went out to play a game of "Golf keys", while I went to have a look at the floe. Steps snowed up again flush off with top of cliff above, but not filled up below. Snow soft, and easily dug out Got in a regular persperation digging this out ! Very soft on the drifts below the cliffs, would sink in ankles deep. Went along on ski beneath cliffs, admiring the cornices, materially increased by this fall of snow. Light very bad, & from this, and softness of snow, sliding not easy. The wind freshened up suddenly and brought mist & drift; so I turned back, going out on floe, clear of soft snow for easier going. Found seal hole was open, or covered with half frozen slush, so seal had been there lately. Drift was pouring over the cliff, like wet mist into my face; & on top the breeze was fresh so stiff that I could not make way up the slope on ski loaded as I was with a shovel; so had to carry my ski. Laid my course carefully, & presently the hut showed up thro the smoke of driving snow. I was warm and temp. comparatively high, so face did not suffer, altho going head to wind. Back in time for lunch. In the afternoon, Watson challenged me to a game of chess, - & I succeeded in beating him. Then made a fourth for bridge, - with George for partner. Went down heavily at first, but recovered some afterwards. Now - after dinner, Wild Moyes Hoadley Watson playing bridge. Jones & Dovers chess. Ken reading, Hoadley finished his weeks cooking yesterday & succeeds me as president. He is one of our best cooks. Gave us mince pies one day for lunch, apple pie another, & generally tinned fruits for dinner, instead of pudding. This week (having some previous experience) he tried making yeast & yeast bread but the initial attempt not very successful
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June 17 Monday
Wind fresh in the night, but dropped towards morning. Drifting a little after breakfast, so we did a few little inside jobs. Hoadley getting stores out of the boxes & stowing them under the verandah ready for the cook. Dovers tidied up out there. Moyes & Kennedy at their own especial fork. Wild & I finished a rope ladder for use in the shaft, &c. I looked out about 11 a.m. & found drift had ceased, so we went out & passed a load of ice down thro. the hatch (Entrance to passage blocked to the roof.) Wild, Dovers & I then went to the floe to see what changes there, & on chance of seeing seals, for temperature was half a doz. degrees above zero. Steps snowed up again. Down under the cliffs, snow deep & very soft, we went knee deep, so promptly took to the ski even they sank in places some 2 or 3 inches Sledge was buried 2 ½ ft, but I located it by prodding with the ski-stick, & dug it out. We then went along under cliffs. Everything was changed. Slopes cut away, heightened or roughened. Ridges & sastrugi Immense cornices projecting some places great shelves 20 ft broad & many times that lenght. Had to stop occasionally & rub off soft snow sticking to the ski. Some of the slopes will be good runs when the snow hardens. Must have been a considerable snow fall. Had some "runs" but snow to soft & stickey to slide well. Dovers must needs try a [indecipherable] off the "Tongue" now curving over to the drift. He dropped 2 or 3 feet, & sat on his ski with violence. Did not try it again! Sun was setting as we reached the hut, - 1.15. After lunch (1.46) I went along to the mile off slope & down to the floe that way. Soft drifts on the Glacier, - & great drifts below cliffs, in front of curve & off Icy Cape, - most of it very soft. Did not go into cave, as several blocks of ice over entrance had cracked off & looked dangerous. Cave almost snowed up. Great drift off Icy Cape but cracked there closed. I followed it out Ό of a mile, - but no sign even of a "breathing hole!" seals could still breathe thro snow if hole in ice is open. From there cut straight across for steps very rough & soft sastrugi & drifts out [indecipherable] a mile from cliffs past 4 & fairly dark when I got home, - but not very cold, tho Temp going down & Barometer going up from 28.40
June 18 Tuesday
Mr Wild, (nightwatchman) reported one of the finest auroras he has seen, between 12 & 1, last night. A great curtain of coloured light sweeping over the sky, & flowing back more dim & slowly to the starting point. Ken says magnet much disturbed Had I known would have turned out for I was laying awake until past one. Morning very dull, and a slight drift. I mined some ice, other fellows went to the floe, dug out the box of seal meat & blubber & brought it up; afterwards sledged up ice with the dogs. About 11 a.m. Pretty break of rose pink yellow & green in the N beneath dark clouds, & rising sun shining thro a thin crimson mist. Then a blaze that dazzles the eye but if the sun was there it was only the upper limb, for the great outline of the orb could be seen thro the cloud, clear of the horizon, below. Felt tired so laid down & dozed until lunch. After lunch, Mr Wild, Dovers Hoadley Watson & I went down to the floe with ski Dull - and light very bad. Had to slide entirely by feel, for we could not distinguish slope or hole in that vague whiteness or perhaps greyness. The snow was very soft, - so did not hurt ourselves. It was very few successful runs any of us got in, Mr Wild the most we would come down, ploughing great holes in the snow, - that helped to bring another down. The fall that shook me most was thro ploughing into such a deep hole of soft snow & going head-long over the front of my ski. You could not see to avoid such holes once or twice, one foot slipped out of its ski-strap, - but I succeeded in running some distance on one ski. Some of the fellows tried running down the high slope lying on their ski. Instead of leaping the ridges & sastrugi that now roughens the slope they ploughed thro every one We could not distinguish the said ridges but would suddenly see the dark rushing body almost vanish in a cloud of flying snow - & when they got to the bottom in another cloud of snow they stopped, instead of running out as before. So bad did the line become we could scarcely more than see the ice part of the cliff, marbling in soft blue-green-grey the grey vagueness upon that side. A little drift there Home about 4. Read. Jones & Dovers played game chess. Jones handed it over to Andy when in desperate straits - & Andy won-while Jones served the dinner. Chess probably responsible for vegetables being cold.
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June 19 Wednesday
Morning dull, thick; Temp had been down to Minus 15 ° while the night was clear, but rose to minus 7 ° at which it stood thro the day. Hoadley & Watson went on with their shaft; Wild, Moyes & I dug out entrance & sledged snow away. Then gave verandah a thorough cleaning; taking out any empty boxes, & sweeping it from end to end. Sun did not shine thro the day only breaks of pink light in N. After lunch, we went down to the floe with ski (Wild, Watson, Hoadley, Moyes, Kennedy & I.) The light was bad but its better than staying indoors. There are practically no other places to go to now afternoons are so short sliding on the snow mounds is good exercise, keeps one in a glow of heat, & plenty of merriment over each upset. Were sliding on a steep slope beneath the landing place could not see, - but ran by feel. At last Ken, in running down slope had a mishap one ski ran wide so wide, that as he gliding rapidly down turned sideways & dragged into the soft snow; twisting Kens knee. I saw and ran up to him; his knee was too painful to use - & Jones (afterwards) said was probably dislocated for the moment, but went back into its place. I ascribe accident mainly to Ken wearing finshoo & so having to thrust his feet well into the strap of the ski. We wear boots and tighten ski straps so that only the toes go in - & slip out very easily. On level surfaces I loosen the straps, as feet well in give more control. Ken lay on the snow, Moyes went home for a sledge. We kept on sliding to keep warm. When sledge arrived Ken got on; we dragged him to the steps; tied a rope round under his armpits, & dragged him up the steps to the top of the cliffs Ken vowed he was nearly cut in half when he arrived! Then dragged up the sledge - & so took him home. We are all very sorry for Ken - & it will stop his magnetic work for a time. He was up in his igloo taking observations from midnight to 4 a m. The igloo is quite snug now even the canvas roof deeply covered with snow 3 or 4 sheep skins on the hard level floor. A tin of seal oil with ½ doz large wicks raises the temp. well over zero, 2 or 3 candles on the shelf & a print or two from magazines makes it look quite cosy. With a "cooker" & reindeer sleeping bag, a [indecipherable]
[note in margin] Could hang out the winter in an igloo like that if he had tucker & clothing enough altho. it would be a constant anxiety fighting the blizzards and keeping it intact.
June 20 Thursday
My nightwatch passed very quickly, spent most of it reading Wilkie Collinss "Moonstone". The books of our library are not up to much, as a collection. but there are a few good books of Murphys that has come to this base - & his loss is our gain. Also 2 or 3 good ones belonging to the different fellows. About 6.30 a m, commenced to get breakfast ready & do the various odd jobs. Made some scones, as Jones bread not a success. Solid & dry. Then fried seals steak & tomatoes in butter. Very good but the canned tomatoes are so thin little more than syrup. Made some gravy - & enjoyed breakfast. Then to bed. Awakened by Wild rivetting, - said they tossed up whether they should do it or not - & I lost the toss! However it was nearly lunch time. Day was bright, clear, & fine but cold. Temp. "wobbled" thro. the day between minus 27 ° & 28 ° The others stayed in door so I went to the floe by myself. By-the bye, Hoadley & Watson had been about 3 mile with the dog sledge across the glacier, setting stakes to test accumulation of snow. Dago "bolted" & carried Hoadley Ό mile back before he could stop them then came the reckonings they got the whip! Good light this afternoon. I went along under the cliff on my ski for more than a mile, trying different snow slopes and admiring the cornices along the cliff edge. Here, great massive cornices the "lines" suggesting a thick cloth gathered up on one side, - as women "drape" ornamental tables, &c. then a broad, wide, but thin one, like the great "leaf" of a table, 20 feet wide, with a slight edging. Another, came out like a flat table, with a "table cloth" hanging down 12 or 15 feet, gathered up on one side. Could see underneath it - & under side of such projection generally become loaded with icicles &c of snow. Have not seen any as beautiful as the one where we landed stores last year. The fine slope at the next point is not improved I tried a run down, lying on my ski, - but as I run out on the drift, my hand slipped from the point of the ski, & the elbow ploughed deeply into the soft snow, bringing me up violently. Kept warm, in spite of the low temp., tho the wind in the face seemed to cut it. Home about 4.15 a young moon & the stars shining brightly but the West, 3 hrs after sunset, was still glowing with a bright but narrow orange band. Game of chess with Andy. Played until we only had pawns left - & he beat me in the run for the queen. Bridge after dinner
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June 21 Friday
Fine day, but cold, - by thermometer about minus 20 ° but a bitter breeze made it colder than yesterday to the face. Beautifully clear, the sun at noon appeared to be about a diameter clear of the horizon but doubtlessly raised so high by refraction. At 1 am she "dipped". In the morning, Mr Wild assigned me a space under the verandah for my biological boxes so I sledged them all in, & will take an inventory of the contents some day when we are shut in. Dovers was testing a meter. Hoadley & Watson at their shaft. Kennedy still confined to the hut, can hobble across the room with the help of his ice axe, Hoadley has suffered from neuralgia in the face for some days. After bringing in boxes, went on the ski and searched the Pressure ridges of the Blue Devel for a fish trap evidently blown away no success, & head constantly to rub exposed cheek bones & nose to prevent frost bite. After lunch, Wild, Watson Dovers & I went to the floe, & had some sliding Very cold there & floe covered with a low drift but we managed to keep warm. Worked round into the little bay beyond the landing. Good slope there for standing slides, running down about 15 feet & then down the steep drift about 60 yds altogether. The other fellows then tried from another slope behind down a few feet across a short level & then down the steep slope. Andy tried first. Over balanced, - & shot head first down leaving his ski on the edge of the second bank! Another great spill. Wild & Dovers were the heroes of They tried to run down a high steep slope laying on ski about 40 feet but rounded to, half way down - & man & ski rolled the rest of the way in a cloud of snow ! Then they tried again - & shot down right thro some rough sastrugi or on the sides, - thro clouds of snow which they got fair in the face. George besought someone to twist his neck back into its right place, when he got down! Very cold going home, with that bitter wind in the face. After an hours rest, I started sketching a little pen & ink of the snowed in hut on the top of the menu cards for tomorrows dinner, & 11 p.m. before I finished the 8 The other fellows doing the lettering between them.
Mid-winter day hurrah! The returning sun & lenghtening days to get on with our work - & then for the old "Aurora" to bring us news from home & dear ones far away!
June 22 Saturday
Clear overhead this morning, but misty around, and a cold breeze. Oddly, Midwinter night was a record so far, the ther. in the screen recording minus 38 ° - 70 ° of frost! By nine a.m. had risen to, minus 30 ° After breakfast Wild & Watson got a load of ice. Hoadley, Dovers & I scraped the 3 skylights. Then Wild, Hoadley, Watson Dovers & I went to the floe, and enjoyed ourselves sliding. Was proposed to have had some sports but was postponed until Ken could join in. The day got thick & light bad. not a glimpse of sun. before leaving Tas. I intended to get a noonday sketch on midwinters day but theres no sketching in this tempest We all improved much in the ski running. Its good sport, running down about 20 feet of surface sloping at an angle of 45 ° - then varying slopes, till you stop 60 yds away on the level. Dovers threw down a mit about 40 yds away, & dared us to run over it Wild ran fair over it, - I succeeded in passing one ski over the others did not get as far, or went wide. They tried some of the high slopes, laying down. Some got heavy spills Hoadley, particularly. He started from the top of a high slope, & in the bad light could not see that it was "hollowed" half way down. He dropped 6 or 8 feet head first into the soft snow - & rolled to the bottom. I avoided the high slopes, for my head was aching a little. We got home to lunch just after 1 p.m. I went out again afterwards thick & almost dark at 2 p.m. Wandered along under cliffs for about Ύ of a mile, in a vague greyness that made slope & drift indistinguishable, home a little after 3.p.m. Dovers helped me clip beard & whiskers close to face. Midwinter day dinner tonight. Table removed to far end of room for flash light photo. Table covered with white cloth for the first time. Bunks behind, & centre posts draped with flags. Excellent dinner, Soup, Cheese canapes, roast sirloin of seal, baked with dripping over it, beautifully tender & really very nice. Potatoes, peas, turnips, Plum pudding, with whisky sauce. Raspberries & strawberries in jelly. Raisins almonds figs, cheese straws &c. Hoadley president gave the King. I had to propose "Dr Mawson & the A AE" in a little speech. Jones, "Old Explorers" ; Wild "Mr Buchanan," This was drunk ( & the cask) in Maderia laid in by Mr Buchanan on the "Challenger 40 yrs ago - & given by Mr Buchanan for us to drink on this day Oddly enough it has been drunk comparatively close to when the "Challenger" made down to her furtherest S! Afterwards Dr Jones had all our signatures scratched on bottle with his diamond & I did a penguin on one side & a ship on the other bottle is to be returned to Mr Buchanan. Moyes proposed "Sweethearts & Wives" & we sung the chorus. Wild sang "Kabul River" Moyes & Hoadley sang & Ken played 2 or 3 selections on flute. All helped to wash up &c - & now they are at bridge & chess. Pleasant evening. Snowing & drifting entrance nearly closed already
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June 23 Sunday Prince of Wales Birthday
Beautiful fine day, not so cold minus 2 ° in the morning minus 23 ° tonight. Wind light W. The entrance snowed right to the roof, - altho. drift had ceased before I turned in last night. We stayed in all the morning, most of us watching a game of chess between oadley & dovers Hoadley & Dovers Many missed chances and mismoves on both sides - Andy so exasperated that at last he seized the poker and shook it at his pupil! At 1 a.m. we had usual service, - Moyes officiating. Chanted "Venite", and sung hymns "The Son of God goes forth to war. And Abide with me". I like the little services, - & but for upsetting it, would have seized the opportunity of a day off and a fine day too, to go up the floe. Soon as lunch was over, went down & dug out the steps to the floe Jones & Dovers followed. Found slopes somewhat altered, but fairly hard. Had some runs, then leaving Jones running down a high slope lying down) Dovers & I went along to the next point N. Fine cornice along the cliff-top, hundreds of feet in the form of scroll work on a majestic scale with suggestion of leaves & even fruit worked in, grand in the size of their graceful sweeping bold lines. Others of the "table & tablecloth" style Others with a multitude of great hanging leaves one behind & a little lower than the other. The stars were shining above the half moon bright over the cliffs, - the W. all "saffron" glowing brightly. We saw the 3 dogs (who had followed us) racing out on the floe, & seemed interested in a pressure ridge, so we struck out to them. They went off N at a run, - & we followed, thinking we were on the track of a seal but the dogs came back, - evidently nothing had excited them. The great slope at the point appeared improved, we went up & tried some runs. Twice I swept down successfully, - twice came "busters"; the ski clogging slightly in the soft snow at the foot of the slope, & this friction retarding the momentum of the flying body overbalancing - & went flying a dozen feet ahead of the ski - & when I hit the ground cant say how many times I would roll over ! Dovers also had [indecipherable] & spills as I did. Enjoyable walk home in the moonlight, - no breeze, a little aurora, warm not even the face cold, - & all so soft & pretty in the moonlight. After dinner 2 hrs game of chess with Watson Fought until
[written on side of page] all the fighting pieces taken on each side then Andy got a pawn home & checkmated me. Drank health of Prince of Wales tonight.
June 24 Monday
Hoadley & Watson went to their shaft after breakfast; Wild, Jones & I outside, to pass down ice, & do a few odd jobs. Morning clear, low & thick, one ragged end showing to the far S.E. , the other tailing out on to the floe. Could only conclude this was a great cloud of drift flying before the gale upon the land. To the W the sun was rising; a low, close-packed stream of cirrus cloud glowing a beautiful clear yellow a thicker stream just along the horizon almost a dull red passing to purple on each side. Above the brightly glowing cirrus, a clear pale green then another golden streak of narrow cirrus, & the green of the sky was tinted with blue - & abruptly darkened into the sky blue. Clouds of whirling drift could be seen in the distance, driving over the glacier. Just as we finished work; a squall came driving down past the house. We watched the drift rising in whirling columns to a height of at least 100 ft, & sweeping along, - passing over the Glacier to the floe. Then a sort of "back wind" brought a thick low drift from the track of this squall right down to us a drift only a few inches from the surface, that made the glacier look like a moving mist of pure whiteness. Mended a couple of shovel handles always breaking. Very poor lot of handles. After lunch, Wild, Jones & I put on berberries & went down to the floe. A keen fresh breeze blowing, - & low drift driving over the glacier. Dovers & Hoadley made a start also, but upon seeing what sort of afternoon it was, went back to bed. We turned S along under the cliffs, where we were a little sheltered from the bitter wind. Light good, but cliffs partly veiled in the brown smoke of drift blowing over them. Occasionally had to rub ice off face, as feeling of same gave warning of frost bite. Got warm, going along under cliffs, & sliding on low drifts there. Went as far as the big drift at the "mile off slope" and tried some standing slides but found it rather soft. Between this drift, & cliff, is now partly snowed up so that from ledge of cliff to drift, forms a "switchback" run thus [sketch of run] & we climbed up to ledge of cliff, lay down full lenght on ski with hands outstretched against point of ski [sketch] & slip head first over ledge. The first few yds were like falling then you would fly down slope & up the opposite slope Wild topped the drift. I ploughed in soft snow & did not reach top of drift. Jones turned to port & rolled back down the side of drift. At second attempt, I passed the same. Cold coming home. Cheeks & nose nearly frozen coming up from cliffs against the wind. Temp. today minus 19 ° to 23 ° colder than usual in "drift" weather. Bar. In 3 hrs [indecipherable] from 29.5 ° to 28.5 ° & back to first level This afternoon has fallen from 29. 5 ° to 29. I am nightwatch so laid down from 8 to 12 but only got about one hours sleep. Hoadley & Jones had game chess.oadley & Jones had game chesH
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June 25 Tuesday
Spent a quite night watch , sewing a strip of sheep skin over the torn portion of felt boots. These boots are warmer than the leather, but dont wear as well. Then sewed sheepskin palm onto felt mit. These repairs make things last well; & its quite possible the "Aurora" may not be able to reach us next summer, - altho we devotedly hope she will! A little wind and drift, - night clear a bright strip of aurora along from N to W. Had a light supper of toast & cocoa - & set to at 7 to prepare breakfast. Made "Kedgeree" curried fish using fresh herrings. Breakfast appetites small now but 3 or 4 of them came for a second helping. We were to have had a day along the floe but as it was drifting, trip was postponed and I promptly tumbled into bed not sorry, for did not feel inclined for a long walk. Woke up just before lunch all chaps chattering &c - & got up Found still drifting & cold so lay down again. Before dinner, took mattress off bunk & scraped about 3 pints of frost & ice off the wall where mattress had sheltered it. Yet temp. in here is fairly high. During my watch last night it ran from 40 ° to 55 ° Evening spent at chess drilling Hoadley into the game. No bridge either Sunday or tonight, fellows getting off bridge. This is first day Ive spent inside for sometime weather better now than we expected when we had those long spells of blizzard in the autumn. Perhaps the proximity of the open water, with its milder temperature may have had something to do with it Notice the dawn was breaking this morning at 7 a m yet sun does not rise until 11 a m and sets again at 1pm. It travels a very short arc of the Northern heavens, rising to an apparent height of about 3 diameters. About 2 or those diameters due to refraction &c, so that suns lower climb at midwinter, barely clears horizon.
June 26 Wednesday
Another day inside, blowing fresh and drifting cloudy sky. Wild and Jones preparing tents for trip, - Hoadley asleep after his night watch. Watson & Dovers sewing bags for putting provisions in. A weeks supply of pemmican & the other sledging rations is bagged up each in its own bag, so the one cooking for the week knows how he stands, & neither runs ahead or drop behind rations. I made a strong box for keeping the coal in the hut, boxes get smashed, breaking the bricquettes in them. After lunch, most of the fellows in the throes of composition prizes of 25 cigarettes having been offered for the best poem & essay. Watson wrote verses on Dovers & judging by the way the latter "cut up rusty" after reading them, he didnt consider them complimentary. I realized that the winter is fast slipping away, & that theres lots of things I want to do yet, & must not leave all until fine weather & work is upon us so made a start to finish my set of chessmen & cut out the pawns. Then finished game of chess started last night with Hoadley. Interruption sounds of strife outside. Wild went out & found "Amundson" had "Zip" down & others assisting worrying. Amiable way these brutes have all joining in to punish the one that goes down. Ammundson chained & thrashed Moyes cook this week. Irish stew (tinned - & prune pie for dinner. Very good scones for lunch. Scone bread a failure. This evening played bridge & past 11 pm before finished. Up even later last night over that game of chess - & nightwatchman the night before so tired & sleepy. Bar. 28.5 Ther. in screen Minus 1 ° and plus 2 ½ °
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June 27 Thursday
Beautiful fine clear morning. Andy (who has a bad hand perhaps frost bitten) & Ken (whose knee not right yet) at stitching up calico bags. Dovers & I digging out entrance which was snowed up solidly, even with surface of drift Wild & Hoadley got ice, and had a look at the floe. While we worked, the Northern sky line brightened, while in the S. that deep rose-red deepened & gradually pushed down the cold purple, until it reached the land, & flushed it pink and we knew the sun was up. The N. was glowing cadmium yellow, with a very low bank of cloud that broke & tailed off in a thin dark line over the floe in the N.N.W. This was lined with yellow fire, where the sun was - & away, Just W. of N., just under this bit of cloud, a parkelion suddenly appeared, a glowing blaze of yellows tinged, on the side nearest the sun, with the red of the rainbow It looked as if the sun was rising in two places! The other, on the opposite side of the sun, did not show from where we were. The colouring most beautiful I itched to sketch it and at last made a dash for book & crayons. It was only minus 13 ° - and I got to leward of a pile of tins, - but feet half frozen in the 20 minutes over sketch. After lunch, Jones Wild Dovers Hoadley & I went to the floe. The red-rose & purple was glowing again in beautiful contrast to the white cliffs, & a great over hanging cornice with its cold blue shades. Slipped (had leather boots on) & bruised thigh on ice at steps. The slopes have altered somewhat after the wind & snow. Look improved. We all went along to the high slope Dovers and I visited on Sunday. Its the best slope we have struck for "standing" runs. I got on swell at first, while others came down, I got 4 grand runs, - then I came down, & rapped knee against ski right in the place rapped 2 or 3 days before when able to run again, didnt get one real good one. Perhaps this matter more or less of confidence. One of the best runs after, was when my ski ran away with me! Standing on them at top of slope, & half turned to speak, when off they went! I kept my balance down slope & far out on drift then ski suddenly went wide had a lot of "way" on - & I shot forward about 10 feet & landed full on chest, such a "buster". Falls were plentiful. Forward, backward, or over & over - generally in such a cloud of snow that man & ski could scarcely be seen ! Jones Wild Dovers Hoadley tried runs from the highest point where awkward place to start - & I watched them come down in succession, in clouds of snow! I contented myself with starting a yd or 2 lower where good "take off." Hoadley hurt his ribs in one fall. Did not go right back to the steps, but climbed up a snow slope to the glacier Spoke to Mr Wild about a 2 or 3 day trip N on the floe after seals, & penguins. But he thought it too risky. But gave leave for a days trip tomorrow. Dovers going with me.
June 28 Friday
Mr Wild & Hoadley went down to the floe at midnight for photography but wind & drift started & they returned, disgusted. Morning fine but cold. Dovers and I did not get away until 10.20 a.m. Then I started, leaving George to follow with the dogs. Glorious morning colouring, as I went down over the snow slope; the red deepening into almost crimson, then into that mixture of crimson-red & purple-blue that I have before described as "Royal purple". A cold stiff breeze blowing, & low drift flying on the floe, &, as the sun rose & shone thro. the drift blowing over the cliff, it turned a beautiful rose. I had tramped about 5 miles along before Dovers overtook me then I had a turn on the sledge. Fine travelling, on the smooth snowdrifts, the dogs trotting along at a little over 4 miles an hour about speed that you have to break into a jog trot pretty frequently to keep up with. One man is a light load - & often only 2 dogs would be actually doing the dragging Now & again, one would enliven the way with a sly bite at a neighbour We had a look at the cave I found on the 26th ult. It is more beautiful still in the bright daylight. A vaulted roof of ice therefore deep blue all covered with exquisite snow crystals like hanging moss or feathers, - up to 3 ft long, their white contrasting beautifully with the blue background Along the sides ice-flowers, - occasionally icicles. We reached the ice-island at 12.20. Seen by daylight, smashed up floe not quite as extensive as I thought but must be about 30 acres, & ½ doz islands of solid ice. Must have been a great commotion when it came up for some distance the broken blocks of floe overlaps, like shingles on a roof. Here we had a drink of cocoa, which I had brought along in my thermos flask (used for the first time) hot as we could drink it, altho. temp (in screen) minus 20 ° . We pushed on round a couple more points, & found floe broken by tide cracks; & old marks of seal. Found 2 or 3 more caves one as lovely as the other, did not go in one we looked at looked a little "shakey" & the soft snow was thigh deep. Sat down on sledge to eat our biscuits when weird creaks & groans startled us. George grabbed biscuits & flask with a hasty "Lets get" - & we got! I stopped the dogs on a snow drift under a point to let Dovers come up. Again a long drawn groan as George came up I held up my finger, and the groan came again. "Lets get!" ejaculated George making out for the floe. It was evidently the ice & snow banks straining with the tide. Here a narrow bay, perhaps nearly a mile deep, ran into the Glacier like a river mouth. It appeared to be filled with old floe, & Ό mile of the line of cliffs had toppled over without breaking up. We did not go in to explore, but pushed on for bergs & dark yellow ice. It turned out to be 3 miles off. A line of fine high icy-cliffs - & a great berg close up. It was partly tilted towards the E; higher than the cliffs here, - & on the W, ran out like the ram bow of a battle ship, [indecipherable], wave worn, & appeared to be covered with dry yellow-green sea weed but more probably diatorns This for about ½ its height then above the old water line towering, square, rough hewn, white walls. On the ledge of the old water line some great flat blocks. I tried to reach the berg but all around SW end of floe, all shattered & piled up, in places, 20 feet high, in front of the berg, & much of it great square blocks, slush, & even water. Found it would take too long to get out. Another big berg behind this one blue It was 20 to 3; the brighter stars shining, - & we reckoned we were full 11 miles from home. So we started back, regretting we had not time to go round & see other side of berg, & how long it was. Dogs went well, could not keep up, even with bouts of jog-trot. So had to stop & let other come up & change places. Gloriously bright moon and clear sky, - & good going only hands feeling the cold. Drank rest of cocoa at 4 p.m. still hot. Reached home just after 6 pm. After driving about 22 miles possibly more for day Game of bridge after tea.
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[Photo of feather]
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June 29 Saturday
Was late getting to bed, & then did not sleep well Two of the fellows inspired by the fire of Parnassus(?) sat in front of our fire composing, and comparing notes thereon, until nearly 2 a.m. Then Hoadley & Jones took their cameras and went down to the floe. The detail comes out better under the high bright moon, than the low winter sun, I slept, - but was aroused about 5 a m by their return and the talking & tea drinking &c. & talking of a great aurora, - & its colours. At breakfast, they started to tell us of that aurora - & everyone simultaneously "dropped" on them for all had been aroused. Only dozed then until 8. after breakfast, Jones & I went for ice, with the dogs while the others scraped the sky-lights. We unearthed some beautiful crystals, broad flat ones, the size of two fingers, hanging in strings a foot long. Jones & Hoadley tried to photograph them, but they did not come out with that lovely blue behind. After the jobs were finished, I lay down, but only dozed. Morning had been beautifully fine with long lines of cirrus over the sun. Cold, down to 39 ½ ° at midday, - but not so "nipping", as the breeze was very light. Afternoon thick and dark. Before dinner a fresh breeze and driving drift. It was Moyes birthday so at lunch time, I said I did not think it fair thing to ask the "guest of the evening" to cook the dinner we were giving him. I thought someone would have volunteered to help. But cooking is unpopular so they all went to bed; & I had to tackle it late, & out of the "run of things". Found a lump of seal hide in the baking dish &c - & the devil of a job to get the blubber off dish when I wanted to put leg of mutton in to roast. Before doing this, had to sketch heading to menu card, (after washing up lunch things - ) & get some cheese grated up to make savory. As I was late, Hoadley made jelly for me & Dovers cleared away between courses. Dinner. [indecipherable] soup. Roast leg of mutton & mince sauce. Potatoes. Peas. [indecipherable] Darlings, stewed apples (Moyes had made pastry for them) custard. Raspberries & strawberries in jelly. Almond, raw Algerrinnes. Jones as president proposed "The King" & we sang verse of National Anthem. Then "Our Guest" - & Moyes replied. Then the unfortunate Andy, without previous notice, was rung in to propose "The pictures on the wall"(girls) & Ken had to reply. Then Wild, Moyes, Hoadley, & Watson sang & "stories" [indecipherable]. It was 9 when I made a start to clear the table & warm up Moyes drinking
Others sat on their bunks & smoked until Wild started sweeping the room, & as they did not take that hint, he set them at their various little jobs Past 10 before I was done, sleepy & tired If any of their birthdays come on their cooking week Ill not cook the dinner.
June 30 Sunday
Blowing fairly hard thro. the night, and snowing. Wind increased thro the morning again, & blowing pretty hard at noon, & thro part of the afternoon. Entrance to our snow passage blocked to the roof. A quantity of snow silted thro hatch, - evidently not properly shut, - and encrusted sides, & ladder left there, very prettily I slept well last night, but feeling a little sleepy still, -& nightwatch to night lay down and had a nap after breakfast. All the others did likewise, I believe, except Ken, (cook) & Moyes. At 12.30 we turned out and Mr Wild read usual service. After lunch, some collected & "yarned" in Wilds room; Others still "pursued the Muse," One or two slept. Ken. Started his week well by a general "clean up" & setting the kitchen in order. Hoadley did some sewing, I cut out a pawn then Hoadley & I played a game of chess. Before this, out[indecipherable] , Hoadley took a very good photo of the snowed up passage, with the aid of 2 lanthorns & several candles, stood in the various grottos; & developed it later. At dinner time Mr Wild spoke of taking tents & going up the floe, camp in the bay we discovered, & explore round those bergs; Thinks there should be a good chance of coming on a seal or two as floe is broken up around them. Here, even the tide crack is seldom evident! Do not know yet if I shall be going scarcely expect to be, as Dovers invited himself to be of the party "to do some surveying." Wind & drift dropped this evening. Moyes went out & found temp. plus 10 ° Water started dripping from the skylights as soon as the wind fell.
Service as usual today. Chanted "Venite" & sang hymns "Ye holy angels bright" and the "Holy Father in Thy Mercy ... Keep our dear ones now far absent". Amen to that. Being so entirely out of touch out of reach & hearing of them, - is the one great anxiety. - & knowing the same anxiety will be felt for me June is passing away tonight - & half the year will be gone. We still have 7 or 8 months to wait for news from home. One blessing, time does not drag on our hands & but for the home ties, I should feel strongly the fascinations of the weirdness & beauty of these vast solitudes the mystery of that lost dead land, hidden, we do not even know how deeply, beneath its eternal icy shroud.
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July 1 Monday
Night watch passed quietly away. Reading, writing, & with a little supper of toasted scone, and a jug of cocoa, about 3.a.m. Breakfast, Salmon with mac[indecipherable] white sauce, butter, breadcrumbs - & a little too much essence of lemon baked. All done - & tumbled into bed soon as breakfast done. Morning dull & thick, as tho could not see beyond the Pressure Ridges, lightest of airs from W. Ther. minus 8 °. Quantity of soft snow about. Oddly enough, entrance tho completely blocked, was shut only by wall about 3 ft at thickest while the slope down, between its walls, quite clean. Last fall filled all the slope down as well as blocking the entrance, - flush with the drift so no sign of entrance & slope. After lunch, I went with Wild & Moyes to the steps. Very thick light vile! Great depth of soft snow along beneath the cliffs so deep that the ski standing up in the old drift, were buried. Wild found Moyes pair by prodding with ski stick - & the owner dug them out. I then went along under cliffs snow in places so soft that both ski & feet sank under snow only the tips of the turned up ends visible gliding along in front. Light so bad I could not make out what changes the fall had brought about I went as far as the great slope up to the glacier It appeared to be much larger, - but the bottom cut into terraces & rough sastrugi, - as I found by feeling with my stick. After climbing steps, took my "bearings" with care, & struck into the greyness above, around, - beneath, - all the same grey nothingness. Glad when the hut loomed up. Cut pawn in afternoon Consternation when tin of parsnips in the oven blowing open oven door & scattering parsnip dust & steam thro. the room. Tin emptied & quite clean Muse [indecipherable] to "some order". Andy in the lead with 50 lines, the skipper stranded at 8 lines but getting afloat again coming up strong now, with 30 lines! Ken well to windward, - but do not know how he stands with the others. Next Saturday they are to be read! As verses are said to be personal, various demands for clubs & pistols already. Played Bridge after the walk with Moyes & Hoadley
July 2 Tuesday
Fine clear morning, ther. at 25 ° but as the air from N.W. was very light, did not feel cold while moving about. After breakfast, Andy went down to dig for his ski at the foot of the cliffs, - Hoadley, altho he had been nightwatchman, went too, as he had stood them there. Jones & Dovers dug ice I at clearing the snow from the partly silted up entrance. Days lenghtening already, sun up well before 11. Finishing work, I was preparing to start for Icy Cape for a walk, when Mr Wild called me out. A low light misty drift of cloud along N. horizon, and in it a gorgeous halo & parkhelion. A great blaze of yellow misty light, slightly tinged on its outer edges with the rainbow re; with a brighter central shaft going up into the blue above. The whole with softened ill defined edge. On each side, 2 short lenghts of yellow light slightly tinged with red on their inner edge, - but so slightly, was scarcely perceptible. For a moment, almost a ring from one to other. And where such a ring would pass over the central shaft of light, was a nebulas patch of rather rosier light; two point seeming to indicate that it was a section of another circle inverted above the bow below. Glacier edge beneath shaded in rosy light. I dashed in for the crayons, - & ensconced myself behind the pile of "Glaxo" tins. Got light rather too yellow but crude as it is, gives an idea of a fine effect. No fun sketching in minus 20 °, the breath freezes on berberry blouse and sits down on page & I had to retreat once, to thaw out hands, feet, and paper. Effect lasted, tho varied, for perhaps ½ hr. After lunch, Watson & I went on our ski along to Icy Cape, as slopes too soft for sliding The great drift at the slope, changed, & roughened with sastrugi. More slopes formed along cliffs, & beautiful cornices. Noticed one buttress of the cliff shows signs of coming down; the blue crack behind widening, & crevasse showing behind, on glacier. Cave much changed. Blocks fallen from over entrance but still looked shakey. Getting inside, found about 6 feet of cliff there had split off, forming an arch leaning outward. Cave much snowed up, walls covered with beautiful soft snow shapes. So snowed up is the cave, that the central ridge devides it into 2 chambers; the inner shut from the glare & view of the outside floe, & so beautiful soft bluish light. End snowed up so now a proper cave. From there, we went along (Jones had joined us) to Icy Cape. Nothing fresh there. No tide cracks or open water, - except the one running thro the snow banks amp; in places, pretty well half way to top of cliffs! Wind freshened & drift quite thick on way back. It has died down again & now a fine night. Hoadley taking photographs of [indecipherable] tonight He has not gone to bed at all today! I cut pawn; & then played Watson, good game, - but I got checkmated. Now must see about something for Saturday night, as Mr Wild wants all to contribute essay or verse.
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July 3 Wednesday
Dull heavy morning, thick, grey, and a cold breeze. Ther. in screen had stopped at minus 31 ° by noon temp. had risen to 20 ° - at 3 p m, minus 6 ° Bar. Had risen to 29. but now falling steadily. Watsons neck was painful again, after yesterdays walk, so he sewed bags. Hoadley & Dovers sandpapering sledge runners. Moyes at meteorological work.
I had been discussing biological prospects with Mr Wild. The floe remains solid, absolutely locking up the sea not a "lead", or even tide crack which we can use. If we punch a hole thro the solid ice, could only use it for surface for surface work. line fishing or traps for anything swimming which does not seem to promise much result. When the temperature rises, I hope to be able to use our supply of thin wire & sink traps to the bottom (220 fathoms but to attempt that now, would only mean loss of the wire. Any hole we punched thro would freeze again at once, unless a seal kept it open, & 2 days or so shut in by a blizzard, would mean ice as thick as ever. But as no natural openings seem likely to appear, Mr Wild & I were going down this morning to punch a hole, & try if anything could be obtained upon the surface. But morning so threatening we put off that job. In the last 11 weeks I have only seen 2 snow petrels & a seal the only living things apart from our own establishment. Dug out a load of coal briquettes & overhauled some of my biological boxes to ascertain contents Mr Wild punched & fixed up sledge straps. Drift started after noon, & entrance now snowed up. Wind has steadily increased, & now might be called a gale. If it blows hard should harden those snow slopes. In afternoon, writing lines for Sat. night, mending mits, & finished cutting out a pawn. After dinner, played bridge with Wild, Hoadley & Moyes, with varying fortune. My "points" stand now at minus 500. Watson at the bottom with minus 3000! Hoadley leading plus 5000. Wild well up. Hoadley made gruel of "Neaves health diet" boiled in milk Very good & warming
July 4 Thursday
Day fine & clear, barometer 29. & rising. Temp varying from minus 10 ° to minus 18 ° By the bye, Moyes make out average for June Minus 14 ° . Rather lower than Shackletons average in Ross Sea. Poor Watson still confined to hut with his ankle others all outside. We dug out entrance, sledged up ice, &c; then Jones & Hoadley took photos of igloo over shaft, with soft snow drifted all over beams "poppet-head," & wall; beautiful. Mr Wild, Dovers and I went to the floe Great changes there! Slope snowed up to & over steps no need now of steps. Great drifts piled along under cliff, with sloping drifts below. Snow mounds appear to be increased in larger proportion than by any previous blizzards. Fairly hard enough for sliding but feet sank deeply, in most places, if off ski. No lack of slopes for sliding! from gentle slopes to steep low elevations to both high & steep. We slided down slope after slope my head & feet appeared to be in trim, for I followed Wild down slope after slope successfully then we tried the high steep slope formerly used for stomach slides steep still, but rounding both at top & bottom making it more suitable for ski & reaching to within 30 feet of cliff top. It looked a great drop from the top! But as Wild went down successfully & bottom was well curved, I followed Flew down leaning horizonally air rushing past as if falling, did not recover balance properly at change of level but so fast the speed was 20 feet out on drift before I fell - & then! Flung forward turning over & over at the same time bounding along, bumping, like a log down a steep hill! When I stopped & sat up saw Wild the only dark object, standing there, with cliff & floe circling rapidly round him in most erratic fashion! Twixt want of breath, snow in face and laughter could not reply to repeated enquiries if I was hurt. Dovers instead of slope running, tied a line to a couple of the dogs & let them drag him about - & we had some spill to laugh at . Saw him once head down between 2 snow ridges, his ski waving in the air! Another time they ran him on a great block of snow fell over it with such force knocked all the wind out - After lunch, Wild Jones & I down sliding again. Fresh breeze & low drifts cold. Any amount of spilt & flying snow once I went headlong, ploughing deeply in the falling each time than a 3rd time successfully. I did not try it again. Had some fine long runs. Writing "rhymes(?) in afternoon ditto & bridge in evening. Outside just after tea a glow in the S.E. and red line of fire along the glacier edge was the Ύ moon rising, flattened & spread out to twice its lenght.
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July 5 Friday
About 3 a.m. wind and drift commenced, and now blowing fairly hard. In doors all day, doing various jobs in the morning some sewing bags, others making goggles & Wild splicing traces for the sledges. I cleaned out the "dark room", in which the Acetylene plant is enstalled, chipping the ice from the floor & walls with an ice-axe, - and yet its close behind the stoves. Afterwards had to get a case of kerosene from behind the carbide from the grotto near the entrance. Driving snow coming thro in a fine mist so I built up entrance with lumps of snow from what had already driven in, - this settling down left a crack near the ceiling thro this snow has been driving in, forming beautiful soft masses & cushions on the wall - & a long soft ridge on the floor. They are going to photograph it in the morning. After lunch, lay down and had a sleep for I lay awake into early hours tinkering up a verse for completion of lines I have to write. Andy (watchman) much amused when I enquired about 2 a m if "altho" rhymed with "go" for he thought I was asleep a few words with him - & I lost my hold of the lines I had just elaborately put together & took me ever so long to get hold of it again! Verily Im no poet. Our cook (Ken) upset soup all over floor "Bad Luck". Made amends with 2 fine apple pies. Boiled puddings we have not had for some time, too much trouble. After dinner Jones & Dovers played chess until only kings left so drew games I made up fourth for bridge Havent got essay written yet but more bridge less essay! Fellows "off" bridge somewhat, - hence Im playing more. Went down badly tonight. Myes Wild Watson playing.
July 6 Saturday
About 3 a.m. this morning, Wild (nightwatchman) reported that it was blowing very hard, - so hard, that the felt relieved hut was so snowed up, as no blizzard could move it now. Still blowing thro the day Barometer down to 28.5 ° - falling in a steep slope now shows inclination to rise. After breakfast, at various jobs. Jones, Moyes, Watson scraping skylight soon done, - so tidied up grottos. Hoadley, Dovers & I wet, scraped, & scrubbed the floor. Tis the first cleaning it has had, - & scraping it with the ice axes brought rolls of dirt off, - now theres indications of pine planking. In this snow it down not get as dirty as it would with earth around; still there is, of course, a certain amount of dirt from the coal &c, as well as the slops constantly spilled. After lunch, I scribbled an essay, taking for my theme, the landing at Adelie Land. Did not get it finished, so had to read it from rough draft, scored & interlined. Wild, Hoadley, Moyes & Watson played bridge and Watson lost to Moyes the "Jonah" which he has held since winning it from Dovers. Jones making a pair of sheepskin slippers Dovers writing verses. Ken cooking. Moyes (president) & Ken were supposed to give the dinner for anniversary dinner of foundation of St Peters College, Adelaide, a celebration that would be held in Adelaide today. We were the guests. Drank "The King" with verse (sang) of Anthem "St Peters" "Kindred Associations." To this latter, Hoadley, Jones, & Watson spoke. As Wild & I represented neither school or college Dovers then was called upon the propose our health. We, of course, had to reply. Then came reading the Essays. I drew 4th so had not to lead off. Was surprised for they were all good in their way. Watsons a conversation amongst the dogs. Wilds an account of Expedition written in the wording of the old Testament Dovers latest edition of "Glacier Tongue" with items of telegraphic news Hoadleys description of some of the scenery on the voyage &c. I took the landing at Adelie Land or rather some of its picturesque features. Then the "poems" Watsons lament that the muse was coy. Kens Dovers, & Wilds - & Hoadleys more or less humourous description of the fellows & their traits. Mine story of this hut found 55 yrs hence on an ice berg Moyes also of the fellows Relieved to find mine considered one of the best. "Sweethearts & Wives" afterwards Wild singing the verses.
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July 7 Sunday
Nightwatchmans usual, passed quietly. Wrote diary, copied out Essay; had a bath & did my washing, read a few chapters of "Old Curiosity Shop" boiled some milk & made cocoa and toast. Previous evening the wind had fallen, and, as usual, the ceiling commenced dripping, for temp. generally about zero in blizzards & snowy weather & the fire in the room melts the ice between roof & [indecipherable] & on the skylights. Thro. the evening the wind rose again the draught thus set in motion freezed up the water & I had a pleasanter time. About 3 a.m. blowing fairly hard but fell again at 7 a.m. Passage has been snowed up completely since yesterday morning. Roof started dripping again when the wind fell, & was cursed heartily at breakfast Set about the morning work at 7 a m , - warmed last tin of sausages for breakfast & fried a little bacon. As it was Sunday morning, I selected the sacred tunes for the gramaphone (for its still the custom to awaken the sleepers with music. & - (perhaps that it is outside voices) I for one have come to appreciate the gramaphone as I never expected to. We have some beautiful sacred music - & tunes that may be classed in the same list "God be with you till we meet again" (that always sends my thoughts back to old Hobart, the little church the "Aurora" leaving.) A record containing "Abide with me", another hymn tune; & "Onward Christian Soldiers", "The Lost Chord" (organ solo) "Ave Maria" "Ora Pro Nobis" (vocal) "I know that my Redeemer Liveth" (my favourite) "Nazareth" (cornet solo) "Star of Bethlehem", "The Holy City" "The Lord worketh Wonders (Handel) "Virgin that lovest the poor & lowly" After breakfast turned in, & slept solidly for 3 hrs after the 25 hrs wakefulness. Turned out for lunch, put on berberries, & went with the other fellows to the floe. This day, snowing a little, but scarcely any wind. Light vile. A few inches of light snow on the Glacier surface. Beneath the cliffs, drifts still higher. Ski left standing there, 5 to 6 feet above surface before, now buried. As they knew their positions all were dug out points only a foot under except Andys & they must have blown down. Leaving them digging for the pair, I went along to-wards cave, but only got to big drift. Light so bad that the bluey greenish-grey tracery of the ice face of the cliffs, showing amongst the snow-slopes, might be said to be the only thing visible - & had I not known, could not have said if it was 30 yds or a mile away! In fact eyes felt strained when I got back, trying to distinguish the vagueness in that grey twilight. As far as I could feel, the great drift much increased in size & nearly as high as the ledge on cliff. As the snow came on thicker, I went back When I raised the other fellows thro the twilight, they looked just like pignies moving about on a snow bank in [indecipherable] for there was nothing to show they were yet some distance. Oppressively hot walking in berberries for temp plus 12 ° to 16 ° - only 16 ° to 20 ° of frost & no wind wished I had left off my
[on side margin] Fleece suit. Ceiling drops sharply away this morning! No wind just had service - [indecipherable] prayers. Collect, Creed &c as usual. Singing the "Magnificat" & the hymns. "My God, My Father while I stray & The day Thou Gaveth Lord, is ended" Wild, & Hoadley, Moyes, Dovers playing bridge. Watson turned in. Ken just sewn the straps on his sledging belt upside down "chucked" sewing in disgust & got a book. I am turning in.
July 8 Monday
Fine morning, light scum of cirrus & stratus around sun rose from behind a grey bank, throwing a flood of rosy light over the thin clouds above. Could get beautiful. Sky effects here, too or three on most days! Dovers & I, afterwards assisted by Moyes, dug out entrance. A good block of snow in it. Wild & Jones got a load of ice, the rest of us going over to help drag up for the soft snow on the glacier makes it hard dragging. After passage was dug out, Wild, Dovers, & I went down to the floe. The Westerly had brought up a mist, - but this notwithstanding, we could see yesterday we could not! Slopes greatly increased but many of them spoilt by a deep & often wide gap Wild says where the accumulating weight of the snow mounds have born the floe down. Its a pity, for many of the slopes go nearly to the top of the cliffs, - but this crevice makes a break We tried one or two slopes but the thick soft snow was too much Dovers & I generally ended in a cloud of snow! Mr Wild sometimes got thro. all right the snow flying up to his knees like the spind-drift at boats bow! After lunch some of us went down again. Mr Wild & I following Jones who had gone along towards the cave. Its not as easy "going" on the floe now, 2 or 4 inches of soft snow instead of ice. Great drifts along there. A buttress of the cliff coming away, wide crevice on the S. side cracked right off from the glacier - & might go any time. Where the cliff is low near the cave, the slope goes up, in one place to the glacier & half way down is a terrace then another shorter steep slope so. [sketch of slope]. Terrace some 8 or 9 ft broad. We climbed up. Wild & Jones started back on the glacier. Their ski took a short jump going over the first slope - & a big one off the terrace. Jones came off on the terrace Wild stood up until he landed after the second jump & then went flying. Instead of starting back on the glacier, I started from top of slope to avoid the first little jump flew down across the terrace- & from there leaped about 15 ft, feet on the ski - & went flying in a cloud of snow when I struck on the second slope. This, I think, was the only time I managed the jump, & Jones did not do that much for the terrace cutting up, made it still more difficult. Wild tried many times, did the jump 2 or 3 times but could not survive the landing also got many spills one a beauty he left the ski on the ledge, & as I afterward measured went over 20 ft landing on his head! I said, "In what other country would a man fall 20 ft with such violence knock a hole deep enough to lie in then climb up to do it again! " Some mist passed over beautiful effect the shadowy outline of Icy Cape & its pressure ridges suddenly towered up until it looked like outline of a peaked mountain some hundreds of ft high! Veiled cliffs & long white drifts in the foreground. When I got home clipped hair on face close as possible, for upper lip & chin loaded with ice today.
[in margin] Ther. fell from zero at 9 am to minus 25 ° in the evening.
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July 9 Tuesday
Dull, no sun all day, altho shining on the far land to the W. Little drift thro the night. At 2 a.m. the Nightwatchman (Jones) reported a fine aurora. I slipped on fleece suit and boots & turned out of my warm bunk rather reluctantly. Aurora was over more or less of the sky, except the S. & SE. A long broad wavy streamer from the SW broadening & flickering over head to the N.E. & E. where another streamer appeared to be rising to meet it, the Northern side of this more or less lit, - glares or nebulous patches, or fainter arches. The broad streamer from the SW very bright, & waved also a flickering effect, like that noticable at a "moving picture show" Gave me impression this was produced by the rapid glowing & fading of successive cross streamers narrow & very close, so that the eye did not distinguish them easily. With this flickering motion along the streamers was another wavy motion of the whole both sometimes exceedingly rapid the flickering motion always so The whole would fade - & brighten but Jones says at first there were distinct colouring in it. The form generally seen in Tas. long distinct streamers, is never seen here I have never seen it long Southern horizon, or along E. always rising from E - & never even low down in S. After low along N. & N. W. Tonight, long bright broad & irregular band from S.W. to NE, - from N.E. half doz. broad irregular curving bands rising Looking like bright luminous vapour, - This about 5 p.m. side effect of not much [indecipherable] Dug out a little drift from the Entrance, & helped up with a load of ice. Then I took ski & fishing lines & went along to the big drift, where we had noticed a seals blow hole yesterday. Fished in the little crevice under a great uplifted slab of floe, but with no success, altho I ran out up to 25 fathoms. Getting no bites, I put line on the ski stick & kept myself warm running the [sketch of bucket shaped slope] shaped slope between drift & cliff. Very cold in that light, where the down slope could not be distinguished from the up Feel yourself flying down then as suddenly flying up then you sit down suddenly once, upon going to hole, saw a swirl of water, so seal was about. Gave up fishing, & went off at a good speed for Icy Cape. Nothing fresh there great drift off the end. Returned dogs had come along & very excited over seal hole. Ski-ed along to the steps, where Wild & Dovers were running slopes. Wild ran diagonally down the face of a very steep slope the ski cutting in to the soft snow. The "light" was improving as the night came on, for the clouds were breaking & the stars peeping thro. Overhauled lockers, found a few articles had got wet. No dripping now temperature going down thro the afternoon from Minus 20 ° to Minus 37 ° at dinner time.
July 10 Wednesday
Beautifully fine clear night, and temper. Low. Ther. in screen going down to 42 ° at 9 a.m..= (Mercury froze in ther. at 41 °- the spirit Ther. giving the lower temp.) We run out in the same attire as wearing in the hut or only putting a felt hood but not to stay long! Notice the temp. was low by the rapidity with which my fingers froze while cleaning my teeth! Its a range of about 80 ° - from about Minus 40 ° in the hut, to minus 40 ° outside. After breakfast we adjourned to the floe. George Dovers and I with pick and shovel to punch a hole thro. for we have dispared of "leads" opening! Jones with a saw to cut snow blocks to build a shelter by the hole. Moyes to dig for the lost pair of ski. not found yet. Wild also followed after quarrying some ice. Glorious bright clear morning. The cornice near the steps with its down [indecipherable] leaves of white slightly tinted with blue, came out beautifully against the deep colour opposite the rising sun. the lower purple the rose above almost deep enough to call crimson! Then buttress by buttress the line of cliffs took the sun and at last one leaf of this cornice caught a ray - & turned pink. Dovers & I picked off a layer of crystallized snow then dug into the thick solid floe Got a hole about 4 ft squ. Down about 18 in. Very cold for the feet could keep all warm but the feet they get cold at pick & shovel work altho wearing 3 pair of socks inside boots. On our way up to lunch, took up the sledge load of ice. After lunch, Jones Moyes Dovers Watson & I went with our ski. Slopes are a little harder but still soft. Usual mixture of successful runs & "busters" but no especial "busters". We (except Moyes) take slope now that we would not have thought of attempting a few weeks back. The afternoons down there, with its vigourous exercise & accompaniment of hearty laughter must go far, I think in keeping us in such good health & spirits - I know it keeps my appetite up! Hoadley a bit out of sorts this morning, but seems right tonight. Every one seems in good health & spirits & no one complains of time dragging quite the reverse. All looking forward for the spring & sledging. They are not as fat now as a month or two back. I seem to have got my level at 149 lbs. Before dinner at mending old finskoo. Now writing &c Wild, Moyes , Watson Hoadley at Bridge Ther rose thro day to minus 23 ° at 3 p.m. In breeze tho it would be colder than in screen.
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July 11 Thursday
Morning doubtful day thick and dull, Ther. only went down to Minus 35 ° last night, - and has been steadily rising as the day got clouded, overcast. Breakfast about 10 a.m. for it was found that clock was about an hr. slow. No complaints! I always turn out reluctantly now the morning is the most comfortable time of the 24 hr cosy and warm all through. In the evening, feet generally cold the only part that I feel the cold when in-doors. Some of the fellows "turn in" with more or less of their clothes on all others but Wild wrap up in blankets, head and all, like so many Egyptian Mummie. I always undress, sleep only in my combinations, - Wearing still the same clothes as last April. But when we go outside even only for a moment or two always put on berberries to keep out the bitter breeze. Dovers & I resumed work on the hole. Hoadley still laid up with neuralgia Wild Jones & Ken also down on the floe, finished the wall, - then Wild helped us. We picked out the ice for about 4 ft, without much trouble, for altho very solid, it broke up easily enough. Got soft & moist so we took precaution to pick the floor out on a level, so as to get as much ice out a possible before water broke in. Presently George sent the end of his pick thro. he was aching to let the water in! & seeing it trickling thro, excitedly drove a hole in one corner. In rushed the water, spurting a ft high & soon filled the hole to within a few inches of the top. Then we got the "pricker" to work, - a heavy iron chisel with a long thick wooden shaft 6 ft long very heavy & clumsy to work with, - yet blade only about 2 inches broad. It was a job punching out the bottom with this cutting thro the ice all round the hole but at lenght it came up - & we dragged it out. Then up to lunch found it was nearly 3 p.m. After lunch, Wild Dovers & I went down again, & punching a hole iced a short crowbar or drill- into the floe, to fasten the end of the harpoon line to. George then watched the hole for ½ hr with the harpoon. I tried to slide a bit, but there was a belt of soft snow half way down slope I went to could not see anything - & every time I struck that soft belt I went flying! George & I had to fall over one way up the steps in the slope & when we reached the top could see nothing anyone might have walked over the cliff edge! Cutting pawn, writing, &c.
July 12 Friday
Wind freshened up about 2 a.m. and by 9 a.m. the entrance was nearly snowed up, & drift flying pretty thickly. After breakfast, Dovers cleaned out the Dark Room, I the verandah and grottos, tidying them & sweeping up. Also closed Entrance completely with snow So, tho the gale sweeps overhead, & the scour of the drift can be heard, we, shut off from the surface, in the heart of the snowdrift, are snug enough. Bar. Slowly fell to 29.11 now slowly rising so not likely to be much. Temp. not high yet, as our old friends the drips have not started. After finishing verandah, overhauled more of my biological cases. This afternoon & part of the evening making a pair of sheepskin slippers. Hoadley & Watson also making a pair each. Have the fleece inside & canvas soles should keep our feet warmer. Only the other day I mentioned in what good health we were keeping - & Now Hoadley has not got clear of his neuralgia, & Ken. Has a bad boil on the cheek bone going about with bound up face very stiff neck hands deep in pockets - & speculating whether it will prove fatal or not! However neither of them very bad. I have had a headache to-day either from a rather sleepless night, or from being shut up. Andy was going to have pork & roast duck for dinner, but opening tins sent such an effluvia thro room that they were promptly condemned, & bullocks substituted. Excellent apple pie. Jones & Dovers turned in. Ken recovered sufficient to patch his sleeping bag Ive finished one slipper, nearly finished the other and going to turn in.
There will be a good thickness of ice upon our pool when we get down. Punching the floe has practically settled one question. Wild always said the floe we landed on was more than one year old, as it was over 20 ft thick. From the way the great snow slopes are forming Jones & others believed there was only one years. Evidently Wild is right. If theres only slightly over 4 ft thickness in July it could not freeze anything like the other 16 ft in rest of year.
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July 13 Saturday
Wind dropped a little, but half a gale blowing and drift fairly thick thro. the morning. Mr Wild Jones and I each scraped a window. Hoadley getting out more stores. After scraping window I finished opening and taking stock of biological stores. The "Directions to Biologists" given me by Hunter, contains directions for "Fixing" the various things in Alcohol, formalin, sublimate alcohol, Copper sublimate, & various other agents. Survey of boxes show I only have a bottle of formalin & a large quantity of unnamed spirit which I suppose & we take, to be alcohol with a little Methalated added, for passing the Customs. Will take it as pure spirit, - and do the best I can with the two. Tow nets, dredges, & egg blowers missing Former I can make. Fear I will have no opportunity to use the other two if I had them! Regret I havent the other fixitives Have a good supply of spring-top jars, spirits & cotton wool. More Arsenical soap than I am likely to require, and 3 tins of skinning powder "Prickers" for killing birds, skinning knives and any amount of "tags" for naming specimens.
Moyes went outside to look up his thermometer & he and Mr Wild went down to the floe, finding the way by the stakes recently put up. Report that they could not see the slope as they climbed down nor the cliffs while under them. Pair of the ski left standing in drift nearly buried showing amount of snow driven down. That slopes appear to be all cracked and crevassed by the loaded floe cracking under their weight. The 2 came back loaded with ice.
This afternoon, I mended, fixed up my nic-nacs finished off sheep-skin slippers - & feel the benefit of them. Cut out a pawn, &c. Jones & Dovers have had 3 games of chess with varying fortune. Ken better, humming as he works at his sleeping bag. Wild & Watson have been photographing the verandah and passage using 4 lamps, & 3 candles.
Wind harder tonight might be called a gale Bar. Pitching down Now 28.80. Temp when Moyes out plus 8 °. "
"Sweethearts & Wives" duly honoured this evening chorus sung
July 14 Sunday
Another day shut in, wind fresh but scarcely a gale; "drift" very thick, evidently heavy snow falling. All tired of the house, & some of us would have broken out this afternoon if the drift had been thin enough to see our way to the floe. After breakfast things washed up, Mr Wild held the usual service, with "Venite", and the hymns "The Churchs one foundation" and "Lead, Kindly Light. " The singing seems to me to go better than it used to, - and I look forward to the simple little service, the ring of fellows gathered round, - Moyes leading the singing, for Mr Wild, with his good voice, take "seconds" (I think you call it.) _ Then, on my part at least, a muttered prayer for the welfare of the dear ones far away, to conclude with. Our clock recorded 11 a m but instead of the deep organ sounding the commencement of service in the churches of Tas. it would be long over there, and half the afternoon gone! Afterwards, I cut out a pawn. In the afternoon, read Moyes copy of Browning until I fell asleep then played 2 games of chess with Andy Watson. The first, I was beaten badly, the second lasted over dinner, & up to nearly 10 p.m. when, with everything gone on both sides but a pawn, I got that home, & checkmated Andy. I think we are both a bit shy of playing each other we are so evenly matched that it settles down (unless a blunder is made into such a long tiring fight! Andy is a careful player, & I must confess I make the most blunders. Four of the others at bridge, Jones asleep Ken & Andy now writing. Wind slightly stiffer to-night. Bar. After remaining at 28.80, is falling again very slightly. Ther. in the screen well up in the "plus". 17 ° drips commenced once or twice when the breeze fell, but stopped as it freshened up again.
Cleaned the ice from my bunk yesterday scraped out a pint or so.
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July 15 Monday
Another day like unto yesterday and three preceding days except wind was rather stiffer. Bar. Fell thro the night to nearly 28.30 now seems inclined to rise. Ther. in screen gave plus 17 ° Moyes was out to his instruments, & Wild went with him to empty accumulated boxes of rubbish & sweepings Mr Wild told me he could not speak with his face to windward. Went to the Magnetic Igloo Moyes following along the rope, Wild coming back met him, & stepping 5 or 4 yds on one side, Moyes passed without seeing him. Shows how difficult it is to see against wind & drift. Watson & Hoadley sewing bags. I got in the biscuit grinder, found a box, & screwed it down, got in a box of Wheatmeal biscuits, & started grinding (for sledging rations) After lunch cut out a couple of pawns, & laid down for half an hour. Dovers found time from his cooking to play a game of chess with Hoadley. Jones nightwatchman, asleep all day. Some of the fellows get in an astonishing amount of sleep over that nightwatch. Sometimes sleep on the preceeding afternoon & evening, all the day following, & all following night too! Moyes, Hoadley & Watson taking photos out in verandah by artificial light, - now with Wild, playing bridge Ive just cut out another pawn the third today They are more monotonous to make than the fighting line, sixteen all the same.
Dovers has promised us a good time while hes cooking this week. Today for lunch gave sardines on toast & scones. Our best cooks are Hoadley and Moyes and I think I may add myself. The rest might do much better if they choose to do so. excepting Watson, who had done very well. Dovers & Ken has been easily the worst housekeepers hitherto, - the amount of slops & water spilt about is a caution! and as George says, its much easier to serve up tinned fruits &c, than make puddings.
July 16 Tuesday
Day very dull, breezy, grey thick. We turned out altho snowing and drifting a little could only see as far as the Blue Devil pressure ridges. Hoadley & Watson to clear out their igloo & continue sinking the shaft. Wild & Jones to get ice; I to the floe, to clear out seal hole. Found a small cornice formed over where we used to go down I dug in behind & then thro it to dig steps down the sloping cliff taking advantage of hollows therein. As I cut down, & was able to see more distinctly thro that white mist Was surprised how all had altered. Nearly all the snow slope was gone it was quite a high & steep cliff I was climbing down, with delightful uncertainty whether the snow would give way under me or hold. Found the "shelter" somewhat weather-worn & lop-sided, repaired it with snow that had drifted behind, & then picked out ice over our hole a small hole open in the middle showed seals had been there Ice over it only about 6 to 8 inches thick, & soft owing to high temperature doubtlessly. Sides beautiful with ice crystals, & grown out somewhat. When it was clear, We (for Wild & Jones had come down) went along under cliffs. Surface good for ski. All changed altho we could not see distinctly, misty white light, drift & snowing still we could see that all or nearly all the great snow slopes under the cliffs have collapsed apparently the floe beneath breaking, & sinking under the weight slopes that once went nearly to the cliffs top now lie in ruins, rounded ridge beyond ridge. Those left have mostly cut-a-way bottoms. Great cracks have opened in the drift at their feet in places 2 to 3 ft broad & some at least 10 ft deep. We had one or two slides, keeping a wary eye for cracks. At one place, we saw a dusty layer on the cliff edge apparently some of the boxes of ashes emptied at the hut yesterday & to-day. After lunch, I went down again, Wild following & threw water over the "shelter" to give it an ice face. Watson & Hoadley coming down, we all walked along cliffs again, - climbed one or two slopes one was over-hung they laid down & slid down so I followed. You are conscious of nerves" when you sit on the brink of a white vagueness & see your mates some 20 or 30 ft below - & looks a dead drop down You let yourself go & shoot into that blind grey twilight fall 6 or 8 ft flop into soft snow - & slide down the rest getting covered with snow. Went back to our seal hole so thick & dark could scarcely see anything. It was covered with half set ice no seal had been there. We four lay down flat on different sides of the hole & watched a pulsing movement debating if it was the swell coming from open water to the N. head & shoulders over the pool when, without any warning, a round black wet head suddenly shot thro the half frozen surfacer up amongst out heads with a loud whoof"! I dont know which were the most startled the four that drew hastily back on the floe, or the one that ducked down again with equal celarity.
[on margin] We watched for some time, but the seal did not return. So we went home. 4.30 & thick "Zip" is missing again. Could see nothing of him to-day. Barometer now 28.7 ° going up with a steep grade. Mr Wild saw a Snow Petrel flit out of the mist.
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July 17 Wednesday
Another day snowing & drifting, worse than yesterday, but not too thick for outside. Jones & Kennedy at preparations for the sledging indoors. Hoadley & Watson at their shaft. now down 190 ft. I to the floe. Thicker than yesterday but could see [indecipherable] lines of the "Basilisk" & "Blue Devil" - & consider it safe to go out when the pressure ridges are visible. Breeze also stiffer, & drift pouring over the cliff edge. I took an Alpine rope so felt safe while digging down the face of snow overlaying cliff half smothered with the soft fine snow whirling up into my face. Hole covered with soft ice about 4 inches thick, but not "set" one of my feet slipped in & sent up to shins but fortunately I didnt overbalance & fall in. Did not even get my feet wet as the berberries tied round the boot-tops prevented water going in. Must take more care in future. This hard to realize, looking into that little puddle 4 ft sq, that theres over 1300 feet of water! Skimmed water with shovel taking off most of the ice, but a scum like half set fat, - just beginning to turn white in cooking remains & difficult to get off. Then lowered lobster pot about 9 fathoms (Fish traps lost) Mr Wild joined me soon after, & we watched for a seal, or took it in turns to go for short runs to get warm. Wind fresh, but day mild plus 20 ° in the screen After lunch, we returned, & watched in vain until nearly 4 p.m. seeing no seals - & getting no fish in trap. Day mostly thick with driving snow occasionally breaking, & we could see the outline of the cliffs ½ a mile off. Bar. falling slightly, No sign of poor Zip other dogs jolly enough, playing about & tumbling over the drifts. We watched them much amused, going up the steps I had dug already nearly snowed up When with great difficulty, they had ploughed up thro the soft snow they were faced with a little "cornice" formed at the top The stream of thick snow., clinging to a hazy white surface that, where we were half way up, we could see neither the top nor bottom of! To-night, wind is fresher again. Cut out a pawn before dinner Played bridge after, going down all but the last rubber am almost as low as Watson & Moyes.
July 18 Thursday
The seventh day of thick snowing weather rather worse than yesterday. Hoadley & Moyes to the shafts, after breakfast. I to the floe. Took a rope with me. Go down the slope to the cliff edge & see the ski, sticks, &c, on the floe well out from the cliffs, - looking as if at the bottom of a long slope. Go on cautiously, with one eye on the neve cliff-top to the right, to judge your distance, & then begin feeling for the edge of the cliff with the long 7 ft ski-stick Perhaps here & there you glimpse a whiter line in the general vague whiteness the end of the cornice. Then driving the strong bamboo ski-stick into the snow, tethering myself to it by a lenght of rope, dig a way down in big steps over & thro. the edge & down about 50 ft of cliff to the top of the slope building up below a fierce swirl of wet "drift" driving into my face - & wet within with persperation; until get comparatively clear of drift at the cliff-foot. Pool covered with soft ice about 6 inches thick, for temp. high still plus 16 ° & took some time clearing of ice & snow. Watched the rest of the morning in vain. No days visible at the hut, but the first spade-full of snow I threw down raised Ammundsun evidently from some corner under the cliff. Half way thro the morning, I heard a dog howling from direction of big drift got a ski stick &c, to go over, when Switzerland arrived. Moyes came down to tell me lunch ready. In afternoon I went along S. on ski, with the 2 dogs. Signs of ice-movement all along. Floe fractured along cliffs, & cracks running out, much of it overflowed, or water soaking thro, owing to weight sending it below sea level I ran once on floe broken & sodden heard water "creep". Doubtlessly safe enough but I picked my way gingerly! Behind the big drift; floe broken & water showing along the crack. Great snow slopes all along by the cave cave appeared almost full of snow. Along the ice-cliffs of Icy Cape ran another crack, showing water. On the great drift off the end, I picked up half obliterated foot-prints of a dog. not of the 2 with me. Sandow & Zip both missing now. Is it possible they go wandering, & loose their way in this thick weather? Went back at best pace, for it was twilight, thick, & a stiff breeze against me. Wet with persperation under my berberries which while keeping out wind, keep in sweat & steam Ice on pool had not been disturbed seals evidently not plentiful, - but they have also plenty of breathing holes now. Home by 4 p.m. Days much longer already. Found all in their bunks except cook, who sat before the fire reading. Went at pawns before dinner mending mits in evening.ole oadley & Hoa
oadley & Watson taking photoH
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July 19 Friday
Looked a little finer when I climbed out thro the hatch about 10 a.m. Breaks of clear sky to E & N. Sun rising, all yellow misty light & cloud going to misty-pink on either hand, - the clear sky light green. The better light made it easier work climbing down on to the floe. Jones Moyes & Kennedy got in some ice and coal. I watched by the pool after clearing ice off. It was rather more solid ice today Temp was lower had to take a pick along the sides. Then let down a thin fishing line, & with harpoon in front of me, waited. And you have to wait too with the Eskimo way of fishing. Not a seal appeared nor a bite at the line! The sun shone mistily yellow - & the smoking cliffs hove up against it. But later it came on very thick, snowing as well as drifting, so that even nearest cliffs could scarcely be seen. That snow shower passing about 12.30. I took advantage of the lull to slip up to lunch. Andy & I went to the floe after lunch & looked along cliffs a short distance for missing dogs. Then Andy returned, & I went along after Wild & Moyes whom I had seen come down. For a brief space after lunch, it was clear. Then the mist settled down a mixture of bad light drift, & a little falling snow. Could scarcely see anything! & the soft snow stuck to the ski badly. Joined the others & we all returned. Before going up, I skimmed the hole again nearly an inch of ice on it. Very warm, with the berberries on - & head aching, so lay down for the hr & half before dinner. George gave us a very good nectarine pie. Pies are "economy of labour" no more trouble to make than a boiled pudding easier to cook & no cloth to wash. Im learning "wrinkles" from these young cooks! Some discussion over the spring sledging after dinner. Mr Wild intends taking the whole party up on the Ice Cap. & while [indecipherable] takes W. Depot further on from Sat[indecipherable] Hollow, - 3 will make another attempt to "look the Devil fair in the face" & penetrate further S inland.
[in margin] Night-watchman tonight. Lay down while usual Bridge party played & felt better for it. Hearing dogs barking at 11.30 pm, I went out & found that Zip had returned Looking, as far as I could see all right. Drift had stopped.
July 20 Saturday
Nightwatch passed quietly, bath, washing clothes, reading &c. Cut of cocoa & a bit of toast at 4 a.m. Started about 6.45 to prepare breakfast, - intended making salmon fritters; but having no eggs, they came all to pieces in the fat. So I put remainder in pie dish Made some white sauce, & put them in to bake. Morning fine. When I was out about 9.30, the N. East was glowing a small golden break low down then a stream of dull cloud. Above all bright cadmium yellow & streams of wild cirrus flushed with pink. In to bed straight away, and slept until about 12.15. Then turned out to lunch, Afterwards went to the floe. Left Mr Wild clipping Kens hair. He cut it close to the head but left tufts sticking up here & there over it! Jones had been down to the seal hole during morning, & said ice had been broken thro. the night. Others had got ice in, scrubbed floor, &c. Floor would not get so dirty if one or two of the cooks would not sweep slops & scraps off table on to it! I went along under cliffs as far as where the "Tongue" once stood without finding a decent slope for ski-ing. Wild Moyes & Ken then coming down, we all went along S. Light bad, could not see very distinctly. Found a lenght of cornice & cliff face had come down in great blocks, near the steps over a 100 ft Also that the buttress of the cliff coming away near the cave, had broken all down great blocks of snow piled beneath - & gaunt white ruins standing up, with a chasm between them & cliff. Could not see very well but it should make a good photo. The slope we were "jumping" on, was covered with 2 ft of soft snow too soft to do anything on it. Cave almost "chock-a-block" with snow the loose arch of ice not fallen yet. We then returned, bringing up little sledge from floe with us. Home at 4.45. Evening thick but quiet. Dark "water sky" showing to N as if floe had broken out fairly near that berg we visited. Cut out pawn before dinner. Repaired old mits with sheepskin after dinner. Then "Sweethearts & Wives," after which I joined in a game of bridge & with varying fortune loosing on the whole. Fellows do not seem sleepy. Gramaphone going at 11 - & Ken saw the night out with flute selections. My week cooking commences tomorrow. 6 weeks gone again work then hopes of news from home.
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July 21 Sunday
A fine morning, fairly clear & sunny. Hoadley & Watson went 3 miles over the Glacier, to see to various stakes set out there. Found all but one showed increase of snow (surface) that averaged 5 inches. George Dovers who last week assured us that he would get a seal soon as his weeks cooking was over, watched that hole patiently all day - but came back without a seal. Mr Wild & Moyes took the little sledge over the floe - & took photos to their great disappointment all proved to be over exposed & useless. This is a bad climate for the photographers! I cleaned up, &c made some scones for lunch, & ;put pastry basin, &c, - that some of the other cooks do not seem to think its necessary to wash in to soak washed sugar basin or rather tins seldom are they washed either! As the floe people had not returned at 2 p.m. We in the hut, had our lunch & went to the floe for an hr or two. This morning it was noticed that the dog Ammundson had blood on mouth & neck. And Mr Wild brought back an Emperor Penguin he had come across on the floe all the flesh eaten off its back & partly off breast! Ammundson had evidently worried it from behind probably partly ate the poor wretch alive! This unexpected find revives hope of getting some eggs after all! Probably this was a wanderer still they may make back on to secure floe for nesting. If I had not been cook would have run up the floe this afternoon for a few hrs. Then that wretch Sandow may be amongst them & one of these wolves would not stop at one or two they would clear out a rookery if they could get the birds seperately kill the lot for the mere lust of killing. It weighed 50 lbs even in its mangled condition. Opening it, was found to have a well digested cropful bits of pebbles the first rock we have seen amongst it.(Query where do they get the rock fragments?) This was put in a tin & hastily taken outside that the geologists may get the pebbles out at their leisure - & I propped the door open for a little fresh air! On the floe, we had some ski running. I tried running down a steep slope & jumping in an 8 ft tide crack at the foot on 7ft ski. Came a "buster". For dinner. Mulligatawny soup, roast mutton & Yorkshire pudding (without eggs) Potato, bean, Plum puddings & whiskey sauce. When the work was finished Moyes held service, with"Nunc Demittus" & hymns "Fight the good fight with all thy might" & "A days march near home". By our time it was 8.30 p.m. but our breathern in Aus. & Tas. Would be mostly in bed, instead of at church. After this, I put our sacred records on the gramaphone. I like them especially the "I know that my Redeemer liveth sang by [indecipherable] Deering., & finished up with "God be with you till we meet again!" recalling Hobart & the dear ones there.
July 22 Monday
Fairly fine when I peeped out of the hatch before breakfast thick to the W. Hoped to go up the floe for Mr Wild decided to have a look for Sandow in case he may be worrying penguins. Jones & Moyes were sent straight out on the floe due W. Wild picked Dovers to go with him - & George wasnt keen on going. But for the infernal Cooking, I should have volunteered to go the third direction S. In fact disappointed that I could not for Im keenly interested now or never for the penguin eggs. This is the month they lay. Fellows got in ice &c. and then away. Hoadley & Watson working at their shaft. Ken. (night watchman) asleep. I cleaned pastry bowl, bread tins, &c that I had soaking - & cut up penguin hearts & liver, with some steak for a pie. Heart larger than an afternoon tea-cup. Fried some scones in dripping - & we 4 had lunch. Then left for an hour on the floe. (1.40 p.m.) Met Jones & Moyes coming up Glacier. Seen nothing out on the floe but sastrugi. Soon after we reached the floe, Wild & Dovers appeared. They had not got as far as the Ice Islands - & had seen nothing. Floe not broken, so far We four went sliding with varied luck spills & runs. Worked along, trying the few slopes left. Even tried the highest tho. there was a great cornice hanging over it, & a broad trough depression at its foot. Tried running diagonally across its face capsized down hill stood on my head & got a mouth full of snow. We each had a successful run down then decided not to tempt fate again under that cornice. Then round to the slope we were running yesterday. Tried again to jump that tide-crack diagonally but as I flew across, one ski dropped down the crack & I "came a buster." Busters were the rule there for the bottom of the slope got ploughed so deeply that we came down nearly every run each fall making the "going" worse! Hurried home to the cooking. W. glowing brightly in pale yellow Then a broad thin smear of cirrus of a dull green edged below with streaks of crimson, & patches of gold & orange. Found the others in their bunks My mates soon returned & turned in too, so I was soon the only fellow about. Partly stewed the penguin, then made it into a pie with onion powder pepper, salt & bacon. Was enjoyed much. Hotch Potch soup. Turnip, Leeks; Rice & preserved pears. Found the other fellows had grilled penguin steak for their lunch. I had left ham (that we had) & reserved penguin for when we were all together. Have still enough penguin for another meal. Cleaning up after them, washing up & putting things away, made me late with dinner However as everyone asleep, it mattered not. Dogs disappeared Gone S. from Jones & Moyes
[In margin]
Temp. in Screen, Minus 27 °
[Page 159]
July 23 Tuesday
Day fine, altho bar. falling & nearly down to 28.50 Temp. ranging from minus 10 ° to minus 25 °. Wild Jones & Ken working yesterday & today upon Mag. Igloo; for the snow walls settling down had become too low, & had to be raised & re-roofed. Hoadley & Watson at their shaft. George departed to watch the seal hole, after usual elaborate preparations. Loaded revolver, knife ice axe, Alpine rope (to "tether himself lest he falls in) pipe, tobacco & matches and clad in many garments said he had 7 sleeves upon his arms! I offered to lend him a few extra suits, but he did not think he would be able to get them on. I set about my housework. Washing up & drying takes some time. This morning was about an ordinary breakfast wash & comprised 17 plates, 11 mugs, 3 basins, 1 pie dish, 1 veg dish, 1 pot, 1 porringer, 1 cullender, 1 frying pan - and the cutlery I didnt count up. Made stuffing & stuffed remainder of penguins breast 4 ½ lbs of meat. Made a hash of cold mutton, bacon, & pemmican; with rice; warm remainder of penguin pie, & thawed plums for lunch After washing up lunch things (George dried for me) went to the floe (2.15 p.m.) & joined Wild & Watson; Hoadley & Ken went along to cave. Sun set, with a mist of very red-rosy light pouring from under cloud bank. Did not enjoy the sliding much slope too cut up & difficult to get thro the broken snow - & the amount of balancing required stopped "way" so much did not run far when that was successfully negotiated. George down about 3 to watch seal hole again. It had frozen over again (since cleared in the morning) and exquisite little "ice-flowers" forming like tufts of delicate fern or perhaps more like emu feathers, pure white! They had grown in that time to about an inch long, - largest Mr Wild says principally formed of salt crystals oozing thro. ice. Returned by 3.30 - & to the dinner.
Soup, - Tomato; stuffed & roast penguin; potatoes; peas; Lemon tapioca. Penguin was stuffed with bread crumbs, onion powder, butter, parsley, pepper & salt. Was done to a turn, & delicious . Flesh dark close & tender; flavour between beef & liver, - with something that reminded one of roast duck. Only once I got a slight "bird flavour" even then not strong. The Emperor Penguin is certainly better than seal. Most of the fellows came for a second helping enjoying thoroughly after the tinned food varied with 8 month old mutton. We have no sago boiled tapioca & flavoured with essence of lemon, sugar, golden syrup, & lemon peel. In evening had 3 rubbers of bridge My partner made it no trumps it was doubled & redoubled & we won! Rubber gave 710 points.
24 Wednesday
Blowing hard thro. the night, but quitened down toward morning. sun arose, & only a light drift continued. George went to the floe, to watch for that seal which he says comes up every night, but gives no chance thro. the day. Mr Wild making a sail for the sledge, Jones making instrument box for sledge; Moyes grinding biscuits. Ken. In his magnetic igloo. The entrance has not been opened since Friday week, & we have been using the hatch. After washing up, I made scones & a baking of bread. We use but little bread now but its not been very good this last month. The warm scones for lunch all went. After lunch got my washing up done & got away about 2.15 pm for a run. All the others at the floe too. Snow hard after the strong wind last night, & our damage to the snow mounds all repaired by the drift - & therefore much pleasanter sliding my ski had a thin coat of ice down the groove in the sliding surface - & would not run as far as Mr Wilds (This evening I thawed it out & sand-papered the ski, which had worn a little rough) Wild set up stakes so that had to run a curved course [sketch of course] but few could follow him round the curve. Then dropped gloves also widely out of line. Picking up these gloves is not too easy. You shoot down the slope thro the "broken" stuff where the fellows have been falling these lean one way or other as you wish to turn - & pick up the glove as you shoot by. Twice I touched the gloves, but failed to pick them up - & only picked up one. Had to leave soon - & home for cooking. By the bye, have, cold roast penguin, & scones for lunch. The bit of cold penguin (left from last night) was excellent. & reminded us of cold wild duck.
Dinner oxtail soup Irish stew (tinned) & mushrooms, Carots, spinach. Pie of dried apricots which seemed to be appreciated Made 2 large pies, - so others do for tomorrows lunch. Thank goodness, - only 3 days of my week to go. With exception of hr & half out have been on my feet all day - & with vigorous exercise outside Late to bed, - & then did not sleep until early hours, - So tired tonight.
Bar. pitching down this afternoon. Now about 28.19 no bridge tonight -oadley sewing bags, JoneJonoaHoadley & Watson
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July 25 Thursday
Blowing hard in the early morning hours, but calmed down before breakfast. Day dull and cloudy. Bar. very low went steeply down at noon pitched suddenly just below 28 ° & then rose precipitously the curve recorded upon the baragraph is like unto the section of a valley, with steep hill sides - & a "creek bed" at the bottom! Mr Wild, nightwatchman, turned in. Dovers again departed for the seal hole. Hoadley & Watson to their shaft Now down 27 ft. Quite pretty down there at the bottom of it the sides mostly blue ice, alternating with neve - & a faint misty "blueness" seems to surround you. Moyes grinding biscuits. Jones making biscuits out of "glaxo" & butter, for sledging. They promise to be both nutritious & palatable. I to the usual washing up &c. Chopped up suet for a pudding to-day & tomorrow & got ingredients measured out for a "chandos" pudding Flour, Breadcrumbs, sugar, rasins, currants, suet, lemon peel, &c. Lambs Tongue for lunch, with apricot pie (over from last night. cold) George returned from another fruitless watch, very discouraged. Seal has been adding insults by nightly breaking the ice upon the pool after lunch we all went to the floe. Light bad for day was thick Dark "water sky" showing to the N.; looking fairly close closer than the one showing over the W. barrier. Snow surface not as good as yesterday a little "stickey" - & with the bad light, made the running difficult. Falls were plentiful, - & more numerous as the surface got ploughed up. I only had this thin combination underwear, fleece suit & a sweater under the berberry but was soon in a profuse persperation. Temp, high plus 3 ° Could only stay an hour then back to the cooking Dinner. Soup. Green Pea unpopular. Mutton harricot (tinned) to which I added onion powder Worcester Sauce, &c - & thickened a gravy for it with flour. Seemed to be liked. Baked Beans. Pudding scarcely done but received by some with exclamation I do not like those puddings. Certainly boiled pudding make more work for the cook - & he looses a boiler of water - & has to melt, extra ice afterwards to fill it. After dinner George [indecipherable] and departed to watch for that seal by moon light combined with a lanthorne. He put on 7 sweaters as well as combinations & fleece suit & also to an old sheep-skin sleeping bag to stand in! Wild Moyes Hoadley, Watson at ridge. I am going to bed, tired.
July 26 Friday
Dovers watched in vain for seal until 5 a.m., - with 2 trips up for coffee & a warm. Came back considerably disgusted. After breakfast, he turned in; Wild went down to watch - & just before noon a seal came gently up to breathe. Wild threw, but the spade harpoon apparently did not sink the barbs in (the seals neck) for the seal broke away without difficulty. Evidently theres a lot of luck in this Eskimo style of fishing! Hoadley & Watson at their shaft. I with Jones & Moyes brought in a load of ice. The 2 latter cleared up verandah & passages. Day thick & stormy, so Entrance was not dug out. After getting regular work done, I made 8 mince pies for lunch. Very nice. Ham & Mulberries also. After lunch & washing up (Watson dried for me) put on berberries & went to the floe for a breath of fresh air. Very thick grey, snowing, drifting, & fresh breeze. Could barely see Pressure ridges. Climbed down cliff & for a short walk S. past seal hole. Came on very thick could see nothing so laid course back by the wind. On, until, almost overhead, a faint blue grey shading in the white - & I was under the cliffs & with them on my right, could follow round to the steps. Had to keep almost within reach of my ski- stick, to see even the cliffs, & feel my way along. Heard a great mass of cliff come rumbling down not far behind - & did not feel too comfortable along under cornices I could not see feeling my way with the ski-stick thro that blind whiteness. Felt quiet relieved when I saw the rope. Could not even see the ski stuck up in the drift nor the seal hole. Climbed up rope at top edge already buried under a couple of feet of cornice showing how rapidly they grow! Blowing half a gale on the glacier could see stakes so got home all right. Made a rabbit pie with bacon, onion powder, &c very good some of them did not like lemon flavouring. Gravy soup, parsnips & turnips. & an apple pudding of noble dimensions that appeared to be enjoyed altho dried apples not up to the fresh article. Now work done. The usual party at bridge; & I am going to turn in. Bar. reached 29.10 this morning now down to 28.80. The blizzard is whistling over the roof - & the drift scouring by. Have not been sleeping too well, - go to bed at 10 read for a couple of hrs - & then lay awake until 1 or 2 a.m.- & listening to the blizzard overhead, I often think of my first home at the "Glen" the cheerful wood fires in the open fire places fire light & shadow, - the neat room speaking of a womans dainty presence - & the winters night - & gale roaring in the trees outside
[in margin] Temp rose to plus 10 ° today
[Page 161]
July 27 Saturday
Thank the Lord for another Sat. night releasing me from the cooking! With luck, perhaps the last regular weeks cooking Ill have to do for the party this year. For next month the sledging (Depot laying) is to commence if weather is not altogether too bad. To-day has been a trifle worse than yesterday. Thick, drifting, & this afternoon, blowing a moderate gale. Bar. climbed up to 29.20 but is falling slowly tonight. Temp plus 8 ° Mr Wild, Ken & Moyes each cleaned a window - & found themselves confronted with ice owing to high temperatures. They had to chip the ice off - & Wild twice sent his screw-driver thro the glass. Others got on better tho. Ken remarked that a special Providence evidently watched over his skylight! George watched in vain for the seal & Mr Wild joined him later. Jones, Watson scrubbed the floor. This work rather delayed my work. In addition to regular cooking work. I cleaned the stove, made bread, cleaned up, scrubbed the slop buckets, & washed & boiled the towels. Our towels get very rough treatment for instance have seen Jones, finding too much fat on his carving knife when carving ham, wipe it on towel instead of mop or slop cloth! So no wonder they cannot be got white! This afternoon 4 playing bridge, Hoadley & Dovers played 3 games of chess, winning two. & Hoadley was nightwatchman last night, & could not sleep this morning 2 days & a night. For lunch I gave them a curry made of the remains of the last 2 or 3 dinners, & it was enjoyed Most of the cold apple pudding was also eaten. For dinner, Roast mutton tinned between 2 layers of rice, baked, with onion powder parsley &c. apparently was enjoyed. Julienne Soup. Peas, beans; & a "Sultana pudding" practically a blanc-mange with sugar, egg powder (I found a stray tin of latter today) & sultanas added, baked for a short time & also stewed prunes. From remarks they seem to think I had treated them well for my week yet, taking advice of young cooks I have avoided many boiled puddings those I have cooked are the first we have had for the last month. Our Medico in his week sometimes served only tinned fruit for puddings. Tired going all day. Drank "Sweethearts & Wives" & sang chorus God bless them they are anxious enough about us, I expect.
July 28 Sunday
Still she blows - & has blown all day & night. Bar. down about 28.80. George after "hanging in the wind" decided he would not go to the seal hole so I put on my berberries & went down, cleaned out hole & watched for about an hr. Wind strong drift thick a bit of a "break" to the SE & NE. so hoped it would clear. Felt my way to cliff edge, as usual, & climbed down with help of rope & spade. Upon arriving near bottom, found floe had apparently split & subsided again bottom of the slope broken & a clear new crack across drift & into the floe, - showing unfrozen water at the bottom.
Too thick to see around what changes may have been wrought since I was down last. Cleared snow from behind shelter wall, broke ice & skimmed it out with the shovel. Beneath firm ice appeared to be a thick mass of ice crystals, an inch or two broad, - but very thin Skimmed them off by the shovel full, then left enough to hide me from a seal coming to hole. Wind increased to half a gale & very thick. Could not see cliffs, altho overhead the sky appeared to be partly free from clouds. Getting very cold, I made my way back. Mounds at foot of cliff appeared to have subsided a little even since I came down, for there was a break across one of my steps. Climbed up in the teeth of wind & drift & as my face was cold, a thick layer of snow formed on cheeks, like a mask! Soon had it off when my hands free again, & rubbed warmth into cheeks. Made a sideling progress up glacier, & so kept face from wind stakes generally 12 to 14 ft apart could generally see 2 or 3 at a time, so followed them easily. Home by 12-3. p.m. Every one in thro afternoon. I rested; then clipped all the hair from face again. Hoadley gave us for dinner Tomato soup, roast leg of mutton stuffed, & Yorkshire pudding; potatoes, peas, beans; plum puddings (tinned) Fellows get up a sweep (cigarettes) for one putting on most weight in week. Watson won this week adding over 3 lbs. I not in sweep as I do not smoke.
Usual Service not held. Put off until evening. & then forgotten apparently.
July easily takes first place as our roughest month so far, - but, for that reason, will not be the coldest. This "moon" has nearly gone, without a chance to get up the floe. Anxiously awaiting bar. rising & clearing want to look around for penguins now Im off cooking
[Page 162]
July 29 Monday
Day finer, sun out, clouds broken, & no drift during morning. Wind fresh and cold Up there on the highland could see a mist of drift flying, - here it seems as if the loose drift had all blown away. George went off to watch for the seal. Others all dragged ice up, then went at work inside, preparing for sledging. Mr Wild & I dug briquettes out of the snowed up heap outside & a couple of bags of coal slack, & passed them in . Then Wild to his sail, & I shovelled snow up that had drifted thro. hatch; & got out another case of kerosene. We use a case (2 tins) of Kerosene in from 2 to 3 weeks. Then went down to see how George was getting on. He had not got a seal. Snow hard after the heavy wind all the floe & cliffs lit up by the sun. Great cracks a foot wide ran here & there thro. the drift on the floe. In places acres of the floe weighted down by the accumulating snow mounds have broken & tilted in towards cliffs Mounds subsided & broken down. In the corner of the little bay below the hut S. of the steps, - all the lenght of blocks that fell a week or so back, are snowed over making a great slope nearly to the cliff-top firm hard snow. Possibly being in a corner, strenghtens the floe, enabling it to carry the extra weight, for it was well snowed up last year; & it was up a slope in the same place that we first climbed to the Glacier. There was one deep crevice left between what had been fallen blocks with depths of blue, and beautiful snow encrustations on the sides shaped often, like great pieces of "punk" that grow on trees, swarms of bees, &c, - from masses a yd across to delicate little buttons. In the afternoon we all went down with ski, & commenced sliding half way along. It was very "fast" after the soft snow we have had lately. We flew down about 25ft of slope - & away over 50 yes of drift & floe. At the bottom of slope was a great tendency to "broach too" (possibly from strong wind on side) & when you did you shot like a stone from a catapult over & over ! Snow was softer there & I did not suffer altho. flung some distance repeatedly. On the whole, I was very successful. Some of the others tried the highest & steepest. Bad "take off", & few successful runs. Wind & drifting to-night blowing pretty hard. Bar. slowly gone up 28.91. Hoadley gave us Salmon spinach & beans & a currant "duff: Cards as usual. I repairing felt boots & reading
[in margin] Ther. in screen from plus 8 ° to 5 °
July 30 Tuesday
Still she blows! Hard last night, & fairly hard to-day. George was sent to the seal hole (he does not like inside work, so ready enough on week days to go) He left about 10.30 a.m & returned at 12.30 reporting that he had failed to get down Drift thick, blowing pretty hard, &, as far as he could see, mounds at the foot of the cliffs had sunk, & a "tide crack" some feet broad there. So not likeing the look of it, he returned after digging his way partially down cliff. Said drift thick on the Glacier, & coming back, he took precaution of tying alpine rope to a stake, - going along to the next stakes, - tying other end of rope there back to untie end & following rope, take that forard to further stakes A slow but sure way of working up the row of stakes in the blinding mist of drift. Wild at the sledge sail. Jones at the Glaxo biscuits, I sewing up bags for sledging rations. Moyes grinding. Hoadley gave us ham & dumplings (made of self raising flour) & Gooseberries for lunch. For dinner, minced beef baked with tinned tomatoes; potatoes, beans parsnips. Tapioca pudding, with remaining prunes & gooseberries. He has at last succeeded in making yeast; & to-day made the first baking of yeast bread appears nice & light, - but too much yeast in, makes it bitter. Thro. afternoon was reading book on biology largest print I had, for its wretchedly dark. When gas lit between 3 & 4 I cut out a couple of pawns. In the evening played a couple of games of chess with Ken. To get him into the way of it. He has played before but very much out of practice. First time I check-mated him with 2 knights in the midst of a strong array of pieces. Wild, Moyes, Watson Dovers at bridge, - but left off early, Dovers off bridge fancy the fear of "Jonah" oppresses him!
This wretched weather prevents us getting out even yesterday afternoon not good enough to go far as the drift was fairly thick. It is past the full moon, - & we have not been able to get up the floe to look for penguins nor have I even been able to get a days or afternoon away.
[Page 163]
July 31 Wednesday
A fine day at last! When we looked out this morning all bright & clear, & only a slight low drift: - tho it looked to be driving still in great clouds over the distant land. Wild (nightwatchman) turned in. Jones mined ice, then to his biscuit making. Dovers to the floe. Moyes Watson & I dug out the entrance closed 19 days. Outside, it was snowed up level with the surface of the drift, I "located" its exact position by thrusting my long bamboo ski-stick thro from inside. Considerable quantity of snow to remove, & 12.30 before it was all dug out and carted away; & ice ran down & emptied into the box. Andy & I then went down to have a look at the floe. Seeing a crack to the left, we went across & had a look at it, - instead of continuing on down the steps. A piece of the cliff (snow) had partly split off, & was leaning out on the highest part of those great slopes we had been sliding on - & below, the great snow mounds & slopes & ridges, clean smooth, spotless in all their beauty. Andy suggested climbing down the partly broken away ridge of the cliff to the top of the great mound 20 ft below I hesitated - & consented against my better judgement. So down we went; then laying down slid down the great slope to the floe below. There we glided awhile on ski then home to lunch - & as we went up the Glacier, we saw flying blocks & rising "smoke" of snow - & the ridge we had climbed down not half an hour before had gone! We had a look after lunch. The ridge had fallen braking cakes off the surface of the slope - & the debris lay scattered to the floe. In addition,. A heavier fall further along, right in the head of the bay And the great smooth white snow covered floe there was bisected with crossing cracks, like a chequer-board in some places tilted. All but Hoadley & Ken. To the floe, sliding on the uninjured part of the great slope. A grand run too! Over 40 ft of steep bank & across the floe to a pressure ridge there. Breaking down the piled up snow blocks on this, we made a rough bank or ridge we could jump with the ski & had great sport. Slope was smooth hard & "fast" I got on well. A few yds further along, the floe had cracked & tilted from effect of fall to-day. I looked at this there was a slight rise to the edge, then straight drop of 3 ft to the floe below. I tried it flew down the steep 40 ft of slope & flew off the edge of the tilted floe it felt like 20 ft thro the air tho it would not have been much more than half that distance; landed with a shock & went flying in the snow!
[sketch of slope and jump]
The others all tried it then. Wild, after many falls, mastered it & ran several times successfully I was the only other who managed to take the jump without being thrown off ski - & then only a couple of times. Lively evening.
[in margin] Spoke to Mr Wild about going up the floe. He decided as moon was past [sketch of moon] to put it off for a couple of weeks for longer days. Gave us a holiday tomorrow & Andy & I are going S. along the floe to see if anything between here & Junction Corner.
August 1 Thursday
Morning fairly fine but a little drift. Undecided about starting so nearly 10 a.m. before we got away. Lower part of cliff at steps broken away, & awkward I was Ύ down when an avalanche of dogs (harnessed together) swept down on me. Clung to rope & they rolled by, & dropped the last 20 ft headlong to the floe. Miss powerful Sandow now still the 3 dogs proved equal to dragging even Andys 13 stone on good going if not steep up-hill. Even Amundson & Switzerland could not drag him on the little sledge across the floe. The wind was fresh & cold minus 13 ° & still drifting. After passing Icy Cape we could see it was worse ahead, - & a dense bank of drift over the land. Made good progress taking it in turns to ride. Its great, after a fast walk & the occasional run, of about a mile, to be able to sit down & rest, yet be carried on your way at unabated speed! Very little variety along there. Snow covered cliffs, (no ice showing), cornices & broken slopes. Generally a great smooth drift along parallel to cliffs, cracked along the centre, & the part between crack & cliff tilted, from weight of snow. There were many fine cornices, hanging in graceful lines some so large, they hung a third of the way down the cliff. No large bays in the cliff-line, as up N. One place were apparently a large crevasse goes up, & it would be possible to reach the Glacier perhaps take a sledge up. The cracks, in many places, showed water at the bottom. One wide tide pressure on the floe, lately frozen showed signs of a seal having been up thro. it. & one or two high ragged pressure dimly seen some distance out. Wind freshened & drift got thicker & thicker as we went on Sky still clear over-head, so could easily follow the mist veiled line of cliffs. Occasionally break a little, - one peep of cliff we got was very pretty & quite fantastic all cornices & odd points & nobs. At noon, very thick; & windy cirrus spreading over the sky. About 12.30 had lunch, crouched under lee of tilted floe-edge frozen sausage-rolls, chocolate; & almost boiling cocoa out of my thermos flask. One side of my fingers were almost burnt by the heat of the metal-cup full, as I sipped it the other side of the same fingers smarting & aching from the cold! Then we hurried back. Could not see the cliffs we were travelling along, most of the way. Hear cornices falling occasionally. Passed by Icy Cape, & the dogs struck across floe as it was about the right direction we let them go Drift much less this side of Icy Cape - & we then saw dogs keeping too far out evidently cannot find their way with any certainty. Great job getting them up cliffs as steps not cut out properly & the top part very steep. Hanging on to a thin Alpine rope with rapidly freezing fingers while pushing a great dog up with your knee is no joke Switzerland would not help himself so I had to let him go he fell most of the way down. Mr Wild & Jones coming along we hauled up the sledge threw back the rope Jones tied it to Switzs collar, & we hauled him up ignominiously that way Home a little before 4 p.m. Reckon we got nearly 6 miles S. Blowing pretty hard now - & Entrance half silted up. Laid down but only got ½ hr sleep before dinner. Bridge thro. evening. Now watchman
[In margin] Minus 13 ° to 4 °
[Page 164]
August 2 Friday
Nightwatched passed quietly & rapidly. I rose some 300 points Moyes & I won one rubber in 2 hands! Then I wrote up diary. Had a bath in the little canvas bath, about 2.4 or 2ft 6in squ; & about 6 in. deep. A supper at 4. of one of those sausage rolls toasted up, toast & butter, & cocoa. Did my washing, read. At 5 a.m. found entrance half snowed up & a quantity of snow driven into the passage; so shovelled that back, & blocked the entrance again. Blowing pretty fresh, & drift thick. Fried bacon & made toast for breakfast Turned in immediately after breakfast tired. Others working inside (except George) yet in spite of noise chopping up pemmican, &c. I slept until noon Woke up very hot - & head aching. After lunch went down to the floe with Mr Wild. Very thick sky & consequently bad light, but left off snowing & drifting. Slopes with layer of soft snow over most of surface. Jones followed down, & we went round the corner to where we were sliding on Wed. Wild, on first run down in bad light, fell backward on his ski, jarring the end of his spine had a similar fall both yesterday & day before & this third fall in same place was so painful he had to give up & go home. Jones also fell on first run, but I went down half a doz. times without a fall. We did not try the jump over the tilted floe as we could not see clearly enough. Dovers in going over this on Wed. fell as he took the jump, & "landed in a seated position with both ski stuck up in the air! Guess it hurt somewhat! While Moyes, slipping before he took the jump, rolled into the crack & only a head, 2 feet, & a ski sticking out! Fortunately the floe with the snow on it, was high enough to keep him out of the water. Must try that jump again with a good light. Bad light to-day soon gave up the running, - & I went along the cliffs some distance. Snow rather sticky. Eyes soon felt a bit strained trying to see thro that vague greyness for head rather bad. So I returned. Plus temp. & quite warm under cliffs out of the breeze. Feeling tired & sleepy, lay down for a while before dinner & mean to turn in early. George has not got the seal yet. Odds certainly in favour of the seal for by the time he is ready, get down - & back in good time for lunch, & clears the hole of ice, - has not more than 2 hrs a day watch! If fine on Sunday, will go up the floe some distance hopes [indecipherable]
August 3 Saturday
Thick & snowing, but not much wind, altho. it freshened up towards evening. Bar. falling slowly thro afternoon steadied towards evening at 28.80. Ther. this afternoon 17 ½ ° (plus) After breakfast Wild, Dovers & I went at the skylights. With so much thaw they were covered with ice instead of frost. We cut it thro to the glass, & got it off in thick pieces: for a few hrs had clear windows. Then with a tub of water, scrubbing brushes & cloths, went over the floor, finishing about noon. Meanwhile Moyes, Watson got ice & cleaned up verandah & passage. Ken cleaned dark room. Did not go out after lunch, - no pleasure ploughing about in a bad light & soft snow that (with high temperature) stick to the ski, making it feel like sliding over treacle. Spent afternoon & evening mending old finskoo, mits &c, & cut out remaining two pawns plus. Monotonous job cutting out 16 pawns plus 2 or 3 that chipped & were spoilt. Wild, Moyes, Dovers, Watson, played solo whist for cigarettes. Dovers lost all his weeks supply of cigarettes. "Sweethearts & wives" toasted as usual, but as Moyes was asleep, verse not sung. Hoadley finishes his weeks cooking. Has given us a couple of boiled puddings. Dinner tonight soup, pie of rabbit & ham, peas, tomatoes; Mince pies.
Little prospect of a run up the floe tomorrow, & so little chance of getting anything, do not like to ask for a day off during week. Have much regretted that trip in May fell thro. (when George through us over) We know nothing of our future track SE to lap the Easter Depot. If we had then gone to what they call Harrisson Is., that is estimated to be 25 miles away. From its hill-slope, we should have seen as far again & also striking northerly from there, had some idea of how the Glacier runs; & if there are any bays such as we saw on that run up the floe; &, what is more important as regards to my own particular work, - have had an opportunity to see if any old floe remain in such corners, where Emperor Penguins may have rookeries. Now we do not get 2 successive fine days.
[Page 165]
August 4 Sunday
Peeped from the hatch immediately after breakfast- Thick; wind high, could only see about 20 yds so went back & lay down for a while. Afterwards trimmed off the 16 pawns, getting them uniform; & put half to soak in red ink. Others sleeping, reading &c. After lunch, overhauled the little gun to see that she was not rusting but had rubbed her well with oil, & she was bright & clean.
Reading Zoological work, when Moyes, returning from his screen, reported drift had practically ceased. It was 3.15 so twilight (thick day) but I was tired of being in doors so put on berberries & went out for half an hr. Thick, grey indistinct around the Steel blue-grey, very dark along over the land Dark again , but with a more brownish tint along the N. & to the N.W. the "water sky". How I would like to get up the floe to see how far away it is! I am inclined to think we would come on open water therefore probably penguins in a little over 20 miles judging this from appearance of open water beyond W. barrier. I went to the steps & [indecipherable] over. There was enough drift to veil all below but as far as I could see all there was practically the same. The 3 dogs followed me. Poor Zip has a bad time now Sandow is not here to stop fighting. Ammundson & Switzerland have leagued against Zip and the wretch goes in deadly fear! Today, while Zip was crouching near me, tail between legs, I saw the other two sitting side by side, licking each others "chops", & then looking at Zip - & if ever canine faces grinned, those two did! They seemed to be saying "Were mates, aint we, - & were got him under our paws properly!" Any attention shown another dog makes them jealous too! They are fat now. Not come to the end of seals blubber yet - & theres quantity of scraps now appetites are moderate. Last night our Meteorologist made up averaged temp. for last month - & offered 5 to 1 in cigarettes we could not guess within 2 ° of it. Average worked out at Minus 1.4 I said Minus 2.° & won Wild plus 2 ° others went up to plus 12 °! Service as usual this evening. With "Nunc Dimittus" & hymns "Eternal Father strong to save & Glory to Thee, My God, this night" (to tune of Old [indecipherable]) some sacred tunes on gramaphone & Wild & Moyes singing to them - Ken playing flute. Now Wild Moyes Watson Hoadley at [indecipherable]
August 5 Monday [paper with calculations stuck over half this page]
& at last ran several successful runs. We were running from further along slope where it was higher than where we ran the other day - & when you did get down successfully run a fine distance over the drift & floe. I had a try at the "jump" - & at the second attempt went over [indecipherable] on without loosing my balance. Later on we all went at the "jump" except Jones who had gone back to his cooking, & Moyes. Its exhilirating , sweeping down some 40 ft of steep smooth slope, up a slight incline some 20 or 30 ft, - giving you time to get your ski together & "gather yourself" for the jump - & thro the air you fly! If its done well, theres little shock when you land otherwise you come with a great thud - & go flying in a cloud of snow! I ran it successfully 4 or 5 times more often even than Mr Wild - & he & I are the only 2 who have managed it yet. Hoadley & Watson had many tries Hoadley at last falling forward, & the ski flying up, hit his nose a bad blow, - blackening it, - making it bleed). Of the party, Wild is far the best all-round ski-man. I think Jones & I form the second rank, Hoadley Dovers & Watson the 3rd. Dovers unreliable. Sometimes good once well up but gone off lately. After the running, Watson & I tramped up the floe for a mile or 1 Ό miles but saw nothing with life. Very cold coming back, had no berberry helmet, temp. in screen minus 21 ° & breeze fresh & in our faces. Warm in body, for we walked fast, but had to keep rubbing our faces now & again. Nearly 5 pm when we got back. Made a fourth at bridge in the evening lost.
[Page 166]
August 4 Sunday [Date repeated paper stuck over half page
August 5 Monday [Date repeated and page]
[This is first half of previous page 5th August]
A beautiful fine morning bright & clear if it had only been yesterdays we could not have had better for our hoped for run up the floe. Wild got ice Hoadley went to look at the stakes on the glacier, & found average increase of snow for the half month, 1.1 & Moyes Dover & I dug out the doorway again taking us until noon. Then Dovers & I sent to the floe to clear seal hole. Altho Dovers had not cleared it for 2 or 3 days, the ice was not above 6 in. Temp. high. Dovers did not watch at all today. Mr Wild announced at lunch time that after to-day we would work thro. the afternoon at sledging preparations so we all (but Ken & George) went to the floe for a last afternoon sliding. Slope was rather higher, & rather steep at the top. Snow slightly sticky at the top so would hang for a fraction then shoot down at great speed. Falls were frequent - & heavy. I went two or three times as from a catapult - & the second time struck mouth against ski stick I carried & made it bleed a little. Soon got into it better, & had fewer falls. Jones ploughed up snow with his nose - & sat up with a face covered with snow! Hoadley & Watson had a great many falls but stuck at it gamely & at last ran several successful runs. We were running from further along the slope [continued on previous page]
[Page 167]
August 6 Tuesday
Fine night, Aurora bright, in form of a thru-fold curtain in the N.E. thence stretching away to the N.W. doubled at its further end. Bright streaking yellowish light, as if "brushed upward" [sketch] with the clear starlight made night look quite light, altho could not see much, as far as travelling concerned. Day also beautifully fine. Wild turned in after his night watch. Dovers was given out side work, clearing seal hole; testing, sledge meters over the measured mile; & Hoadley & Watson at their shaft. Ken pounding Emergency rations, Moyes grinding biscuits & sewing bags. Mr Wild decided that 3 whole days a week would be sufficient so we voted for Tuesday Thurs. & Sat afternoons off. I also asked that we be allowed to work on a blizzarding afternoon "off", & take a whole day off when fine. This will give a chance for days funs up floe &c. So when lunch over, we put away work & to the floe. Beautifully fine but cold. Ran same slope as yesterday. Had half doz. runs without a fall - & then trying a steeper part later came down heavily in the snow ploughed up at the foot by the frequent falls rapping my knee heavily against the ski. Very painful for some time. Limped across to the seal hole; & lay down under shelter of wall to admire the surface covered with exquisite little "ice flowers". surface of ice was clear, just below thickened & opaque (for it was frozen hard) & the thickly clustering lovely crystals looked like ferns or moss tufts growing in a shallow pool of water. Soon as knee was better, I had a couple of attempts at the "jump" - & fell each time before I took the jump! Its strange how a fall like that puts some of us out of form! So in disgust, I went off to let my shaken nerves &c settle down with Hoadley & Watson & had a look at the remnants of the bluff that split out of the glacier A great picturesque block standing yet.
Dovers went to Icy Cape & declares a seal has been out on the floe there - & while he was away, one visited the seal hole. Of course he was greeted with "Jonah"! &c. I had a game of chess with Andy. Beaten hard fight. Bridge in evening. Went down (Past mid night) Have just come in from watching an aurora that simply beggars description. All the N. half of the heavens covered with diffused light, arches & curtains then [indecipherable] like the tail of a very bright comet streaming from horizon broadening out & increasing until effect somewhat of an immense & very distant fire whose wide spread luminous smoke, wavy & wind blown, reached nearly to the zenith, & spread over much of the heavens! Above this, across overhead, from E. to W. a band of light composed of narrow bright indistinct streamers that rushed
[in margin] to & fro overhead with great speed; tapering to a narrow wavy band in the E. to the W. broad & diffused. rushing to & fro from E. to W. (or reverse) it was snowing too steadily S - & as it passed over head the effect was somewhat as if an immense transparent muslin curtain hung over head, up into the waving folds of which you were looking but behind those thin moving streamers you could see more
August 7 Wednesday
Opaque masses of light occasionally. Brightening here fading there, it passed S.S.W, until half way to horizon leaving the rest of the heavens luminous with diffused scattered light [indecipherable] It distinctly lit the landscape I even saw the white cliffs of Icy Cape ( 1 ½ or 1 Ό miles away) lit up & distinctly visible. Until tonight, have been a bit sceptical about the colour in Aurora but this one showed distinctly tho. not deep tinge of reddish & greenish light . While general colour clear I fancy, slightly greenish, - bright yellow the more diffused & faded parts went a "faded orange", - an ochre tint, I fancy. [1.15 a.m.]
The wonderful "witches dance" is over the whole aurora is drifting back steadily N, & has already passed the zenith. Not in shimmering rushing shafts but like bright drifts of luminous haze! Creeping back, as tho spent & exhausted!
Night clear & cold. Minus 29 ° while watching aurora. A 6 a m minus 41 ° by midday down to 29 ° - remainder of day minus 23 ° Bright, clear, sunny and altho. Ther. in screen stood so low, the day was mild, for there was scarcely a breath of wind - & a "minus" temp. is more bearable in a calm than degrees above zero in a fresh breeze providing you are moving about. Hoadley & Watson at their ice work, getting samples from their shaft, polishing, &c. Moyes grinding biscuits. Wild at the sail, &c. Ken pounding Emergency rations. I sewing bags. Dovers asleep until lunch. Turned out for that - & a bit taken a-back to find he was expected to do something for a couple of hrs. So he ran the sledge meters over the measured mile again. Finishing bags, I was preparing & weighing out chocolate & cheese for sledging rations. At 4 p m knocked off work. I put on berberries & climbed to the floe tramped out a mile across the floe towards the sunset glow. Saw nothing but the sastrugi that gets rough at that distance out. Very cold, altho calm Hands nearly frozen in mits. 5.20 when I got back. Days lenghtening rapidly. Get 6 ½ hrs of sunlight now. Laid down & got a couple of hrs sleep after dinner. Others very quiet & no games on all to bed early. Is it the extra 2 hrs work? How variable the aurora is not only is it constantly changing as you watch it, - but varies greatly thro. the evening. Tonight 11.15 two low narrow bright & well defined arches of stream in N.N.E. an irregular fainter line in N. Mid-night Low & faint like the trailing smoke of a very distant fire. 12.40 a.m. merely a low, very faint glow along N horizon. 1.15 a.m. rising from NE. in a bright broadening wavy line streamers, semi-detached & to some height. Half way to the zenith broad & bright, folding back upon itself. Thence to NW in a broad blaze. "folding down" towards horizon but ill-defined. In a few minutes it was altogether different in a less than ten it had faded almost away.
[sketch in margin]
[Page 168]
August 8 Thursday
[Continuing aurora] At 5.15 I looked out no aurora visible at 6 a.m.(Ther. 36 ° minus) a long fairly bright curving stream rising from W.N .W. to Zenith; only about 2 ° broad. somewhat appearance of comets tail. 1 or 2 faint short streaks at times on S. side of this. Dawn showing.
Night watch passed quietly & quickly writing, reading, going thro. locker and tidying up, &c. At 7 started to get ready for breakfast, - giving them Fresh Herrings in milk thickened with cornflour a few drops of lemon, cayenne salt & butter. Able to sit down & take it easy last 20 minutes. (Cold thro the early hrs - & I got colder running out to keep an eye on aurora & thermometer for self recording instrument stopped by cold. At 9 a.m. temp. had fallen to 40 ° again. Turned in immediately after breakfast, and altho they were grinding biscuits, pounding pemmican, &c I slept the usual time, waking perhaps ½ hr before lunch. Day fine, cold, (36 ° - ) but evident change coming cirrus streaked sky; bar. falling steadily. Drift visible upon the hills. Wild, Jones Moyes & I went to the floe. Our one slope cut up badly with the falling - & the others fell often enough to day. But it was my turn for trouble on the second run I fell forward on a hard surface, & fell on my bent knee, sliding on it as I went full lenght. Very painful. Collected my scattered ski - & hobbled to the lee of the shelter wall (seal hole) then the cold drove me out & I walked a short distance under cliffs. The others gave up sliding & went for a short walk. I climbed the cliff & home knee very painful, & swollen; - one hand, & cheeks smarting & aching with the cold. Had to stop repeatedly to thump & rub them. Its bitter, - these minus temps. with a breeze, it seems to cut your face, & you cant keep that warm however warm your body. Lay down & dozed until dinner time. This will put me out of the running for some days very disgusting! Tonight can hear a good breeze, - & drift flying. Usual party of bridge. Four fine days in succession! It is like the breaking of winter, after such a month as July was! It is difficult, looking at this dead frozen landscape; & sea, - the flying drift; the low sun ice laden headgear on the fellows & our habitation in the heart of a snowdrift, that home the spring flowers, & Silver Wattle will be blossoming!
August 9 Friday
The blizzard sweeping overhead, the drift scouring over the roof. All day inside entrance blocked and snug enough; The Antarctic winter has not proved as bad as I expected but then the reality seldom comes up to the expectation. True, outside or in the tent, sledging, in minus temperatures, is bad enough for anyone. the agony of frozen fingers will linger in my memory! Until 4 p.m. at sledging preparations, Cutting up pemmican, grinding, & weighing I was dividing rations of Vozet cheese for the long trips. Then plasmon chocolate, - 18 ozs for 4 days in a week to alternate with cheese. Also milk chocolate, 28 ozs, a full weeks rations for 2 men. After 4 p.m. cleared up, sewed on buttons, read &c, until dinner time. Rabbit (tinned potatoes & baked beans; Sultana pudding (blanc-mange with raising in) & preserved gooseberries. After dinner made a 4th at bridge. Alternated up and down, finally loosing 100 points on evenings play. Mr Wild lost & Watson gained.
Our Leader announced that we would start to lay the Eastern Depot in 10 days. Was surprised as before spoke of Sept. We will get it cold if we have temps like yesterday! & rough, unless weather generally improves. I am to go; Moyes & Kennedy staying. Had a chat with Mr Wild afterwards; and, as he had given up idea of going N. along floe, - I asked permission to go instead, if we get a fine day. Mr Wild agreed if 2 others would go Watson was ready - & Hoadley Mr. Wild then allowed Dovers to go, if we could make room for him in the 3 man bag of course we said we could. It will be a tight squeeze I reckon, but we will be the warmer!
Hope our luck will be in - & get a couple of fine days. I am especially anxious to get up, as that bay is the only likely place we might find an Emperor Penguin rookery - & only a hope of that! Then it is interesting round those 2 great bergs, ploughing up the floe - & a very reasonable chance of getting a stray penguin or a seal especially the latter, round the shattered floe. Fresh meat would be most acceptable for a change before going sledging. Our tinned meat will not last much longer, - supply is not large, as penguins & seals were confidently counted upon for winter food.ad a chaad to stop repeatedly to thump & rub them. Its Hae
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August 10 Saturday
Blowing fairly hard all day, & fierce whirl of snow. Only Moyes outside for a short time, to attend to Meterological work. Windows cleaned this morning and inevitable result of hard scraping, to get ice off was a triangular piece more than 6 in long flying out of N skylight while Watson was scraping it. The drift flowing by before hard wind did not come in probably the heat of the room caused the strong outward draught. It lowered the temperature while improving the ventilation - & this evening skylight was blocked with a sheet of paper. After Sat. morning work over, a couple of hrs at the sledging preparation continuing work in hand yesterday. I sharing out & bagging the full weeks rations of chocolate for 3 men (28 ozs) Mexican & Bournville. The milk chocolate is not as good we prefer the latter. Many of Vizel cheeses bad - & thrown away however they had got wet coming out & repacking in Hobart, so scarcely to be wondered at. After lunch, all at their own preparations for sledging. Afterwards I joined Watson, Moyes, Dovers in a game of bridge. Dovers luck was wonderful he would make it "no trumps" - & his partner would turn up a no trump hand I went down hundreds while Moyes gained - & so I got the much abused "Jonah" - & as Im not generally lucky at cards, Ill probably keep it! Wild Watson Hoadley & I played again after dinner, I pulled up some 500 points but poor Andy on the days play went down 1100 points! Jones completes his week of cooking tonight says he likes it less every time! Dinner curry with rice, beans spinach, nectarine pie. No boiled puddings this week. My knee much better, but tender & swelled still. Am glad theres a "spell" before sledging & will not ski-run again even if fine or at least not before we go up the floe.
"Sweethearts & wives" duly toasted, and chorus sung
August 11 Sunday
Strong wind and fresh drift all day breaking a little & sun shone for a few minutes in the morning. Most of the fellows at their own sledging preparations mending & altering clothes, &c. I put small patches on berberry blouse, where it had caught, & small tears in it. Am practically ready now. Have taken care of my clothes, & most in good condition. Will have to take to the second pair of wolfskin mits the first pair wore very badly, & altho. I have used them very little about here, the hair is coming away from both palms. After lunch, 6 or us put on berberries & went for a load of ice. Clouds broken, but most of the sky obscured. Wind strong could almost call it a gale. Drift pretty thick & could see but a short distance. After ice had been dragged up & passed down hatch; Wild, Jones, Dovers & I went to the steps, finding our way with the line of sticks. Could not see anything over the edge of the cliffs only the smoke-like drift swishing by which we had to plant careful feet in the snow to prevent wind blowing us over. Returned, with a head slewed round, to keep bitter wind out of our faces. I lay down on bunk for a doze but a small explosion in dark room roused one Jones had been filling generator, & had omitted necessary water or something anyway, the carbide in generation caught fire from candle in the room & blazed highly Water only made it worse. They tried to smother it with blankets but to no avail so Jones & Ken. who were in the dark room, seized the whole plant & bore it out into the passage Jones getting his whiskers singed. Out there, a hand full of snow effectually smothered the flame. It was done quickly and coolly, - & all relieved when it was extinguished for the tank is floating in kerosene, and well, a fire here would be disasterous , to say the least.
Ken rather late with dinner altho he gave up Yorkshire pudding, - & made a few slops
Service, after tea, as usual. Moyes conducting "Nunc Demittus", and hymns "Jesus, lover of my soul" & the old evening hymn, "Abide with me."
Later in evening joined in a game of bridge, on winning side in every rubber, rose another 500 points & handed "Jonah" to Watson
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August 12 Monday
"Blow, blow, thou wintry wind!" as it has blown the last 3 days, - shows no signs of ceasing yet. Bar. last night touched 28.18 is now just on 28.50. Ther. probably above zero, but the fierce drift this morning was too blinding, - Moyes could not read the temp. The sun was shining part of the morning, & is now high enough in the sky to throw a glow in the N. Skylight, a cheerful glow that flickered with the drift scouring over the glass. At sledging preparations as before. Hoadley sewing depot flags to his great disgust Andy & Dovers packing bags I at the weighing out cocoa &c. An interval for lunch, & work continued until nearly 5 p.m. This morning, Mr Wild (nightwatchman) roused us out by keeping a couple of comic songs on the gramaphone over & over again! So at lunch time, the "Suffragette", one of the worst records, was put on, the gramaphone carefully carried into Wilds cabin & placed upon the little table at the sleepers ear - & the tap turned on! Wild slept on oblivious alike of the "Suffragette" screeching & scolding away at him, & the row of grinning faces peeping over the division, or thro. a chink of the curtain Slept on, - as he slept thro the vessel bumping on the rocks of Caroline Cove until a book was thrown at him! then he woke but stood the scolding for about 10 minutes winding the lady up as she ran down The shrill feminine voice from behind the curtain sounded much as if our leader was getting one of "Mrs Candles curtain lectures".
After work, I got things together for the sledging. No show of getting away tomorrow tho. Provisions packed, & my own things ready.
Ken. in difficulties with his dinner tonight made a couple of cherry pies one slipped, putting it into the oven, & most of the contents on the floor! & neither cooked for dinner; - so fruit had to be thawed out hastily, - & served with cold rice that happened to be in hand. "Bad luck!" said Ken. While handing the sugar tins (our weekly wack) this morning, well covered with stick sugar, - I suggested to Ken. that a damp cloth passed round them would [indecipherable] an improvement. Ken admitted doubtfully "that it would but doubted if theyd get it" Jones was greatly amused, & enquired with a grin
[in margin] if "married life had made me that way?" I had to acknowledge a weakness for seeing things clean & tidy - & if it was the result of "married life" why marriage might improve one or two of these fellows! & privately unto myself wondered if it was more manly to evade unpleasant duties than [indecipherable]
August 13 Tuesday
Wind dropped towards morning. Moyes, Hoadley, and I told off to dig out the Entrance; and when w climbed out of the hatch, were greeted with sunlight and blue sky; altho a quantity of broken clouds about. Stiff breeze still & a quantity of low drift still flying. There was a lot of snow to drag away - & it kept us busy until 12.30 Then brought in ice. Had lunch, I got in the sledge the good old "10 ft Norwegian" that made the Depot voyage - & both trips to Junction Corner Then went down to the floe,. Watson & Hoadley went along to Icy Cape, photographing. Wild & Jones sliding I reached the edge of the cliff in time to see Mr Wild shoot down like an arrow go over skid headlong over some rough tilted floe for about 10 yds sit up - & say something forcible! The great slope had increased in size, high & smooth, the near end reaching up to the cliff edge. Marked this, to take the sledge down tomorrow its rather cracked but will probably bear. Wild & Jones sliding on their ski. Top of slope rather high & steep, - Jones went down laying at full lenght, broached to at the bottom & rolled for yds.! Wild also had another. Fell on his back on one of his ski somehow, & flew along with feet in the air! I did not attempt slope running, for knee is still sore & tender - & theres the trip before us. Walked round some distance looking for a better slope for taking down sledge but could not see one. Slopes very much cut up, fantastic knobs, pinnacals, points, & rounded sweeps. Floe along cliffs still more tilted, with great round swept hollows. Upon return, we brought up harpoon, ropes &c from seal hole. The seals have scored most of the points in that game! Then Andy & I loaded sledge for trip tomorrow. Beautiful night but concerned to see bar falling. Low to start (28.75) she has gone done .25 this afternoon so that does not look too promising. We shall be greatly disappointed if it come on & spoils one trip My night watch but the sledging party is to share it with me 1 ½ hrs. each. Going on for midnight been playing bridge - & have to turn out at 4 a.m.
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August 14 Wednesday
Did not go to sleep until nearly 2 a.m. & called at 4.25. Cleaned up & got breakfast, & called our party at 6. Breakfasted, - called Mr Wild & away. Wild accompanied us to the floe, & assisted to lower the loaded sledge down the steep slope with an alpine rope. Beautiful morning, clear, bright, mild. Dogs pulled with a will & managed the load. Made good progress (starting from steps about 7.30 At 10.10 am, were nearly up to the double point near the entrance to the bay we were bound to (6 miles & Ύ) when I sighted a seal basking on a snow drift. Stopped the team, & got an ice axe out. When the others got up, Hoadley & Dovers went ahead & killed it Driving the ice-axe thro. the skull. When I got up, I cut its throat still some time dying! Soon as dead, we hastily stripped skin & blubber off the back, - then long strips of flesh every fibre of it still quivering horrible! Cut backbone & ribs with ice-axe, - & so got at the great beasts liver & kidneys gave up search for heart, - buried meat in snow drift & pressed on Watson took some photos also of next point, a very handsome [indecipherable] passed over rough sastrugi entering bay, which narrows from about ½ to Ό mile, gorge-like. Here we met a wall, at least 8 ft above this years floe, the surface floe-like apparently thick old floe. Near side high & broken, so we went round far side & up a snow slope on to the old floe, camping on a smooth drift. Found this Gorge-bay run SS[indecipherable] perhaps a qtr-of mile, cliffs on S.W. side come away in great buttresses leaning over on floe, broken & tilted there. On side we were sheltered side, great snow drifts. Beyond, the bay takes a turn to S.E. or E but of course we could not see what was behind this point. Had "hoosh" & tea for dinner then away. Day clouding but beautiful, no wind & Ther. reading plus 22 ° outside tent. Tramped over great snow drifts out of Gorge bay & round the point, & then the long walk to the berg we had come to visit (the "tilted berg" of June 28th) Found that it had turned right over - & is now laying on its side a great mass of apparently solid ice, mostly "pitted", smooth saucer-like depressions. the tearing up of the floe that we noticed on our first visit probably due to berg over turning slowly, more than to actual forward movement, for she is now fast locked in the floe all around shattered ice & floe, frozen solidly together. Hoadley & Watson greatly interested finding stones & pebbles embedded in what had been the base of the now capsized berg. Leaving them collecting there I climbed the great irregular mass of ice that must have towered at least 150 ft, perhaps 200 ft above the floe, the dogs accompanying me. Ice very brittle at the least blow, it flew in great flakes, & a hard blow caused reports as if a split was running thro. berg. Most of it covered with very thin flakes that had split off & mixed with snow. This brittleness probably due to change of temp. when berg turned over. Found what had been old water line very badly cracked did not much like it, but kept on to get a view from highest point. From there, saw land in the S. & island in glacier; took careful bearings & found it bore N of E, & long interval of horizon between it & land. Decided it must be an un hitherto unsighted island. Went down & told the others - & as Dovers had come up (had been running line of "bearings") we all went up again & took bearings (Magnetic) by compass saw a seal asleep further along cliffs. Berg, to N, went down a sheer cliff & detached piece all around, & between berg & cliff (1/4 of a mile off, & towards which she had turned) ploughed up, broken, ice lumps now all frozen together. No open water visible to N. We had scarcely reached floe, when we heard crash of falling ice from cliff we had visited! Back to camp weary, footsore, reaching it about 6 pm - Just able to see our way on
[in margin] Saw snow petrel while killing seal. Also tracks of a penguin about 1 Ό mile from steps. Could not see [indecipherable] Bar tonight 28.60 rise of 1/50 for day Temp plus 2 ° at 8 pm.
August 15 Thursday
Tent threshing, in "gusty" manner peculiar to sheltered positions, so did not turn out too early. For tea, previous evening, had frozen sausages & thawed pears & teas not a patch on "hoosh" & cocoa! Warm in bag but a tight fit! Turned out about 8, & had a look out Blowing fairly hard, but line of cliff to S just visible, & sky "broken" showing some blue. Bar. rising still, 28.78. Ther. plus 14 ° in tent. My instructions, as leader of party, were to get back that evening, unless party doing useful work, when another day was allowed us. We could do nothing in this weather we could just see our way, - had cliffs to follow; bar. rising & sky "broken", - so chance it would improve; - & anxious too, to get our much needed fresh meat home So I decided to break camp. We were very disappointed at not being able to explore this peculiar little bay, but out of the question in such weather. Loaded up, & found our way down & past the indistinctly seen line of high old floe, & away for the point of the bay. Here we got full force of the gale, & the sledge commence swinging round & threatened to "take charge" of the dogs. Watson sat on it soon when in full force of wind, Watson Dovers & I were riding on sledge the 3 dogs pulling, just keeping it straight 7 going as fast as Hoadley could run ahead We ran the best part of a mile so, - bumping over the rough sastrugi! Once Switzerland stopped suddenly the sledge was almost over him but I leaned over & knocked him out of the way in time. Upon reaching bluff near where we killed seal, were out of wind, & our wild run came to an end! A couple of wide tide cracks here - & half a doz imprints where seals had been sleeping on snow. got our seal meat on board then discovered lid had fallen off sledge meter went back with Dovers Ό of a mile, until we met hard wind out of bay, without finding it. Could be replaced so did not go further. Took compass course from point, for it was getting very thick & struck Ice island, then coasted along cliffs. Blowing hard, when we got full force of it, making it difficult to keep footing Once blown down on slippery surface & along for 3 or 4 yds worse still, when it came ahead. It was too thick, now, to see the points as we passed them, so could not take compass course. Followed cliffs, with little to guide us but the snow under our feet when ever we found floe surface beneath us, we turned more to the left to get on to the drifts again & so keep near cliffs. Now & again we would see an indistinct masking of blue grey in the vagueness, towering over us the ice face of the cliff; & would get into trouble with tide cracks, up-heaved floe or soft high drifts, & would turn away. It got worse & worse, until absolutely nothing could be seen but the surface we were actually treading on could not see the cliffs, sometimes, even when we found them by feeling for them! I kept on with helmets laden with ice, cheeks continually freezing, dogs knocked up, & having to help them with the sledge, for was anxious to get well towards home in remote change of some of the floe breaking away. Fellows all cheerful & working well. Good boys all of them. At lenght, falling we were in a bit of shelter & about 3 p.m. decided to camp for no chance of getting home. Pitched tent in lull without trouble tied up dogs latter fairly done up, poor brutes then inside & brushed snow off Temp high, & everything covered with soft snow, thawing on our berberries &c The "tea drinkers " dying for their favourite cup so made tea first, drank that then "hoosh" an unnatural mode of having meal! Turned in a little after 5 pm
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August 16 Friday
One of the most uncomfortable nights I have passed in a sleeping bag. Warm enough, but oh so cramped tent not set too well & bag not intended for 4 men Could not lay at full lenght, & when I could suffer it no longer & had to turn, Andy, next to me would turn too. Both had to lay the same way! The other two did not complain so must have got a better share of bag than we did. Dovers out at 7.30. Reported not much wind, but could not see cliffs (which we had located the previous evening, 100 yds to-windward) No use going on, as nothing could be seen so stay in bag for another hr. or so. Presently wind dropped. We had breakfast & the fellows had a smoke. Temp high, tent dripping with the cooker going. Sun shining. & blue sky. As wind had been light for nearly 2 hrs. decided it was good enough to start. Packed up, got sledge out from under drift, loaded & away almost as we started, sky clouded, drift thickened, & wind increased. Could still see sun so steered by that, keeping on icy floe, as it was easier for dogs to drag on. Reckoned we were only 3 miles from steps having come nearly 6 yesterday. Our course proved the true one for we struck what we know as the "Ice Pinnacles ". Guessing position of next point by extent of drift noted [indecipherable] for distance from thence to steps 1 mile 500 yds. Kept course by wind which while freezing our faces & loading us with ice was of that much assistance! for sun behind clouds - After running 2/3 of required distance, came to smooth drift Andy & I felt our way to cliffs & looked up thro. the drift at some vague blue & white traces that we could make nothing of ! So we kept on round edge of smooth drift. When required distance nearly run, we spread out fan-wise I on the floe with the dogs others, keeping in sight, spread nearer cliffs so as not to miss journeys end. At lenght, to our relief, saw ski stuck up in snow drift straight ahead called the others & a joyful shout arose! Leaving the sledge there, with a ski deep in the snow mooring it, we climbed slope with the dogs the sky fortunately clearing somewhat & improving the "seeing" greatly so that we had little trouble finding slope, & less getting the line stakes to the hut. Welcomed home about 3 pm. had lunch & a great talk over our adventures. No one expected us. Surprised to hear that Jones saw 7 Emperor penguins on floe on Wed. The party gave chase. Penguins came to meet party when they saw them coming. Were photographed - & 4 killed, 3 allowed to go. So we need not have been so anxious to get one at back! Great discussion over island we saw accepted as a new find, until bearings worked out; when it was found that Harrisson Is. really bears N of E, instead of S of E as generally accepted & little doubt it is Harrisson Is. As berg overtops glacier by perhaps over 50 ft we got a much clearer view of it than from here. Can only account for long stretch of horizon between isld & main land, by supposing far part of latter obscured & what appeared thereinafter was really the long point & great valley down which we came from depot trip.
August 17 Saturday
Beautiful fine morning, clear & bright. At Sat. work. Jones Dovers Hoadley cleaned skylight, then got ice &c Watson & Moyes scrubbed floor. Hoadley & I cleared up verandah & passages. Great many empty boxes & rubbish to turn out, after the work at sledging rations; & fresh supplies to be put out where cook could get hold of them. & then all swept up. Wild, Nightwatchman, asleep. When other work done, 6 of us went down for the loaded sledge. Found top part of slope badly cracked and cliff too will be a big fall there. Looked round but could not see any other place we could haul the sledge up, - so had to haul her (with an alpine rope) up on to this slope, & then along its crest to the glacier - & felt relieved when we were off it! Unpacked load, & passed it down thro. the hatchway. After lunch, brushed snow from sleeping bag, tent & floor cloth, & put them up in the kitchen to dry. Beautiful bright day, but cold. Mr Wild had party photographed We had to line up & face 4 cameras 2 of which were worked by strings & took the whole group. Great chaffing about "swanking" I went dressed just as I go about here In the group, with ordinary outdoor gear, seperately, with berberry blouse & trousers & on my ski, just leaving for the floe. Very cold wind down there had a few mild slides, but did not try high slopes as knee not right yet. Too cold so went along cliffs had to stop repeatedly to rub warmth into frozen cheeks, lips, & hands Ther. showing minus 16 ° & a fresh breeze. Getting back about 4 pm most of time until dinner putting away sledging gear & cleaning it, after trip. Other chaps not as ready at putting things right after the trip, as for starting So did it myself. Fine stock of fresh meat in hand now. Seal fry & bacon for breakfast. Very good. Seal stewed for dinner: good too. Ken ended his weeks cooking by cutting his finger badly on some broken iron on a box. Jones put 2 or 3 stitches in. Game of bridge afterwards. I lost on the whole but Moyes & Watson lost more so Moyes still keeps the "Jonah". About 10 p.m. Whisky served round, & we stood up as usual & toasted "Sweethearts & wives" God bless them! all joining in the chorus before drinking.
oadley & I cleared up verandah & passeag
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August 18 Sunday
Another fine day temp. 13 ° to 16 ° minus. Hoadley & Watson went out to look to their stakes increase on Glacier surface 1.1. Took Ammundsun in the little sledge to carry shovel & a couple of bamboos. Ammundsun "bolted", & lost the shovels off the sledge so the 2 fellows had to hunt it up in the afternoon. Others at sledging preparations, &c. I clipped face, so that ice will not hang on our journey. after lunch, Wild, Jones, Ken. went to the floe, sliding, &c. I for a long walk S. along the floe partly that it was such a beautiful bright afternoon, partly to harden feet to finskoo after wearing boots all the winter, partly to see if penguins are hanging round. Under the cliffs of Icy Cape found a fine fat bull Weddell snoozing. Had crawled out of a small hole burst thro the tide crack (there unencumbered with snow) & lay in a sheltered position right against the ice wall of the Cape. He was a well marked, fellow, & laying on his back, appeared quite light coloured, from the no. of light yellowish spots on his warm brown coat. They always remind me of great grubs they are so fat & round their girth must exceed lenght, I think. And such a ridiculously small head - & great brown eyes, - long stiff bristles round the mouth like a cats but coarser in the present instance covered with featherly ice-crystals. When disturbed or rather aroused he uttered a series of whistling "cheeping" notes like a small birds. Then a series of hollow deep gutterals, ending in a "whauf" - & dozed off again. As we had a good supply of fresh meat, I did not touch him In the tide crack there, were exquisite "ice flowers" crystals in the form of fern leaves [sketch] delicate, symmetrical, - 1 ½ in. long by 1 in broad - & not 1/16 of an in. thick ! Knobs of ice covered thickly with them, as moss covers stones in a gully. I spent some time admiring them. Thence another 1 ½ miles further along under the lee of the cliff There, out of the bitter breeze, it was quite pleasant the bright sunlight the spotless purity of the great drifts towering cliffs & cornices, also spotlessly white. Enjoyed the walk but how gladly would I have given it with all its charm of cast solitudes & weird beauty for an hour with the wife & children in the little garden at Sandy Bay! What relief it would give to anxious friends & relations of our party! Upon my reporting the seal, Jones who is keen on fresh meat, was anxious that it should be killed, so they are going over tomorrow afternoon. Moyes gave us stuffed & roast penguin for dinner good this bird not quite as good or tender as last one. Service as usual in evening "Nunc Demittus," hymns "Fight the good fight with all thy might: & "Sun of my soul." Packing personal gear - & fellows in trouble as usual, to get within weight = George almost of opinion that tobacco is a curse!
August 19 Monday
Lay down yestereve but could not sleep. All the fellows packing & weighing - & talking of coming work. When they went to bed. I wrote up diary &c had a bath, & washed clothes, & read "Garibaldi & the Thousand" At 3 a.m., Cocoa, toast & butter. Breakfast at 8 a m instead of 9 a.m. Bacon, seals fry, (for which I made gravy) & fried tomatoes. Appeared to be appreciated. In bed before 9 a.m. & slept until past noon. Others dug out the entrance, got ice, & preparing for journey. After lunch, Hoadley, Watson, & I sent over to Icy Cape to get seal if still there. Others continued work at sledging except Ken, - who, having hand bound up, - was excused, & went with us. Very cold, crossing the floe (Minus 20 °) & hands aching with cold even in felt mits, my cheeks also getting a bad time. Seal had returned thro his hole so our journey was in vain except for giving us a walk. Two or three odd jobs upon return - & weighted my bag 2 lbs under weight so will be able to put in an extra garment or two for cold nights. Little chance of getting away tomorrow Bar. falling headlong now at 28.80 wind rising fast sky thick moon almost obscured & encircled by a great ring. Just as well we did not get away this morning. Hoadley, having work to do on shaft, &c. staying, & Moyes going with us. Wild Jones, & Moyes, only, for 3-man bag, - so will share tent. I & others prefer single bags. Andy, George, & I, therefore in other tent. Unfortunately Dovers very careless about keeping tent & bags clean The other morning, returning from [indecipherable] Bay, he got out of his bag & straight outside, walking about; & came in well powdered with snow! Then did not appear to be pleased because I objected to his return into bag! And when we pitched tent in the blizzard instead of first brushing himself, he sat on sleeping bag, amongst our clothes bags, & took off his snowy berberries! It makes a vast difference in the comfort of a tent if you have a mate like Wild or his opposite Dovers! Yet George is one of the most popular in the party. & we will push SE., or as found advisable, after passing between Harrison Is. & land. Wild hopes to get 150 miles so we may see the other end of the glacier. Are taking 4 weeks provisions so hope we will not get much bad weather.
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August 20 Tuesday
Thick day, not blowing hard, but drifting, so apparently snowing. Glass low, steadying this afternoon at 28.42, very slightly rising now. Wind increasing this evening. Hope it will blow, - so sweep away light snow - & so make a good sledging surface. Little doing today. I went over tent we had on last trip up the floe, & repaired a week spot then noticed. Looked to sleeping bag, &c. Repaired blouse, torn on a nail, - packed bag. As it was under weight, I put in a pair of underpants as legs & feel generally feel the cold most. I left off wearing them when cooking last, - but they may be wanted at night My wear now in Combinations, fleece suit, singlet, sweater, 3 pairs of socks. Berberries outside. After lunch, & finishing packing, made a 4th at bridge. Moyes won a lot last night, & "Jonah" came back to me I won him all right this afternoon, loosing about 500 points & played again this evening with varied luck. Its a great waste of time, but the fellows like the games to while away long evenings. We had the last of the seals liver, fried, for breakfast. Has made 4 breakfasts of liver & bacon for the 8 of us. Have had seal or penguin breakfast & dinner since getting meat until tonight, when had rabbit for a change. Spinach carrots, parsnips. Moyes made Strawberry jelly from some gellatine Jones had for "germ culture". Very coarse - & not approved.
At Wilds request started to write report of our little trip up the floe, but bridge prevented me finishing it. Had that only proved another island, there would have been something worth reporting. The stones we brought back, tho, are interesting & important as the first rock, pebble, or earth we have yet seen in this dead lands & they from the bottom of an iceberg, picked up, perhaps thousands of years ago when as part of the ice-cap it ground over the land Are scheist, gneiss & granite. It was a pleasant & interesting little trip, & with it we enitiated the spring sledging; as the little party under my leadership closed the Autumn sledging with the Junction [indecipherable].
August 21 Wednesday
Day much better, clearing, broken clouds & sun much of the day. Low thick drift flying. Ther. going down, minus 5 this afternoon. Turned out & brought up a load of ice. Little else to do. I put in a piece of fleece, so that felt helmet covers cheeks. Both cheeks have been a bit frost bitten lately, & tender. In the afternoon we turned out and loaded sledge, then towed the three up to windward of the hut, where they now lie, hear to wind, like three crafts, lying "out in the stream", ready to sail with the morning light. Bar. has been rising slowly thro. the previous night & day, now at 28.70 ° where she appears inclined to stop. A bit of drift flying still. Dont look forward to this trip. Likely to be rough & cold; much shut in tent, with intervals of facing the bitter breeze all day. for we are going dead to windward. However we are glad to get to work. The winter has gone pleasantly & speedily enough, but after all, it was waiting - "marking time." Now that is over, the work we came to do commencing & the time should go speedily, until the old "Aurora" brings us news of our dear one, so anxiously awaited! We are taking 2 sledges with nearly the same load as before. The dogs are to take a third sledge with over 200 lbs 70 of which are dog biscuits The "cargo" consists of 6 weeks "tucker" for Mr Wilds eastern trip to be left as a depot at as great a distance as we can take it in the time; & 4 weeks provisions for ourselves. the rest is made up of all the necessary "dunnage" tents, poles, shovels, sleeping bags, personal gear, kerosene, cooking, &c. One of the boxes of wax fuses exploded while the tucker bags were being passed over the combing of the hatch; - but only scorched the food bags. Total weight of load 1396 ½ lbs. Mr Wild has put me in charge of the second tent which makes me responsible for cooking utensils & other gear being properly looked after, the second sledge properly loaded, &c.as made 4 bfreakfasts of liver & bacon for the 8 of us. HadH
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August 22 Thursday
Called at 5.30 a.m., breakfast (of seals steak & tinned salmon) at 6 a.m.; away a little before 7 a.m. Much of the romance seemed to have gone out of sledging. Not talking now of how many crevasses they would fall into, & not much of new discovery but much of how to keep warm, how to get all they would wish into the 11 lbs allowed, and above all, how to get enough tobacco in. No "God be with you till we meet again" on the Gramaphone. Morning thick, dull; but a "break" along the East, that spread so bright by noon. Temp. fell from plus 1 ° to minus 6 °, rose at midday to minus 1 °. The dogs started eagerly enough, but "banged into our sledge, & the 2 teams got badly mixed. A mans load had to be added to their sledge, & a man told off to assist. This reduced their value, but they were "paying their way", and pulling well. A little soft snow on the surface, so we felt the weight of the load the foot sinking in a little, or making no impression . Course about E & by S. (true) The long low line of the land along our right; On the left, ahead, Harrisson Is. Wild & Dovers in the lead. Dinner, "glaxo" biscuits for the first time. (Made of "glaxo dried milk, & butter) Very good, making a substantial meal with the plasmon biscuits. Couldnt quite manage them yet as our sledging appetites not raised yet. I was in the lead in the afternoon. Plodded steadily on all the afternoon, over the great monotonous white waste of the glacier. As only 5 in the team, I was alone in the lead, the hardest place was thoroughly tired & scarcely felt equal to the last lap. The sun went down in a blaze of light. a wonderful colour rose in the E., the low even bank of clouds there going a deep red pink, bright, yet with touch of purple in it, - I think the colour would be called "Cerese" the dark cold purple following it. At 4 pm, camped The W. then glowing a clear bright cadmium, with a low soft bank of purple clouds, with loose fragments above the sun, a clear bright but not deep crimson. Wild cooking for other party Watson for ours, having lost toss. Andy Watson brought " a wee drapper whisky & we toasted his sister, Miss Jessie Watson, on her birthday. Evening cold, minus 6 ° - & we not used to it yet, got very cold & therefore longer than we would have been getting frozen berberrries off, sleeping bags out, & night gear on having to get into bag, & thaw out fingers before we could finish agony! Then finish preparations, & for the first time, I think, I didnt stop to write diary, - left it until following days toggled up bag, & tried to get warm. Slept most of the night very tired, then woke & gradually got cold, - wretched! lying there, shivering occasionally; yet dreading the turning out & tying up cold strings & putting on frozen finskoo &c. in that "Minus" temperature!
Distance today, 11 miles 740 yds.
My weight at starting (in combinations) 147 ½ lbs
August 23 Friday
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Plodded on all the afternoon [indecipherable] lying wide along the right, Harrisson Is. drawing out broader on the left, but both far distant, slopes, ice-falls & crevasses showing faintly. Nothing else to see nothing else but the sastrugi. The same "stark and solemn solitudes" as of all this wild weird dead land that we have seen. At sunset, that wonderful colour came up again in the E., with its sharp cut line between cerese and purple. Minus 32 ° to-night. Warmed by "hoosh" and cocoa, we have made every preparation that we can to face the night - & in doing so, endured the usual penance of frozen fingers the agony of which, I will never forget! Even as I write this by the dim candle light, can scarcely see the page for the "smoke" of my breath, so cold is the air. During the last hour or so of the pulling this afternoon the very light breeze was behind (W) & in spite of minus 30 ° temp; we got very wet with sweat so now, everything we have on seems damp & clammy. - & the night clothes we put over them, cold & moist! Even the bag feels damp with the previous nights breath. Nothing dries only freezes. Every night we put our damp socks under the clothes near the body to dry or at least warm. Distance done 9 miles 1290 yds.arrisso
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August 23 Friday
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Night cold. Temp. when we turned out, minus 22 ° in tent, went down to 30 ° outside we were glad to "get a go on" for the sake of warming us! Our cooker going badly, and late start 8.30 am A glorious morning. Moyes turned out of the other tent, singing "Every cloud is silver lined" why there aint no blooming cloud to be silver lined!" And we found the day as beautiful as cold temp hovering between minus 22 ° & 30 °. Its terrible on the fingers & feel while getting ready but as little wind thro. day, did not feel it much after "warming to our work". I had the dogs for the first 2 hrs. Now 407 lbs on that sledge, but they do most of the pulling. Prefer to go faster than we walk. The men tramp steadily on, the snow crunching beneath the feet moving all in time, the heavy grind of the loaded sledge. The dogs go at a rush then a halt, then another trot. Will not walk with the other team without getting tangled up in traces of other sledge. Shortly after start, passed a series of crevasses, crossing at right angles nearly a mile of them. One had fallen in a great quarry of a place, at the widest, over 30 ft I should say. and perhaps 40 or 50 feet long. Walls of ice its depths we could not see for snow lodged about 50 ft down. A depth of blue at the end, hung with icicles and beneath the lodged snow, a glimpse of walls coming together in a lower depth that might have led down to Dantes lowest hell of cold! A nice place to run into in a wind & drift! My unruly team dashed at the sunken bridge of another great crevasse dragging me off my feet, & on to a corner of it. Scrambled up hastily & dashed them across at a gallop. Tired & hungry at the mid-day halt, but dinner set us up again. Plodded on all the afternoon, the land lying wide along the right.
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August 24 Saturday
Weary night, feet cold; I had to rub one against the other until they ceased to ache, then turn on my side, and get what sleep I could, before aching feet roused me again. Bad nights after hard days comes hard on one ! All slept towards morning, and Wilds call did not come until about 8 am then all hurry, aching feet, and fingers. Morning lovely, clear until midday, - but gradually clouded over, with the hazy, smeery Cirrus; the sun obscured at setting, and the E. dull grey blue, generally a sign of snow, or bad weather. The "going" has not been too good. A little fine "frost" on the Glaciers surface appears to make the dragging harder; but to-day got better. Plodded on steadily all day, making fair progress despite the late start - & off we go at a trot soon catching up the other sledge. We have & hrs with the dogs team. Same monotonous solitudes. Land appears to be rising ahead; but all uncertain one moment high & clear then broken into waves anon. vanished! Harrisson Is. drawing out its end now bears almost W., distance, perhaps, 10 miles. That too, cannot be seen clearly, but generally distorted & miraged. Sometimes the line of mirage will run across the glacier before us, like a wall of wavy shining glass, beyond which, the ordinary Glacier surface can be seen. Behind, all signs of barrier, bergs, & ice bound sea has vanished. Around us, the monotonous white waste, and the low even line of land on either hand. In the afternoon, great interest aroused by sighting 2 dark objects towards the land apparently rock (Nunnatacks) Cannot make out anything for certain. at one moment almost invisible, - the next miraged up like obelisks at another time like a 2 masted craft, with 2 brown sails flapping violently in the wind! Have named them "Watsons [indecipherable] Dovers "bearings" makes them 10 miles off. Snatches of song from the 2 tents after supper Nor were the dear ones, far away, forgotten Both tents joined in a verse & chorus of "Sweet hearts & wives". Temp. when we turned out this morning, minus 35 ° Hovered between 35 ° & 22 ° through the day. On sunny side of sledge rose to 14 °. Tonight minus 29 ° No wind to speak of so thro. the day wet with persperation but face freezing tonight, things reversed! Bar. steady 28.90 (rising from 29.70 this morning) this afternoon rose to 29.08. Signs not too good. Distance to-day, 10 miles, 1070 yds.
Course has been 9 ° S of E. (about E. Ύ S)
August 25 Sunday
Night very still not a flap of the tent. Warmer & more comfortable therefore a better nights rest, than goodness. Awakened, appropriately enough, this Sunday morning, by a chorus from "Christians awake, - salute the happy morn!" 6 am. Temp minus 16 °. Away by 8 a.m. Morning doubtful thick smeary cirrus all around. Sun half veiled, - and parkelion showing. Was dragged on, passed between Harrisson Is and the main land rather closer to former. Rocks seen yesterday in sight all day No doubt now the first rock we have seen in 6 months of this dead land! Island beyond Harrisson Is, lifted up yesterday occasionally by mirage, plainly visible this morning apparently much smaller island. Land, after going in, ahead, in a large bay, coming out again, beyond, - and something like a huge Ice-fall visible, but light bad. Then the distance got thick, and we saw little else. Glacier, in here between the islands and the land, heaved up in a "league-long billows". So high, that in the "trough" of one, it shut out Harrisson Is. Another huge "billow" towards the land another ahead Breeze came up ahead & freshened. A little drift went by apparently all that was left moveable, for we were not troubled again. Wind so fresh at mid-day, that we took particular care pitching the tent, thinking travelling in after noon doubtful. tired, hungry & thirsty enjoyed much meal of glaxo & plasmon biscuits, sugar, chocolate, & about 1 ½ pints of tea. Wind did not freshen. I was in the lead in the afternoon a hard place, still harder to-day, breasting the stiff wind, & on slippery "glazed" sastrugi. Fortunately temp. rose rapidly over zero, & with the hard dragging, didnt feel the coldness of the wind. Towards evening, "dirty looking" all around. Island ahead showing plainly, & apparently a steep bluff to the S. the end we were making for. Our course now, E. ½ S., and land visible in the distance right out to where we heading. Preparations tonight for a blow tent-flap loaded with snow, - everything brought in, oil, food bags &c - Our little tents are tiny fortresses, provisioned to stand the blizzards siege! Much warmer tonight, & turned in without aching fingers ! Wind stiff, tent threshing. Barometer 29.55. high but that does not show that bad weather is coming. It occasionally, as on last Good Friday pounces on us from a high glass & clear sky. Temp now plus 18 ° Distance today 12 miles, 1580 yds.
I hear from the skippers tent mates that party will be split on return journey. Mr Wild going over top of Harrisson Is to ascertain height, while my party is to be sent round the N. end to see what side of island is like, & if any rocks show where Glacier leaves the island.
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August 26 Monday
Fresh wind and flapping tent all night but I was jolly snug & warm. Even took scarf from knees & mits from feet; and enjoyed a good nights rest as the others did too. Surprised to receive a call in the morning turned out, but did not hurry as usual, for wind was strong. Breakfast done & berberries on, I turned out while my mates finished their pipes. Morning grey, land indistinct, but the loom of the island (Beta) visable, to windward. Found that it was not too easy walking on the rather slippery surface with the strong breeze. Very little drift. This is a new experience for us with this wind, drift would have been flying in clouds at the hut! Mr Wild thought that it was good enough to make a start, so we loaded up the sledges, the wind increasing all the time. Drift thicker. Perhaps reason not more is that the wind coming E. is off the land, & there is little on this hard wind scoured surface to move now. The island, our only landmark, becoming obscured, "Marching orders" were countermanded. Fortunately tents had not been struck they are always left to the last moment. So our bags and things returned to tents, and upwards of an hour brushing the snow of most of them, & getting straight. Then into our bags rather glad of the rest, after 4 hard days. All day wind, drift, & flogging tent. Barometer and thermometer mild, and we are fairly comfortable. Repaired finskoo seam that had become unstitched, & put "tags" of lamp wick on the sides to put tie through, & prevent them working off my feet in the uncomfortable way they have had the last 4 days. What a curious little crowded tent it would look if our people now "far distant: could but see us! Just room for 3 men to lay full lenght in, or sit up generally with one feet in our bags. Andy Watson with a scarf round his "head," George Dovers head covered with a stocking or a leg of his pyjama trousers! Slept part of the afternoon. Have now enjoyed "hoosh" & cocoa, & feel pleasantly warm. blowing harder than ever. Will be lucky if we get away under 4 days, judging by weather of late. Faint sounds of revelry from other tent heard over storm then darkness settling down, & nothing but the roar of the wind creaking of tent poles, & threshing of tent.
August 27 Tuesday
Warm & cosy but rather cramped by tent shortening in "fore & aft" by drift lodging against it; & the "cooker" by my side. Bag getting wet, sagging down on my head despite such little drawbacks a good night. Before morning, the wind died down, & the utter silence of this deal land settled over all not a sound of dog or man or flap of tent intruded on the silence of the Antarctic night. Rather late getting away. Must have been a good snowfall during the blow for the hard surface of yesterday heaped with long drifts, from a foot to 2 feet deep, ridged and "spaded", but fairly hard. They did not cover the surface, but spread across our course diagonally. Our progress was winding and worm-like dragging thro. 1 or 2 drifts, then down a long lane of old hard surface, over more drifts & down more lanes. Found it hard work with the dogs. Stuck in the depth of one drift, & had to whip the dogs round to the lowest part, & a desperate tug to get going. Old "Chucklehead" otherwise Ammundson, soon dropped to the fact that it didnt pay to dash at thick drift, & content to follow other sledge. Sledge once capsized in depth of one drift, but I managed to right her & get her thro. Not sorry to give up driving to Watson. In the other team, steady pulling & hard thro the drifts, but made better progress than expected. Land showing plainly. Hills apparently steeper here, & character of country bolder showing neve slopes, ledges, ice falls all broken & crevassed. On our "starboard bow" the large bay. The land coming out beyond, even more broken. Drawing up near W end of island (Beta) nothing near as large as Harrisson Is. Still making for bold point on S. side. Wind, at start, very light from W, & we took caps off. About 11 a.m. came up ahead, & freshened fast. Half an hr later, the skipper rounded up on a smooth surface, - & we got tents pitched & well loaded with snow. After dinner, wind stiff, drift thick along the ground, & in great clouds on the hills. Very curious, that great wall of drift on the hills not dense, but even-topped like the ghost of a rather thin, trim, hawthorn hedge in which fancy could trace the outlines of stems & branches. And what a hedge! from the height of the hills, it must have been at least 1000 feet hight! We speculating if it was all drift, drift & mist combined. Out of the bay ahead, another great cloud, dense, yellow that must have been partly mist, I think, it was so dense, solid & its irregularly rounded top so evenly defined. An hour later, orders to get things into the tents. So we bundled in sleeping bags & other gear; made all secure, fastened dogs to ice-axes, & dug holes, in which they curl up with their backs to the wind, getting partially covered with snow. Now, 3 p.m. Not a flap of the tent, bright sunshine thick yellow mist rolling along the land, beneath which crevasse & ice fall shows clearly. Dovers outside taking "bearings" & making vigourous remarks upon the climate. In other tent, playing bridge.
Quite afternoon squall while having tea. Wild hailed enquiring how our tent was "that the meteorologist was sitting on the gadget" (i.e. barometer falling fast) Replied advising that he let her rip until daylight to sweep away the snow. Bar fell (last night) only 2/10. Highest temp. plus 15 ° Bar. now 29.41. ther. plus 5 ° distance to-day, 5 miles, 375 yds.
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August 28 Wednesday
First part of the night quite, then the blizzard lept upon us, with all the suddenness with which it comes in this wild land. & for a time, blowing with great fury. gusts straining and thrashing the little tent, until it seemed impossible for such thin material to stand the savage violence! I kept awake for an hour or so looking occasionally to see that everything was right, - that the tent sides were not chafing against cooker or other gear. Then, as all was standing well, I slept. We had breakfast just after 7 a.m. Still blowing hard. As we finished, heard sounds from the other tent, pitched close alongside. And above the roar of wind, & the flapping cloth, passed the first enquiry "Are you all right?" "Yes! & you?" "Right!" "How is the Gadget Mort.?" (i.e. Barometer) "29.21" "Not too bad!" Above the storm in the semi-lulls of wind & flogging tent, faint sounds of ex[indecipherable] heard, and presently another hail. "Have you had your breakfast yet?" "Just finished!" "Lucky dogs! we cant get our cook out." Sounds of strife faintly heard; & ten minutes later, a triumphant yell "Weve dragged the cook out!" Then Wilds & Moyes voices heard in snatches of song and harmony evidently reigned again. Into our bags again for a sleep, as the quickest way to get warm. Thro. the wild uproar of the storm in the early hours the moon was shining peacefully as the sun shines brightly now. Evidently little or no snow falling, so this wind will make good "going" for us. It will be interesting to see its effects upon the drifts that lay thickly around yesterday. Bar. fallen little, so hope for fine weather tomorrow. Day spent in bags, sleeping, dreaming, writing diary, and a little reading but too cramped for much. About 3 p m, put on berberries & went outside Wind not so strong. Got biscuits, dug drift from door & where it had bulged in lee side, so we can stretch full lenght again. Blowing a gale, drift flying thick, nothing to be seen but the blue sky thro. a smear of drift, & the white surface at my feet. All around a thick grey pall of flying snow. It caked upon my face, and fell off in great flakes when I worked the muscles of cheeks & [indecipherable] Dogs smothered in snow. Zip curled down in his hole, almost buried would not even look up, so pushed a couple of biscuits down [indecipherable] feet & nose. Other two ate readily Hedges almost buried. Bar. 29.24 Blowing harder than thro middle of day on whole looks hopeful for tomorrow. Saw that snow on flaps of both tents was all right more now than we put on; then into tent, brushed snow off, & into bags. Out for tea - & into bag again for the night. I do not know which looks the most desolate, - the two little tents flogging wildly in a thick mist of drift, or the same two little tents seen in clear darkening evenings, - the one dark spot the one sign of life in the vast waste of the icecap that stretches away on every side as far as eye can see.
August 29 Thursday
Wind, that had freshened towards sunset, blowing hard thro the night. Such a flogging and straining that one wonders how the little tents survive! Moon shining thro the cloth. Morning dawned without abatement of the gale, tho we could see the sunrise; and now he is shining brightly but still the roar and flogging, whipping, sting of drift the whole uproar of the blizzard continues! And that the hard snow beneath me is steady, I, lying here and listening to it all, could fancy myself at sea again. Hailed the other tent. All right; enquired how barometer stood. The disgusted voices intimated that they had consigned it to "another place". Probably it continues about the same. All tired of this inactivity. Cramped by tent sides coming in with snow drifted up against them Rhime over everything, and bags getting wet. Had a clean up, brushing rhime off bags & tent cloth &c, with [indecipherable] of aching fingers, then into bags again to get warm. Tried writing in bag, but terrible awkward. cramping and your mate moves, gives you a jog, & involuntarily letters made that have no business to be there! I turn out while meals cooked its a change sitting up, & that little action often seems to warm the feet but if you stay out too long & get feet cold, it takes all the afternoon in the bag to warm them again ! 4 pm Andy finished his weeks cooking this morning, and George takes it on this week. Latter went out for the weeks "tucker bag" just before noon. Blowing hard & thick drift. Fed dogs, passed in bag & biscuits, Put more snow on side of our tent, where wind sweeping between the 2 tents had carried some away. Returned, covered with snow all driven in under berberries at neck and waist, over his sweater, down the legs of his pyjama night trousers in a great mess! Its wonderful how the snow, blizzard driven, penetrates! but somehow. George always seems to get an extra allowance. Wind dropped a little thro the afternoon, & low sun shining brightly. Have just hailed other tent. Bar. going up, 29.38. Temp now plus 12 ° Good hopes for a travellers day tomorrow.
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August 30 Friday
Wind high thro the night, - at times hard. As been "squally" all thro. Towards morning, eased down. Doubtful about starting, but after breakfast, our leader hailed to get ready. Beautiful morning bright sun & blue sky, a little hard cirrus in S.E. but the drift driving along the land in a murky cloud; the great yellow grey cloud hanging in the mouth of the bay ahead, as on the afternoon we stopped. Sledges buried only top of kerosene tins & sledge [indecipherable] showing of our sledge. Surface mostly new, of consistency of firm sand. Tents snowed a couple of feet deep all round. Dug out & away at 9.5 am "going" not as good as on "glazed" surface of previous days. Fine enough, where we were, to see the drifts in clouds in the bay - & (apparently) great valley leading [indecipherable] & spurts of white whirlwinds mingling with that hovering clouds. "Valley of the winds" - & the bay appears to be the meeting place of the winds judging by the wholly drift, & that ill-omened yellow cloud mixd up with it. Approached the island (Beta), low; snow slopes cut into sastrugi; the point on the S side ending in a perpendicular cliff of ice or snow. Our route lies close by this point. Hoped to find rock there. Well on in the morning, we saw the drift coming away from the "Bay of the winds", & presently it was blowing stifly and low drift flying, making it unpleasant, travelling against it. We only had one "spell" - & the long pull against that wind fairly fagged me. Wind & drift increasing, our leader rounded up early on a smooth patch, & we got tents up without much difficulty. Mid-day meal eaten, & after a little delay Mr Wild decided to go on. Distance done, 4 miles, 1250 yds. Drift still flying over the land, - & most peculiar effect in "Bay of the Winds" yellow mass of cloud with streaming drift below, - like great "jelly fish" with their lace-like fringe of tentacles. Drift swept over us & wind got hard. We kept on for an hour then camped, fearing trouble pitching tents if we delayed longer. I held poles while my 2 mates got the tent over, & loaded it with snow. Unpleasant job making all secure, & an hours work brushing all our gear, clearing it of the soft clinging snow driven in every fold. We put all things on one side, brush tent cloth & lay it down, doubling it back, then brush every article, piling them on the cloth, after opening & thoroughly cleaning them. Got into trouble with George, who had spread all his cooking gear over vacant place, before things were brushed. This climate & weather does not conduce to good temper & patience, - On such occasions it seems as if the land was cursed by God and by man!
Wind fell towards evening, but squally. Looked out just at dusk all grey shadowy, ghostly, - unreal the high bluff of Beta scarcely looked solid - more like a shadow. Yet it was beautiful in a weird way. Distance today. 6 miles980 yrds Bar. fallen 110. Ther. from plus 6 ° to 9 °
August 31 Saturday
Night rather cold, - feet cold much of the night; & shoulders. At last let the bag sag down on my head. The heavy folds are unpleasant, but its warmer. Awakened by a chorus from the other tent "Dull sleep & a downy bed scorning!" I moved uneasily on the snow hard as beaten earth, with a little shiver, as I thought "theres not much of a downey bed about this!" Hard squalls thro the night, but dropped towards sunrise. Found it firm & bright, light high feathery cirrus, but not windy looking. Uplands still "fuzzy" with drift. Sledges dug out, & away a few minutes past 8. Dragged past the perpendicular cliff of Beta, about the height of Glacier cliffs no rocks. Then a long pull up a great sweeping "billow." gradually passing the island. The glacier surface heaped up against the island, but no apparent break. Opinion that the Glacier parts round these islands, as a running stream parts round a rock. Infinitely slow its movement must be! About 11 am, we topped the Glacier "billow" & got a better look round. "Bay of the Winds" clear of mist at last, & apparently half moon shaped & going in about 12 or 15 miles perhaps 20 across. Even slope hence to the height of the Ice-cap. A great valley filled with ice! a feeder of this great glacier. A smaller glacier, or "glacier feeder" visible at bottom of bay. Eastward from this bay, the coastline is high mostly cliffs, over which the Ice-cap has come in mighty ice falls, slopes - &c. crevassed & ridged. Land behind sloping into almost a table-land lowering E-ward. Its a fine bit of coastline. But what excited most interest was rocks! undoubted rocks at last ! A large razor backed rock or "nunatak" in the E. end of the "Bay of Winds," several rocks showing on the coast behind it, - a cliff face in one place with a great ice cliff above where the ice cap edge had fallen away further along still, a cliff of rock & other rock tops showing. Many miles ahead what appears to be another large nunatak, standing out in the glacier. Beyond this the land tapers to a low point, another point beyond, on the E. horizon, faintly seen, & perhaps 30 miles away; apparently ending in a broken point looks like rock. Coast line approximately E. & W. On the other hand (N.) a small island, or rather a "break", upheaved & crevassed, as over a reef. (Gamma) Longer than usual at mid-day halt, as other party had to repair their tent. We took the opportunity to brush the frost from out our sleeping bags, When we beat the hairy frost came out like fine flour. Going down this "billow" found sides much crevassed, & easy going; then steady going the continual drag thro. the afternoon, Wild in the lead; and all tired when we brought up about 4.15 pm., between "Gamma" & the first nunatak both distant from us many miles. Beautiful evening, & that deep rose pink in the E. at sunset; & afterwards, the W glowing in beautiful colour of bright yellow & pink, & Venus like a gem in it. To-day the sun was quite warm, - Could, for the first time, feel its warmth distinctly; is now about equal in height & hours to our Tas. winter sun. Distance to-day, 30 yes short of 12 miles. Bar. steady. Ther. minus 5 ° to 15 ° joined in the old chorus "Sweethearts & Wives." after tea. To-day, by the almanac, ends Winter! To-day makes the 9th month, & the rest of the time will go speedily; & news from home with the summer, please God. It must be weary waiting for the poor wife, knowing not how we have fared thro the grim Antarctic winter What dangers we may be meeting in this wild land.
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September 1 Sunday
"Sept. with fair yellow tresses!" [if I remember the line aright] In this dead land, no golden wattle, or other flower, marks returning Spring - & Septs yellow tresses are the blizzards cirrus streaming across the sun. Bitter cold thro the night, - woke shivering; beat my feet, let the bag down close around head, & turned bag over until opening almost under me, to shut out all the air I could but the cold seemed to strike up, then, from the icy floor. When I met the meteorologist outside, after breakfast, shivering in a bitter little breeze, I exclaimed, - "What did you let the temp. go down to last night He replied, with tears in his eyes "I couldnt help it it would go down". Hear that, as the temp. went down, the meteorologist went down too, to the bottom of the 3 man bag, after warmth until he ran into Wild, who had also unconsciously wriggled down - & the bottom of the bag got crowded! This morning was minus 22 ° - may have been lower through the night. Its bitter night work, - this winter sledging. In flimsy tents, without fires, in 50 ° & 60 degrees of frost! Wild says we are putting up a record, - No winter journeys of more than a few days having been made in Antarctica before. Usual dole of aching feet & hands, before packing up done & we were underway about 7.40, a.m. I in the lead, & with usual luck a stiff head wind otherwise a fine morning. Wind stiff, all the morning, with thick low drift. The lead is the hardest place at any time doubly so when the winds invisible hands are pressing strongly against you all the time. Its a long spell, that hours tramp, with the heavy drag of the sledge. "setting with ice on top & round the mouth, nose running, - & rubbing lips, cheeks or nose occasionally, as they freeze. Slipping on glazed sastrugi, or ploughing thro. small drifts. Then "halt" - & all sit or lay down under lee of sledge for 10 minutes well earned rest. by the end of which, you are glad to "get a move on" again, to get warm! We made good progress, - the best yet and at the noon-day halt (11.30) had 7 miles to our credit. How I enjoy Glaxo & plasmon biscuits, & about 1 ½ pints of tea, honey-flavoured with plasmon powder! Thro-out afternoon, wind not so stiff. I had the dogs, last half; & between them, & the wind of the morning, used some very unsabbathlike language But theres no Sabbath, sledging in Antarctica The dogs are such fools! Here the surface is ploughed into great holes with the wind - & old "Chuckles" dash indifferently at holes & drifts! & never a stop, but he takes a round turn in his harness & has to be cleared before starting again. And his one aim, when he catches up to the other team, appears to be to get under somebodys feet! Travelling all day thro. scenery seen yesterday without altering it much. Past rock, sticking from the Glacier in the "Bay of the Winds" distances, anything from 4 miles to 8; & have been heading for the other big nunatack, standing in the glacier, 3 or 4 miles out from the shore ahead. We expected to reach it early this afternoon, & estimated it at 30 or 40 ft high. all the afternoon we tramped on steadily but the rock got no nearer - & sunset found us still a couple of miles at least, from it tho. it has not looked a mile off for the last 2 hours! Evidently its a big rock. shaped, something like a crouching hippopotamus, well sprinkled with snow. Surface rough our sledge detached when we came to a smooth place, - other sledge went on Ό mile before they found a camping place. What a tiny lonely little team theirs looked, on that white surface the great rock behind, & the broken coast-line! At least a doz. outcrops of rock showing. Distance today, 13 miles, 250 yds Temp. minus 22 ° to 5 ° - Toasted, tonight in Andys "Wee drappie whiskey" Miss Essie Godfrey, Andys fiance: on her birthday. Tired tonight, - & enjoying supper. Getting cold now so will snuggle down into bag
September 2 Monday
Temp. down to minus 34 ° when we turned out this morning. Wild reckoned it was at least 40 ° thro. night. Was not as cold as previous night for I toggled up the bag, turned over, & only left a hole the size of a tea-cup for breathing. Yet the air coming left the shoulders cold! Cold as it was had to try a pencil sketch of the scene tent, dogs Wilds tent in the middle distance - & the great nunatak. Twice had to abandon it, - & get my fingers warm a third attempt finished a rough sketch - & got the tips of a couple or three fingers frost bitten. Wild running over to see if we required any assistance, commended my pluck, trying to sketch in minus 28 °! Tramped on to the nunatak, over rough wind swept sastrugi The rock rose a great size, we saw the hight must be measured by hundreds of feet! & Ό of a mile long. All around the surface is hard neve almost ice with tailing away, like a high broken "wake" for a mile or two to the N.E. All along, heeped up, piled, broken, splintered; with crevasses running out at right angles We looked down one or two crevasses we crossed, - & saw only a bottomless depth of blue! We camped on a patch of snow almost on a closed crevasse, after doing 2 miles 270 yds. Soon as tents up away we went for the rock about a Ό of a mile away. Going down between the great crevasses to where the neve ran out into icy piers between the deep gulches ending in irregular masses & broken blocks of ice. Widely seperated, we took our different ways, & were successively brought up amongst deep gulches & splintered piled ice. Jones & Dovers swept round to the S. the longest & most open way. With chasms all around I saw I would be beaten unless I got thro. Seeing one chasm with ice amongst the snow at the bottom I climbed down cautiously, about 30 ft & along, feeling my way with the ice-axe, over snow & ice blocks Up the other side - & was the first to arrive at the rock. Jones & Dovers soon after. Wild had a narrow escape, - slipping on the smooth ice, & falling into one of the chasms, but saved himself from going to the bottom. Followed by Jones & Dovers, I led the way up a long sloping narrow ledge of stones & rubble, interspersed with patches of snow, that led diagonally upwards. Rather staggered at size & height of rock! Took us a good time to get up had to cut steps with my faithful ice-axe in the snow, for 100 ft at a stretch the ledge narrow & sloping steeply - & a slip would have been death. Wild & Watson, following in our steps, were up soon after us. Dovers subsequent observations made nunatak 405 ft high & the towering cliffs of broken rock above, looked "shakey" so glad to reach its rounded summit, stoney & patches of snow. Here was a view of coast line & Glacier! Harrisson Is. (50 miles behind) came up distinctly - All the headlands, points, rock outcrops snow slopes & neve slopes of the coastline - & neve along beneath them. The land ahead running out into a rather low point, perhaps 10 miles ahead, beyond a channel & a large island the whole reminding me somewhat of the entrance to DEntrecasteaus Channel & Bruni, in Tas. Rocks showing on point & island. Here the coastline must take away SE, for we could not see it over low S end of island. Far in the E. distance something faintly visible could not distinguish if it was pressure or rocks or what clear, bright, warm, where we were but a mist of drift up that channel, making all to the E. somewhat indistinct. We have now seen over 100 miles of the base of this great Glacier! Glacier sweeping round this great rock shows strikingly from its high summit Heaped up solid & smooth to E & S. heaved in a billow to SW., sweeping shattered & loose round W & tailing off broken to NE. - & the black threads of crevasses rayed out - & Moyes, like a tiny black fly, creeping along, looking down them! Rock Pre-Cambrian, mainly granite, schist, & gneiss. Andy getting specimens, I collecting lichens half a doz. varieties, & one that looks like a moss - the first plants of this land! Dovers taking bearings. Led by Wild, we went down the SE side, down a stoney slope then sliding down a steep neve & snow slope more than 200 yds in lenght I "slewed round" & finished part of the way up the ledge again, for photos - & so closely did their berberries agree with the rock that we could scarcely distinguish them. Then we all worked down the Bergschund or vast "fogge", with the wall of rock on one hand, & the shattered ice piled on the other: mainly ice there evidently a lot of thaw in summer. We were getting geological & botanical specimens. Found a battered fully-fledged dried up Snow Petrel evidently a young bird. Do they come all this way to breed? Found in rubble of Bergchund Beautiful feathers like crystals, a foot long, in the ice. View from NW corner of bergschund very striking - [indecipherable] of brown rock the deep fosse - & on the other hand, the great towering blocks of ice heaped & broken a ragged a ragged line stretching a mile away, in cool colours of green & blue or pure [indecipherable] Back to tents by sunset, a bright enjoyable day. Minus 34 ° to 22 °
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September 3 Tuesday
Cold! dire lamentations from both tents! I was not so very cold, but too cold to sleep comfortably. Our Leader considers temp. down to minus 40 ° thro the night; and its very probable; for when we turned out, it stood at minus 29 ° - & 3 hrs later at minus 1 °! Had breakfast dressed, with much suffering of fingers & toes, harnessed up, & away. A stiff breeze sprang up just as we made a start, - rather behind us, for we were taking away N. to get round pressure tailing away from the Hippo. On the smooth neve surface, the wind soon commenced to take charge of the sledges blowing them round, & bodily to-leeward. I was told off to steady them! fastened on to the back sledge, holding it back a bit. Couldnt do much wind too stiff dragging me bodily to leeward "set" my feet as I would. Once carried off my feet & laid full lenght, rapping my head with some force on the hard neve. And once sledge driving broadside on, into a narrow crevasse, capsized, & had to be righted After going about 500 yds, our leader swung round, & back we dragged, camping again near where we had started from, on a larger patch of snow; fringing a crevasse. There was no drift, probably no loose snow to drift. Wild considered it too riskey to go on. If the wind freshened much, we could not haul the sledges on that smooth surface neither could we camp. Would have to drive off to-leeward, out of our course till on snow for setting up tents if that were possible in the breeze. Nor do we know which is beyond the pressure lives except a couple of miles of smooth surface, much crevassed. We are getting little shelter from the rock ( about Ό mile to windward & getting the tents up not too easy. Plenty of snow piled on flaps with a couple of food bags in addition. Then into our bags to get warm only repaired my old finskoo spent rest of morning warming up. The finskoo have plenty of rime inside socks get very wet every day. Have a pair inside my clothes drying! Everything damp when I lay down in the sleeping bag, it thaws out damp & some minutes before the heat of the body warms up a place! Everytime I turned last night, the fresh place felt damp - & the moisture from the breath freezes on the edges of the little "blow-hole" left open; or drips back on to the face. Winter sledging not all joy! Our plasmon biscuits hard as bricks I generally chip them into my hand with my sheathe-knife, as men cut tobacco, & often soak them in my tea. Even the chocolate hardens. We have put in the day here discontented rather too much wind to visit the rock, - considerable risk crossing those smooth icy slopes, & more in climbing it. Tents threshing; & altho temp gone up beyond zero, we are cold. Trust it will clear thro the night Hope to get beyond the 100 miles by next Thurs. then turn back & visit the outcrop I am eager for a look down that channel ahead. There is evidently a change in the coastline - & we expect to see one of the main streams of this great glacier, & naturally curious to see whence it comes. So I wish much to see what is beyond that point ahead. Personally I expect to see a great gulf - & huge valley, for there was a strong drift blowing out of the channel yesterday, when quite calm here George eager to turn back odd fellow always the first to talk about starting on these trips, as the first to talk of returning. Bar now 29.30. Temp at 3 pm, plus 3 °. Night windy. The chaffing skirmishing in this tent between Watson & Dovers ! The trouble over frozen pipes & lost tobacco! The dire curses over cooking! The lamentations over cold! Georges gear always missing. We laugh over it now how we will in days to come
September 4 Wednesday
Night warm, & enjoyed good sleep. Blowing a little when we awoke. During breakfast, hailed to say we would leave Depot here. George delighted, I disappointed. Would gladly have faced the cold for the peep down that Channel that I shall never get now. We stood on end the good old sledge, & built a great snow mound round it, then lashed bamboo with black flag to sledge, staying it to the food bags. Our leader stepped mast & hoisted sq. sail on his craft, & on that smooth neve she ran herself indeed, we held back", the wind was so fresh. dogs, with our gear, dog biscuits, & 2 weeks provisions on other sledge. Wind coming more a-beam, sail had to be lowered; but it was light dragging after the load we hauled out, & we made over 3 miles an hr. Camped for dinner before on to the neve that stretches along the coast here. Crossed this in afternoon. Most uncomfortable "going" hard "nobbly" much of it feeling to finskoo feet like on to a newly metalled road - & so smooth that it was difficult keeping our feet in that stiff "puffing" wind. Occasional crevasses crossed our way, with long lines of cracks, mostly filled with blue ice. coastline very fine: slopes in front of us all broken & steep; great blocks & furrows, leaving surface all gigantic sq blocks, walls & ditches. Here a regular wall, castellated, as if with gun embrasures there, as if a ruined line of defences further, broken in successive tiers of blocks. And everywhere lined & seamed with chasms. Below, & running up between these broken ridges, great slopes of pure snow, hundreds of feet in lenght & height. Soon we encountered "billowing" surface hard to climb in finskoo - & had to check sledges down other side. Kept on snow as much as possible. After some 4 miles of this mainly in S.S.W direction, We drew in under the great ice cliff with the rock outcrop sowing beneath One of the grandest scenes we have seen in this land. Out from the cliff ran a mile-long ice-billow snapped across at regular intervals with crevasses, like sunken roadways. We went along a "trough" between this & the land In front the cliff which we guessed at 400 feet 1/3 a great slope of snow & ice 1/3 brown rock the remaining 1/3 a perpendicular cliff of broken blue-green ice, piled on top of the brown rock; its top in ragged craggs its face rifted; & holes of blue; & little slopes of snow, pink-tinted in the sunlight contrasting beautifully with the light blue ice-face supporting them. The whole shown up by the great face of dark brown, rugged rock below. On either side, majestic snow slope stretching in purest white to the shattered summits - & crumbling blocks breaking their beautiful sweep. We travelled in, mainly on a dark ice floor, heaved, rounded, or in blocks, across which ran 2 lines of "pressure", where comparatively thin sheets of ice had been forced up in jagged ridges, 20 ft high; beautifully green, where the sunlight shone thro them; & halted amid great blocks of ice & neve. It was grand & beautiful! Wild & Jones to look for a camping ground. Three up to examine the rock. I back to do a small sketch. Temp. plus 17 ° - bad for the fingers! Returned in time to help Wild & Jones drag sledge over ice slopes & snow banks, where we had to crawl, & clutch at every hole & crack down the ridge of the great snow slope at the cliff foot, where we camped in a hollow about Ό mile from, & part middle part rock. Wind now stiff & squally, blowing our tent down before we could load it (Dovers away taking observations). Helped Wild; in turn he & Moyes helped us. We were just piling the snow on (Wild holding the poles) when the wind came round a strong squall from the opposite direction, taking the tents on their unloaded side. Over both went, leaving Wild sitting where one had been, Jones in the ruins of the other surrounded with his cooking gear! Better luck next time facing E., for squalls now coming down W side of cliff. In our tent, had just finished our tea, when a shattering roar from the ice-cliff startled us. I was next the door with a quick jerk had it untied & plunged out followed by the others. The roar was fearfully loud - & the sight terrible to us! The face of the cliff was veiled in a dense smoke of rising drift, that advanced towards us, spurting out white puffs at its foot where the blocks of the avalanche were bounding down the slope towards us. The cloud rose, spread, advanced shutting out all the ice-cliffs from view. I called to the other fellows to turn out. But the knot in their door fasting had fouled, & they could not get it undone. Then a second rending crash from behind that cloud of drift Someone called desperately for a knife I cried quickly "Dont cut" for no blocks were coming near us Luckily Dovers hadnt a knife, or he would have ripped both tents in his excitement. Those imprisoned inside were desperate knowing not what was happening With one accord they heaved up the loaded flap & 3 men crawled out from underneath scattering the snow in all directions! How I laughed at the sight! The smoke flew over [continued at top of page] like a wet mist Dovers plunged into the tent & rushed out with a food bag, then his sleeping bag. But no blocks came down slope as far as our tents & when mist cleared away could not even see where fall had been! Replaced snow on Wilds tent then turned in, laughing & talking over our scare. But we didnt feel too comfortable, camping at the foot of a slope that falls of ice [indecipherable] down on! Heavy squalls. Distance today 9 miles.aH
aacc
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September 5 Thursday Agricultural Show Day
A most uncomfortable wild night - & what a day to follow! Furious squalls swung down on our poor tents until it seemed impossible for them to stand the strain & furious flogging. We were warm enough, but very cramped the tent coming in with the snow loaded all round. Could not stretch at lenght - & the tent threshing the sleeping bag all night. Twice we heard small falls from the cliffs, anything but reassuring Wild called early I looked out morning fairly clear, but heavy squalls falling on us from cliff. Then round she came furious squalls from Eastern instead of W side of cliff. Taken "aback" with only 2 poles to windward & door-way bagging with a weight of wind, she commenced to drag in we had to put out cooker & hang on to the poles. Gusts furious. Presently Wild called that their tent was gone the furious pounding having burst the cap & she ripped to the ground. Part of their cooker had blown away too. Advised us to strike our tent. So 2 hung on to the post while the other dressed in berberries then taking advantage of a momentary lull, we slipped the lee poles round to windward, letting them slip under the flap, & she collapsed. A nice situation ! Furious gale, fortunately neither snow nor drift, under a dangerous ice-cliff & knew not where to get shelter. Wild & party had been along to the hollow to the W. looking for shelter & missing gear. We saw them returning 3 men with streaming flapping berberries, hanging on to ice-axes in the squalls, & rushing forward between. They got under their flattened tent. The sledges blown over boxes burst open Chucklehead crouching there, gulping down glaxo biscuits! Wild suggested I looked for shelter in crevasses, while they got helmets on &c. Crossing the high rounded snow slope I got the full force of the storm, a gust hurling me down & sent me back headlong down the slope. It seemed to me that I was half an hr crossing that great smooth ridge I would run then as the next squall burst on me, dig my ice-axe in & hang on, but such was the force of the wind that the axe would be torn out, & I flung headlong back, swept along the smooth slope until digging fingers toes ice-axe into snow, I managed to pull up. Again & again I lost all I had gained between the squalls. Finally, crawling on hands & knees, driving axe deep at every step - & a final run carried me over. Could keep footing better off that ridge - & reached crevasses. 5 to 10 ft wide - & to 20 ft deep floored with snow. One gave a little shelter, but very little. Then saw Dovers coming over slope, & after him Wild - & I had a good laugh watching them going thro same experience, whipped off their feet & sliding helplessly back! Arms & legs flying as they went over! Decided would never get sledges over So back again headlong down that slope, throwing ourselves down, & checking our way with ice-axes. Wild, Jones & I held anxious consultation under lee of block of ice. Mr Wild seemed rather in favour of getting away from that cliff, trusting ourselves to the gale, hoping to get across the ice without much damage, & lying under tents spread on the glacier. Jones for trying to reach Nunatak 12 or 16 miles off in "Bay of Winds"; I was against both suggestions fancying little driving helplessly, hanging on to our sledges!~ And offered to try if a hole could be dug (for we did not know depth of snow) while others got their things together. Jones helped me, & we started digging under lee of sledges & collapsed tent. Snow very hard, but we got down a couple of feet so as it was possible to dig such a shelter, all took turns digging. Wind in furious squalls still. Once it took one unprepared, threw me over Dovers, & clean over Wild full lenght on the snow, "Whats that blown away?" cried Wild, looking up from where he was crouching. We soon had a hole about 12ft x 6, x 3 ft deep, sides dug under, to make it wider at the bottom. Our things in a terrible mess blown about, covered with snow, & sail carried out of sledge. We got things into our pit, sledges & tent poles across it, then the sound tent over them for a roof, weighing it down with snow & ice blocks. Retreated into it & started cooker going. Had but a glaxo biscuit that morning, so enjoyed "hoosh" for it was now mid-day. Afterwards passed cooker bottom up, for George to throw away rubbish. A furious gust tore it from his hand & gave chase Wild calling out not to go far. Dovers followed me. We found the battered cooker at the bottom in the great hollow 300 yds to-leeward. Also collected part of others missing cooker, an empty kerosene tin, a stocking, & about 20 plasmon biscuits. Wind not quite as hard. Sky thick & snowey looking. Spent the afternoon in "dugout", warm and well sheltered. Other party stitching up their torn tent. I sketching the odd little refuge. Then hoosh, cocoa & pipes turn in. Twice during the evening we heard that horrid shattering roar of falling ice avalanches from the cliffs. We looked at each other & laughed but its trying to the nerves. Mr Wild who has been twice before to the Antarctic [continued at top of page] admits it makes him "feel cold". By Georges observations the cliff is 600 ft to the icy crags of its summit & only 400 yds away - & slopes right down to our camp But for that we would have been [indecipherable] enough. All the fellows stood the days [indecipherable] well. worked well & thankfully for this good shelter. Bar. 29.45 Then when we dug shelter, plus 20 ° now plus 23 °.
September 6 Friday
Such a warm quiet night! No flapping of tents, or anxious listening to the squalls only that shattering roar of the avalanche, which some of the fellows heard twice thro the night. Would be so snug here thro the blizzard, but for that "Sword of Damocles" hanging over our heads. the possibility of a heavy fall, & great blocks bounding down the slope & pitching into the midst of us George has slept full dressed, berberries finskoo & all, for the last 2 nights, but the rest of us have turned in with more regard for our bags. My week cooking began yesterday but as we are all together here, Moyes & I take it in turns to prepare meals for the whole party. For once it was rather a relief to take on the cooking never such a "fussy" cook as our last! Some of us outside this morning; sunny, but wild sky. Wind strong, but not as bad as yesterday. The beautiful treacherous cliff above us showing no signs of the ice-falls only the blocks scattered below. I went up the slope 100 yds to the nearest fallen blocks between the squalls, & selected 2 solid lumps of pure ice for the cooker. So started back well "ballasted" but yet was I capsized in a squall, & got a "buster". Jones had fed the dogs. Chucklehead didnt get anything. Chucklehead very annoyed. The score of glaxo biscuits he had "wolfed" the previous morning moreover disagreed with him judging from the groans we heard thro the night. so Chucklehead not in a happy frame of mind! Thro. the morning, Wild, Jones, Watson, Dovers, started bridge. I touched up sketches, & these hastily written notes that occasionally are apt to get somewhat incoherent, between tiredness & darkness, after a long days dragging. This a fussy little "brigands cavern" this! roofed with sledges gear of all sorts stowed between runners & beams theodolite legs, bags note books, finskoo, pipes. The floor crowded with sleeping fellows lying reading, or sitting up smoking! Without, the passing gusts flapping our tent-cover roof, thro which the sun shines with bright but softened light. Moyes prepared mid-day meal, then all to sleep except myself read read "R.L. Stevensons letters" which one of the fellows had with them. At dusk opened tent door & "got in water" one of those blocks of ice dirty thick sky, unpromising enough. But bar., which fell 7/10 thro yesterday has gone up to 29 °.40. Temp. over plus 20 ° all the time. At present plus 25 °
Dinner over, candles lit & diaries written up. Occasionally avalanches heard, mostly from end of cliffs. Opposite us looks fairly firm now. Wish we could get further from them!
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September 7 Saturday
Another wild morning gusty, thick & threatening; a dim sun showing thro for a while. No use starting, have to risk avalanche for another day. After breakfast, donned berberries, & out for a stroll along under cliffs to the W. Picking up plasmon biscuits also a stray sock. About a Ό mile along is a great hollow, where most of our stray gear drifted. Beyond a mighty round slope of ice, thinly covered with snow sloping from about 25 ft down to the neve. From this a grand view, Eastward, & beneath, the more gradual slope & hollows, partly littered with the fallen ice & snow blocks; & rising above them, the brown rock cliffs, crowned with the blue tinted rough ice walls, that are so beautifully interspersed as they are with deep blue rifts & little slopes of white snow; - pinnacles, crags, little caverns! How well that greenish pale blue, dark blue & white contrasted with the dark brown rock that it is piled upon! - & the pure white slopes beneath, and on either side! Beyond this outcrop, successive slopes and undulating lines of the coast; greenish blue ice or neve crossed with white lines of crevasses or huge up-sweeping slopes broken into great ice-block on top. But how cold & drear white, beneath a murky sky, nothing beyond the outcrop to relieve the dead pallor of the frozen land. Westward, on a smaller & more distant scale the same wintery scene. Great slopes of purest white; spotless hollows; sweep of distant points lined & seamed with crevasses & ice falls; faintly but most distinctly. The grey line of the glacier beyond. All white and veiled with a thin mist of drift Cold lifeless. The sky suited it well grey, wintry, like coming snow. Beautiful, weird it was, but oh how wild, desolate above all, cold. A scene such as few are privileged to see but once seen, never forgotten! As I was coming back, a fall from the ice cliff the "dread avalanche I saw it start, the green ice crumble away, rain down like a foaming cascade over the brown rock, burst in a cloud of "smoke" upon the slopes; with those rapid puffs spurting from beneath as the blocks rolled down the slope. That shattering rending does not jar on our nerves as badly now. Theres less risk remaining here, than "putting to sea" on that smooth ice in a gale of wind. Brought back enough biscuits to last us some days after lunch Mr Wild & Jones had a look out, but decided not good enough to start. I went out & tried to sketch this odd little camp. Looking at the little broken snow, the dogs tied up, the sledge boxes & a yd or two of flapping green calico who would dream that 6 men are camped snugly here. Sketching in this temp even without "blows" is bad but add hard gusts! twice before I got that rough sketch, I had to run round to get some warmth! A dirty wicked looking afternoon. The sun vanishing under a thick shapeless murkiness, & snow falling. Retreated to our burrow. Stuffed up holes drift finding way thro Sweethearts & wives sung then Wild sang "Kabul [indecipherable]". "Sailing in the Lowlands" "Nancy Lee" &c.
September 8 Sunday
Bar. 29.65 Ther in here plus 30
Turned over last night in my sleeping bag, and a great blob of soft snow fell into my ear! Drifting in the cracks under the sledges. Andy stopped crack our end not much in; but down the other end in considerable quantity collected in the tent that they had spread over their bag. Dark in the morning & roof sagging down with the drift snow upon it. Moyes gathered up drift snow on the cooker top & passed it outside, I cooking. When head pushed out could scarcely see the cliffs. George cursed. He is so anxious to get back, its disappointing to be blocked day after day. Moyes returned smothered with snow, & a quantity fell in thro. the doorway. No travelling, nor even going outside while this lasts. The worst is, the layer of snow on the roof seals the place & the temp. is up towards the freezing point & with the animal heat from the six of us, & the heat of cooking, the roof is dripping over us, most uncomfortably so things are only "middling". Of a truth, we are never satisfied would prefer a lower temperature now! - & to be camped in the threshing tents out in the blizzard, instead of in this snug hole under those avalanches! After breakfast & "cleaning up" laid down for an hour, fatigued by the cramped position. Its a varied experience, this winter sledging! Toil & laziness, suffering & comfort. Privations, bitter cold, hard dragging, until you feel done up. & whole days of idleness, sleeping the hrs away in your bag often fairly warm & comfortable. Long stretches of unvarying monotony; beautiful wind, - sometimes Majestic scenery; always a grandeur in the vastness of these hitherto untrodden solitudes. A diet that never varies day by day, yet palatable & satisfying. I have sat with mug & spoon, & felt I would not exchange the expected "hoosh" for any plate of roast beef unless a big slice of apple pudding was to follow! & many & many a time have lay back after a hard days work feeling that I had enjoyed my simple meal as much as ever I had enjoyed a meal, however elaborate! Read "Letters of R.L. Stevenson" then, as it was Sunday a chapter or two of the little packet bible. Wonder if any of the "St Matthias" folks, when it was given one, pictured it being read in such a place. On one of the greatest glaciers of the world in a little hole dug of a snowdrift under that great cliff - a hole roofed with sledges & tent covered; crowded with fellows & gear, some playing cards, some reading. No tea for lunch, to keep temp. down. But pipes all going, & roof dripping. Couldnt see across the place for smoke.
Considered which was the worse, drips of "fugg" decided the latter, and retired to my bag to avoid it. Between 4 & 5 pm, Mr Wild burst out thro the doorway. Much better, left off snowing, sky fairly clear tho windy still. Little whirlwinds flying about occasional large ones whirling snow in a thin column, 100 ft into the air. Could hear wind blowing hard over the cliffs. All went out for fresh air, when Wild had cleared the tent cover roof, for close atmosphere below reeked of tobacco smoke. Temp. lowered enough to start primus. After dinner, pipes going again, so thick that the candle burnt in the midst of it with a sickly feeble glare. I retired to my bag for a time. The smoke clearing a little, Wild & Moyes started singing "Sun of my Soul", Andy & I joining in. A dozen hymns, or snatches of hymns as far as words could be remembered, followed. "Lead Kindly Light". "Abide with me", "Savior to Thy Dear Name," "For those in peril on the sea." &c. Not forgetting a couple of verses of "Holy Father, in Thy Mercy ...Keep our loved ones now far absent," all that could be remembered of it. It was the only day like Sunday on the trip. A strange scene the curious little hole the feeble candle the fellows lying with their heads out of their bags, singing Jones & Dovers alone invisible & a gentle snore from Georges corner, & the drip, drip, of water -
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September 9 Monday
Wretched drips kept on most of the night. My bag so wet that it feels [indecipherable] damp beneath me, despite all the clothes I am wearing. Did not turn out early, for the wind was high & drift flying. Wild went out, found that it was a bright sunny morning, but blowing hard; whirlwinds flying about under the lee of the cliff Clouds of drift visible, blowing off the land. After tent cleared started primus. I will not say anything in future about women tea-drinking for these chaps enjoy their tea so! This morning gave up the "hoosh" for the tea; altho hoosh would not have taken so long to prepare, & they would have had the water in the outer part of the cooker to drink! We were much disappointed at being shut up again today. George had so confidently reckoned on getting homeward, and argued in favour of starting, but a trip outside moderated his zeal. Thermometer outside reads plus 1 ° wish that it was nearer that down here!
After mid-day meal, George asked again about starting The skipper asked our opinions Dovers urged instant departure, but all the rest were against it. I said that it would take some time to disintangle our gear, and as half the day was already gone, it was not worth starting in a gale of wind; for the barometer was rising steadily, there was hopes of a fine day tomorrow, & we were fairly comfortable here. Once out in that gale and drift, there was no knowing where we would get to, or how far. Our Leaders judgement was against leaving, - so we stayed. Read, played, dosed away the afternoon. Dinner early; over a little after 4 p.m. Jones opened a little hole in the door while I cooked the hoosh and boiled cocoa. Now pipes going. One thing I do not fancy is the smoking in the middle of meals some of them are not as particular as Wild, in that respect. One gets seasoned tho. Two avalanches heard to-day. Wind gets high & gusty. Bar. 29.66; Ther. about plus 28 °
September 10 Tuesday
Uncomfortable night despite the high temp. Drips above, water beneath; bag so wet that the moisture soaked up thro the many clothes about the hips so lower side of my body gets cold & damp. Awake most of the night; heard a couple of ice-falls from the cliffs. Fellows awake early, & dressing for the march. Still hear wind, but lighter. When we got outside; beautiful morning, clear sky & rising sun. Temp. below zero outside; so there was trouble with fingers before sledges were got in order & loaded. Away about 8 a.m., glad to get a move on & away from the avalanches. Dragged out over the neve, Wild & Andy in the lead; Moyes & I fastened on behind to check the "way" in gusts. But there was no holding her down Moyes & I would go, & be dragged along at full lenght and its heavy falling on that ice! If an open crevasse yawned in front suddenly, there would be no stopping on such a surface in a strong wind; all would go, in! So we "ran before the wind", 3 or 4 miles, over great "rolling billows" of great size & some height. Looking back when at the sastrugi, it reminded me of a great ocean roll, covered with smaller waves & ripples, & flecked with foam. Glad were we to reach the snow surface without accident - & then away westward, home Visit to nunataks given up also plan of Mr Wilds party going over Harrisson Is. while we followed the coast line westward, visiting the rock outcrops. We are making for home via the first nunatak seen, as thats very little out of the direct way. Moyes & I are now to explore Harrisson Is. while the others are away on the long trips We made great progress, tho, sastrugi at first rough. So rough, that the dog sledge capsized once then into splendid "going", smooth glazed surface. By mid-day, over ten miles to our credit. Its easy now, light dragging for 4 men in the front; the dogs have most of the dragging with the other sledge; 2 men assisting. Day cleared off beautifully fine, & quite warm unclouded sun, only a little cirrus in the sky. in the W. Coast line, from which we have drawn away fast, clear & beautiful. The great cliffs under which we encamped still visible tonight, 20 miles away. Had to speak plainly to G.D. when I got a chance with him alone; for forgetting himself replying to me; & for deliberately neglecting to buckle a strap when I drew his attention to it being loose. His only excuse urged, was that I had found fault with him, & that he did not like being found fault with! Hoped that he would have expressed regret, that we might have shaken hands, but that is not his way. However, think that he will be all right in future. Regret incident for its the only time by land or sea that I have had to speak to any one of them this at least shows how well we have fared together thro the year. Tonight brought up towards the Western end of the "Bay of the Winds", One or 2 "Glacier Flows" clearly visible Great solid streams of ice slopes leading down off the land. One eminense crossed by what must be 2 gigantic crevasses, for they show a visible breadth at what must be more than 10 miles away. Fine evening - Tent making a great noise, for she is frozen. So are our bags - & even my outer bed-socks when I came to put them on. Temp. tonight when we stopped minus 22 ° Wild, walking today without his hood wet persperation on one side face frost on other.
Ther. well in the "Minus" all day. Distance 20 mile, 100 yds.
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September 11 Wednesday
Much to my surprise a comfortable & restful night sleeping bag, frozen stiff, encased me like a shell, & did not feel nearly as wet as on night before. Have taken great care of my bag; & it pays to do so. Tent mate, Watson, also [indecipherable] of his. Two boys had great trouble getting into their board like bags last night, & I had to emerge again from mine to toggle them up - & even from outside, as much as I could do to make bracket & toggle meet! Wind increased thro the night, by morning a gale. When I got cooker in for our breakfast, a wild cloud-smeared sky in hard greens & yellows, with the sun a hazy glare. Not much drift a good breeze. George cherished hopes of travelling I sincerely hoped we would not did not like the look of the morning. Mr Wild evidently of the same opinion No call from the other tent. Wind increased thro the morning, & blowing hard by noon drift stinging on tent. This is in truth the "Bay of the Winds! Hard luck not to get 2 good days running, after such a spell of bad. Do not know how Bar. stands. Hailed the other tent just now. "Hows the "gadget" Morton?" Three disgusted voices yelled back in unison, "Gadget be ---! Ready for the primus, will have to get it by & bye, if possible. Nobody hungry, so did not cook for mid-day just had chocolate, & a little biscuit. Our tent has threshed off all the ice collected in the hole, so flaps more naturally now. Such hard blows are always anxious times out on this wild waste in such frail shelter. Towards evening, Moyes out for oil, &c & passed [indecipherable] in. Wind strong enough to blow him over; & the drift pretty thick. "Hoosh" early, & to bed before dark. Barometer 29.00. Wind not as fresh as in forenoon. Dogs have a bad time in this weather, only a hole to crouch in. Now and again, one gives vent to his feelings in a series of whines, ascending to a prolonged howl which dies away amid shouts of abuse from both tents.
September 12 Thursday
Warm enough thro the night, but did not sleep so well after the idle day. Hear that the other fellows in the 3 men sleeping bag had a wretched night on the 10th cold & wet. Watson also did not sleep. Dovers & I very comfortable. Wind fresh this morning, & rather thick drift, but our Leader decided to travel. So packed up (with the usual aching fingers) & away in good time. Wild & I with the dogs for the first half of the morning. Wretched weather; strong breeze sent the sledge along & made them veer thick drift & "bad light". Could not see the other team 6oo yds off or sometimes at half that distance. Could not distinctly see the sastrugi at our feet, so often came down on the slippery surface especially as we were often at a jog trot to keep our footing. Once the sledge nearly swept over Mr Wild. The other sledge went easily enough with the wind; & if ours got behind, the dogs would race after the others at a rate we could scarcely keep up with. The wretches wont follow they want to get along side the men, & then immediately get mixed up with the other team. But they are willing workers Second part of the morning in the other team much pleasanter, but bad enough. Drift whirling up into the helmet; faces coating with ice, having to clear it off eye-brows occasionally. Worked up under the berberries mits, suffered agony with my fingers. Got the other tent pitched, things in; & something to eat, with hot tea. A long time before I could touch anything, suffering so with my fingers. Afterwards about 2 p.m. started cleaning up. Everything has to be brushed, snow will not shake off; bags, sleeping bags, clothes; tent doors, and carpet, tucker bag: everything over snow snow driven in every fold or opening, however small the crack. Must have been over an hour before we got everything clean, & into our bags. And oh the aching fingers! George in great spirits, we were 11 miles nearer home, & the much coveted Jaegar blankets, &c. He is a queer fellow! Never saw anyone so eager for getting back, Yet the first to want to get away on a trip. He has slept in his berberries and wet finskoo, to be ready for an early start; or ready for trouble from the storm. George & I see things so differently. I would far rather make such a forced march to complete a long trip to see what "was beyond" before turning back on an exploration trip he says he does not see that at all. We have still about 10 days provisions, without stinting ourselves much; so surely will get a few fine days before that is eaten. To day we were simply driving blindly along before the wind couldnt get a glimpse of either land or land marks to show where we were. Had there been a wide open crevasse in our path while the wind was blowing hard, we could not have seen it until we were on the brink - & then! Wind strong thro latter part of afternoon cleared somewhat in the evening. Great array of wet socks & woollen mits stowed away inside belts or sweaters tonight Bar from 29.85 to 29.97.
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September 13 Friday
Night not too bad, warm & fairly comfortable; but in the other tent, they did not sleep well at all. Stiff breeze in the morning; but we got away about 7.40 a.m. Dull, cold, morning; clouds, altho broken, nearly covering the sky sun occasionally breaking thro. Land visible but the other side, (N) very thick. Harrisson Is. "forward of the beam" Beta indistinctly visible "aft the beam." Altho wind stiff, little drift (thank Goodness!) apparently nothing on the hard glazed surface to move! Light was not good wind too good driving us along so that the sledge half swept round, & we had to do a jog-trot most of the time to keep our footing - & falls were numerous, & sometimes heavy. Altho little or no dragging, there was considerable extra exertion keeping our balance. The dog-sledge especially unmanaguble, & was finally hitched on behind the other; the dogs given rope, so that they could drag almost beside the team their favourite position for walking
. Latter part of the morning I was looking after them. Surface getting softer, drift increasing & soon fairly thick, altho nothing like yesterday outline of land always visible. Presently we were aware that one of those great "billows" was rising ahead of us. Could not see much, but soon found ourselves on the end of it, skirting neve patches; & down the other side. Sledges got a go on, & the men had to run. I hung on to the front, "breaking" her as much as possible, but she fairly ran away with me. Just at that moment, old "Chucklehead" must needs dodge under the traces in front. I cursed him could do nothing else thought he was done for. the traces caught him; doubled him up, head legs & tail all together, & the sledge swept on him. But Chuckles "luck was in"; - instead of going over him, she caught him on her bow, & pitched him clear. On thro the day we went, bitter wind, drift & falls. Only one tent pitched for lunch, so all had the meal together. Watsons nunataks visible in the afternoon, & nearer than we passed going out. Did 21 miles 5 yds; then weary & footsore, pitched tents. We have passed between Harrisson Is & Main again; & must be a little under 30 miles from the hut. I think about 26. If a fine day tomorrow we should reach the hut, but will we get that one fine day? Night wild looking, clearing somewhat over the land; but very thick & snowey looking to W., N., & E. Sunset wild & beautiful. A great bank of thick haze; towards the top broken, irregular, scattered; sweeping in long cirrus upwards. Dusk ragged whisps of cloud against a fan-shaped haze of yellow light above the hidden sun; a yellow [indecipherable] streaming on upwards in 2 or 3 dull rays. Brushed off drift snow that covered
[in margin] everything tired & rather wet. Bar. 24.29. Temp. high Both point to snow
September 14 Saturday
Contrary to expectation, a fine morning. Up early after a comfortable enough night, - Three men in a bag hadnt over good time tho., I still swear by my old bag. Got away at 5 to 7 a.m. Only 1 man with the dog sledge to-day other five on first sledge for greatest speed. Stepped out briskly, & by 11.30 am, when we stopped for lunch, had 13 miles less 150 yes on meter. Did not stop the hour, but away again. tho I think, myself, its an advantage giving the men the hours rest on such occasions. Day fine & bright; sun quite warm such as we generally have before bad weather. Nor were signs of a coming blizzard wanting; sky streaked with cirrus, & a yellow haze behind the sun; fine halo, but no parhelion. Mirage like bands of shining glass across the glacier; Barrier & bergs lifted up. Took off berberry blouse, Wild & Moyes took off berberry trousers too. Watsons foot bad; injured travelling in blizzard of 12th. Dovers complaining of blistered foot, two of the fellows chafing. I neither blistered nor chafed, but very footsore. We were now on that monotonous stretch of glacier where nothing is to be seen, but the low very distant land & island. At 3 p.m., I took the dogs single-handed, a hard & trying place after the long tramp. The dogs pulled well, but the fellows were "stepping it out", making a great attempt to reach the hut that night, & it was hard work for us to keep up. Would fall behind in the rough places, & have to go at a jog-trot to catch up when on smooth. Then Chuckles is always getting his harness foul. At 4 pm. stopped for 15 minutes & a bit to eat. Course altered more to the N.W. Then down thro a considerable depression, where the lines of "pressure" rose like waves "topping" upon a bar lines upon lines broken & irregular, green ice instead of water. The sail on the leading sledge made it strikingly like a boat "crossing the bar" in the sunset. Passed thro between these, & over diver crevasses, sounding hollow beneath our tramp. did not quite know our position - & could hear the others discussing bearings. &c. The twilight deepened Then thro. the gloom a line of cliffs came up we at least had reached the Glacier edge. We pushed on over more hollow sounding crevasses, until we could see a bit of the cliffs. Thought it was Icy Cape if not I (who knew the cliffs best) said it must be many miles to the N. Decided "to make it Icy Cape" & turned N. There was just light enough from a narrow crescent moon to throw a feeble shadow, as we blundered on dimly seeing crevasse & pressure ridge as we came upon them Had a long hard time with the dogs the hardest place - & I the oldest man in the party, nearly twice the age of these athletic young fellows in the prime of their youth. But perhaps I was about the most fit as Wild, the next oldest was in the hardest place in the other team. Anyway, they have also tacitly admitted that I am still at least their equal in endurance! Now in the dark, George helped with my sledge. "Chuckles" rushed after the other sledge down on to the crevasse lids, despite my attempts to keep him back. So we were generally stopped by other sledge right on the lid - & had to wait there until room enough to haul it up How I cursed him, for I was tired the whip only made him worse. Poor brutes, they were tired too. Then we felt the sledges beginning to slip down a smooth incline - & stopped to find that we were within 20 yes of the cliff-edge, & for which we were heading! Turned more E. Knew by absence of high pressure that it was not Icy Cape halted in doubt. Wild & Moyes thought that they saw a light flash, as if someone had swung a lanthorn We all shouted in unison, but no reply. For hut could not be in E.! Went on in that direction a short time, then to our relief, Mr Wild gave orders to camp. All very footsore & tired. George had unfortunately broken our shovel some days before so had to wait until others had finished before could get our tent down so late must have been about 8 pm when we stopped, 10 when dinner was over, we got in our bags other tent did not cook. Aurora glowing in the sky. brightening & fading. Could light
[in margin] seen be a shaft of that, or large distant [indecipherable]? Distance on meter to-day 32 miles 1100 yds or 53 ½ miles in two days.
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September 15 Sunday
I passed a fairly good night, altho temp. 28 ° , minus. Turned bag over, so that opening almost below, & one small breathing hole opposite my mouth. Used now to hard surface & slept all night on one side. All the others spent a wretched night! So they were up betime, & started the cooker. We had a mug of "hoosh", but the other tent contented themselves with tea & a biscuit, looking forward to breakfast when they reached the hut. Harnessed up, & dragged out of the hollow, up to a pressure ridge. Here, sighted the "Titted berg" & saw from its bearing against W. barrier, that we were N. of that on the white surface. It proved to be 7 miles away, & we crossed our tracks of the previous night. Our course evidently right, until they turned N.W. about 5 pm. No smoke from the chimney we almost caught them in bed! Hoadley just turning out, heard us, & roused Ken! How dark & crowded the little room looked! And they had not had a "tidying up" or washing up, the previous night! Hoadley & Ken. set to work with a will, & in a short time we were enjoying porridge; fried seals steak; & tomatoes, with a good cup of coffee. All talking of our adventures &c. Others reported a very quiet & busy time. Nothing much occuring except that the cowl got choked with snow one night, nearly smothering Hoadley, asleep in his bunk. was quite will the following day. They have the sledging provisions all ready. Report seeing no sign of life. Neither seal nor penguins. & very glad to see us again . Nearly mid-day before meal finally finished, & the tired fellows turned in. General weighing general loss of weight. I go now, 139 lbs. 8 ½ lost so take that as my proper working weight. I did not feel tired or sleepy enough to "turn in" having had a good night thanks to my good old Reindeer sleeping bag. So after bringing in my personal gear, went to the floe with Ken. on ski. No great changes there - & no good slopes had some runs down very moderate slopes Feeling "fagged," & footsore, returned, & had a cup of tea with the others at 3 pm. Unloaded sledges & passed all below. The 3 man sleeping bag, originally weighing 28 lbs, [indecipherable] wet & ice laden inside, weighs 59 lbs! I then put out my treasures & got my corner "home like," photos on wall, books on shelf &c. & lay down remaining hour before dinner Hoadley gave us an excellent meal. Soup, seal olives, stuffed stewed in gravy, potatoes, beans, peas Blanc-mange, pears in jelly, figs almonds raisins didnt we eat! No service this evening, all talking, showing plans & sketches, or clipping beards, - gramaphone. "Nip" of whisky shared round, & "Sweethearts & Wives" toasted. Now for the luxury of undressing & turning in amongst blankets!
September 16 Monday
Another beautiful day, more beautiful even than yesterday, but rather more wind; so very cold. During the morning at work connected with the sledging Jones, out of a sheet of aluminiam, made a tray, to replace their cooker tray, blown away during that mornings blizzard under the cliff of the Avalanches. Others overhauling gear & bags of provisions , I turned my sleeping bag also Andys inside out, beat out some of the ice, then hung them up to dry. Are in good condition, considering. Leather almost dry; but I got a pint of frost from the foot of mine. Afterwards repairing tents. As the 3 man bag & our two Reindeer bags up over the beams here, Mr Wild had the two tents suspended in his room, with his oil heater to dry them. Reckoning distance travelled on this last trip makes it 185 miles. Our feet are much better & our appetites are great! One certainly does enjoy firstly the camp meals, - after the toil and privations of sledging; - secondly the good things of "home" meat, fruit, pies, porridge, Jaeger Blankets, & comfortable temp. of hut! Enjoyed ham & preserved plums for lunch. Then Hoadley & I went on our ski over to Icy Cape to look for a seal with no success. Wind very cold but under the walls of the Cape, out of that icy breeze & in the bright sun, it was quite warm Could even enjoy sitting in the sun! The "ice-flowers" as beautiful as ever in the tide crack there. Can only compare that tide crack there, to a tiny creek-bed in some deep forest, where all is covered thickly with delicate mosses and tiny ferns. Then imagine them still more delicate, more fairy-like, & all of purest white! The cave is all snowed up, thro. the snow drift there runs a tide crack 30 ft deep to the water - & that too, appears to be covered with "ice-flowers". Two grand "curtains" near by, curving down from the cliff-top, 30 ft deep 3 times that lenght; curves and sweeps and folds of spotless white; that comes out in soft but beautiful contrast against the more distant snow. We lay, & sunned ourselves upon a snow slope, & admired them. Nearly all the fallen buttress of the cliff has vanished thro. the floe. On a second mound that covers the remainder, we had some good ski sliding running not only straight down, across a level over a crack, & down another slope, but also started off sideling along the slope, curving as we went until running straight down. An Antarctic petrel flew by we cheered it the first living thing seen for a month! Home by sunset 5.30 pm. Andy Watson cook. tinned duck & green peas potatoes. Pie of red currants for dinner. "Tost" for nightwatch Mr Wild lost. As he did not want to be watchman tonight I offered to change, so had a nap Bar falling. Drift commencing
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September 17 Tuesday
Wind fresh thro. the night, and drifting. Andy woke in the small hours & asked if that was drift, answered yes, drifting thickly, whereupon he turned over with a relieved "Then we cant start!" Evidently thought he was in the tent still! I had trouble with the gas, delayed me, so I got little down except a bath and clothes washed. Enjoyed a supper of toast & butter, & cocoa made with boiling milk. For breakfast, porridge, bacon, & seal steak fried, with gravy. All eaten! My head was aching, so turned in. Still drifting a little, & most of them working inside I woke 2 or 3 times, but soon to sleep again. Woke with a bad headache, & little inclined to eat, so only had a bit of the fruit pie from yesterday for lunch. Went out & strolled about a bit in the fresh air, afterwards. Thick, grey, light very bad. Looking from the cliffs, only a vague soft whiteness, with ragged tide cracks or blue hollows emphasizing the vagueness. Too cold wandering about. Returned, and examined another box of Biological gear that Hoadley had discovered amongst the stores. More cotton wool have a great store of it. A large jar of formilin welcome A good sheathe knife, longer than my own, which I will take to. A flenching knife, wet stones, - forceps, Glass bowls & papers for small specimens. Tow net, and nest of dredge seives, gummed labels, &c. Andy Watsons foot injured on rough sastrugi while running with the dogs that morning in the wind and drift, he has to lay up. So Dovers taking this weeks cooking, instead of next. George has improved in his cooking since first started. Dinner to-day soup, stew of seal steak, turnips, beans, & maccaroni puddings. I wrote (at the skippers request, a report of that little trip up the floe. Head better tonight One of my finger tips as sore as if [indecipherable]. Must have been badly frost bitten. Bar. tonight, 28.95. Little wind.
September 18 Wednesday
Another grey day, wind and drift ceased at day light. To-day altered our meal hours. Now called at 7.30 am, breakfast at 8 a.m., lunch at noon. Dinner 5.30 p.m. This is much better. One gets tired of lying in bed when the sun is up it was different when we got up by gas-light. And the earlier dinner gives us more evening. After breakfast we got in a load of ice. Bad light, snowing slightly. Then at various jobs. Jones and I overhauling sledges for the next trip. Then I turned Reindeer sleeping bags, & helped Watson patch the tents. In the afternoon I made an apple pudding for Dovers with some misgivings for the refined suet was thawed out, & would not chop up so by Hoadleys advice, I melted it, & mix with flour that way. Not as light as usual. Put a clasp on sheathe of knife I turned out yesterday. did a little pen & ink sketch on Menu card for Jones birthday dinner, - depicting the tent blowing over as he started the cooking that evening under the cliffs of the Avalanches We enjoy the meals, after the hard work sledging! Wild Watson & Moyes have put on respectively 12, 11 & 10 lbs to their weight since return! For breakfast this morning Mr Wild gave us Seals steak and bacon; putting steak in a pie dish with butter, then bacon over it, & baking it. Very good. Also made "stuffing" of breadcrumbs, herbs and butter. for dinner lunch, - Herrings, Maccaroni pudding from last night, preserved pears, and cake. For dinner Roast leg of mutton, with stuffing as per morning. Peas potatoes, beans. And that huge apple pudding, nearly a foot thro! & most of it eaten! Cheese straws, jellies, figs, rasins, almonds how we ate! Toasted the king (in port, - & by way of a change I drank Jones health in Tintara - & sang "For hes a Jolly Good fellow" Jones replied. Cigars and now they are playing cards.
I hear that I am going West with the Depot Party. and that Wild is taking his own (Eastern Party) on the Southern Journey. Whereat, I feel disappointed. Of course my place as Biologist is at the Base. Still I will have the toil of dragging the three depots but never go on the exploring trip! True ours the first feet that have broken into those vast solitudes that never knew the presence of man before, - but the exploring parties whose depots I have helped to drag out, will go far beyond what I have seen, - East, South, and West Bar. slightly falling Temp. plus 4 ° to 5 °
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September 19 Thursday
Unsettled day sun shining much of the time, but drifting more or less most of the day. I ran out just after breakfast for some tent poles; - not drifting then, but wild looking, - heavy clouds. This evening, wind strong and drift scouring hard over the roof. Fellows at various sledging preparations mostly personal preparations, & leisurely done. Mr Wild & I most of the day repairing two sets of tent poles. They are sent with the poles simply secured with a screw thro. a leather cup into the head of the bamboos, with a canvas cap over.
[Sketch of pole & cap]
We took out the screw, bored 2 holes into the screw hole, & pushed up a strong copper wire & twisted this into the leather cap. This makes a strong job; for the screws soon work out. Then stitched up seams in my good old Reindeer bag; and in finskoo. Finskoo are not satisfactory. Some go in a week or two, all the hair falling out. One I have had on two trips, & has padded nearly 300 miles, - but done now. The one on the other foot only went last trip, & is not much better! My 2 pair fur mits have not lasted either, one pair done, & hair coming off palms of other pair. Occasional ones in the party, wearing well. Finskoo wearing so badly is a serious matter for the 2 long expeditions, - & the fellows are making canvas shoes to go over finskoo to try how they wear. For breakfast today, Fritters, for lunch remnants of ham, cold mutton, apple & maccaroni pudding for dinner tinned rabbit & salt pork, parsnips, beans, preserved pears. Now party playing bridge.
It has been decided to abandon the depot we dragged up on the hills last autumn, Jones is going to take another depot over the floe, making for the old floe beyond Junction Corner, & travel along that as far as possible anyway, should get beyond the W. barrier This should be much more expeditious travelling than going up the hills, & dragging first depot W over those ridges & hollows Mr Wild, on return from S. journey, may bring first depot in. Bar. steady at 28.93. Temp 4 ° to 8 °
September 20 Friday
Another unsettled day not blowing hard, nor snowing but too much drift outside to be comfortable. We all turned out after breakfast to get a load of ice in. Wind fresh, moderate drift; cloudy but a "break" to the Eastward, that was spreading over the sky, and the sun soon came out. After getting in the ice, Mr Wild & I looked at the sledges, and he condemned the one we had on the last trip, runners badly frayed at both ends, going over the ice. So we dug out another Norwegian from the sledge-mast. We want a fine day for fitting them up. The 2 grottoes furthermost from the house (except Carbide grotto have been emptied. Ice is now stowed in one, our sledging things in the other and snow from the passage shovelled into furtherest little one. I then took tents in hand. Andy has patched them, but I am going over them giving them final touches. strenghtening the cap fitting the valves; putting them up in the from here, & from inside "spotting" & stopping little holes & frays. Tis surprising what a tiny hole this find dry snow will enter thro. Have seen a quart of snow drifted in thro. a hole that would not let a cherry stone thro. Hence so difficult keeping snow out, especially with the moveable valve at the top, - that is hauled up to let the steam of cooking out About 3 p.m. threw up the tents, & fixed up finiskoo. Stuffed a pair of sox with cotton-wool, in case I find any petrel eggs on rocks that we may come across next month & will make use of them in the meantime to put in my finiskoo of a night so they will freeze to the shape of my foot & so facilitate putting on of a morning. Most of the others at their preparations mostly extemporising foot gear.
Jones fried seal, & bacon for breakfast with gravy. Very good. lunch Salmon , Cherries, toast, Cake. Dinner, Soup - & seal cooked to Wild recipe. Cut in pieces as you cut liver in a baking dish with about ½ butter, & covered with slices of ham latter mostly fat: very good baked. Potatoes, carrots Tinned plum puddings All eaten, every dish! Am stewing fingers & going to poultice it tonight. Very painful, & evidently gathering. Andys foot much better.
Bar. 29.95 Ther. this afternoon, plus 13 °
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September 21 Saturday
Still rather unsettled, but most of the day beautiful bright & in places - & times, quite warm. The hut is feeling the increased temp., and dripping profusely. Running down on to the bunks occasionally in streams. As it comes from between the [indecipherable] & the roof, there is no stopping it. As it was Sat. morning, general clean up. Ice on the S. & E. window about 1 Ό inches thick; Other two clear. Getting this ice off makes a great difference in the light. I cleaned stove, &c; to assist Dovers with his work. Then at the tents, finishing cap and valves, - all in good order now. Meanwhile Wild & Moyes scrubbed room very dirty as no cleaning up while we were away. Dovers made a curry for lunch. After dinner finished tent; - & then having occasion to go outside, found it so bright, and warm plus 10 ° and scarcely any breeze that I got out my crayons & sketch book, & sketched hut after the winter snows had loaded up all around. Scarcely a trace of the snowed up entrance left. Breeze increased - & I had to go in & warm hand. Then got a box without top & one side, & finished sketch by placing book in that; & so kept hand behind shelter of sides & out of the wind! Started to clip moustaches & beard off close - & got so much done before dinner Dinner, Soup. Stewed seal, potatoes, bean; blanc-mange & plums in jelly. George, yesterday promised us a pie, but repented himself of his rashness when the time came, & substituted Blanc Mange &c Economy of Labour! After dinner intended finishing the [indecipherable], but they wanted another to make up a game of bridge. Great waste of time! Will have to go sledging now with side whiskers for have to cook tomorrow The most hateful part of this life. Its easier tho. if you pay attention to "Economy of labour!" Have to get my things together tomorrow, if we are starting on Monday And put away all my things that I can manage to stow in water-tight boxes The whole party will be away - & no one here to give an eye to things & dripping water. Jones has been at work most of the day on the sledges, & tucker all bagged ready.
Toasted "Sweethearts & Wives God bless them," & sang the chorus. Weighing tonight shows great increase in weight. Wild 12 lbs heavier. Moyes 13 lbs, Watson 14 lbs. Dovers 9 lbs. I, 12 lbs
September 22 Sunday
Yet another unsettled day. Fairly fine in the morning tho. wind & drift occasionally. They got the sledges outside had to dig a hole in the passage floor to let the end down, before they would go thro. the hatch with the instrument boxes fastened up. Later in the morning, they started to load them, but the drift coming, passed back the sleeping bags & left the loading for tomorrow. Wild & Jones fixing boxes for plasmon biscuits this afternoon. Others mostly at their own preparations. I took up the cooking. Usual legacy of dirty things from the shelves made a very large washing up, - seemed to be washing up most of the day! But as we are leaving first fine day, I did not attempt much cleaning. Made for lunch remains of seal stew, to which I added bacon over from breakfast. Warmed in oven made a nice dish. Tin of lambs tongue opened 2 tins pineapple. For dinner. [indecipherable] soup, Roast leg of Mutton, mint sauce & Yorkshire pudding latter all went. (By-the- bye another case of egg powder found) Potatoes, beans & tomato sauce, turnips. Jam roley. Some of the fellows cheered when they saw me making latter. It as a "hefty" pudding too Long as from my elbow to the wrist, & as thick as my arm, sleeve & all, - with 1 ½ lbs of jam in it. they ate it all but about one mans "whack" & lamented they could not eat more! Think I am the only one that has made a "dough" pudding for months. It has not been a happy day. Cooking for 8 men & housework, - roofs running all day & place in a flood, dripping over table & floor., - getting things ready for sledgings. Finger gathering, & head aching all day. Jones spoke tonight of putting off journey for a day, as the finger looks like breaking tomorrow. Has gathered at the tip, & under nail. Wretched nuisance Andys foot not right either. He has been on his bunk all the week, poor fellow. Dont think we gained much travelling that morning in the blizzard. Service tonight Mr Wild taking it. "Nunc Demittus, " & hymns "For all the saints who from their labour rests" & "The day Thou gavest, Lord, is over." I then put some of the sacred pieces on the Gramaphone "Hymn tunes" The Lost Chord "I know that My Redeemer Liveth" "Star of Bethlehem"
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September 23 Monday
Weather unsettled, worse than yesterday. Drifting all day, and blowing fairly hard much of the day. Three of them outside this morning, emptying the Carbide grotto (after bringing in load of ice) Moyes, below the hatch, passing up the tube of carbide, got smothered with snow blowing in. A "dusty miller" was not "in it", with him. Grottoes being emptied now, as there are plain signs of our underground premises collapsing with the coming of the sun. The roofs have come down a couple of feet. Tis a pity. They not only make our premises commodious & comfortable, but we would have liked the other party to have seen them. Tobacco main interest today. How to get sufficient into the allowed weight, & cutting it up. Glad Im not a smoker. Had a busy day, if the others did not. Baked scones & soda loaf immediately after breakfast. Then all the washing up &c. Apricots in to thaw & made stew for lunch of remains leg of mutton, & vegetables left over from last night, - for which I made gravy of flour herbs, onion powder, pepper, salt, &c. Was pronounced good Then made a seal steak & kidney pudding finding the kidney amongst the snow in the box we brought the seals meat in. It was a noble pudding! As large in diameter as the largest sized dinner plate - & was much appreciated, - pronounced as good as any beef-steak & kidney pie. And there was little left over. Potatoes & green peas with it. Maccaroni baked in custard; made a very nice dinner. With all the cooking washing up, sweeping, ice, coal to bring in, &c, I had a tiring day. Both tonight & Sat night we had dinner at 5.30_ with out artificial light lighter than it would be at 3 pm! After getting done, - put things together for sledging found they all went under the 11 lbs, exp. mits for sleeping in & all. & mits for cooking.
It is blowing fairly hard to-night, & glass dropped this afternoon. Gives my finger & Andys foot more time to get well. Otherwise would be glad to get away. Anxious as I am for news from home, I would not, if I could return to Tas now for the work we came to do is only commenced. And I am anxious to push that work on to get it done, & have something to show for the Expedition & ourselves and then how eagerly we will watch for the coming of the old "Aurora" to take us home to those who are waiting so anxiously for us! So we are ready & anxious to leave our comfortable quarters for the privations of sledging.
September 24 Tuesday
Wind freshened thro. the night, & drift thick. The hatch was "packed" with some unspun hemp to keep out the drift. A little fine snow filtering in formed beautiful pure white dangling cords on the thin threads of the hemp hanging down; & loaded the ladder & a box three picturesquely. George dodged out first thing, to see if it was fine enough to start, (not trusting the evidence of his ears) & came back smothered with snow. Wild & Moyes out afterwards, reported it was pretty bad. By midday it was blowing a regular blizzard a hard gale, with snow and drift. Moyes went out to his thermometer when the hatch lifted, - the fine powdery snow came driven to the house door. Moyes said he could not see the rope alongside of him, that guides him the few yds to the screen. The drift blowing over the skylights like smoke, makes the light in the room "flicker". Blowing hard still. Am thankful we are not in the tents. tho. impatient to get away. The Barometer fell from 29.15 to 28.35 between 4 a m, & this evening. Now rising rather rapidly. Temp. plus 15 ° Thanks to the wind the last two days the dripping has not been so bad. Quite dry tonight. Have started another "slop hole" in one of the emptied grottoes - & that, too, seems to have cut down to the crack we saw when building the house. The buckets of water goes down - & today, theres a regular strong breeze coming up You have not to stoop down to feel it, can feel the draught when standing in the grotto - & hear it. Has that crack an opening somewhere if so, where? Or does the gale force the wind thro the snow. I stuffed & roasted the last piece of that seal we got up the floe. Altho I coated it in butter, & basted it over the joint occasionally, - was dry but overdone For vegetables, baked beans, & parsnips. Pudding stewed nectarines in custard. Cannot say that the meal was as successful as the others. Mr Wild set the example of bringing in ice, sweeping rooms, &c, - while I washed up after dinner. It makes such a difference in the cooks evening work, - the others tho, but seldom do more than dry up Preparations over & all ready for sledging. Must pack up my treasures Carrie & the Childrens photos books, diary, &c, - & as many clothes as I can, tomorrow, to keep dry while I am away.
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September 25 Wednesday
Blizzard roaring overhead, when I fell asleep last night. Had moderated much this morning. Moyes went out to his screen at 9 a m, - reported strong breeze snowing, & drifting: very thick. So practically nothing done thro. the day, except a little sewing; & this afternoon Mr Wild & I were the only two not asleep in bunks. Even I had an easy day. Jones dried up for me at breakfast time; Moyes at lunch time. Andy at Dinner time; & this evening one swept the room, another brought in ice, a third the coal &c It does make such a difference in the cooks work! Baked scones & soda bread for lunch turned out well, - hot scones were rushed before lunch served Salmon & white sauce remains of cold roast seal & preserved plums, lunch. For dinner, rabbit pie with tinned rabbits, ham, onion powder, & a little tomato left over from this morning. Was very good, Potatoes, peas, - & tinned plum puddings. An easy dinner so I got more time off than have had on any other day. We always make puff paste for the pies; Melting the butter & spreading it on. Working butter in like suet not much of a success.
Commotion just after lunch, by one of the tins of rabbits in the oven, thawing & warming; bursting lid blown open more neatly than I could have opened it, door of oven blown open, & oven strewn with rabbit. Didnt the loungers round the oven fire scatter. Took advantage of spare time to pack up most of my underwear, books, compasses, watch; knives & other biological implements in tin flour cases. For they will be here a month, & no one to look after them; & the place thawing out. With the wind dropping, the dripping has re-commenced buckets & cooker-tops about the floor under the chief drips running down the ceiling, dripping over the bunks, - & oozing thro the weather boarding. Most uncomfortable! Mr Wild outside this evening. Reported still snowing hard, & fresh breeze. Soft drifts all over the place. Bad for our journey. but well it came before we left. Temp was plus 19 ° then. Bar. going up all day now 29.00
September 26 Thursday
Blizzard ceased this morning. Put away my photos & things, piled all on my bunk with the mattress & blankets put military coat over them - & bit of canvas over all; piled boxes, with precious sketch book &c covered them with sheep skin - & trusted to luck. I had a busy time washing up, &c, & so on. Much annoyed at finding the cookers all dirty, when they were wanted for the sledges. Dovers should have washed them but said that it was "none of his business!" Three greasy cookers & their fittings at the last moment! But I was done by the time the sledge was loaded. We were Jones & his party, Hoadley & Dovers; - Moyes & I as supporting party. Its a heavy load 2/3 lbs per man on the large sledge (4 men). 417 lbs on other sledge with 3 dogs & one man helping. Total weight 1336 lbs. Left hut about 11 a.m. & party seeing us to the floe & helping us down the great snowslope that had grown considerably during this last blow & previous snowfall. On the cliffs we saw the dog-sledge, used for carrying ice which had been blown down there - & the boxes once on it where? Dragging across floe heavy great drifts, rather soft, strewn across surface. Noon before we reached Icy Cape, where we camped for lunch [missed the "Glaxo" biscuits this trip!] Left again about 1 pm. I suggested keeping in with the cliffs for better "going" but Jones took a half & half course. For the first hour, good going, & 2 ½ miles to our credit would have kept him on a good surface. Then, drawing away from the cliffs, the "going" got bad, much soft snow - & the fellows began to tire Hoadley, especially, after the winter rest, felt the exertion - I changed places with Jones, taking the other sledge. Found it better, but trouble as usual over Chuckleheads stupidity. Always stop dogs on a bit of hard surface, or sastrugi edge so I can start sledge easily. Dogs will not pull together or continuous enough to start sledge - & the driver has the devils own job to get it going again, when old stupidity takes it into his head to stop the team in deep soft snow, - or pulls it over the sastrugi edge into the soft hollow beyond! Halts got frequent, - fellows nearly done Do not like the look of the evening, thick to the S. & S.E; warm and most ominously quiet for this wild land. Temp. high, plus 13 ° Bar. (29.41 29.30 corrected) sun warm. Took off mits, & camped on a patch of smooth snow. Sunset fine enough, but the E. thick - & this stillness not a flap of the tent. Hope it will let us get to the old floe & off this salty surface, before the blizzard comes on. Sun set at 6 p.m. the sky a study in yellow from yellow brown to dull gold with cirrus stratus cloud above edged with crimson. Moyes & I in one tent, with our one man sleeping bags. Other fellows have the Three-man - sleeping bag. Wonder where Wild & party are tonight they have not got far in this soft stuff. They are going S. to see inland. Mild evening good night if only soft sow beneath does not get wet.
Distance today, 7 miles, 1000 yds
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September 27 Friday
Warm & Quite comfortable in the bag last night - & how still it was after the usual 5 or 6 hrs sleep, awaked not a sound. Then a gentle tent flap, & in half an hr, tent was threshing fairly hard. I slept again. Was dreaming of home, when a shout from the other tent roused me We turned out to dress & go across for breakfast. A peep from the door showed that it was snowing, thick & grey. Moyes & I tossed who should turn out. He lost, put on his berberries & went over. Others only wanted to know what the surface was like! Moyes brought in spare cooker & tucker-bag, & we had breakfast here. Not much wind, but snowing steadily, & surface soft. Even cliff-line not visible. Its very unfortunate stuck up here, only one day out & 7 miles from home. & a gale to clear our road is our best hope, I suppose. After breakfast, Moyes & I lay in our bags chatting. Dogs restless & making some noise. Presently heard one pass looked from the door & saw Switzerland with blood on his rope. Moyes turned out, & called "Penguins!" Hastily donning berberries, found 5 Emperor Penguins had come fearlessly up to their doom. The dogs had dragged the ice-axes from the snow, & worried the birds 2 dreadfully mangled, the other 3 badly torn & bitten. Even then, the great birds seem to have struggled silently their footprints & the blood stains were all round our tents. And these wolves do not "bay" like other dogs. So we, in our tent, had no suspicion what was going on only a few yards away. One poor bird struggled up to the other tent door & lay there. Inside, they heard it making low sounds, as if complaining of such treatment to visitors. But the other chaps did not turn out Moyes & I put it & another, out of their misery, when we arrived, gave the three less damaged birds a chance of life or a miserable death. It does seem such a pity; such beautiful birds such a yellow sheen on their breasts, that seemed to change & deepen with every movement & all blood smeared & torn Not even the head worth skinning. The brutes of dogs did not even want fresh meat it would have been acceptable in a week or so now they are as fat as butter. Its strange where the birds come from: They must be more than 20 miles from open water, even tho they come W from beyond W Barrier possibly more than 30 miles. And no "Leads" or open cracks or holes that they could feed in within view. One of the dead birds was a great size. Found that I could not lift it without the bloodstained body rubbing against my clothes. Still snowing steadily; Temp high, plus 21 ° wind light. Cliffs dimly visible; quantity of soft snow about. Sun just a hazy ball in the murky sky. Bar. still rising 29.46. Day dragged slowly on, chatting or dozing. Weather quiet thro middle of the day, but snowing. Wind freshened, died down, inclined to freshen now, warm enough in bags even warm enough to sit up a bit & read. Dont like this floe & soft snow likely to get things wet before fairly started. Odd life this here we are camped & sleeping on a couple of yds of ice, & a 1000 ft of sea, with the fishes & seals swimming about beneath us! Digging up our floor to melt down for water to drink! All snow, deep over the ice-floe; heaped around tents & sledges; whirling in a thick white mist around us yet never a drop of water or spot of rain! Its a weird land. Bar, tonight 29.57
September 28 Saturday
Warm enough thro the night, & comfortable except for the bag coming down & nearly smothering me while asleep which possibly brought on headache Wind had risen & increased to a hard gale for a time. Listened awhile to the roar & flapping; & hissing sting of the drift all the infernal noise of the Polar tempest, that filled the night; & upon such occasions must confess to a feeling of anxiety & apprehension; but still, it was welcome to clear our path. Wind had fallen considerably when I woke again; but a stiff breeze all thro the morning. Have heard nothing of the other tent, 30 yds or so away. Had our breakfast, & I spent most of the morning laying in my bag with a wretched headache, but felt better after a light mid-day meal. To save oil we are supposed to all mess together, & one cook for the 5 but we two have a primus & inside pot of a cooker so do not have to turn out in bad weather. Tent comfortable with only 3 - & plenty of room. & Moyes like Andy is a good tent mate. Our trouble is Jones & party brought oilskins to put under their sleeping bag, - but we have none & our bags are getting wet. This will be no pleasure trip each load that we have dragged out has been a little heavier than the preceeding - & we have a solid drag this time. Wind this afternoon dropping, do not think its snowing, but cannot see clearly. Chucklehead & Switz very unhappy. Zip missing from his place before our door, & is probably gnawing at one of the dead penguins hence the trouble, & the noise from the two still tied up. Bar. still rising, slowly & steadily. 29.56 this morning, 29.57 at noon. Temp. plus 19 °. At 2 p.m. Jones came round & asked what we thought of the weather, he thought of starting. We looked out; rather thick, but nothing bad a break in the East. Low drift -. It was late for moving, but better than doing nothing & the drift was not high enough to cover our things with soft snow so loaded up. Jones hoisted the square sail on his sledge, & kept away for the Point where we expect to meet the old floe. This brought the wind on our quarter, & the sail pulled well. With its help we got on well, altho heavy pulling through the soft drift - & I was soon pretty wet with perspiration. Jones & I in the lead. Course now W.W. ½ W true Junction Corner on our right hand, distant perhaps 4 to 5 miles; the bergs showing plainly. by 5.20 p.m. (about 1 hr 50 minutes going) we had 3 miles 200 yds on the meter making 10 miles.1200 yds from "steps" up cliff. Then camped on a hard piece of surface, & got things in order for the night. All taking the chances of a fine day tomorrow. But its not looking too bad, tonight; but very "blue" & cold in the East. & talking of the distance to the point that we are making for where we hope to strike "old floe" George sure its not 7 miles, I equally sure its not under 10. Moyes sang a verse of "Sweethearts and Wives," and I joined in the chorus. Bar 29.47.
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September 29 Sunday Michaelmas Day
Early call & breakfast. Morning fine, bright, but unsettled looking night had been warm & comfortable, but I had not slept well - Away a little after 6 a.m., hoisted the sail, but the wind, well S.E. was nearly a-beam so sail had more tendency to capsize than to drive her. At first, dragging not so bad; then, as we passed some distance to leeward of the bergs at Junction Corner, we got into heavy drift into which the feet sank deeply, & the dragging very hard. Amongst its old hard ridges of sastrugi, over which George in the lead, took the sledge without regard for the bumps with which she came down. Latter part of the morning I was with the dogs. Fairly good, but terrible hard to start again, if they stopped in a drift. Wind had increased to a fresh breeze, & thick low drift flying Land very indistinct. Presently the other sledge capsized, breaking the bamboo cross beam to which the mast is stayed They had attempted to cross the sloping weather side of a deep hole, & wind turned her over into it. A swerve of a few feet would have kept good surface. She capsized again, a few minutes later, so they furled sail. Just to leeward of the cluster of bergs at Junction Corner, altho a couple of miles away, the drifts were very deep & progress very slow then the "going" improved a little. Saw an Antarctic Petrel flit by in the midst of the drift [indecipherable] at 11 a m & had lunch in our tent, while they put a couple of patches where other had chafed. Then a look at the weather. Still a fresh breeze & drift but sunny, & could see our way; seemed a pity to lay up, so on we went. At 8 miles, came to bergs visible yesterday this side of point; surrounded by masses of old shattered ice. Stopped at 1.20, & leaving sledges, walked Ό mile to have a look at them, seeing brown objects amongst them. Found that it was ice discoloured with sediments, gravel & earth, mixed with pebbles & small stones, in fresh-water ice, evidently bottom of overturned & shattered berg. Collected specimens of mica-schist and granite, but left them there until our return. Great masses of clear blue ice, beautifully deep & clear, piled picturesquely around Two large flat-topped bergs beyond. Returned to the sledges & again the hard solid dragging. A quarter of a mile - & we had to "spell" deep soft snow, & a heavy load, as much as we could drag. Toiled on towards the pyrimidical or "tented" berg meaning to do our 10 miles before camping. What exhausting toil it was! Passes over a tide crack - & a seal shoved up his head as we passed. Then a tempting smooth patch of harder surface, just room for the 2 tents so Jones said "Camp" altho meter only showed 9 miles, 1100 yds. Didnt we enjoy the "hoosh" & two mugs of cocoa! Then into our bags before the sun set. Night looks wild, cirrus around a "windy" sky. Fear there will be a "blow" wind even now freshening After writing diary, Moyes sang (& I joined in) "Lead Kindly Light" "Sun of my Soul", "Holy Father, in Thy Mercy ... Keep our loved ones now far absent."
[In margin] Bar. 29.52. Ther. plus 13 °
September 30 Monday
Distance for afternoon 4 miles, 450 yds
The last day of Sept. & it seems as if only last week that we were writing of Sept 1st - & on the Nunatuk, I pointed out some little specks of bright yellow Lichen as the only "wattle blossom" we would see! Another month nearer the anxiously awaited "news from home." Wind high last night, altho scarcely a gale. Most comfortable night Ive enjoyed this trip. Tired with the days toil, was asleep, I think, before day-light had died - & of the next 12 or 13 hours, do not believe I was awake 2 of them! Moyes called me about 8 am & I cooked. Peeped outside, wind stiff, drift fairly thick, could have travelled had the surface been better. We thoroughly enjoyed hoosh & then a mug of tea, for we were still "dry" after the "sweating" of the previous days and in this God-forsaken land, not even a drink of water obtainable. Can only "take the chill" off in a bit of ice or snow, by blowing upon it, or pressing it between the fingers if they are warm enough then suck it and that not satisfactory! The bergs we passed yesterday now bearing about NW; a long line of Broken ice (block or pressure?) running from thence, on our right, to the "Tented berg" ahead (S.W.) thence to about S, so we cannot see what is ahead. On the other hand, the land Ice Cap- about 2 miles off, sweeping along to end apparently in a low point behind this line of broken ice to the S. Would seem to be a large bay behind, for the land to the S.W. very distant. Right opposite us, on the land, is the "Wall" striking landmark on this point, & which, seen closer, appears to be rounded crevassed ridge of neve, heaved up as if over a reef running down the hill side. Another much broken place nearer, with the ice-cap split into such huge blocks, that the dark shadows in the chasm between showed 10 miles away & ends with a chasm that clefts the cliffs in twain. This line of broken ice to the W. is puzzling. Amongst it, blocks & masses of "chocolate" coloured ice earth [indecipherable] showing it was once bottom of bergs. This floe is cracked, & with snow upon it, only a foot or 18 inches above sea level, so cannot be classed as "old floe". Yet if it broke out last year, why did not all this broken ice drift away? Is it possiblealts got frequenHoadH there is a shoal shallow enough for it to be aground upon? This is where we wanted to reach last Autumn, when Watson, Hoadley, & I went to Junction Corner, but the bad weather stopped us hard luck could have told age of floe then & had time to look round. After mid-day meal, Jones gave word for starting, wind & drift much less. Rather misty around. Sky cloudy. Sun just visible surface improved at once soon on floe surface, & had difficulty with 2 or 3 tide cracks the fellows 3 of the fellows going in to one up to the knees; sledge broke off a [indecipherable] five feet broad, but crossed without getting into water. Seal showed in one crack. Then on to "old Floe", 5 or 6 feet above level we had travelled over. Here some difficulty with deep gulches, rounded ridges & deep drifts, but, on the whole, a good surface! Reached the pyrimidal "tented berg," (3 miles) a great conical pointed mass 2 sides of ice, the other covered with white snow; to windward, a huge slope, a couple of hundred yds long, up against the ice-face A ghostly thing it looked from the lee side, a white triangle of perhaps 100 or 150 ft, against a misty distance and thick sky. All beyond, broken neve, or snow slopes & surface. Uneven, ridged, & masses of ice. A long line like pressure of sea-ice much of it blue- all tasted fresh. We dragged on another mile, then entangled amongst this, left the sledges & went on ahead to try & see an end to it - but could not. Coast takes away SSW into a very large bay. This broken stuff prevents us seeing what is in that direction, but as far as we could see to the W., it appears more open From the top of a rough "weathered" mass of ice, about 40 ft high, we tried to pick out a road thro. Rough enough in all conscience! Query whence comes this broken ice - & why collected off this point? Returned, & camped amongst the ice-masses. Weather does not look too good. Bar 29.39 Ther afternooon plus 13 °.
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October 1 Tuesday
Hail to the 10th month of the year! We are fairly in Spring now if we did but know it! Yon mounting sun alone speaks to us here of spring!! Night squally, & drift high around tent this morning. Night warm, did not require mits on my feet, nor scarf on my knees; nor have I the pair of underpants I took last trip. Other fellows hailed to say would not start yet", so I opened door & got in tucker-bag & a lump of ice that I had put ready. Had to grub thro the snow for them, & the drift swirling into my fact make the eyes smart. Bright sunny morning, windy, & considerable snow flying. We have this "icy chaos" to get thro Its strange, apparently miles of it; irregular masses of ice; most of it appear to be land ice, strewn like a strip of "pack". altho "pack" would not be expected to stay under the shore, with the wind off shore. Its all cemented together now; but what troubles us most is the line of rough shattered ice, like great floe pressure, that has come apart again showing cracks or "leads" at sea level in the middle. Will have some hard work getting thro this, & hauling up soft snow slopes into the rough irregular ice on the other side. Wind kept fresh all day altho from sunrise to sunset the sky unclouded. Jones came in at noon for a talk on the weather. Did not think it good enough to move where in we agreed with him. Not only that the travelling & drift would have been trying; but the chief objection was risk of damaging sledges on this ice would have been unmanageable at times, & might have been swept down one of the steep slopes & smashed. I put on berberries, took an ice-axe & went off to S.W., the course we would have kept, to see if possible what beyond. After crossing the tide crack & getting thro the line of ragged pressure there, the surface opened out somewhat that is, great stretches of ice or neve generally rising amongst it huge broken, more or less weather worn masses of ice, towering 40 or 60 ft; long rounded ridges, great slopes of snow rough with sastrugi windblown holes that would have contained small cottages Fantastical shapes of weather worn ice standing up in every direction, & generally massive & solid, except along the "lead". Went perhaps a couple of miles, turning in towards the land, & far enough to see that the same conditions continued to the land. Even greater slopes & ridges seemed to run from the land on to this what is it? Very old floe? But could not see clearly in that direction, for the sting of the drift in my eyes. Crossed the tide crack of thin ice in the middle, thro which I broke going in ankles deep to my great disgust however water did not get thro berberries or finskoo. The ragged line of pressure(?) marks this crack, & seems to run parallel to the shore, but a mile or two distant. Shore, in places, much broken, but no sign of rocks. Wind was increasing, & drift stinging cold, so gave up trying to reach land & searched for the tents, which could not be seen far, amidst those great ice masses. Found them without much difficulty. Brought back specimens of pebbles & piece off a block weighing full 2 cwt, which turned out to be a little different from any rock we have found which Hoadley delighted. Beautiful bright afternoon only 1 or 2 wee strips of cirrus under the sun. Blowing a gale when I reached the tents. Breezed up with the sunset, & now blowing very hard, & tent sitting up fast for we are in a bit of a hollow. Bar. falling 29.18. Ther plus 110 °
October 2 Wednesday
Blowing furiously from sunset until well into the night eased up a little towards morning. Looked out from bag 2 or 3 times, but everything standing well. Sun rose again unclouded. Wind moderating, Hoadley came to our tent after breakfast, to go to the big boulder that I found yesterday. Told me that they had awakened the previous night to find a fire in their tent - a fuse, thrown away after lighting a pipe, smouldering, had burnt holes in the floor-cloth, the food bag, & pemmican & sugar bags inside, & a strip 7 inches long of the sleeping bag. Fortunately it only smouldered - a fire in that gale too dreadful to think of! Hoadley & I went away to the great ice mount & climbed up to the boulder, amongst the weatherworn points of ice; ticklish work in that breeze. Erratic Felspar or gabbro; exceedingly hard wither this ice-born boulder came could not be guessed Hoadley pounded out there about 30 yds breadth of young floe, & in towards the land. Glacial & sea ice appeared to be mixed up in a puzzling manner, all welded together in one great solid surface irregular, uneven the ice masses standing up all around cemented in, a part of the whole. Much of this surface stained as if with diatoms, & in places shows a scum-like dust on it. On one of these discoloured surfaces, Hoadley picked up a valve of a [indecipherable] - & not in bad order & by that boulder I found some poly[indecipherable] on a stone. This place is perhaps the most weird that we have seen yet in this wild land. The ragged line of pressure great stretches of ice & neve & rough sastrugi great irregular mounds & masses of ice; of divers sizes, & every shape, some most fantastic; almost all weathered & worn; their surfaces "pitted," opaque with a "whitened," almost a "soap suddy" appearance. Whitened sepulchres! Gigantic remains scattered thickly around! All this land is Death. Here it was both death & decay it might have been the grave yd of the centuries it looked so old! Got back just before noon damage in other tent repaired. Had meal, packed up & away. After a hard struggle, got sledge over a rugged ice bridge across the "lead"; through the pressure, & up on to the neve the other side of the "Lead"! Only one capsize & dragged out N. up long but not very steep slopes of both snow & neve altogether, a considerable rise above level of "Lead". Before leaving the broken stuff, climbed a great ice mass, perhaps nearly 100 ft high & large enough to be "crevassed" & reaching its summit, was staggered to see a long point of this high old stuff running out almost to the N of us! On its outer part, showed cliff-faces. All from this round to the S, as far as we could see, was ragged broken ice, more or less similar to what we had just left; but in places higher & more irregular. To the S.E. & E the broken ice stretching from the "Tented berg" to the other berg. From thence, N, to the point is the level floor of the floe. We can no longer doubt but that this is the edge of another glacier coming off the land & filling this great bay to the South; the broken up mixture that has puzzled us, is result of it smashing into old floe. Where glacial (land) ice has broken & overturned, the broken sea-ice in with it, & all become consolidated & cemented together again. The sediment of decaying shell, or sand; the stones, &c brought up by the ice overturning. The high point ahead may be raised on the same shoal that (we presume) the Western barrier is aground upon. So we dragged for near the end of his point; course N & by W, less than Ό W - & we wish to S.W.! Land very distant there - & scarcely seen over this high stuff piled between. Descended somewhat but it did not seem near as much as we had risen crossed a tide crack, & on to this years floe. Rough sastrugi but fairly hard. Tired & thirsty when we brought up about 5.30 pm. No breeze, so warm dragging. Distance 6 miles 100 yds. Bar. 29.48 Temp. plus 12 ° - to zero tonight
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October 3 Thursday
Wind rose soon after dark good breeze with drift. Was just warm enough & slept very well. Out early, & away about 5.35 a.m. Morning dull; only a little drift, though it could be seen dragging down in wavy lines of smoke from the Ice-Cap astern. Started on course of last night, N & by W Ό W, until, when the exceedingly broken stuff changed into more berg or glacier like formation & we saw a narrow passage, cutting off end of point (into a berg). Dragged thro this passage, about Ό of a mile, & perhaps 300 yds wide; between cliffs of ice, white & marbled, veined with streaks of blue, some of it very dark blue - & crevices of cobalt. to our surprise, this passage opened into what might be described as an ice locked harbour, roughly circular; 3 sided form of this glacier (if glacier it is) looking like ice-capped land, much broken & crumbling, high, & generally cliff-faces: points & inlets. The N end partly shut in by bergs & broken ice. The S. end must have been 5 to 7 miles from us. We surveyed this from the top of a small tilted berg & Jones selected an opening, a little N of W to try. A tide crack ran across this basin; & on the windward side, we saw a huge Weddel or 2 Weddels asleep. It was a strange place but all this region is strange! All ice locked, more or less ruinous; white & desolate! Crossed N-ern end of the basin, mostly on floe ice & sastrugi sledge capsized once, but I was with the dogs About 3 miles across. Then Jones halted in a channel between 2 bergs, & after pitching the tent, we climbed the ice-slope of the nearest. From there, saw that the mass of ice continued towards the W., but more "ice-cap" or "barrier" formation must surely be a Glacier pushing down from the land what else could it be? Land very distant; could be seen beyond this glacier & traced almost to the W of where we were. Immediately ahead of us (to the W) was another "bay" of level floe; & beyond, running out N. Westerly, a long point of broken stuff, lower as well as more broken than the main part. Its end could not be clearly traced. would appear as if it might run out to Western Barrier. Our course this afternoon to be N.W. Breeze had been fresh, & drift on the Ice-Cap. Sky overcast smeary, wild looking a great halo round the sun, occupying most of the N sky, & 4 mock suns. The 2 side ones, formed in cirrus, very bright, like large silvery comets with short tails streaming away from the sun very "white" light. Most striking & beautiful. First thing I saw upon coming from tent after lunch, was an Emperor Penguin coming for us at a great rate tobogganing from the N.W. We watched the bird curiously the dogs, too, caught sight of it & strained on their traces, with eager eyes - The bird came up fearlessly, until about 20 yds away then a burst of howls from the dogs & it stopped & stood up. Hoadley & I walked down to it. It bowed stiffly, with a very "distant" air, & moved away, I had not the heart to kill that beautiful bird for dogs meat! So bright the yellow round the neck glossy the black hood; spotlessly clean the yellow tinted breast. So we went on whipping the dogs off it. The penguin had turned its back & stood there dejectedly it never even looked round as our departing team passed a few yds behind it! Appeared deeply disappointed in us. Dragged thro afternoon heavy snow rather soft. Pressure & ice-blocks scattered in the floe, & soft drifts required some navigation to get through. I was in the lead. Would get very hot then chilled in the spells for a cold wind blowing. Looks now as if we might cross glacier ahead of us. Camped on a patch of hard snow - & loaded the tents well. Parhelions usually means blizzards! We are perhaps a couple of miles from glacier ahead. Distance today 11 miles 100 yds. Bar. 29.48 to 29.39 Ther. Tonight plus 10 °
[In margin] Dogs making a row Jones looked out & saw an Emperor Penguin sledging away at a great rate, heading SE They make astonishing good progress too on their stomachs using legs to propell themselves
October 4 Friday
[Note above diary entry] further East Just a flying reconnaissance with the dog team to see if possible to get thro to the Land Bar 29.30 Ther. plus 5 ° to 10 °
Quiet night expected blizzard did not come. Morning finer than yesterday. We dragged up to the first of the ragged points that goes off to the N.W., that we were heading for last night: & ascended its snow slopes & icy sides with the help of our ice axes. From its summit could see but little to the W. only the rough line of ice slopes, ending (apparently) in the NW in detached bergs NNE we could see the Western Barrier low & far which we had now passed. Floe around us appeared young showing large pressure, blocks & ridges of ice head up; & consequently, large drifts behind them. So all that old floe we landed on last Feb. went out that Autumn! Jones decided to try one of the slopes leading up on to the glacier where in I agreed. Do not like this going NW, with the land to the S.W.! So we crossed a rough little bay from this point to the foot of the slope selected arriving a little after 10 a.m., 2 ½ miles from our night camp. Leaving the sledge we went up the "pass" - or shallow valley-like slope, about ½ mile to the uneven surface above, & from a height there, looked over the Glacier Much broken & crevassed; generally ice & neve slopes; but it looked practical enough in the direction we wished to go (S.W.) some "bonza" crevasses visible 30 ft wide but snow covered. could see nothing of the old floe that should lay between here & the W. Barrier. Little doubt but that it all went out last Autumn! Had lunch when we returned to tents. & enjoyed it much. Then we tackled the ascent. From the little flat where we were encamped the snow-slope led upwards a "gate post" of ice upon either hand; 2 or 3 very steep "pinches" the rest heavy, for it was not only steep but the snow rather soft. Heavier sledge load first all available force on it 5 men & 3 dogs! it was men & dogs alike scratching along on all fours but we kept her going - & topped the rise. 110 ft in half a mile by bar. reading. Other sledge much easier to get up. I then took charge of the dog sledge. Thro an amphitheatre up a long rather steep slope over the ridge into a deep hollow or valley - & up the opposite sides. Not only steep but slippery too. Dogs pulled well, & I was not "stuck up" once thanks, mainly to my teams claws. More than once came up to the other team down stuck on a steep bit - & slipping right & left, & was able to give them a hand. We topped the rise - & stopped aghast! Thro the next valley, ran a deep chasm, coming from the E-ward, then turning sharply & led away S.W., apparently for miles. To chasms or "rivers" in the glacier where under the stress of reefs below, or some such cause, it had split into 2 parallel winding gorges (or a gorge in places duplicated) paved with floe, & littered with debris, fallen from the cliffs & snow slopes but looked as if it had only about a years floe. Clean cut cliffs possibly 200 ft high while the channel was possible twice that in breadth. A fine bit of scenery - & an "impasse" as far as we were concerned! Jones & I tied up & went some distance along the ridge to the W, over broken surface mainly neve; to see if we could get round this but saw what appeared to be another chasm running across ahead of us there. Where we were was crevassed & not too safe. All beyond very broken the sky line just ragged with crevasse- edge a broken ice surface mainly ice or neve. Far to the S., the land lay, also very broken in places With the binoculars, could make out points & slopes of the Ice-Cap could be made out running out - & as far as we could see, this glacier continued in to these but everywhere very broken. The great winding gorge beneath us looked of comparatively recent date for the "floe" in it would scarcely break out & yet was not loaded with much debris nor high snow slope - nor did the cliffs looked "weathered". Could see traces of cliffs as if it ran back many miles It must open into the bay we crossed yesterday afternoon. Back we went the way we came over 3 miles dragging for nothing. Had to "break" the sledge all I could going down into the valleys Chucklehead worked very hard - & for the only time, display some glimmering of intelligence To my "steady Chucks" he actually eased up instead of pulling madly just when he should not! He worked the sledge steady to the very edge of that steep pinch unhitching the dogs, I let her go stearing her from behind George ran across in front apparently with some idea of stopping her thought he would be sent flying but just managed to clear him Camped where we had our lunch. Gloriously bright warm evening & early; we enjoyed a short rest in the mild temp before dinner Jones & party talked matters over in their tent - & at dinner time told us that they had decided to return to Junction Corner & ascent Ice-Cap there. Before going all that way back I should have tried glacier again
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October 5 Saturday
Turned in half expecting a blizzard, after such a fine day, but a quiet night. Up betimes & made an early start on our return journey Disgusting having to go back. Distance travelled from the hut, 48 miles; in a straight line (according to Dovers reckonings) 34 miles W. of hut. & Junction Corner that we are making for, is only 12 or 13 miles SW of the hut! Its a heavy load this, to drag all that way back; & the interest mainly gone out of the trip for me. Will probably be heavy work - & rough with little of interest on the Ice Cap - fine bright morning this with bands of light cirrus stratus from N. to S., passing to the E. After passing point we had cleared the previous morning, we headed E., instead of SE, hoping for better going than we had found to leeward of the line of bergs. This course carried is us past the long points that we had gone thro channels of - & N of the "bays" that we had crossed. "Going" fairly good, but a steady hard pull all the time; thro much broken floe-ice; stretches of soft snow & strips of hard surface. Day beautifully bright; put on my little hood; & we shed berberry blouses, then sweaters; & warm even then! There was no wind, and- while working it seemed just like a very bright warm Tasmanian Spring day. But stop - & you felt the "nip" of the frost at once for it was only plus 11 ° Several of the fellows felt the glare of the sun on this everlasting whiteness with never a bit of colour but the clear blue sky above. Enjoyed the tea at dinner time immensely! For a drink thro the day is unobtainable when the water in the cooker freezes, - & this steady work makes one very dry. In the afternoon, passed thro the line of the outer bergs, leading to the W. Barrier; passing over a strip of the high, "old floe", held in between with great masses of Glacier ice. Several large bergs outside of us & the Western Barrier a dim line upon the N horizon. Then the level floor of this years floe, fairly smooth & hard. Passed outside the "Ice Harbour" that we had crossed, & able to pick out the different places seen saw many penguin tracks especially in the morning, but all of single birds except in one place, where it looked as if many had passed but I had not time to stop & examine. All making to the S.S.E; in towards the "Harbour". Would much like to follow them up, & see where they led to know whence they came, & wither going. Late in the afternoon, sighted a seal asleep upon the floe ahead. Jones decided to kill it & take meat on to Junction Corner, for the use of the fellows when they got back from this trip. After pitching tent, he &
Dovers went over & killed it; the rest following. I cooked, & let Moyes go as I dont care much for the slaughtering. Tide crack, open in places, run off across the floe. Thro. this the hapless Weddell had come for a sleep. One of the biscuit tins was emptied & filled with seals meat. Will add somewhat to the load we are dragging. Dinner when they returned. Then turned in. Moyes sang verse of "Sweethearts & Wives" I joined in chorus, then Hoadley in the other tent took it up & sang a verse, we joining in chorus Bar. 29. 31. Ther plus 26 ° in sun at midday. Shade, plus 11 ° to minus 10 ° First "minus" we have had this trip - & we dont like it! Distance today 11 miles 50 yds.
October 6 Sunday
Coldest night yet of this trip; kept my berberry blouse on, & wound scarf round my knees; & so warm enough; but Moyes was cold. Temp about 6 a.m. (after sunrise) Minus 13 °. Morning fine, but "hard looking" clouds. Rather thick over land, & in the W. & distance all round, not too clear In the early morning, could see Western Barrier on the horizon nearly N of us; & saw that we had passed S. end of it yesterday afternoon. The days work settled down to a long heavy drag across the floe; N of our course on the outward journey, & therefore further from the new found Glacier This lay along our right; a line of ragged points & cliffs Land distant, very indistinct. Slowly the "Tented-berg" came up ahead, & the land behind, with its neve slopes & crevasses to the N. the endless expanse of floe the Junction Corner bergs, & our own Glacier line ahead. By noon, we had 6 more miles of the return done Hot & dry - & didnt we enjoy the biscuits chocolate & tea! A bitter little wind, right in our faces, made us think regretfully of the beautiful calm mildness of yesterday! no berberries off to-day. Hot tho we were in body, faces tingling, & had to be rubbed occasionally; - front of helmet loaded with ice; it wasnt a pleasant day. Late in the afternoon we arrived off the bergs between Junction corner & the "Tented Berg". Halted here, & Hoadley & I went in for the specimens of stones collected on 24th alt. from reversed Glacier Ice. Great quantity of pure fresh-water ice here, in huge masses, or shattered blocks strewn in a long broad band towards Junction Corner. Surface often worn in smooth saucer like depression. One, with a thick band of discoloured ice thickly mixed with gravel. Then continued on a short distance. "Going" bad here only a thin layer of snow on the floe, & that stickey, as if salt permeated thro. for sledge comes very heavily. We are now travelling along the face of the Ice-Cap, towards Junction corner, looking for a place to get up - & hoping that we shall not have to go all the way to the Corner. Have the seals meat with us which is to be "depoted" and picked up on our return. This mostly on the dogs sledge, - they have had a good hard day of it too. Feeling effect of the "glare" of the gloriously bright day yesterday George Dovers eye inflamed, a "touch of snow blindness" my right optic also sore. Will have to take to goggles Wretched things but necessary. Signs of a "blow" barometer falling now 29.19. Thermometer higher, plus 4 ° Sky with much cirrus over it the sun went down obscured by murky "wrack". We have "loaded" the tents well; & each "household" has laid in provisions, ice, oil; ready for the expected "lay up" tomorrow. We have had a fairly strenous time since our last rest. Distance to-day 11 miles 100 yds. 22 miles of the return done. Have not yet crossed tracks of last Sunday. Joined Moyes in some hymns. "Abide with Me" "Lead Kindly Light." "Fierce raged the Tempest oer the Deep." "Holy Father, in Thy Mercy x x x Keep our loved ones now far absent."oadley in other tent took it Hoa
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October 7 Monday
Wind high thro the night, not very hard, but a good deal of drift. I slept well until daylight, then began to feel cold Moyes also feels the cold, so we were glad of the "hoosh" & tea to warm us. Suppose its the wind, for temp. only plus 4 ° - not near as cold as we have had it, yet the 2 of us troubled with cold feet all the morning. George Dovers along to our tent for the pepper-pot. Reported that it was not very bad, but thick, & quantity of drift. Bar. this morning 29-15 I had been looking forward to a day in the tent, to go over & correct daily "log", - often written in semi or actual darkness so was much disappointed to find that I could not see clearly enough this morning even for reading the shorthand; while ordinary print looked like "Old English." Eyes dizzy still, after the touch of snow-blindness. So spent most of the morning in the bag, trying to get warm Nothing seen of the outside, & little heard, except the threshing of tent & sting of drift. Chucklehead but ill satisfied with his share of blubber, the cold wind, or his now bed, for he treated us to some of the most discordant & heart breaking noises ever heard!
On such a day as this there are but 3 events to look forward to breakfast, lunch, dinner! Hot "hoosh, biscuit & plasmon tea for breakfast; Plasmon tea, biscuits & chocolate for lunch; hot "hoosh" biscuits & cocoa in the evening. Lots were drawn again last Thursday & Moyes lost so now cook So have the cooking gear in our tent, & Jones & party chuckled much that the cooking came here. Its a disadvantage to us in many ways. We get our things in & snow carefully brushed off, then they come in - & George always carries as much snow on his person as all the rest of the party put together, & not considerate Goes straight for your gear, plumps down on things, & scatters snow around & how annoyed he gets if you remark upon snow brought in. Then only 2 or us, naturally do not get tent pitched & things down as quickly as the full-handed tent. & Jones party crowd out the tent before I can get my wet things off of a night - & then theres no room to move in these tiny tents with 5 fellows & a cooker going! But I objected the day before yesterday when taking advantage of such a fine day we all put our sleeping bags out to dry during the lunch hour - & Jones & Dovers immediately started to roll our bags up again to sit on for lunch! So they had to do as we did, sit on our mits. One advantage of having the cooker the other party has to dress & come across, while we can keep our warm night gear on until after breakfast. The cook seldom gets a chance to change of a night until the animals are fed then the tent is carefully brushed again & kept clean & dry George, in many ways is an amusing chap. The only one who has developed noticeable eccentricities. Last trip, it was an old sock, in which he treasured up odd bits of chocolate sugar & biscuits, "in case of need" - & which fell off the sledge one day. Or the [indecipherable] Alcohol bottle, from which he sipped water, for he is one of those unfortunates who cant take food without "washing it down." He filled the bottle one night with surplus cocoa. It froze so solidly that George could not get it thawed out again, so abandoned the bottle. This trip he brought a Worcester Sauce bottle, from which he sipped water thro his meals with much enjoyment but lost it the third day out, now he hunts round the cooker for drinks has a Ό mug of cold water poured on his hot "hoosh" for washing it down; &c. The other night took a mug full of ice took Moyes mug of hoosh - & commiserated poor Morton having to thaw out that mug before he, Morton, could get his own hoosh. Latest idea soaking biscuit in his tea at mid day & stowing sops in calico bag for consumption thro the afternoon.
[in margin] Able to use eyes to read over notes in afternoon but sore still. Same weather conditions all day. Bar 29.10
October 8 Tuesday
Wind continued, with drift, thro the night. Sun rose unclouded, & bright most of the day. Warm & comfortable night. Did not turn out early this morning, for there is nothing to do. My eyes still too dizzy to read see everything indistinctly, or doubled. Lay in bag most of the morning. After noon wind had dropped considerably. Hailed from other tent that they were going for a walk, to look for a way up on to the Ice-Cap. So on burberries & turned out, glad of the change. Wind very cold but beautifully bright. Jones and Moyes along the cliffs towards Junction Corner; I went with Hoadley and Dovers to the cluster of bergs amongst which we had found the pebbles. Leaving Hoadley looking about there, & Dovers to keep him company, I set off for the cliffs of the Ice-Cap opposite, to look at the great broken cliff below the broken hill-slope. Floe now swept nearly clean I crossed over tracks of Tuesday week, showing like a tram line the snow compressed by weight of sledge remaining, while soft surface blown away. Several large tide cracks, & a couple of Weddells asleep by one of them Huge fat unwieldy brutes, with their great mile eyes, small head, & peculiar nostrils, like a sheeps; that close so tightly. Their hair, or coarse fur feels very soft, & is prettily mottled. Along the cliffs were great snow slopes broken down, & floe tilted, as up by hut. In places raised 6 feet almost like "old floe". Continuing down, found the cliff rather disappointing; a fine white buttress, with a mighty fragment of almost solid ice fallen prone upon the floe- & ice-blocks scattered about; but not as striking as, from a distance, it promised to be. The cliffs are always beautiful with blue ice spotters slopes, & snow forms. Perhaps I am getting too used to this scenery to appreciate it fully. Came back thro the bergs, passing another Weddell. Bergs very beautiful; walking in alleyways on pavement of floe littered with fresh water ice, & spotless snow slopes, with those icy-walls on either hand. One especially beautiful; banded from top to waterline with deep blue ice; contrasting beautifully with the white between. How I should have liked to paint it! Much discoloured ice about, from bottom of bergs. Collected a few pebbles to take home as curiosities Reaching Camp, found the others back. Moyes reported a passable slope from floe to Ice Cap at the next little point Will save us a few miles on to Junction Corner also that they had seen a cow Weddell and newly born calf and Hoadley and Dovers had gone off to see it. As they should be plentiful enough later, I did not go, eyes still bad, seeing double. Got into bag and mended finskoo. Jones is "depoting" the seals meat in the snow on a broken mass of Glacier ice near by And a dog is getting into trouble! As it turns out, could have got plenty of meat without dragging this for over a dozen miles. Night looks rather windy and breeze freshening now. Barometer rose from 29.5 to 29 15, but has gone back to 29.09. ther. this morning plus 4 ° at mid day plus 14 ° tonight plus 9 °.
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October 9 Wednesday
Upon the height of the Ice-Cap again! Morning was not too fine, & a bitter breeze, right ahead, made it very cold. Started about 7 a.m. dragging across the floe, mostly smooth & heavy pulling, I mile 150 yds, to the selected snow slope. Cliffs low there, with rough pressure, heaved up to 10 ft, across which we took the sledges, doubling about & in one place had to make a path. Then, with 2 Alpine ropes tied together had them up the slope Had to partly unload the big sledge even then making 3 loads of it, was heavy work & fairly "puffed" me. Considerable stress off this point; fine heavy lines of floe pressure on our left. On the Ice-Cap of the land, had to relay for a short distance, all getting on to one sledge; then got both sledges going, tho heavy work. Surface good; hard smooth sastrugi, & great patches of neve, many acres in extent As we ascended, a fine view to the W. The line of cliff then beyond, the "Tented Berg"; The broken ice of the pressure & glacier in the distance; and near the green grey neve slopes of the foreground And the morning rather dull suiting it. How I would have liked to sketch it! Stopped about 11 a.m. for lunch; & more than an hrs rest; for the mornings work had been arduous. And hard pulling during the early part of the afternoon; up over the shoulder of the great broken slope previously mentioned as a prominent land mark on this point. The reason it shows so, is that its all neve, as well as being raised, - a half mile of it, up & down hill, so shows darker than the snow surface. Some very wide crevasses cross there neve- slopes. Most of the latter part of the afternoon was mostly on neve, & good going, After crossing the shoulder of the slope, had a fine birds-eye view of the floe that we have been travelling over; the newly found glacier that we have skirted; & the bergs that we have passed between - & could follow our course. Could now see that the glacier runs broken right in to the land. And that from where we turned back, to the land in the SSW. must be something like 30 miles anyway over 20. And how smashed & broken! The nearest think I can compare it to, as seen from here, is a piece of scrubland" newly grubbed; only short stretches here & there untouched. but all frosted whitened, unearthly! The slopes of the Ice-Cap run, broken ragged ends of it in the W.N.W. stream off in lines of rough-topped bergs. These are scattered widely, to the low indistinct line of the Western Barrier. On the far W. horizon, it looks like heavier & more solid stuff, but broken too. And close in to the land, perhaps 30 miles away, a high dark mass that looks like a nunatak. To-night with the glass, could make out blue water on the N.W. horizon, between the W. Barrier & bergs further W a narrow blue line, with the white bergs upon it, the first open water seen since last autumn To NE, our glacier could be seen even something that looked like the hut. We headed off SSW to SW, to round bay which this western glacier fills; & are now about 1000 ft above, & nearly opposite our camp of Monday week. Bar. falling, so cannot fix height exactly. Ascent getting easy grade. Night doubtful. Wind rising, snow very hard; ½ hr hard work loading the tents single handed, while Moyes cooked. Distance to day 8 miles, 1500 yds. Temp plus 4 ° to 13 °
October 10 Thursday
Wind freshened thro the night, with drift, & has been stiff all day; not blowing hard, only about ½ a gale. We found it cold especially feet and hands Got both very cold this morning, while sitting up, & retired to my bag to sleep, and get warm even there, once feet get cold its very difficult to warm them up. Tent flapping too much for communication with other party. They must find it "slow" all together in that bag, and must be ready now to swear by "one mans bag" as I have, always. Sun shining, but as far as can be seen from ventilater, sky is "smeary". Bar. rising slightly, so hope for a good day tomorrow. Surprised that it has not been worse for we have not had such bad weather this last week, and no hard blows. Moyes week of cooking ran out to day, so lots will be drawn when we meet again. Hope that I will escape, was at cooking work to within half hr of leaving upon this trip. Still this tent cooking is not so bad, especially if they would give us time to change before crowding in. Have been reckoning up distances. Have travelled over 79 miles dragging the "Depot" load of provisions but now in actual progress towards "laying" that "depot", are only about 26 miles! Truly, going "light" to the depot laid last autumn, & taking that on, would have paid well, had they but known. It has been a great disappointment the "Western Party" made so sure of travelling on "old floe" along the coast; and our failure to find a path thro. to the land, and having to return this way, has settled their chance of reaching Challenger Bay on the long trip I fear. 50 miles of progress is lost, no light matter in this land. It has been an interesting exploring trip, though hard dragging Most interesting thro those bays and bergs, while the view of that dead glacier-edge, and the ice-chasm; - and the whole broken expanse of coastal glacier seen from this height; spread out like rough metal work in "relief" beneath us; have been amongst the finest and weirdest that we have yet seen in the strange land! I noticed (from the floe) that two large valleys come down ahead of us but not steep sided but the land slope is very broken in places in one place the Ice-Cap looks broken to the skyline With the "going" we have now, should do 8 or 10 miles a day; but until we experience this more difficult country ahead, cannot estimate probable progress. In the next 6 days, should get at least another 30 miles in unless the weather is very bad. Even that will not take their "depot" very far on the way! Moyes, after a long chat has retired to his bag: I writing and reading Must warm up feet again. Turned out sleeping bag and brushed it. Nice and dry, except the bottom, but there the hair is stuck together with frost probably because heated air cannot escape from thence. Thank goodness rhime not forming on tent this time and outside of bags keep fairly dry. Altogether, most comfortable of the trips, so far. Weather conditions continued thro. out day without change, except that sun evidently became obscured when near setting. Bar. slowly rising, from 27.87 to 27.93. Temperature unknown. Thermometer on sledges outside
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October 11 Friday
Another day like unto yesterday. Strong wind all the night, and all day, without cessation, drift stinging on the tent, but not very thick I think. Does not appear to be snowing, fortunately. Like yesterday, sun shone through the day, but going down dimly. We will not be able to travel until this goes down here, on the hill slope and stretches of neve, could not manage sledges in the strong wind. Its very wearying, nothing to do all day, a little reading and writing, but soon get cold, and have to lay down and warm feet & hands. So much of the close bag too, does not agree with my head has been aching a little all the day. If I sleep by day cannot sleep through the night, and then the hours of darkness seem very long. We are comfortable, though, here, with plenty of room compared to the other trips enough room to lay at lenght without the tent pressing on head or feet; and for "cooker", "tucker-bag:, primus, oilcan all we require. Have not had the tent door open for 2 days. Only inaction and cold. How strange it will be to feel the temperature above the freezing point again. We have laughed at the idea, and say that we will die of suffocation! In the other tent though, 3 makes a crowd; only one sleeping-bag in common, instead of being able to retire when you feel inclined, to your own bag, toggle up and sleep or "dream the hours away" awake Eat drink and sleep! The Polar explorer requires above all perseverance and patience!
Outlook no better than last night. Wind and weather much the same. Bar. this morning 28.06, tonight 29.01, not reassuring, except that it is fairly high. Every day shut up here means miles off the Western Depot distance. Jones only intends being out 4 weeks. Blow blow blow. Flap flap flap, now with out cessation for two days and nights!
October 12 Saturday
Wind increased as the night wore on, when I awoke sometime in the early morning hours, it was blowing a furious gale. Everything straining, and the tent flogging so rapidly that it was only heard as a higher "rattle" & occasional reports over the roar of the blizzard. Temperature had probably gone up, for I was so nice & warm & comfortable! Turned out and had a look round all seemed standing well. Next time I awoke it was day-light. Awoke laughing, from an absurd dream of sheltering in a hut on Mr Wellington in a furious gale, and an old man there very frightened then figetting over his "broody hen" being ill. I said "thats not much! But he answered very seriously, "It is something! If she keeps well we might have 8 more hens, and could "most live on their eggs!" It was so real. Could see the old man, his slovenly dress and odd grimaces; hear his voice above the roaring storm. I woke, laughing aloud! Peeping out from my "blow-hole", found things were only "middling" The valve had blown open letting snow in, & Moyes was standing up trying to stop it. He found outer valve cord (hick "whipcord") broken, and valve adrift Tent had a bad "set" to leeward; one of the lee bamboo poles bending like a strung bow. Powder of snow over our bags. I turned out. Found one lee pole had sunk a foot into the snow surface, thus throwing all the strain on the other. With Moyes help, got it up and on to a harder place. ope tent will "haH
Hope tent will "hang out" now. Still blowing furiously, but not quite as hard, I think as in the night One of the hardest blizzards that we have faced. Only inner valve left could not entirely stop snow drifting in, but not much entering. Did not attempt cooking. Got a few sticks of chocolate & retired to bag with note book, berberry blouse &c; & got bag over on side ready to turn face down if the tent goes. Must be nearly mid-day now. Cramped writing even short-hand in bag! Nothing, of course, can be heard of the others. Trust that all is well with them. Their tent is newer than ours, so should stand.
When we guessed that it was after noon we sat up and had a bit of biscuit and chocolate. Then into bags again, No sun, so nothing to show how the long hours were dragging by. At last Morton sat up and got the primus unearthed, and going in the shelter of the cooker-lid or deep cover, even there the flames flickered badly, - so much wind is driven thro the tents. Courageously coked "hoosh" & cocoa. Reckon that it is near evening. Blizzard still bounds on our little tent with unabated fury. Weather-poles have dragged in a little, making her loose. Its marvellous how she stands the pounding! The flap where the sides come in & then out again sounds like reports of rifles. Have to put our heads together to hear each other speak. Am rather dreading the coming night. Bar. 27.70, to 27.74 to-night. We sang verse & chorus of "Sweethearts & Wives" scarcely audible amidst the storm
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October 13 Sunday
We sorely misjudged the hours yesterevening! Was light for hours after he had our evening meal. I went to sleep at last, and woke again at dusk. Blizzard increased at sunset, pounding our little tent with indiscribable fury. So hard was she threshing that the stout whipcord line of the inner valve, passing thro a hole in the tent & knotted inside snapt. I did not know it but Moyes looking out, saw that it was gone, and resigned himself to another snowing up. How it was blowing. One must be out here in a frail tent, on the wild waste of the Ice-Cap to appreciate (?) the infernal din of such a gale! Fell asleep again & awoke suddenly with a sense of something "different" It was the stillness! All the uproar of the blizzard was gone; - a loose part of the tent shook gently as a pocket handkerchief, and a gentle patter of drift on the tent by my ear not another sound, until a dog yelped. Listened to try & hear the other tent flap, but could not. How thankful I felt, and wished that it was only daylight, that we might have taken advantage of the lull to get the tent to-rights. Wind soon freshened up, & by morning was blowing a strong breeze, as on Thurs. & Friday. We turned out when light, and with whole of aching fingers got the whipcords out and back thro the holes & the flying valves fastened down again. But first we brushed all the snow off our bags & off the tent-cloth; & turned the latter back over on things while we brushed the snow from the poles and head of the tent. There are nearly a dozen small holes in different places; the most serious where one of the poles has nearly pounded thro the cap. All in order; primus set going, & Moyes cooked "hoosh", breakfast & then sat in our sleeping bags, now, alas, pretty wet. Barometer going up 20.12; too fast! Wind increasing, now blowing a gale again but not as hard as yesterday. Before fastening the valve, Moyes got a peep out, & saw other tent with a huge snow-drift in front. Wind increased until it raged as furiously as the previous day; tent flogging furiously it can never stand the strain it has had for 2 days & a night now! Did what we could to strenghten it that was that was but little. Blizzard has already exceeded average, both in fury & lenght of continous blow. Blowing hard with a rapidly falling barometer again with a rapidly rising glass. Now with a steady & moderate glass, coming, I think, from a little N. of E. Verily, this Western Depot has been a luckless trip! [Evening]
Moved our poles a little getting a better "set", & tent is easier. It had started to tear along bottom of one of the flapping sides, but not going more I think. Blowing most furiously hard as yesterday, & barometer falling. (28.21, 28.16) What are we to expect tonight? Have had "hoosh" & cocoa, & turned in to our bags. Air full of the wild uproar, drift flying in clouds up sides of our tent, making the light "flicker." Most fortunately not coming in thro the holes at the top. As usual, joined Moyes in singing some hymns as it was Sunday evening. "Fight the good fight." "Art thou weary?" "Eternal Father strong to save", "A days march nearer Home." "Come all ye faithful." "Holy Father ...Keep our loved ones." - but scarcely could we hear ourselves!
October 14 Monday
Blizzard blew furiously all night. Each time I awakened it seemed if possible, harder. the roar and hum of it, deadened by the sleeping bag sounded as if on the old "Aurora" once more only the heaving swing of the ship was wanting the little tent, eased by the alterations made in the poles yesterday, stood well; & very little snow found its way in. I turned my bag over until lower part of the opening was almost beneath me, ready for another "Good Friday" experience. That is the warmest way to lay, for no "draught can get in; but must lay on right side or back to get fresh air, as the "breathing hole" is about level with the mouth on the right side. Cramped by the tent coming in & being pressed down by the wind; bag all of a "jog" from the tent sides threshing it, bringing the heavy folds of the bag down on the head its a "night long" struggle for a fellow who has not been accustomed to sleeping with his head wrapped closely up! I prop the top of bag up with my aveHopeaveow I should Howoadley & I walked down to it. It Hoadley & I walkedsheathe-knife, that is constantly shaken down waking to clear the hot folds of hair off my face, & prop them up again not room to stretch at length. Listening awhile to the uproar, & dropping off to sleep again. Peeping out occasionally, & much relieved to see everything dark, instead of covered with snow! Bar. at 27.94 this morning. Wind as hard as ever. Got primus going, & Moyes cooked hoosh. We have not the appetite of working days. Tent all reindeer hair. Sleeping bags "close" from constantly lying in them, & sheds hairs all over the place. The long hours dragged slowly on. Wind blowing wildly; some of the tent-poles "loosening", and jumping; tried in vain to get the strain on all; finally returned to bag, cold & disgusted, cursing this "God forgotten land," At the mid-day meal, tried water, pouring some in the hole made by the worst "jumping" pole. When this froze replaced pole, & it has stood since securely on this icy foundation. Windward poles tied together with my bag rope, so if one drags, the others will brief it up. One, that is very loose, & has the weight of the wind-driven tentside, I further "moored" by sinking one of our little gallon kerosene tins into the snow in front of it, & line from the tin handle to the pole. Has been very effective. We were "behind the times" to-day. Had an idea that it was past noon when I started the lunch. Then read Figuers "Reptiles & Birds" for some hours, as it was warmer, when became aware that darkness was coming on. So hurried up dinner. Gale, which had blown incessantly for 3 days & night (with the exception of that early morning lull.) was dropping at last. But it was still snowing heavily could shake it from the tent. Dogs must have had a very bad time. Moyes suddenly made up his mind to go out & feed them, so put on berberries while I cooked. As we finished meal, wind lulled; & Dovers hailed to say that their tent was down & that they were lying under it. This was the first we had heard of them for 3 days. Moyes went across not much wind; very thick; snowing hard. One of the seams of the other tent had "started", & they had let the tent down to save it from being ripped up. Tents are machine sewn should be hand. Let her go first day of the gale; set her up again in the morning lull had to let her go again yesterday morning, & been lying under her since! Moyes cleared off snow & they set up the tent; George piling snow up over the splits. Meanwhile I boiled them a cup of tea for they are all tea-tipplers! They must have had a bad time cannot cook or get warm food or drinks when tent is down. Moyes gave dogs biscuits; brought in other food-bag. took cooker of hot tea across to the other tent, then by the light of matches (fuses) we cleaned up and got into our bags Outlook to-night unpromising enough Bar at 28.30.
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15 Tuesday
Wind dropping, and snowing; temperature high water in cooker not frozen this morning. I took off berberry, mits &c, thro the night; & was driven wild by the heavy smothering folds of the sleeping bag, & the cramped position. Warmer it is, limper the bag! At last got a string to the tent pole overhead; tied the sheathe knife by the middle & "hung up" the open part of the bag-head. Answered famously, & I slept until dawn. Still a stiff wind, but do not think that it is snowing now No sun visible After breakfast cleaned cooking gear outer cooker well coated with hair Then went thro the new weeks tucker- bag. Tea-tin had come open & tea spilt. So it is well mixed with reindeer hair & a little snow now! but these tea-drinkers will not mind that. Occasionally distressed whines from a dog. Poor wretches can hear the rattle of the ice on their coats as they shake themselves. Moyes tells me that "Chuckles" has lumps frozen to him as large as the lb tea tin. It works off with warmer weather but how wretched for them in this gale "Switzerland" not visible last night. Hope that he has not wandered away and been lost. Would reduce our team to a farce. This is the sixth day of bad weather. Jones luck is out. & a lot of repairs required to tents. Snow floor is very hard, but, with constant lying upon it, under part of bags are very wet get like [indecipherable] the hide of a drowned dog but hair inside not wet. Strong wind thro the day. could just hear hail from other tent to say that it was noon. Opened door & dished in "some fresh snow with a cup thro a very small opening. Evidently snowing for very thick. Could scarcely make out Chuckles lying curled up 3 or 4 yds away. He, poor brute, heard us, & presently a great shaggy nose was thrust into my mug! After mid-day the sun broke out; & by 4 p.m. wind had fallen to a moderate breeze, & sun shining brightly. I hesitated about going out, but the look of my soaked berberry trousers, spread under my sleeping bag, decided me not to. Jones, Hoadley & Dovers turned out for a change. Switzerland missing nothing to be seen of him. The fellows came by turns to the door of our tent for a talk. Had a bad time thro. the blizzard. Lay all day yesterday & the day before, under their collapsed tent. Only got a little snow melted for sip. George, a thirsty soul, suffered much, & tried to thaw snow in a mug by burning matches under it! Ate pemmican, biscuit emergency ration, anyway, would make them still more thirsty. Tea that Morton took over, first warm drink since previous morning & much enjoyed Needless to say, greatly relieved when Moyes arrived to clear off snow & get tent up. George had kept berberries & finskoo all "storm gear" on & ready for emergency thro the blizzard. Their tent has 2 or 3 tears, as well as seam ripping. Could not have let our tent go that way; she snowed up too much, & lee poles driven in too deeply the first night of storm. Jones decided only to go on another day, & then make back. Its his business but this is not far on their journey! Now its a beautiful bright evening. We have had tea, the sun has not yet set, but shining unclouded low in the West. Short time ago there was scarcely a breeze, but some now with a little drift. Hope to move, with a nice day tomorrow. This place all dirty & wet & reindeer hair. I have not been out side tent door for 6 days! Barometer steady at 28.14
October 16 Wednesday
Wind freshened thro the night, at times blowing fairly hard so hard that I thought it advisable to roll partly over in case snow got in. Stiff breeze this morning & drift. Sun rose brightly & shone thro the day unclouded. Morning passed slowly away, talking, reading &c, for temperature mile. To our surprise, Barometer falling steadily! This the seventh day shut up here & glass going down what a climate! Wind fell, & by noon only a light breeze I opened door to get in some ice from the flap outside; all bright & clear except for cirrus along horizon; low smoke of drift along the ground but, Heavens! how intensely bright the glare after 7 days of veiled tent light! Blue bright sky; brilliant sun; around, beneath from the furtherest sky line of the floe to the tent door, glaring white without relief! Just a look round made by eyes ache, & brought on an incipient headache that had been threatening. Jones has decided upon making the Depot there not even taking it to the ridge beyond I was not surprised after the way he spoke yesterday, & a falling glass only 16 miles from Base not much of a start for them on their long journey Westward But he thought it desirable to get back before, rather than after the time fixed. So 2 fine days should see us home, & we have provisions for more than another week. As all were not required to make [indecipherable] &c we struck our tent took it to the other tent, & I repaired cap, put on 3 patches, & mended the other holes Re-pitched her on another site, very hard snow; but we roughened surface under tent-flaps with spade & ice axe, so it would hold. And we loaded her well! No sledge to windward to collect drift, as second sledge placed with Depot. Oh the luxury of getting on a nice clean site Hard, dry, clean; instead of damp with lying upon it; cramped; soiled One corner covered with used tea-leaves, holes where slops of tea & cocoa had been emptied, holes opposite where snow had been dug for the cooker tobacco ash & reindeer hair latter in handfulls everywhere! It was a lovely afternoon, bright, & temp. plus 13 ° after finishing with the tent, I went down the neve slope to get a better look over the Western Glacier below; crossing ½ doz crevasses on snow bridges over their sunken lids. Great ugly brutes up to 40 feet wide but the lids, altho not solid, looked firm. Upon breaking thro, could not get an uninterrupted look down into them. A drift would make quite a thick bridge across such a lid & safe. Sat on the edge of one, & made a tiny sketch of the Glacier in my little pocket-book. Also sketch of the long snow lidded crevasses running away across the neve slopes, in irregular lines far ahead. After dinner had a look round with the binoculars. Could distinctly see the open water to the N-Westward But on our side of the W. Barrier was floe as far as could be seen to the N. Could see bergs narrower in the water. Evening looking very wild. Heavy ragged clouds along SE to S.W. A perfect "Noahs Ark Cirrus streaming up, like rays, from a point in the N.E.; wavy, wild looking; sweeping, widely seperated, overhead in thin wind-blown wisps; gathering in, fan-like again to the S.W The sun was sinking in this, in the S.W.; lighting it with orange and dull yellows - & looking dirty & obscured. Barometer steadily falling, 27.84. Thermometer tonight plus 7 ° Another blizzard coming. What a climate!
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October 17 Thursday
Still she blows, drifts & snows! 8 days have we been encamped here - & I have only been outside part of one afternoon! One fine afternoon in 8 days! Doubtlessly weather much worse up here on the height of the Ice-Cap We have often seen drift here when fine enough to be out below. Still this must be a bad "spell", even for the hills, as the wind has been so strong & a heavy snowfall. How many millions tons of snow must that whirling mist represent, ever driving to the Westward, day after day like this. Night beautifully quiet, but I was suffering from a headache; hot & close the limp folds of the bag ever sagging down on the head was unendurable; & the sheathe-knife of little use, bag was so limp in mild temperature. The line I had tied it up with on a previous occasion tho. only a thin woven bootlace, had chafed a hole in the tent during the gale. At last got a string from the top of the tent (where it could not chafe, to my bag, & slept then. Until dawn, only a gentle breeze then wind increased; before noon half a gale with thick snow. Sun visible just after noon, but dimly. Tent seems so roomy & comfortable again, after the contracted space of the previous days. But the ever present raindeer hair collecting thickly already from sleeping bags & old finskoo. Other chaps must be very uncomfortable as they did not bother either with repitching or repairing their tent Their floor sunken in the middle with the weight, & space inside very crowded. Some of the sewing in the cap had given way too. I took precaution last night to get in oil tin, supply of ice from nearest crevasse edge, &c. Poor dogs, they cannot be happy. I hear "Chuckles" rattling his coat of ice occasionally. To our great surprise Hoadley came across to our tent in the afternoon, and told us that Switzerland had returned! Surprised at him finding his way back. Lucky for him we did not move yesterday! Hoadley did not come in; & it was blowing so hard that he could not stand it asked barometer reading, but was gone before Moyes could give it to him. Did not hear if Switz. had brought back the ice-axe that he was tied to. Wind increased to a gale through the afternoon. Read "Birds", writing this, & so wiled away most of the time. Hope it will be a fine day tomorrow, & we should be at the hut in time for "Sweethearts & Wives" on Sat. night. As Depot now laid, it is more than ever waste time, and want to get back that the fellows may have a good rest before starting on their long journey. Think, despite this bad time here, that I will offer to accompany Mr Wild Eastern Party) for the first 20 or 100 miles with the 3 dogs; would be a great help to them. No biological work yet to do. Still sounds on the same old tune! Raging blizzard drift stinging past; tent flogging but not as violently as formerly for she is pitched tighter. Bar. this morning 27.88. Most of day oscillating between 27.92 & 97. Now at latter. Ther. in tent, plus 20 ° does not feel as high owing to wind, Now, in evening, plus 17 ° Maybe any things tomorrow!
October 18 Friday
Wind hard through the night, blowing furiously at intervals. Nice & warm in the bag; but one cannot sleep all the long hours away after days of inaction! We hoped for a fine morning, but the wind kept on unceasingly. Heard others hail; asked barometer reading, but do not know if they understood reply. Then the wind increased and before noon blowing furiously again. How the poor little tent gets knocked about! It stands well, & keeps dry, so far. Some snow filtered in thro the ventilater yesterday, but got some empty calico chocolate bags (calico) & put them inside calico pemmican bag. Making a flat cushion between the flaps of the valves. Acted splendidly. Not much rhime forms on tent either. Perhaps not cold enough, or flogging too violently. Its weary waiting thus, scarcely more than a days march from the hut with light load. So hard is it blowing, so heavily is the tent working, canvas & poles, that the very ground or rather snow hat we are lying upon seems to be shaking! The door worked loose, & I peeped cautiously from a chink, but drift too thick to see if other tent alongside us is all right. Once, only, before noon, the sun was visible; & we cheered at its appearance thinking perhaps the wind would drop. But it was illusive and delusive! Afternoon settled down into a hard blow all the infernal din of wind, drift, tent and tent poles. Above the roar of it we faintly heard a shout from tent alongside, which we took to mean "meal-time" We waited nearly another hour (they have theirs at 4.30 pm) for its light now until late. The day now must be almost as long as a Tasmanian Mid summers day. How the blizzard is howling now! The tent narrowing in with wind & drift against, so to-night turned our heads to the door, the feet then coming under the pressed down weather clothes, & head under ballooned-out lee side gives more room; & they say is warmer. Both of us suffered from cold feet to-day altho temperature plus 19 ° The strong air driven thro the thin tent sides makes it cold, & we have had no exercise to speak of for 10 days. Terrible! How much longer? Barometer steady most of day, about 27.96 but up now to 28.00 so some hope of it moderating - & I care not how soon it does.
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October 19 Saturday
"Blow ye winds in the morning; blow ye winds heigh ho!" All night hath the tempest raged over this God-forsaken Ice-bound land, - roaring over our brave little tent; flogging and tearing at it, hurling countless millions of tons of snow thro the thick whiteness, seaward. That dense mist of snow that has been driving past, with only one afternoons cessation, for the last 10 days! I peeped from a little hole just now - & saw the dim outline of an ice-axe standing about 3 yds off All the rest a vague thick whiteness of driving snow. Wind very hard thro. the night; a heavy gale since noon yesterday - & yet that barometer is slowly rising! Relieved, during breakfast, to hear faintly in a momentary lull "Alls well" from the other tent. Nice warm night, altered position gave no more room, & after much trouble with sagging bag, slept from dark to dawn & again later, despite the wild uproar without. Tent keeping nice & dry. Expect the others are sorry now that they did not take the trouble to re-pitch. Wind dropped a lot as day grew older. About 11 a.m.; Hoadley came across from the other tent & we admitted him; White, & even face caked with snow in those few moments. Reported that they were all right but cramped, wet, & the tent so dirty that he could not find a spot that looked inviting enough to take snow from for the cooker, so had to get ice from outside [I took advantage of the door being opened to haul in the big block of ice left on the tent flap. Plenty of clean snow here, but ice better] They were out of provisions, so we "whacked up" the grub here, & he departed with the larger share. They were deadly sick of the delay George in desperation, writing letters on leaves of his note book. So hard up were they, that Hoadley took back Figuers "Rep. & Birds", & in exchanged brought Morton, Merediths "Vittoria" said wind so strong that he crossed polished sastrugi between the 2 tents on all fours! Sun dimly discernable about 1 p.m. for a few minutes Nothing visible from the door but the ever whirling blinding drift driving westward. Latter in the afternoon, it shone brightly until near setting. A peep from the little hole by the doorway showed that the sky was clear overhead, but a great ragged bank of stratus along S.W.; & scattered cirrus. Drift much reduced, but still thick. Wind increasing again, with the setting sun. Able to get time from the other tent this evening. Spent afternoon doing some sketches in note book of adventures of Eastern trip, from memory. Moyes almost read "Vittoria" Dinner late, between 6 and 7 p.m. Sang "Sweethearts and Wives" No reply from other tent. We had hoped, in the hut tonight to
"Toast the girls, God bless them,
First our Sweethearts, then our wives!" but like on the last trip, it was not to be. Bar. 28.09 to 28.05. Gone back again this afternoon. Wind not done yet. Temp plus 21 ° in afternoon
plus 13 ° in evening.
October 20 Sunday
Wind increasing through the night, ushered in Sunday morning with one of the most furious blows that we have had. The tent, too tightly set with the accumulated drift around the base to thrash much, only fluttered but the roar of the tempest filled the darkness, and sounded awesome indeed the more so, perhaps, that its deep continous roar was almost the only sound overpowering all others. While the snow beneath us seemed to tremble as if with that mighty volume of sound or the strain put upon the poles & tent. We could do nothing but wonder if the marvellous little tents would prove equal to such an ordeal there must be a terrible strain upon those tightly bellying in weather cloths. & so dropped off to sleep again Still blowing hard in the morning; but, thank goodness, nothing like the fury of the earlier hours Have just been vainly trying to get a peep thro the tent-side, to see if the other tent is standing, - but the only available hole does not command them We had some hopes last night of being able to make a move to-day but some how Sundays all seem bad. Barometer back to 27.79. Morton has just ventured the belief that we may get back before the "Aurora" goes! To which I assented, with the proviso "if we have any luck and the tent stands!"-
(Afternoon) Wind fell enough to allow shouts of "Alls well" to be exchanged with other tent about 5 yds away & Sun dimly visible for awhile. But early in the afternoon wind freshened again, & blowing hard. Can see through the tent the shadow of the streaming drift hurling by, like smoke. Very cold too. Tis hard gale, with the barometer falling or rising, fast or slow, steady or reverse still it blows! Has been the worst blizzard that we have had, both in its length and the fury with which it has raged over a longer interval than usual. Oh how sick we are of it, shut up here only (with good "going") a days march from home shut up here for 11 days The cramped cold useless misery of it! This day has been the more miserable for a bit of a headache, & the feet so cold. Bar. tonight 27.56! The lowest by far that it has been in this blow! & blowing a hard gale now. What are we to expect tonight? Thermometer, morning plus 11 ° tonight plus 14 °
Joined Moyes in some hymns
"Holy Father, in Thy Mercy,
Hear our anxious prayer;
Keep our loved ones now far absent,
"Neath Thy care."
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October 21 Monday
Sunday went out as it came in, blowing furiously. Blizzard increased with the darkness sometimes during the night was blowing with terific force; I think the hardest we have had. The great continous roar that seemed to shake the very Ice-Cap! The thrash of the tent scarcely heard in it, but now & then, one of the sides would snap in with a report like a gun going off just audible over the deep note of the blizzard. Even the stinging drift was over powered That one deep roar filled all the night. I lay awake for a short time, after having a look round. But there was nothing to be done so fell asleep again. When I woke this morning, wind had fallen much. Barometer also rising, 27.67. Anxious about the other tent, but in this wild land, and blizzards, each tent party has mainly to depend upon themselves. Wind fell greatly, as morning wore on, & sun became visible. Between 10 & 11, Jones came across, steadying himself with an ice-axe, & reported "Alls well." In desperation they had started to "dig out" their tent it was now so cramped dirty and wet. By digging out interior & throwing snow out the tent-dorm, they get much more room. Can dig outwards under tent sides, as well as a clean surface. But Jones had to stay outside to give room for the others to work - & had not a happy time of it! His appearance was opportune for me, or would have had to go out for biscuits. If this bad weather does not stop soon, we shall have to drain upon the Depot! Is it not terrible? Wind much lighter through the afternoon; drift thick; sun vanished into obscurity ere setting. Wind, as usual, freshening up with the sun set, now blowing a gale again. Not the great overpowering roar of the tempest, but more like the rising & falling cadence heard in the storm at sea of the vessel fighting the great waves that hurls past; and the drift, like spray that comes slashing about it May we have now more such blows as last night!
Barometer today 27.67 to 27.73
Thermometer from plus 11 ° to 15 ° Difficult to keep feet warm.
October 22 Tuesday
Wind strong thro the night & early morning. Late when we turned out others hailed to say that it was 8.30 a.m. while we were having breakfast. Sun showing, & brightened thro. the morning. About noon, took a peep from the little hole by the door blue sky, tho much cloud around, drift thick. Old Chucklehead, half sitting, half crouching in front of the tent, ice & snow covered, the picture of dejection. Poor brutes, they have had a ad time this last 2 weeks 13 days of continous wind, storm, & drift! And this the middle of Spring, with apple trees all in bloom in Tasmania I well remember the 22nd of Oct. , "Lang syne" in Melbourne, & Mentone Oh how different to this. Wind falling, had a look from the door after dinner. Still plenty of drift, but bright & hopeful. If we have any luck we may reach the floe tonight. ([indecipherable])
Did not clear up as we hoped, but the wind fell to a very moderate breeze; & the drift low. Morton had a look out & went over to the other tent for a minute. Then I put on my berberries as we wanted "tucker". Found that it was not "half bad" outside. Wind sharp, but bearable. Drift not smothering. Could both walk & see distinctly. In the other tent they have dug down to the neve & set tent lower, so cannot catch as much wind as before. They handed out pemmican, &c, but I did not see inside. Fed dogs. Poor brutes, they seemed glad to see a living creature again ice laden & shaggy, didnt look happy Switzerland especially, looked bad. This wind & drift evidently reaches the lowlands; for the floe and glacier beneath indistinct; the line of bergs, & points, showing out sharply; & very noticeable was the open water to the N.W., showing a dark strip in which bergs could be seen with the naked eye. It seemed to me wider, as if much more floe had broken out there during this gale. To the W., the large object that I thought was a nunatak (when seen the first evening here) showed very dark & sharp, where all the rest was hazy. I have no doubt now that it is a huge rock as Is., & that there is a smaller one inside it. Had we had luck, might have got round to it, with the Depot. Sky cloudy, but all broken fleecy clouds, not the wild streaming cirrus. We could have travelled, but Jones did not think that it was worth while; & I do not suppose that it was. Would have got everything covered with drift. After getting ice from the crevasse-edge, back to the sleeping bag; & sat reading & writing. Enjoyed the time outside. Second time that I have been out in the 13 days - ! Its terrible, 13 days shut up here, but we have good hopes of getting away in the morning. Wind still light; Sky thick to the West, but not "dirty-looking" Snowing chief danger.
Barometer rising steadily, very steadily; 27.86 93-97
Thermometer plus 17 ° - rather high. May mean snow -
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October 23 Wednesday
Awakened last night by right foot getting deadly cold all the rest of me warm & comfortable. Some time getting it warmed up; & then difficulty getting to sleep again. Wind fresh; but moon shining brightly. Gorge hailed at 4 a.m. I awoke & turned out rather unwillingly; for it did not appear to be a morning for travelling Wind strong and looked like falling snow. After breakfast Jones came across in a whirl of drift; could not see further than the first line of crevasses. So we had to contain our souls in patience, & hope that it would moderate; as the sky overhead was blue not thick. But the wind increased, though the sun shone brightly. Dovers came across later, having turned out to do something to their tent, the front of his helmet laden with ice. From before noon, on, very thick & blowing a gale; roaring wind & wildly threshing tent, as it has been most of the last fortnight. Terrible! Are we ever to get off this God-forsaken Ice-Cap! All the afternoon it raged on roaring rattling flapping stinging drift hurled against the tent. The sun getting more than "obscured" at setting; so that it really looks worse tonight than it did last night. The only hopeful sign, the barometer has not gone back much, & tonight, has gone up 2 points. But this of course may mean snow, as the sky is so thick. Spent most of the day reading "Victoria". Read it a few months back but fortunately its a book you can read twice right off; & I have appreciated it the more this second reading than the first time, if the interest not so keen. Must read more of Merediths novels when I get the chance.
Very fortunately our tent keeps dry; only 2 small patches of wet on my bag where hips & shoulders lay. This very hard snow is splendid that way - & as we took the precaution of roughening the surface where the tent holds all right despite such a hard smooth surface. We have been fortunate indeed since repitching; have had room, plenty of clean snow. By the by, Morton & I agreed that when neither of us was cook to the party & were shut up by ourselves, that we would cook "blizzard about." Morton hasnt scored this time! Will "except on the Ice-Cap" in such agreements in future! And have not held steadily to this one I have been cooking the last week as Moyes had a week of cooking for all the party. And its nothing to cook for 2 of us.
Bar. today 28.00; 27° 94.27.96. Thermometer plus 17deg; to 21 °
October 24 Thursday
"The wind bloweth where it listeth" - and it has listeth for the last 15 days. All night, all to-day, the same steady strong breeze; the same laboured roaring; the same flap & roll of the tent; the same stinging, rain-like, spray like drift, that you can see through the thin worn tent sides, as waves of smoke parting on either side and flying past. Had a good night. Up early, breakfast over by about 6.30 am. Then the sun shone over the banking clouds of the horizon. Peeping thro. the valve, could see that it was all cloudy, but thin. About 11 a.m., I put on berberries, and went forth to revictual our little fortress. Sun shining with some strenght; banks of cloud all around horizon; overhead smeary with cirrus not too god. Drift fairly thick, altho could see way about. Crossed to other tent & spoke with other party. Suggested that as we had plenty of plasmon biscuits we could go "half rations" on the other things, & so save tucker; but Jones did not think it advisable I then worked up to the sledge & filled bags with biscuits from the box not the easiest of jobs; the wet drift whirling up and plastering face with snow, stinging the eyes box filled with snow, out of which I had to grub the biscuits and get them into a wildly flying bag held in the other hand. And all this with thick dog-skin mits on to say nothing of having to chase one bag when it got away from one - & lucky to get it again. Passed biscuits - & other things required into other tent And grubbed out biscuits from the other snow-filled tin for the dogs with an ice-axe. The wretched animals looked miserable enough poor brutes. Chucklehead & Switz hanging hungrily around, trying to get at biscuits. Zip, as usual, coiled down & partly covered with snow. Every box on the sledge filled with snow that has some how driven in under the covers. Then to the Depot, and lugged the bag (2 weeks tucker) over to our tent. There took out one weeks, & shared out chocolate & sugar, that other party was out of and replaced bag with other weeks food in Depot again, & passed share of provisions into other tent. Progress on the smooth windswept snow between the 2 tents, with that bag, was like as to a stout & feeble old woman, burdened with a big market basket. But I got across without a fall. Then to the nearest crevasse edge pushing snow off; but thanks to the high temperature, not with the usual aching fingers. They have excavated the floor of other tent, some 2 ft - & lowered pitch. Gives them more room & no fear of blowing away. Banked up around solidly with snow only risk now is splitting. We speculate upon whereabouts of Wilds party. Hope that they are not far back on the Ice-Cap, or they are likely to have a bad time but there is the Depot there; if they can find it. Sun shone only near setting tonight but blowing a gale now - Barometer unsteady but rising now 27.84, 27.71, 27.80. Thermometer in tent, from plus 21 ° to 17 °ope that they are HopeH
ow l=ope it will be in fiHop
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October 25 Friday
Wind strong thro the night, a moderate gale at day break. Sun rose brightly, & wind fell to a strong breeze by 8 a.m.; when we turned out, & had breakfast. Thro. the morning fell to a fresh breeze, but drift thick. Our hopes rose, for the barometer was going up steadily, & we thought that we might get to the floe in the afternoon. But alas! wind fell no more & day thickened over; to our great disappointment Day after day shut up in this little tent; just room to lay at lenght, at the widest part; each way; and just room for, say, three men to stand erect in, if they pressed together. With one side bellying in with the wind, the opposite out blown Only about 3 ft by 4 half way up. We are now with our feet to the wind, lying side by side; on each side, at the widest part are provisions cooker clothes. In a hole from which I have dug snow for cooking, the primus is stowed, in another, the bags of "tucker". Its a queer little five sided place, running up to a point overhead; that, sitting in the middle of, you can touch with the spread arms the sides to windward & to leeward almost the sides on either hand! Roll back my bag, sit on it, turn back the tent cloth over my knees, & cook on the snow floor, so keep the tent cloth clean of slops. Meal over, things are put away & tent cloth spread again and having so much stowed "underground" makes the tent look clear and roomy, sleeping bags are unrolled & we sit in them to keep warm. Morton smokes his pipe. If our feet are cold, we stand up & "tramp" without moving from the same spot. Moyes has had nothing to do for days, except lay in his bag. Thanks to "Victoria", I have been interested the last 2 or 3 days , but I am on the last chapter now. Went over my sleeping bag yesterday and effected repairs. This afternoon Hoadley paid us a visit, & stayed half an hour chatting. They were dreadfully sick of it too. Speculating upon where Wild and party were. One advantage, be they beyond the Depot, or between it & the hut, they would have the wind at their backs & could travel some of these bad days, if out of tucker but finding a Depot in this weather! Of course they may be at the hut. Hope that they are. Also talking of the glacier below us. Hoadley of opinion that its a succession of valley glaciers flowing from the valleys of the land here seems possible. In the far distance, near the point, it looks to me to run out, or cease, or at least to be more solidified. Sky now showing break in the clouds. Drift very thick. Wind still stiff; but contrary to rule so far, is dropping towards sunset. Have been trying to see thro tent so thin has it flapped! Sun shining brightly between clouds, sky fairly broken & clearing does not look bad. Barometer to-day 27.94 to 28.10. Temp. from plus 6 ° early this morning, to plus 17 ° Although most promising outlook to-night that we have yet had! 16th day here. To-day is the anniversary of my marriage. This day 12 years ago I little thought I should be encamped on an Antarctic Ice Cap & Carrie thousands of miles away! Morton drank (in cocoa) to many happy returns of the anniversary.
October 26 Saturday
Did not sleep well thro. the night. Called at 4.30 a.m. & awoke with a slight headache. Fresh little breeze blowing, & a thick drift, but low. Sun bright. Undecided what to do could travel but if the wind freshened?? I lay down again, - & we waited. About 8 a.m. Jones decided to risk it, - & as we were all of the same mind. bit of work getting the tents down the snow on the flaps, & the flaps themselves stuck & solidified. About 9.30, or a little after, started. Strong breeze & smoke of drift about waist-high, sky clear, sun warm & bright, distant floe, glacier, & distinctly visible so no fear of loosing way. All that broken glacier, like a relief map in [indecipherable] & the rocks on the W. horizon. Looked a larger extent of open water, as if floe had gone out this blow. Provisions tents & luggage of the 2 parties packed on the one sledge, making a "high" pack, but not so heavy. Our traces lenghtened & dogs fastened on short traces behind us. I sent to lead, while Jones & Dovers fastened on to rear part of sledge to brake. Sastrugi rough very hard & almost as slippery as the neve; so, with the strong breeze ever blowing us down hill, & the jerks on the traces, - most difficult to keep our feet, & all falling continually. We kept on a higher level, to make sure of not getting on that shoulder of neve. Crossing several crevasses, which I took at "right angles" and none broke under us. Reached shoulder of hill, well above the neve slope; but presently I saw a neve slope ahead thro. the drift so we turned sledge straight down-hill, & with all of us hanging on to try & check her, ran down the steep hillside at a great pace, into the hollow, up which we came a fortnight before. Thence along to the little point, avoiding the last neve slope close to leeward & many falls just before, found meter had fallen off. I went back with Jones a Ό of a mile for it - & could not see sledge for drift, although better there. Had strain groin - & gave me some pain. Jones & Moyes found a good slope down which we eased the sledge without unloading, by driving Jones & my ice-axe into the snow, & taking a turn of the Alpine rope; Cleared the Ice-Cap just after 1 p.m. Jones expressed our sentiments, when at the foot of the slope he said "I meant to spit upon that land!" Over the clean swept floe, we went (saw 3 seals) & camped for dinner amongst drift-ice near our depot of seal meat. Glorious there! warm & bright no drift. Found depot a biscuit tin of solidly frozen meat - & found it heavy. Knocked a hole thro each side of top of tin, put my ice-axe thro, & so carried it to sledge that Moyes brought to meet us. Loaded and away at 3.20 p.m. Floe hard swept - & good going. We kept steadily on, my leg paining me. Saw many penguin tracks all leading to-wards Junction Corner. Decided I would go to Corner at first chance & see what they were doing there. When off bergs at Corner, saw 2 penguins hurrying down to intercept us, We did not wait but passed on regardless of their reproachful "honks". Took them to be Adelies first we have seen this year. Pushed on, tired & foot-sore, feeling trip after laying in bags for more than 2 weeks. Dogs very interested, snuffing breeze. ad sgtrain groin - & gave me some painave been trying to see thro tent so thin has it flapped! Sun shining brightly between clouds, sky fairly broken & clearin oHPresently "Swiss" turned right round 16 Adelies were hurrying down in a long string, It was about 7 p.m., so Jones gave words to stop. Off with food bag, & shared biscuits, chocolate & sugar all round. The Adelies came down at about 2 to 3 miles an hour, & Dovers went to meet them & knocked 3 over Others hurried off towards N.W. One of the birds was cut up & given to the dogs "Ammundson" trembling with eagerness as he watched. They deserved it they had worked well, & had got very stiff & I had difficulty keeping up. Very footsore too. Hoadley very tired too, & all knocked up with the long days march. Presently noticed 2 penguins out on floe - & vaguely wondered why they had seperated from others. Another of the fellows remarked that they must be Emperors by their size then presently some one called out "They are men!" We looked true enough, they had legs! & I spotted the tent, a wee speck. [This will show how difficult to estimate distance here]I suggested we go out & camp with our comrades but Jones said the hut for him. Wild & Ken it was. We met them & briefly exchanged news. Said Andy was coolling "hoosh" for us. But W. party would not stop & their bag was wet &c. - & eager, as usual for comforts of hut. Wild sensibly decided to remain where he was. So on we went, to do over 8 miles. & and sun just set. My leg worked much better, - but oh such a weary tramp, until we reached foot of slope leaving sledge, 5 dead-tired, footsore men, crawled into hut at mid-night, after doing just on 28 miles. Got a fire going attacked tinned fruit raisins, tea, some had porridge, - I made a mug of cocoa & boiling milk. Banked fire & all into bunk Oh so tired! Undressed, & between blankets after 30 days of the bag!
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October 27 Sunday
Woke before 6 a.m. Saw Dovers hobbling across room, doubled up & bent kneed. I turned out feeling much the same! had a light "smack" of soda biscuits & marmalade, cold plum pudding, preserved lemon peel & raisins; & a big drink of water. Then back to bunk again Others hobbled out for a "snack" - & back. But every time I dozed off, I seemed to feel my feet flying from under me again, on that sideling wind-swept glazed sastrugi it was past 9 before I got to sleep. About 11 a.m., a shout, - & there was Wild & his party in the middle of the room, looking round on the shrouded forms. Wasnt there a chatting & comparing of notes! He had left on the Sunday after we left (Sept. 29th) travelled 28 miles, getting 1000 feet above the glacier then, as the weather continued so bad, & hampered so much by soft snow, he turned back, fortunately reaching the hut just before this last terrible bout of bad weather. Curiously enough, he passed off the Ice-Cap on the 7th; while we, only about 10 or 15 miles away, & at the Ice-Caps edge too, were shut up all day. One day, on the land there, they came upon a great crevasse, the lid of which had just fallen in for about 150 ft. leaving an arch across 100 ft on one side arch 60 on the other, & varying from 30 to 50 ft broad; - had apparently just fallen. It was "drifting" yet all around was swept clear of snow, & pieces of ice thrown out by the out-rush of air when it fell in. Yet not a trace on the surface was there, to show that a crevasse ran along there! There are evidently hidden dangers in this land, tho we are beginning to regard them lightly. They had started soon as weather cleared, to look for us over due - & astonished enough to meet us fat & jolly, instead of dragging along half starved "You have done us out of a good photo!" They set to work & got lunch ready, I turned out, then Morton & Hoadley, gave a hand. Enjoyed penguin breast & bacon fried, & a mug of hot coffee I brewed for myself. We all went down then, with the dogs, & dragged the 2 sledges up; - a fine long smooth snow slope leading to the cliff top. Unloaded one sledge while Wild & party got ice. Glorious day so warm, it was a pleasure to be outside! Chatting with Wild over trip Offered to go with the 3 dogs & help him out to the Depot (Hippo Rock) He seemed pleased. Said it would be a great help; & that I could be trusted to get back again all right. They are to started day after to-morrow if fine. So I brought my bag in to dry but she is in good order except for ice in hair at the foot. Had afternoon tea, then Wild, Andy, Ken, & I went with our ski to the long slope they got grand runs I roughly measured one of Wilds 175 yds! It was a bit "sideling", & I couldnt manage it! Out of practice, tired, & had not the boots on Soon gave it up & basked in the sun, watching them. Great slopes running out like drifts several falls of cliff & cornices regretted much that I had not taken my sketch book instead of ski All round hut, by-the- bye much as we left it. Ice has thawed out of ceiling & drips mostly over only now from snow getting under rubberised. My things appear right. Hoadley roasted penguin & heated vegetables, & with soup & peas, we enjoyed dinner No service tonight all talking & arranging about trips. - & Wild too hoarse with shouting to us last night. Every one very tired & stiff Jones & Dovers look especially tired & most of the day in their bunks.
October 28 Monday
Been a busy day with me preparing for leaving tomorrow Day fine, tho. unsettled, "Water clouds" banked along N, ending over open sea. Cirrus, & a fine wide halo, this morning, but no parhelion Bar., falling yesterday, rising today, from 28.50 to 28 70. So some doubt about getting away tomorrow. After breakfast, we brought up a load of ice. The others took the sledge over with the dogs, - I followed & was struck by the difference in them. The ice-coated [indecipherable] brutes were clean and jolly (ice got rid of somewhat at the expense of the long hair!) round as barrels; jumping about greeting me with their odd little howls Wild hanging on to the sledge to prevent them bolting! They are willing workers, & really seem to like the journeying. Then Wild & I got a sledge & choose an Australian made one. Dont like them as well as the Norwegian they are lower in the bows - & therefore wont take the Sastrugi as well, - & look "squat", down of nose & tail besides the others They are not finished as well, - the runners even show the circular saw marks! Still she had the straps on all ready so we will give the eucalypt a trial. I put an "instrument box" on; primus, & a little saucepan, &c, there in. Then set up tent & spent a couple of hours patching. Found our tent in much better order than the others, altho an older tent. So warm was it, I was able to sit on the lee of the tent & sew outside! While the floor-cloth, hung over the sunny side of a pile of boxes, dried splendidly, - & now quite clean. Tent also dried a lot. Out of the wind, ther. rose over freezing point, while in the sun light. Wild got my provisions, oil &c ready. Some joking & interest over the "Supporting party of one!" "The supporting partys grub for 4 weeks!" laughed Wild, as he threw down the bag little more, of course, than one weeks tucker for the others. "Wish 3 could go on as little." said Jones, thinking of their heavy drag over those hills! The Eastern party would have had a heavy drag too, about 270 lbs per man, but another man & the dogs should reduce it by half; & if I help them move the Depot from the Hippo to that Channel, save that distance relaying. Wild seems inclined to let me go the whole way - & has put up 4 weeks provisions. I have thought it over, & see no reason why I should not get back safely; bar the accidents, that might happen whether Im with a party or alone, - & will give them a good start on what we hope will be a great journey. There is little biological work to be done here yet. After lunch, others went to that slope, ski-ing. I followed for a couple of hours was tempted to try running but sketched the scene instead; & made an effective little sketch. Then at the preparations again, arranging & finding gear, sewing goggles, mending finskoo, & tent poles, (broken from cap in late blizzard) &c, & &c; All extra gear required for mending primus, tents, dogs harness, &c; as if it was a larger party instead of one. Everyone in high spirits, - laughter, jokes, & snatches of song. Then the whisky & port brought out, & a nip served round - & with it toasts "Sweethearts & wives." "The Eastern Party" "The Western Party". "The Supporting Party" & finally "The Lone sledger who stays at home."
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October 29 Tuesday
Awoke about 5.30 am, & had a look outside. Immediately I lifted the hatch, a swirl of fine snow drove in. A hasty peep, showed morning thick & snowing. So as the cook was awake, took it upon myself to countermand early breakfast, & we all laid in until nearly 9 a.m. Wild & party then went out & loaded sledge with tucker bags, - but not sleeping, or "kit" bags. Very moderate breeze and temp. mild, but thick & grey with falling snow. Sun visible in a bright haze. I resumed work on the tent for "the Supporting party.", & stitched away most of the day at it; putting on over a doz. patches, where [indecipherable] holes, or a succession of small holes had work thro. Many by the continual succession of flapping for days against the hard snow outside. Being set for so long is more trying to the little tents, as the "rub" against poles &c, is on the one place all the time. Jones is taking a spare tent, - that is, one not used before, & has spent the day stitching too, streghtening the cap, &c. Watson, Dovers Hoadley also sewing private gear, letting pieces into sleeping bags, &c (Jones old bag cut up for patches) Moyes & Hoadley cooking. After lunch, Wild reported that it was not too bad, so all but Jones & Moyes went out with ski. Jones foot bad, & he does not look well. Dont believe in these long forced marches merely to get home! Found it thick & fresh breeze, & got worse until we could see little further than end of slope - & nothing distinctly. Soft snow in places. Wind almost blew us to cliff-edge. I ran from about Ό way down the slope could not manage the top bit. There the "sideling" was steeper than the down slope & I "skittered" sideways. Falls very plentiful. Wild Watson & Dovers tried from the glacier-edge, down and carving crescent shaped. Former 2 successful sometimes, but occasionally the whole 3 would come down in succession, in clouds of soft snow! Got so thick & cold that we came back & afternoon tea with hot scones & fancy biscuits. Then stitching until dinner at 6.30 pm. Morton cooked, & gave us roast seal, spinnach, peas, carrots; Maccaroni pudding, rasins, almonds, & Brazilian nuts. They sat talking until 8.20 Then game bridge I stitched again (heartily sick of the needle) & made a bag to take my sketch book & crayons in, out of part of an old Macintosh that Wild kindly gave me. Vile stuff to sew, - & before I got it made, & sketching gear fixed up found it was mid-night. No night watch kept now, fire banked. Quite warm. Not much chance of starting tomorrow. Hear wind & snow; & bar. after keeping steady at 28.70 has fallen to 22.45 in last 12 hours. Hope for gale to blow away soft snow. Am not sorry for the extra day or two, as feet very sore yet & sinews of leg from knees down, very tender. And gear &c was not in good order for another long trip
October 30 Wednesday
Called early. Morning fine, tho barometer still low. Turned out a little after 6 a.m. to pack bag (altho had not got to bed until after 1 a.m.) Put away in tin case photos of Carrie and the children; diary, note-books the "treasures" I had got out on return from West. Good breakfast of seals liver, bacon & gravy. Loaded sledge. Jones took photos of group & depart teams Eastern Party Wild, Watson, Kennedy "Supporting party," Harrison & the 3 dogs! Beautiful bright morning, necessitating goggles. Light wind, well Southerly. Surface "only middling" would have been splendid but for the snowfall yesterday, spreading patches & drifts of soft snow, looking just like sand left by a river - & hard to drag thus
"God be with you till we meet again." on the gramaphone. A last smoke together, hands shaken, good wishes all round; & we left amid "three cheers for the Eastern Party!" then "three more for the lone sledger!" which we returned. Out on the White Waste the limitless line of the Glacier before us. Wild on his long journey, hoping to do 500 miles before turning back. I hoping to accompany them for the first 100. Left hut about 10.30 a.m. Would have been a hard pull, but for the supporting party & the dogs. for the "Eucalypt", in addition to my food & baggage (& dogs biscuits) is carrying 165 lbs of the other partys food. Made good progress. Wild in lead. I with dogs. Lunch at 1 p.m., then on with Ken in lead. Wind died away, & it was quite hot! We took off berberry blouse, then sweater, finally berberry trousers, & walked in our underwear; yet could sit down in "spell oh" without feeling cold. All marched that way until 5 p.m. Temp. in shade at the highest only plus 21 °. Andy with dogs latter part of afternoon, Wild & I, pulling together & chatting over trip. He said it was a "jolly good idea of mine coming he would never have thought of asking one man to come on a trip like this." We did 11 miles, 90 yds late as our start was, before 6 p.m. I set up my tent single handed without any difficulty, but no breeze. Thats the one trouble If I can set up tent in moderate breeze theres no reason why I should not go the 100 miles - & I have schemes for setting her up! Enjoyed hoosh. The three drew for cooking - & it fell to Andy Wild sharing my tent, so only 2, plenty of room.
Course, N. 166 E, Distance, 11 miles, 90 yds.
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October 31 Thursday
Night cold; temp. probably down to minus 20 °. Was only minus 1 ° at breakfast time, when the sun had been up for 2 hours. Felt the cold in the night, so rolled bag over with flap beneath me, & slept well. Glorious morning. Not a cloud, except a wee bit cumulus over the open water in the West. We did not get away until 8.35 a.m. & "going" not too good then, owing to the patches of soft snow over the surface. Very smooth too, no sastrugi to speak of, & that does not improve the dragging. We are following close to route of previous trip, keeping a little nearer the land. Distant hills, with their ice-falls plainly visible on the one hand; Harrisson Is. & the falls there on the other both far head yet. Were soon stripped to underwear. I wearing only combinations (thin woollen) singlet & pyjama trousers plenty warm enough except after the "smoke oh", sitting down. After dinner, "going" worse, patches of snow scattered so thickly we could not avoid them dragging hard. Were very warm too, altho highest temp. only plus 18 °. By noon, 8 miles on meter. When we stopped for night 15 miles 100 yds good progress, & with such a surface, Enjoyed dinner & now to the good old sleeping bag. Its drifting on hills. Expect a blizzard after 2 such days
Temp. at 6 pm, minus 2 ° Bar. rising, 29.76.
Bearings at noon magnetic
Harrisson Is. W.fall S.E. by E
Land White fall SSW ½ S
" " W. fall SW by W ½ W
Distance from hut, 19 miles 140 yds
Evening
Harrisson Is. W. fall E. by S ½ E.
Land White fall Watson Nunatuk S by W ½ S
Distance from hut 25 miles
Course for day, N. 177 ° E. Mean Course, N. 171 ° E., (magnetic.) Compass variation 66 ° W.)
November 1 Friday
Another cold night, temp. probably going below minus 20 °, for when we turned out to breakfast it was minus 13 deg; I slept well only half awaking to turn bag over to shut out all the draught. When we turned out, was rather windy looking, a quantity of smeary cirrus, "Noah Ark", & some mirage. Later in the day a very fine halo round the sun, a bright ring covering that quarter of the heavens, its inner edge tinged with reddish- yellow- not bright or marked. The sun, in the centre, only a dull shapeless blaze of whitish light all the rest, sky, glacier, & Harrison Is, soft, smeary, colourless. This ring lasted most of the day, but parhelion only showed late in afternoon, & then not very distinct. After clearing ice of runners, we trudged on, drawing up with the Is. but nearer Watsons nunataks (sighted yesterday morning) The nunatak or rather the mirage, played strange tricks! The smaller nunatak kept a watch on us all day; it would pop up suddenly, see us - & down it would go. During "Smoke Oh" we were all sitting on other side of sledge. I got up: little nunatak showing plainly but instantly vanished upon catching sight of me! The larger looks like a mass of rock cropping out of an immense snow bank. "New Is." (Beta) sighted last night, plainly visible. Also W point of the "Bay of the Winds" Towards this we are making, hoping to get a better surface under the land, & miss very rough sastrugi encountered last time. Going bad to-day. Dragging heavy. Not only is surface smeary with patches of soft snow, but old surface is smoother than I have ever seen it before; so that runners bear on their whole lenght, getting max of friction. All fagged at noon-day, & welcomed a big mug of tea. In last part of afternoon, going improved but we only made 13 miles 250 yds; and all tired at that. Encamped near a great "billow" or "young Island", crossed in the drift last time when the sledge ran away with us on its neve top. It will make a good mark for me to take a "departure" from, to recross this bare 40 miles of glacier by compass, when returning alone. Bar. fell 1/10 to-day, & night not looking too good, but didnt bring in cooking gear, as it looked possibly may not come to anything. Rather cold today, with a thin little wind temp. ranging from minus 13 ° to plus 14 ° Very still tonight Ken my tent-mate to-day.
Noon bearings Magnetic
Watsons Nunatack (large) N. 241 E.
Harrisson Is falls ([indecipherable]) N 99 Ύ E.
Harrisson Is West end N 68 E
Distance from hut, 35 miles.
"Billow" or Small Is., bearing from hut, N 171 ° E mag.
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November 2 Saturday
Another quiet night. Last three nights have been so still & peaceful not a sound! In such contrast to the wild uproar of the two previous weeks on that damned Ice-Cap. As it was cloudy, a warm night; no need to turn over the sleeping bag. Morning like unto the previous night, dull and misty looking, but not "dirty." Harnessed up and away about 8.15 a.m., surface improving thank Goodness! Dragged past the mound, or "Young Island," at about 41 miles from the hut, and headed for the west point of the "Bay of the Winds".
We started without berberries, and at the first halt sweaters came off. We pulled in underwear and thin hoods. Wore goggles, as on three previous days, for the "bad light" was trying altho no glare. Sky thickened, and a little snow fell, tiny crystals so small it would require a magnifying glass to show their beauty. Little to be seen: the 2 islands showing indistinctly, but the Ice-Cap shows to advantage on days like these, for the great neve slopes show a dull grey-green amongst the snow. The land comes up steeply here, and the hill-side thickly strewn with neve patches. Lost sight of Watsons Nunataks during the morning. Made such good progress that when we stopped at 1 p.m. we had 9 miles on the meter. How we enjoyed the biscuits, chocolate, and above all, a pint and a half of tea, honey flavoured with plasmon powder. I in the lead thro the afternoon. Made good progress tho the light so bad could not clearly see sastrugi at my feet. Ice-Cap grey marked with neve; Sky and glacier of the same shade and colour; New Is. (Beta) just a white phantom between. But the going good, and we "made the pace." Then, during a "spell," a sudden bitter little wind sprung up there was a rush for clothes On went sweaters, berberry trousers, thick hood, armlets, mits and the others put on berberry blouse. Such a difference a little breeze makes here! Wind did not increase, but the weather got thicker and it commence snowing. All around was blotted out, only the nearest neve slopes on the point we were passing, visible. Mr Wild thought it advisable to camp, but we only wanted 300 yes of 15 miles, so we went on that distance. Then as the wind died down, kept on, steering by sastrugi, dimly seen point, &c, until we had 16 miles to our credit. Then felt round for a smooth place to camp. Snow very hard! Didnt I enjoy the pint and a half of cocoa! Very dry! Fellows complaining of their faces being badly sunburnt & smarting even Mr Wild! Could feel mine a little. Temp up to plus 28 ° Bar. 29.03 gone up. Expect snow, so brought a primus, good bag, &c Sang "Sweethearts & wives." Distance from hut 55 miles.
November 3 Sunday
Good breeze at times thro the night, and enough drift to fill holes snow had been dug from. Dogs pretty white. Morning like previous day, thick, hazy; fresh breeze. Bar. risen slightly. Waited awhile after breakfast, then as wind had not increased got under way. We had passed the point yesterday evening, and camped between 2 long ridges sweeping down from the Ice-Cap, and merging into the Glacier. Fields of neve along land. One very large slope just above us. Island dimly visible. Land ahead plainly visible. Too smooth for good going, and soft snow. Rising out of the hollow, sighted the "Alligator" nunatak in the "Bay of the Winds", and soon after, cliffs of the Avalanche and more distant outcrops. Then saw a moving black object which proved to be a skua. It came from the direction of the "Hippo". Flew close by, continuing its way to the W. Shortly after we sighted the "Hippo" a speck on the E. horizon. Hope to get a few eggs on these rocks. Sky cleared somewhat, but the sun shone thro in thin haze, with a magnificent halo 20 to 30 degrees diameter, sharp and distinct. Inner edge orange tinted. Sun in the centre, a large silver-rayed blaze. All to the southward thick and threatening. Breeze cold, only shed berberry blouse. I had the dogs, latter part of the morning. They have a fair load, but drag it well. "Chucklehead" is an awful old fool, but works hard. The three work well and willingly. After 300 miles of gravelling, it has dawned on Chuckles that hard snow is easier to drag on than the soft, & he has been trying to avoid the drifts. He has also learned that he is not to get mixed up with the other team, and now goes to the opposite extreme of dragging too wide. Have been trying to teach him the "come here", & "go back" as horses are guided but without success. Got away before 9 am, before 1 pm had 7 1/3 miles on the meter. Breeze coming up fresh, with drift, Wild called "halt" camped had dinner. How dry we were! We often remark on what we had dinner. How dry we were! We often remark on what we would give for a "long shandy" or glass of ale - & when I get back to civilization, am sure I will appreciate such drinks more than hitherto. After lunch, it looked so windy, our Leader decided to have the other tent up, - so pitched it in a hurry & everything inside. Thick haze of drift to-windward. Could see a grey smoke of it shooting up over the "Alligator", perhaps 800 ft into the air. Made all secure & into our bags. Glad of the rest, for I was tired & footsore rest will do the dogs good too. Mended finskoo, & talked over plans for future with Mr Wild. Decided (if I find no difficulty in getting back) that I am to leave again in 10 weeks, with the dogs & 6 weeks provisions to meet party upon their return, so that in event of their requesting assistance, I would be at hand as a relief party. Moderate breeze but considerable drift thro afternoon. Across to other tent for tea. Half a gale now.
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November 4 Monday
Comfortable warm night, did not wake until late. Wind strong, half a gale; thick. I started my primus and little aliminium pot, and cooked "hoosh" for the two of us. Wild then went out for a look round. Very thick, could not see any distance, both snowing and drifting. He fed the dog, dug the snow away from the door of both [indecipherable] tents, and brought in the shovel to prevent door from coming in again. Wind increased to a gale thro. the day. before evening a regular "blizzard", blowing snowing, drifting. This is truly the "The Bay of the Winds," each time we have passed, have had a blow out of it. Our tent knocking about a lot, having stretched much in the previous gales, the thawing of snow on her, and the drying. I spent the most of the day, mending my old berberry blouse, one of the jobs I did not get time to do at the hut. I had finished mending the tent during two of our mid-day halt. Wild read a bit, smoking and sleeping. This stop has given me the rest I was feeling in need of, for the previous 4 ½ days have been fairly strenous, following on the hard weeks end. We have done good travelling 62 miles in 2 hrs over the 4 days, and not a good surface to a drag a fair load over. Dogs too seemed in need of a rest. Now we are anxious to get on, and hope for a fine day tomorrow. Another day and a half should see us at the "Hippo", Have not yet had a chance of trying my scheme of setting up tent in a breeze. If it does not work, I am not likely to have too good a time going back!
Wind a little lighter now. Barometer steady most of the day t 28.92, now inclined to rise.
Thermometer at plus 19 ° through the day.
Mean course from mound to hut, 9 ° W. of N., Magnetic
October 5 Tuesday -Cup Day
Wind went down thro the night, morning calm, dull, rather thick. We went across to the other tent for breakfast; then packed up loaded the sledges. A considerable quantity of snow had fallen tents drifted up, and the shovel to which "Switzerland" was tied, buried almost to the handle. We found, upon starting that the dragging was hard, quantities of soft drift strewn across on path. Bar. rising fast too fast. Temp about 24 ° & the light snow setting over dark dry baggage on the sledge. Cold little wind came up thro the morning, & low drift flying. Dried our floor cloth over the sledge. 30 lbs of "grub" have now been taken off the dog-sledge for use, making a great difference; and dogs manage their load with more ease. We were now approaching the "Alligator". And I saw a bird flying over the glacier; but could not tell species, like a skua. It was so thick & breeze fresh, that we scarcely hoped to get the afternoon in. But the wind dropped while we were at lunch. Light very bad, & made my eyes ache altho I wore goggles. In another couple of hrs, we were off the end of the "Alligator", & soon saw down the other side. About 1 or 2 miles off not as fine as "Hippo." hasnt as great a bergschrund. One side as high again as other, great ditch cut out along one side, must be of 250 to 400 feet high; presenting almost a wall side to the E. a great razor backed buttress when of the end. Surface crevassed; we passed over several: slipped into one, rapping my knees against the edge. Surface got a little harder, going better. Wind died down, & we took off berberry blouses. Through the afternoon we passed over 2 or 3 lines of neve and ice. showing thro the snow, in places heaped up and broken; but the crevasses mostly solid. Now we are encamped just past the point of blue-green-grey neve & about 3 miles from the shore (on the eastern side of "The Bay of the Winds". The Avalanche cliffs some 5 or 56 miles ahead; the "Hippo" looming large on the horizon beyond. Shore line inside of us picturesque Three brown rock-outcrops; very broken slopes almost all that soft blue-greenish-grey, ice in broken slopes, falls and in rounded knolls, with the white snow-slopes between. But its too cold, and I too tiered, to sketch it. We have had a solid days work, and all weary. Even the dogs curled up and asleep. Bar. has gone up ½ , (5 points) Night thick. Expect more snow; so have got in primus, pot, the tucker bag ice, &c. Ken my tent companion tonight. So calm where we camped that I was able to throw my tent over the poles single handed. Head aching tonight.
Distance to-day 12 miles.
Distance from hut to off end of Alligator (by our course) 70 miles.
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November 6 Wednesday
Once more encamped under the "Hippo". More than 2 months since we were here it does not seem half that! Morning finer, but a cold breeze. Bar. falling fast. We got away in good time, dragging along parallel to the shore, but 2 miles or more off. Point near the Alligator looked well, sloping somewhat steeply down; white snow and great masses of blue ice, seemed, cracked & broken, looking at this distance as if ten thousand rills of water had been cutting it into tiny channels. As we neared the Avalanche Cliffs, saw a fall smoking over the cliffs "What a damned place to camp!" ejaculated Mr Wild. Dragging heavy. Large spaces of neve, but between soft smooth snow. So it was steady plodding came up with a large rock on the glacier, about 5 feet each way, being carried out from the land on the ice. Dogs rushed for it, but lost interest when they found it was not eatable. Midday meal there then on again; leaving behind the beautiful treacherous cliffs as beautiful as ever with its rough soft blue grey, mantled with purest white snow slopes. Passed over many rounded icy ridges, but on the whole hard dragging. Shore along here very fine, generally blue ice, very broken, high & steep. Imagine (as in one place) a slope, almost a cliff, going back 700 or 100 feet. This subsiding bodily (not falling gradually coming in mighty blocks & squares; - rifted, cracked, tilted; - piled there so [indecipherable] with deep cracks, as if it might any minute fall headlong! Or in another place, a protruding ridge half snow covered, so deeply and regularly crevassed, that it looked like the back of some gigantic plated [indecipherable] creeping under the snow! & so the coast went along, in shattered masses of blue-grey ice & pure white snow slopes, that show to advantage on these dull days. Heavy soft dragging up a great snow ridge, then we came to neve near the rock point opposite the "Hippo" . Here left my sledge with the load of food; & taking the other with little but the tents & personal gear, made across for the "Hippo". Crossed the great pressure ridge on the land side, cast off the dogs for the run down. The brutes rushed off for the rock, heedless of our calls. Sledges down & then dragged along, looking for "depot." Discover it seven foot snow mound levelled; sledge & flag-bamboo torn out & gone; food bags blown over must have been a terrific gale! Probably the one that levelled our tents under the Avalanche Cliffs, the mound before it had "settled down" & solidified. Mr Wild much put out at the loss of the sledge, as the one will not carry the load; and suggests my going on with them. While putting up tent, a frozen place tore, & I had to spend nearly an hour patching it. Much interested to see a number of birds flying about the "Hippo" & two Snow-Petrels came over the tents. Dogs returned - & got a "belting". Chucklehead had something like yolk of egg smeared over his head. Most glorious evening, calm; West glowing with yellow & pink. East the most beautiful colour I have seen for months sky a dull yellow, clouds red rose to crimson; with the deepest blue purple below. All tired. Distance to-day (to where we left the "Eucalypt") 10 miles 150 yes to "Hippo" 14 miles, 1600 yds. Hut to Avalanche cliffs, 79 to 80 miles.
November 7 Thursday
Wind high thro the night, & "flowing" round the "Hippo", hit our tents hard smacks. In the morning a good stiff breeze but no drift; a little cirrus but beautifully bright sunny. After breakfast we went over to the rock, I taking empty tea tin for eggs. Climbed ledge about half way; looking with binoculars for the lost sledge out on the glacier, but could not see it. Snow petrels mating, but had not laid yet. Beautiful little things, a little larger than pigeons, purest white, black eyes, feet, & beaks, nestling by dozens in the crevices and under the stones; the rock was alive with them & resounded with their cries, while dozens flew around. Would let us catch them but ejected a stream of liquid, like [indecipherable] from a tin of preserved salmon. This was what covered Chuckles head last night. finding no eggs gave up the climb, & went down the bergschrund. Wind strong too stiff for sketching. Very fine there, the ice giving back in shattered masses, pinnacles & buttresses; in places chasms that appeared bottomless! One deserving name of "gorge", perhaps 100 ft across; with towering masses fantastical, beautiful columns & spires; - must have been over 70 ft deep. Andy took photos. Climbed over huge rents, & peeped down blue depths. Then back to the tents & searched for lost sledges. Prodded over what snow there was there with ice-axes, & along crevasses unsuccessfully. Then Wild, Andy & I walked out fan-wise to-leeward for a couple of miles, well into the rough sastrugi Could see nothing but it might be under any of the many drifts that we walked over who can tell? While Moyes prepared the mid-day meal, I sketched nunatak hurried over lunch, & finished sketch. Wind had fallen, but no time to go down & sketch bergschrund, that I desired most to get. Mr Wild did not want to stay another night where such winds blow Bar. had fallen, & a quantity of cirrus streaming up from the W. in a broad-spread fan whose short thick yellowish lower part (the handle of the fan) was dense cirrus, whose spread open upper part contained a vast halo more than 40 ° diameter. A glorious effect, if I could have stopped to sketch it. Andy had been along to the N. of the bergshrund, & reported that it was still grander there! Ken. most of the day at magnetic observations. Packed, & left just before 4 p.m. Sighted "Eucalpyt" as we went over the great pressure ridge in front of the "Hippo" & reached her a little after 45 p.m. Ken & I then dragged sledge along the neve to a snow slope, while Wild, Watson, & the dogs, brought the other. Camped on the foot of the long slope leading down from the ice-cap, near point of brown rock. After dinner, talked over the situation. Mr Wild has decided that I must go on. the chief work assigned to us to do is "scientific exploration by means of long sledging journeys." The party cannot go with the sledge; it could not carry the load nor stand the work it would have to do. I cannot go back in any safety without a sledge. So I am to go on. There is 12 weeks provisions for the 4, with a little pinching with the extra help, they may do as much in the 12, as the 3 men would have done in the 14 weeks. The great trouble is poor Moyes. He will be left alone for the 12 weeks, thinking that I have "gone under" on the return journey. He will have a bad time, & I am concerned for him; but he is a sensible fellow, & should come thro the ordeal. The dogs will have to be killed, as their tucker runs out - & thats the pity. but ill pleased, myself. I came on this trip thinking I would do good work for the Expedition; would have a chance to get a few fine sketches going back; have the 12 weeks for biological work, & painting; ten another "lone trip" to meet these fellows And so do good work independent of the exploring party. But Fate appears too strong, & to have "given me check". The supporting party of one now must merged into the Eastern party, & I will probably have no chance of doing distinctive work. Distance to-day, 4 miles, 1000 ft.
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November 8 Friday
Wind came up fresh about midnight, & strong breeze when we crossed to the other tent for breakfast. Blinding swirl of drift when we put out our heads, & could scarcely see our way for the water in our eyes! After breakfast, put on berberry helmet & fur mits, and passed barometer Thermometer kerosene, ice &c; into other tent; then primus, tucker-bag, ice &c into ours. Fed the dogs, & in, cleaned up & sat in bags. It was a beautiful bright morning, only a few whisps of thin cirrus in the sky, but the thick drift made it cold & unpleasant Glad to see that the sledges behind the tents had collected a great wall of drift so little fear of our tents blowing away. Spent the day mending my armlets, woollen mits, leaving the finger-tips bare, & reaching nearly to the elbows Good things! Mended them with the wrists that Wild had cut off his woollen shirt, making a hem where they were unravelling along the fingers. Brown mits, now, faced with white, but should last longer. Took stock of my kit-bag. Of course, when I left the hut only expected to be away one month instead of 12 weeks. Have only 5 pair of socks to the others 8; but they offer to lend me a pair if necessary. Also only one good pair of finskoo; another pair nearly worn out. But Wild says that he could let me have pair if wanted. Will make them do as long as possible, patching them, - for the boots are cold in snow. How Ill get on for note-books, dont know am writing this small as possible, & short hand does not take the room of ordinary writing.
Blowing about half a gale all day; sun bright, melting snow on tent & water running downwards now tent all frozen on N & W sides. Sun, when setting looked to be obscured. Barometer this morning at 29.42.
We are now camped a mile or two from the great square brown rock-bluff opposite the "Hippo", that forms the Eastern point of the great "Bay of Winds," that must be fully 30 miles across. Hope to get on tomorrow.
November 9 Saturday
Another day of enforced inactivity. Wind slightly stronger than yesterday, & fairly steady all day. Spent the morning doing some more of the mending that I did not get done before leaving the hut. Put a calico waist-band into my pyjama trousers, mended mits, &c. Mr Wild out after food. I also put on berberries about 4 p.m. and went out after biscuits, ice & kerosene. Quantity of cirrus in the sky, especially to the West; but sun bright, drift thick, - not too thick to see way about Not cold. So I went along E. about a mile, climbing the great snow slope leading to the top of the brown rock bluff. Very slippery with the strong wind. Did not get to the bluff but to a rock outcrop this side. Apparently same rock as the Hippo, & about the same height. Hippo plainly in sight about 4 miles away, a great ice billow before ; & a great ice-slope up its S.E. side, as if a huge ocean roller had been frozen motionless, as it burst on the great rocks side! Harrisson & New Islands, & W Point of the "Bay of the Winds" plainly seen. A smoke of white drift driving down the slopes & over the glacier surface. Wind very stiff up there on what would be the cliff edge, while a narrow crack, or line of weakness, marked for the long snow slope ran up flush to it. Returned without getting to the bluff edge, to see what was beyond. The worst part of going out in a drift is the cleaning clothes afterwards! Tent sides towards sun covered with ice, & rattling in the breeze like glass lower part set down with ice. Will have a job with them, when striking tents again.
After dinner, heard Wild singing away, caught snatches of "The Flying Dutchman", & other songs over the noise of wind & tents. Then a verse of "Sweethearts and Wives" God bless them! " I shouted back. Had settled down comfortably when Chuckles dragged out his ice-axe, and rushing round the tent looking for shelter from the drift, sent the point of the axe, dragging behind him, thro the tent, ripping a hole six inches long in the back. Ken held on to axe, while I cursing, put on berberries, went out & fastened him up again & blocked hole with food bag & snow.
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November 10 Sunday
Wind kept up all night; morning bright, sunny. Drift melting on the tents again, & water running down sides & tent poles. We have cooked in this tent all the time; and have had roast biscuit putting them on the stand along side the pot. The heat reduces the brick-like plasmon biscuits to the softness of light bread crust; & we enjoy the change. Wind lighter after noon, & we all turned out & went for a walk to the brown rock bluff, about 1 ½ miles to the E. of our camp. Wearing ski-boots, with spikes in them, could get along all right even in the stiff squally breeze. Up a half mile snow slope that, leading from glacier to cliff edge stretches for miles along the shore, 400 ft high; then on to the neve slopes above, & to the rock outcrop. Schist, gneiss, granite, mica, &c. Much loose debris laying about. Made our way to the high point & had a look round. We were a couple of hundred feet higher than the Hippo, which showed well, with its couple of miles of pressure tailing away to the N wards. It was ahead that we looked with most eagerness. The next snow point hid the channel that we were making for; but the end of the island (Delta) was visible; & the long line of low broken stuff tailing away East, or N.W. This at present, is a mystery to us. Mr Wild, at first, took it to be the edge of the glacier, and the bergs piled up against it. but appears more as if on the glacier - & besides, it would mean that the glacier was narrow at its land end which does not seem probable. No skuas nesting on bluff altho Wild says its the sort of place they like. So inclined to think that whatever that broken line may mean, it means not the edge of the glacier. At our feet, a thin line of moraine ran out from the bluff; while the glacier ice, in places, broken in exact appearance of whirlpools and rapids in a strong current; as well as swelling into billows. Should have neve to drag on for some miles yet. Back to tents, cleaned ourselves, & to tea, with a good appetite. Wind puffy, evening looks finer. Hope for tomorrow.
November 11 Monday
Wind strong & gusty thro the night; stiff in the morning with drift sun shining brightly. We did not turn out until after 8 a.m. disgusted at not getting a fine day. Sewing, studying "Hints to Travellers," &c, thro the morning. Before noon called a number round, to see who would go out to feed dogs. I lost. Wind falling, not bad outside, but the drift smoking past in the squalls. More cirrus over the sky than yesterday, but did not look bad. Bar. gone down 1/10. Early meal (noon) then all turned out. Dogs greeted us with their funny little howls, glad to see us about. All set to work, dug out the sledges, and dragged them clear of the piled drift; emptying boxes of plasmon and dog biscuits, and sorted them out of the snow that had got into the boxes - & its so difficult to keep out the blizzard-driven snow! Arranged loads on the 2 sledges, &c. then stowed the tins of kerosene. No tray for carrying tins on my sledge, but I made a bit of deck with a board from an empty biscuit box; and arranged half a dozen, gallon tins, on that, with the large tin. Other sledge carries 5, gallon tins, on her tray astern. By-the bye, the "Eucalypts" runners appear to be wearing very well. Then we dug out the tents (an hours work), all round the sunny side they were cased in ice; ice inches on the flap. Had to be very careful getting them up, not to cut cloth. As it was just 3 p.m. then, Mr Wild decided not to make a start; so re-pitched his tent; and I took ours inside and repaired rent "Chuckles" made the other night. Wild then sorted out food to be depoted in the Channel to the eastward. As the food bags are all made up for 3 men, the fourth mans "whack" had to be added So we should not be detained long over the depot, when we get there. Sugar in the Hippo depot in bad order. Bag had been blown over snow got inside the big bag, sugar melting. All had dinner together. If we could only get a few fine days now, should have good going on ice along under land here. Two Snow Petrels flew over from the Hippo, and over us. Dogs eye them wistfully!
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November 12 Tuesday
Called about 6 a.m. Morning cloudy, thick, snowing a little. Breeze fresh, sky threatening. Our Leader undecided what to do. Would never do to get caught on those miles of ice, if the wind came at all strong. So morning spent awaiting developments. Just before 11 a.m. sky lightened, & sun shone out faintly. Lunch finished a little after noon (cheese for a change) Packed up and away at 1 p.m. I had the lead. Mr Wild the dogs. To the load we had before, has now been added the 430 lbs taken up at the Hippo. Large sledge that we drag, carries 727 lbs (& weight of sledge 70 lb) The "Eucalypt: weights 60 lbs, & carrying now 500 lbs, so we have a good load to drag. Made good progress on the ice along the shore, but a continual drag that made us all very tired before the long afternoon was over. We passed the great brown rock bluff (that they have named Delay Point) over ice heaped in irregular "billows;" that bothered us somewhat, from the way the sledges slipped to leeward, & "sidled" along bad for the runners. Fine ice pressure waves running off the point, jagged and piled. Came to the moraine running about N.E. A heap of boulders, stones, & pebbles; some 15 yds across 2 or 3 more such heaps beyond. Stopped for specimens, photos, &c. Also delayed by sledge-meter going wrong - & finally did without it. Coast beyond bluff very fine. Great slopes & hills of ice & snow, with occasional ridges & points showing. One place the crest of the rounded hill, all ice-slopes & snow slopes, was shattered & ploughed up a shattered line running down the ridge, & continuing down the slope below to the Glacier sheets of ice & snow - & just a point of rock showing. Further a great rock-cliff, partly hidden by snow slope with the ice flowing over one end of it, in a sheer wall, split & rift, showing beautiful stratification bands of blue ice, & white between. From there, the bold shore ran in a snow bank, almost step enough to be called a cliff, down to the point, rock ended not unlike the "Hippo". Higher & behind this, a terminal pointigher, & behind ippio depot in bad order. Bag had been blown over snow got inside the ad settled down comfortably in my bag, writing this, when Chuckles dragged out his ice-axe, and rushing round the tent looking for shelter rom the, crested with rock; a mighty ridge of ice & snow that ran out far into the Channel, & prevents us seeing what is there seeing even, if the land ahead is really an island. Between 5 & 6 we camped on a patch of snow near the point. And after tea, Mr Wild, Andy & I walked over to the line of pressure running from the point. Afore mentioned ridge hid what was ahead, but we saw, that we could get round the end of the pressure there. Island is not far off, & looks lower than it does from a distance. 3 outcrops, that we thought on its far point, shows now as if in the channel this side of it. Evening very cloudy, but fine looking, altho a few flakes of snow fell. Temp very high, ther. showing 340! & in the shade!! Probably first time above freezing point for last 7 months complaints about the heat! Now I have to mend dog harness. Dogs have had a "field day". Zip first got into trouble with Mr Wild over a pair of socks that he had eaten Then in hot water again for putting his foot thro wheel of sledg[indecipherable] & breaking a spoke. Then "Chuckles" getting the whip, turned on Zip & bit him severely - & later, in sheer bad temper flew at Zip & "downed him." Finally Switz. ate part of his harness an old trick of his while we were having dinner So I have to mend it, confound him! Bar. 29.26. Distance to-day guessed at 9 miles. 2 Snow Petrels flew round us at morning 2 tonight.
November 13 Wednesday
Night still & warm. For the first time slept with my head out of the bag thin hood on, & bag toggled up to chin. How still it was! Not a stir in the air; men & dogs tired & sleeping soundly. Then, in the early hours, the wind sprang up, half asleep, I withdrew head into bag, & propped up end with my sheathe knife, & to sleep again. Wind half a gale in the morning, to our great annoyance. Sky clear, except for a little hard cirrus but windy looking. Breakfast in the other tent about 6.30 a.m. No improvement in the weather, so reluctantly back to our tent. Hard walking against such a breeze, much less dragging a loaded sledge. Little drift as snow hard along here. I got primus & "tuckerbag" in, fed dogs. Zip and Chuckles lying in holes, almost hidden, see shape of dogs only beneath the snow. Devil in the dogs yesterday find Zip had eaten his harness too! Most of the morning repairing that, & my old finskoo, &c. 2 Snow Petrels seen. Afternoon, wind fell somewhat. I was considering going out, when Wild & Watson came along to our tent, & we had a few games of "Whisky Poker: - I, as usual, loosing. Wind but a moderate breeze at 3.30 p.m. Wild debated starting, but the tents were silted deeply & we would get such a short time dragging. Decided better not break a good camp for the sake of 3 or 4 miles. After evening meal, Ken & I for a walk, going a couple of miles out into the channel ahead; crossing many crevasses, some very large & thin-lidded; showing unfathomed depths of blue when we broke thro with the ice-axe. Mostly snow surface rough & hard, heaved up into great "billows" or ridges, their crests broken into pressure waves of ice, with wide crevasses. From the summit of such a pressure ridge, got at last that much desired look "down Channel." What we at first took for a light cloud shaped itself into the sunlit S. point of the island; & well clear, 56 or 60 miles away (?) we saw the land disappearing to the S.E.! The general run of the land, so far, has been roughly, E. & W.; so this change is interesting. Immediately in front of us (S.E. to S.W.) ran the great ice & snow slope, sweeping far back on the one hand, up to the high ice-cap, that looked higher there on the other hand sweeping far out across the Channel. Its probably a huge stream of ice a "glacial feeder;" rocks show thro it in one place its sides, there a steep snow slope hundreds of feet high; but in general, rounded. Over the lower part of this, we saw the distant land; high, regular, as always; a faint bluff of ice could be made out; & the land looked very high. The nature of the surface between could not be seen, but nothing to indicate the glacier ending. We descended from the raised pressure, & followed our footsteps back to the camp Night thickening up; dull heavy "sea clouds" or fog obscuring most of the sky, & wreathing round the height of the ice-cap. the sun setting hazy & yellow. Thick all around, but for a "break" in the S.E. Wind fresh again, & drift flying as we returned. Bar. Good, 29.24. Wish it would give us a few fine days!
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November 14 Thursday
Night warm. Took off a pair of bed-socks & still warm put head out of the bag in the early morning hours, & so slept. Morning dull, cloudy, but did not look very bad. Breeze fresh. Breakfast about 6.30 a.m. & turned out. Mr Wild decided to leave Depot there. So added biscuits to the bag of food already prepared, then dug a hole & buried food bag, with a gallon tin of kerosene, my watch (not wanted now) & a few other things. This will lighten our load by nearly 90 lbs. Food, over 60 lbs; then theres bag they are in, kerosene, bamboo, geological specimens, &c. & empty biscuit tin thrown away. Rubberized bag turned upside down, a large mound of snow built over it; - a short bamboo flying a black flag therein. A record of trips in cigarette tin lashed to the bamboo; lest Moyes should seek this far. but I sincerely hope that he will not attempt a search. Tents took sometime getting them down, iced in again. Then, when we were almost ready to start "Switzerland" ran off, followed by "Chucklehead." Latter came back when called, but "Switz" ran on to look at a small moraine of about a dozen boulders, Ό mile off. Mr Wild went in chase, caught "Switz" at the moraine, - & Switz got the biggest "hiding" he has had since landing. Off we went, round the end of a long line of pressure that comes out from the point, doubled back on it, and up between high pressure we were on last night and the shore. "Light" bad, & little to be seen. Then a mist, & freshening breeze. "Round up, & up with the tent!" said Wild. Within five minutes everything was blotted out! Falling snow, - not the usual tiny star-like crystals but large soft "Tasmanian" flakes, driving thickly and the temperature plus 29 °! I had to mend a rent in the other tent before it was set. How dirty it made us, those great soft flakes melting on our berberries & things! Oh how disgusting! It was a good surface; & we had not done 2 miles Tis exasperating the last few days have been really fine bright sharp weather; weather such as we get scores of days in Tasmania, & able to enjoy it there. But here all drift and ice. Got things into tent; cleaned up; went across to the other for lunch; back, cleaned ourselves, & into bags. So mild, could sit up without mits or hood, reading & a game of cards. Andy my tent mate this week. Ken cook. Snow was deep by the time we finished lunch. Snowing heavily now, the large flakes sounding like steady rain on the tent. Can only hope for a gale to clear the surface. Its unfortunate. The dogs are eating their small allowance of food, when its gone they will have to be killed. So the more fine weather, the more help we will get from them. & a chance of getting to other edge of glacier & [indecipherable]
November 15 Friday
Morning much like yesterday; overcast, doubtful, a little snow falling. Mr Wild decided to wait awhile. Wind fell to a perfect calm sky more broken. Turned out, cleared snow off baggage & made a start. Snow around the tents more than a foot deep in places, fortunately not so deep when we got up on "billow". Very hard dragging. Only a little of the old hard surface here & there. & up hill work too. We were making for the long rounded swell down from the ice-cap, & [indecipherable] to the rise; perhaps over a mile off. There encountered other difficulties Crevasses! We crossed 2 or 3, scarcely to be distinguished, so covered was the surface with soft snow, & so bad the light as always on such clouded days. Could dimly see "pressure," that denoted "broken surface," Then came upon a great open crevasse, 12 ft broad - & 40 ft of snow sides; so were within a couple of sledge lengths before seeing the blue at the bottom. Mr Wild called "halt". Did not like going blindly over dangerous grounds. Put up tent without "loading" it, as there was no wind; then leaving Ken taking "bearings" Wild, Watson & I roped up & went cautiously ahead. In Ό of a mile, we passed 4 openings, one very large Goodness knows how many closed crevasses were hidden by the snow. As it was looking a little lighter under the sun, our Leader decided to await a better light. Some 2 hours over mid-day meal and repairing meter. There was absolutely not a breath of wind - & a blanket of cloud but not thick cloud. Thermometer when "swung" to get proper shade temp. went from 39 ° to 31 ° Had taken off berberry blouse and sweater kept on berberry trousers, as pyjama trousers would have got in such a mess with snow. Yet with a thin hood on, & only singlet & combinations woollen) on body, was not only in a perspiration dragging, but could, and did sit about, had lunch, &c, in that rig & Wild & I washed our hands in snow! It was literally "close & muggy". Could feel the heat distinctly on neck & head, when they were bare. It was ridiculous but never the less we sat there on snow, in singlet & thin shirt. & feet the day really oppressive. Snow melting on boots & clothes. Our wet tent-cloth, spread on top of our load, dried, altho not a breath of air. Sky not clearing as expected, by the skippers directions fastened an Alpine rope to the sledge, & Ken, leading, pulled on that, I "toggled" on to the usual leading place, Watson next the sledge. This increased our "spread" by half, & so lessened chance of all going down a crevasse together There still remained, of course, the chance of going along
an unseen crevasse and the lid collapsing. But fortunately no mishap. Mr Wild with the dogs. At length we rose over the end of the great ridge or slope of probably all ice, flowing down from high land behind the point we had rounded land that showed terrace formation , probably over 3000 ft, for the rock outcrop in this slope must be 1000 ft high. At length opening up channel between land & island, & opening it more & more as we toiled slowly on. From the "Passage Point" to the island, must be 5 miles, the channel heeped into billows. Island undulating, running out rather steeply to the E.S.E. Some rock outcrops; & in one place broken into ice cliffs, with rock showing. The land I saw the other evening comes out until it overlaps the island point, but apparently beyond, running out into rather a low point. Rock outcrops seen on it, & great cliffs of ice & snow. Land flattens & dips, so that between this easterly running point, & the point now behind us, is a great bay, & apparently an immense valley the largest yet seen, running S. At first these shores could scarcely to distinguished from the sky & surface, but the clouds "broke" late in the afternoon, & as the band of blue sky spread, things could be seen clearly. Rays of sunlight fell upon slopes far inland as upon a sloping shore, showing valley of great breadth & steepness. Hippo rock still in sight, but almost shut behind point. Only 3 miles, 1050 feet this afternoon, but fortunate in not having to relay in soft snow. A little parhelion, one " mock sun" at sunset Bar. fell 3/10
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November 16 Saturday
Morning bright, sunny, fleecy cloud that cleared off, & left on a few faint streams of thin cirrus for the rest of the day. In the better light, things looked closer, & channel not so wide as it looked last night. Away in good time, dragging hard, but improving large patches of soft snow over hard surface. Could define the 2 sides of the huge valley leading away a little W of S., with great billows of ice rolling out from it, - rounded ridge after ridge. General effect was successive waves rolling out of this channel, lower in the centre of the channel heaped up against the island, & pouring out of the channel by both outlets, as well as sweeping over the island. We came up over 100 ft yesterday from the level of the glacier. And we could see another great stream of ice moving along under the cliffs of the Ice-Cap ahead. High crevassed land could be seen up the valley. Our course was about E.S.E. for where the point of the land showed behind the island point. As we plodded on, the shadow of a bird swept across our path all eyes turned up. It was 7 beautiful spotless snow petrels flying S, towards a rock outcrop. Later, the E. end of the island came into view, a fine bold rock, like the "Hippo", but connected with the island by an immense snowbank that looked a mile or 2 long; & nearer, 2 other bold bluffs of rock outcrop. Passed a line of pressure, over several large crevasses, fortunately well bridged. A little before 1 p.m. stopped for lunch on lines of pressure; to enable Ken to get observations. Great interest aroused by the outlook ahead always the unexpected! The point of the land we were making for seemed to run out, & off the end of it a line of broken [indecipherable] so torn up, that it looked like a white line; & beyond & Nward from it, the whole glacier appeared heaved, & broken with almost berg-like blocks of pressure! This is what we saw on the 10th, streaming past the island, N-ward. Just over the point of the land, we thought we could see a rough descending glacier of blue ice! After lunch I was in the lead. Soon got amongst ice crevassed; & Andy went in to 2 or 3, narrow ones, knee deep. I went into one, both leg & arm. Had to take the dogs from the other sledge, (they do not work well on ice) There had been a big row "Chuckles" had got the whip, & straightway bowled over Zip and bit him. Inner edge of the outward bound stream much broken thro meeting pushing off from Ice-Cap there so hollow was full of "pressure" different from any we had hither to seen, round rubbly mounds, sometimes burst, as if caused by steam excaping from below! Ken & I dragged, Wild & Andy guided & "held back". It was a difficult road, rough, and all short crevasses, that gape, & "pinch up" again. My foot went into one about 3 ft long & 1 broad, yet showed [indecipherable] depth of blue! Took first one sledge across to the slope of the Ice-Cap, then the other. We went into several crevasses; Wild going down once to his arm pits. Returning for the other sledge, my foot went thro. Ken., following, noticed how thin the crust looked, & kneeling, broke in a sq. yd of it with a few blows of his fist, showing a great vault beneath, beautiful in blue & white. Yet, as shown by the tracks, 3 men & as many dogs, & the loaded sledge over half a ton had passed right over that frail bridge, not 6 inches thick! This broken valley between the "current" of the channel & the Ice-Cap slope, delayed us, so it was 5 pm before we got going on the land slope. Hard dragging, rough sastrugi, & drifts of soft snow, as well as being slightly uphill. Just before 6 pm camped on the slope leading down from the ice-cap & some distance above this valley of pressure or trough that we were following along. All tired. Both rocks on end of island right opposite, perhaps 4 miles off. Beautiful evening, clear sky, but bar. low 28.56. Ther. plus 8 ° After dinner, went along with Mr Wild to look for best road on the morrow. Could not see much more for as we got to the ridge ahead, as usual, another rise ahead still. Extraordinary large massive pressure out beyond island; & what Wild is sure is a great table-topped berg in the N.E ! Ice over point ahead literally shattered a white line like a fallen wall of ice-blocks flowing from behind point; this coastal stream meets it & visibly curving, joining its direction even a smooth "eddy" of unbroken ice at the angle of the meeting streams. Afternoon hot. Wind W. Immediately [indecipherable] breeze came off S.E. Distance today 9 miles to which 1 mile for relay may be added
November 17 Sunday
Distance today 4 miles 630 yds to which 1 mile for relay may be added; but gives no idea of work we went thro.
Stiff breeze thro. the night, & "drift" to the top of the bags on the sledge this morning. Went down gradually; - at breakfast time fresh cold S.; at noonday little or no air, beautiful bright, sunny & warm. Our way lay along the slope of the Ice-Cap, above the parallel line of pressure in the "trough" - and hard dragging, the sledge giving down hill with the slope on hard surface; ploughing deeply in soft. At 2 miles we came to the end of the rounded point, where the huge stream of high pressure flowing from the S. meets & turns out, the coastal stream we were following. Saw the land coming out far to the E. ward. Curving round the point, we were soon heading S; parallel now to the stream flowing N. At 10.30 stopped for a "smoke oh," to allow Ken to take bearings before rocks at E. end of island, &c, went out of sight. As I do not smoke, went up slope of the Ice-Cap & short distance with the binoculars, & soon saw enough to induce me to return & advise Mr Wild to go up too. We went up half a mile, until that ever recurring "further slope" showed we should see no further, unless we went for miles. But what a view we looked on there the like of which I never saw before! The Ice-Cap we stood on swept away to the S.W; a narrow channel, ice-filled & broken, beyond (S.) then the mainland shore, E & W. So the land we were on must be an island, or at least a peninsula. If so, valley we saw yesterday would other end of channel. A great bay from S to SE, then the land coming out, & running E., or N of E., very distant. Back behind this bay, very high land, & a nunatak far up against the sky-line, a great rock, with ice or snow over one end. So far, its easily described but the rest of the picture! Down from that high Ice-Cap was pouring (evidently) the main stream of the glacier, the nearer part over very broken surface Down from in one place the very sky-line, in foaming cascades that must be 500 ft high, and, collectively, miles in lenght. Huge white cascades of shattered ice blocks, so broken that it was one great scar of white not one dark thread of unbroken ice thro them! Cascade beyond cascade, fall beyond fall, extending away for a great distance; pouring down to form that great stream tailing N. jammed by the land & 2 or 3 large rocks before reaching the level. We had remarked upon the size & extent of the pressure as we approached; comparing it to the fallen ruins of a mighty city "built by the hands of Giants!: It was puny compared to what was above the largest of those 2 rocks. It was gigantic there! Standing up in great blocks towers, gogged, jumbled, close-packed; It looked as if it would be impossible for even a man to get into it. From the rock, a large ice-ridge ran back to the ice-cap. Beyond, more, smaller cascades & long streams of blue ice but could not see distinctly what was there. Ice appeared to go to the sky-line in the SE. end of the bay. One long ridge, crevassed across like a banded serpent, showed even at that distance. Our Leader gave up all idea of going that way estimated we should have to go 20 miles back to get round the broken stuff, & even then, have to cross thro smaller pressure. Returned to the sledge, & as Ken was taking observation for Lat. we camped for early lunch; & other 2 ran up to look over that downward flowing glacier of ice. Mr Wild decided to strike N, out on to the glacier again, & try & get thro where it thinned out. That long smooth road between the 2 streams looked very tempting but of course there would be thick pressure to go thro to break out. So we steered for the thinner, smaller line of "coastal" pressure ere it met the other stream. So ran sledges down Ό mile slope making for a bridge of ice thro broken stuff. "Small pressure!" When we got into it, there were great masses 20 or 30 ft high; upheaved, jagged, often in great blocks & rounded tumuli. Ice-slope at an incline of 30 ° or 40 ° up which we had to pull the sledges with Alpine ropes. Long piers of ice, 40 or 50 ft broad, with great open, or partly filled crevasses between. Hidden crevasses, with sheer depths of blue every where. If this was "small pressure", we asked what that heavy stuff in the other stream was like! I climbed over the first ridge, with the Alpine rope round my waist, & where ever I felt around, the ice-axe went thro. Was standing on the rounded ice lid over a vast blue vault, cracked all around, & what was holding me up was not apparent I promptly got off, on to the firmest looking bit of ice I could see! We got a footing, & hauled up the lightest sledge; then up another slope; over crevasses & breaking lids; & along a pier of ice, sloping at 30 ° or 40, one dragging, the others preventing the sledge from slipping with huge open crevasses or chasms on each side, & over scores of smaller cross cracks; until we reached the sastrugi up on the level floor of the Channel. Broke into dozens of crevasses, Watson, to the waist, deepest. Brought up half a load on the other sledge. Back once more for the remainder. Trouble with the dogs. They had been thrashed for running away, now would not come when called. Wild back to drive them up. Could not use them in the sledge over such dangerous places. Our troubles not over yet. Now past the pressure, & in the E. end of the Delta Channel, heading for the bluff on E end of island, & Channel is seamed with crevasses. Appears one to every 50 yds or so, & some very wide, & occasionally open. Just before camping, came on one with a triangular piece of the lid, 15 or 20 ft wide, fallen in, showing blue depths thro sun setting with beautiful effects on island opposite.
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November 18 Monday
Distance dragged sledge to-day, 6 miles 850 yds Bar. rising 28.95
Night quiet and cold. Morning, as yesterday, bright, cold breeze. Started again with Andy leading on the Alpine rope, doubling the lenght of the team. In the first 1100 yes we crossed 12 large crevasses, not mentioning smaller ones: counted steps on one of the largest, & made it about 100 ft wide. Crossed one much wide just afterward like a great sunken roadway. All fortunately bore. Not so numerous after first mile, & we swung round from N. to N.E. & E.; going for a shattered mass of pressure standing up, one of many, but this particular one looking very like a ruined berg. Still great pressure [indecipherable] crossed "billows", one half a mile from crest to crest, & a hard pull up. Still soft snow on surface. Just before 1 p.m. clouds came up from the S.E. spoiling the "light". Breeze nearly died away, sun had been hot - all complaining of burnt faces & blistered faces Kens especially bad. Blister on my nose! Were amongst crevasses still, nasty brutes, well marked, like drains, & could not be seen any more than the sastrugi at our feet, when the clouds blotted out blue sky & sun. I mended with difficulty, head of our tent-poles, should have been done at the hut, but I did not get the time, & unpleasant work is not rushed! Light improving, Wild & Andy roped up & went to prospect the way. Berg-like shattered ice we had been making for rose over the glacier quite close to us, others showing along on either side. Wild soon came back for us. We all roped up & went down S of berg-like pressure. All we saw is beyond discription can only give rough idea of it. There ran, hidden from us while on the level, an immense "bergschrund" the line of parting between the rapidly flowing glacier from the high Ice-Cap, & the slowly moving "Piedmont" Glacier we have travelled over. The rent torn between the faster moving ice from the S., & the ice pushing out from the Delta Channel. Where we looked at it, a mighty chasm, or ice canyon of 300 ft deep, & Ό mile breadth, this side in great cliffs, buttress, point, & crags, more or less shattered, rifted & weatherworn, often into most fantastic shapes. The other side of shattered ice, looking as if crushed, or "crumbled off"; forming two, buttresses & cliffs, but not so hard, solid, straight as on this. Here, partly mantled with snow slopes; there fairy lightness of tracing in blue tinted crumbled ice in one place reminding me of the legs of a fancy table passing thro a ball in the middle & supporting a mighty snow mass.
Further along sweeping down in long slopes of spotless snow, flowing over cobalt blue hollows & ice blocks. Further heaved high in mighty splintered masses; ruined towers & turrets towering mass of icy crags; erect, leaning, sq. topped, pinnacles, fallen blocks, picked out with blue; rose like an island; seemingly well in the chasm, as if being rent from this side. Another on the other hand the "berg-like" pressure we had been steering for. And the line of them ran, mass beyond mass, towers up on either hand! In another place we peeped down between 2 jutting cliffs, far down below the bottom of the chasm, soft, almost veiled, by the many reflected lights. And as you looked you made out snow slopes & small ice cliffs, ledges hung with icicles, & loaded with beautiful snow shapes, mantled as with moss in the azure light while against it the great down sweeping edge of blue tinted, blue banded cliff we stood on. Oh it was beautiful yet Majestic! & looking sheer down from the cliff into that crumbled torn chasm, the bottom showed rent into blue rifts leading to [indecipherable] depths, all curving, as if flaked off from this glacier by the more rapidly moving one. Could compare the "crumpled" bottom to partly slaked lime, or "manna". We moved cautiously with ice axes, from point to point, all roped together. Slopes of ice badly cracked, & crevassed in every direction, often as if ready to fall. & one pure white Snow Petrel flew about us. From the skyline of that high ice-cap & all between, this shattered ice & it streamed away N-ward from us! We came away feeling we had seen such a sight as very few are priviledged to see - & this never yet seen by mortal man. Back to the [indecipherable] & we dragged for some heavy broken stuff to the N. as if glacier going over abrupt reef. Got among so many crevasses that we left the sledges & roped up. From the glacier, this ran up in great piers of ice with chasms 50 ft wide between, we were soon able to look down 100 feet into them. Then we were stopped by a split, some 4 ft wide. Andy, at the end of the rope, jumped it but again stopped by another wide split. Reported that the bergschrund ran away northerly, & that all for 20 miles appeared shattered & broken. From where we were could see the huge shattered masses, heaped, E-ward, far as eye could see there. Andy tied on again, left the chasm, & we hurried back to the sledges, dragged clear of that nest of crevasses, & camped; for it was past 6 p.m. Lovely evening, dark purple clouds in the S the pink-tinted glacier under the low sun, & the white mass of crags like a ruined berg that towers from the bergschrund, then the snow in the foreground, pink too. Too late & tired to sketch
November 19 Tuesday
Had been decided, previous evening to go to high rock bluff on east end of island (Delta) & unless a way E. could be seen from there, to go S. up over the Ice-Cap & try to round stream inland. I had asked leave to go and sketch the bergschrund much as I would have liked visiting the rock but the bergschrund more marvellous. Did not think Wild would like me going along, but he agreed. Night quiet, morning dull; very little visible. A good enough travelling day upon a good surface; but we are here in the dark; a mighty chasm cutting us off from the E-ward, knowing not which way to go If we went to the high bluff (Delta) nothing could be seen on such a day. Mr Wild did not think it safe enough for me to go the bergschrund therefore nothing to be done but stay in the tents. Andy & I spent most of the morning retouching our sketches his are geological- revising & making more intelligible these hastily written notes. Talking together until past 3 p.m. after our lunch, then returned to our own tent. & turned into the bag. Mr Wild called us just before 5 p.m. The sun had broken thro. & the light much improved The other three roped up & for the bluff. I, with sketch book & ice axe for the bergschrund. Took precaution to follow sledge marks as far as possible then our footmarks of yesterday & so fortunate enough not to break into any of the numerous crevasses. Peeped down 2 or 3 regular "hell-holes", straight walled, sheer, no bottom to be seen in their blue depths! Reached the bergschrund as vast, as grandly beautiful as it looked yesterday, with its indiscribable tumbled mass of torn ice the higher masses, that rise above the glacier level, looking as if heaved, splintered, straight up from its proper level by some great force beneath! How beautiful it was in detail, too! Amid the snow slopes of the opposite walls, noticed the great detached mass, perhaps 60 ft high; it would be of ice, partly covered with snow, looking like an elongated irregular body of ice partly covered with snow, looking like and elongated irregular body of snow bourne up on thin long "nobbly" legs of blue ice! I sketched the peep down between 2 buttresses of the cliff, but could not get that beautiful detail; while the very softness of it all, - the absence of strong contrasts, the softened lights & shades, made it very difficult to do, & the sketch rather disappointing. Also purposely chose the simplest view, with least detail & stronger colouring; so it does not give a good idea of the chaos of shattered ice there. But it does give some idea of the size, the softness, & the colouring. A small avalanche fell while I was sketching. The cliffs I walked over & sat upon, all split & cracked in every direction did not feel too secure! Looking down that "peep" the softness of the light at the bottom! & at the foot of the cliffs, below me, rose a low cliff, shelving back so that I looked down on the top of it but how beautiful it was I can neither explain in words or crayons. Imagine a great rock in a "gully", all covered with exquisite soft moss & fungus View it transposed to blue & white of the softest tints you can picture, half veiled in luminous azure light! Soon after my arrival, a solitary Snow Petrel flew round me again. Surely not nesting there on ice!. I worked away, conscious that it was getting cold, and both cold & cramped when I had finished. Sun too low - & too cold, to do another, much as I should liked to. Noticed in the bottom of the chasm, greenier tinted ice, as if the water was there, but that very unlikely. Hurried back to the camp, over a mile but scarcely got warm. Saw others coming in distance, changed boots for finskoo & had "hoosh" cooking before they arrived, just before 9 p.m. tired & hungry. Sun still shining. (now, about 11 p.m., light enough to write) Others had found rock further than they expected, at least 3 ½ miles. Had not time to get right to the top. "Light" too bad to see far to the E. but saw islands to the E-ward, one not ice capped. "Berg" of the other night only a piece of pressure miraged up. Great bergschrund "smash" runs away N-ward, and "a hell of a pressure all out there!" [indecipherable] is disappointing, Ice-falls as far back as could be seen in the uncertain light. Mr Wild perplexed the bar to further progress east, appears to go as far as can be seen both N. & S! Going to the island again tomorrow, if finer, to study the geography of the place in a better light So Ill see view from there & have my sketch of the bergschrund! Good hopes of a fine day Bar. steady all to day, giving height of rock 600 ft.
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November 20 Wednesday
A great disappointment! Thick morning, snowing a little. Could scarcely see the great rock bluff to the Westward. So had, perforce to stay in tents all day. Mr Wild considers it too unsafe to travel in the bad light amongst such number of crevasses. Besides we must have a good light to get a look round. Our road is so effectually barred at present, we know not which way to try From the sky-line of the hills, to the furtherest N. horizon appeared stretches that mighty stream of shattered ice And worse still huge lines of heavy broken ice show to the E-ward, like cliff faces. So we put in the day in tents. I spent most of the day repairing or altering clothes and gear. Wind and snow increasing towards night, and the wind round almost N.E. taking tent on side, and great difficulty keeping snow from driving in through ventilator. Have a pemmican bag stuffed into it, but the wind side on) drives in the fine snow as it flaps the tent & ventilator. It is very annoying, this delay. There is scarcely a weeks dog biscuits left, and the dogs are not looking too well especially Chucklehead. Always a "gorging" dog, the scavenger of the hut, 3 cod liver dog-biscuits per day does not agree with him. And they only had 3 days to recover from the Western Depot trip. Wish I could get meat for them. Chuckles looks almost starved. He wolfs up his food in a quarter the time the others take to eat theirs so doubt if he gets the full benefit of it. We want fine weather, to make the most of their help before they have to "go under". Three weeks out to-day. Poor Moyes is looking daily for my return. How I wish he knew that I was all right.
Barometer up over 29.20. High glass bad weather here, it seems!
November 21 Thursday
Wind! Snow!! Drift!!! Breeze fresh thro. the night , lighter this morning, freshened up thro. the day. Blowing fairly hard now. They must be getting a knocking about in the other tent, for they are under our lee. Yell of "Shift your tent!" faintly heard just now. Wind now not quite so much on side of tents, but still have to keep a sharp eye on ventilator, stuffed with the bag, as it is. Pint or so of snow got in thro the night, making our bags fairly wet, thawing on them. That is not such a serious matter this time of the year, as a fine day on the sledge will dry them. During this last spell of fine weather, we have dried our tent cloths on the sledge every day so a nice clean dry cloth for sleeping upon every night! Sledging is becoming luxurious! Present camp-site is not a good one; snow soft and getting very wet. Will be glad to change it. Went out at mid-day and fed the dogs. Thick; could just see the rock bluff to the Westward. Soft snow about. Spent most of the day at leisure repairs and alterations. Made a strap for under the finskoo from end of my belt, lampwick there wears out so easily. Enlarged holes round goggles, to try & prevent them "fogging" so; and patched berberries. Andy most of the time writing up geological notes, or copying some of the sketches I have made into his diary, to illustrate it. Reading Herricks "Fair Daffodils" in the "Golden Treasury" brought vividly to my mind that they would have bloomed and faded with the other spring flowers in far off Tas. And that my wife (if all is well has probably picked the first white raspberries of the season in our garden, with the green trees & growing fruit around. And here! Ice, driving snow, howling wind, flapping tent!
Bar. fallen 1/10 . Temp plus 27 °igh glass bad weather here, it seems!High
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November 22 Friday
Wind increased towards darkness, and blowing a gale thro the night. Blowing very hard in the morning. Looked from my bag in time to see both valve and dooring coming adrift with the violent threshing. Weather poles dragged in, & we had some difficulty stopping them, snow is so soft. Poles giving spoils the "set" of the tent, making it loose, & flaps more. We had been listening for some sound from the other tent, to tell us what time it was, when the sun broke thro, & to our surprise, saw that it was after 10 a.m. So we hastily lit the primus for breakfast. Wind falling a little, I put on storm gear and went out. Not much drift, & looked finer. Sky obscured, but rifts showing in the cumulus, & I had great hopes of it clearing. Put some more snow on windward side of our tent. Fed the dogs Others just turned out. I passed them in another tucker-bag, as they were out of provisions. Both tents had a queer "set" on them, thro poles dragging in the sort snow, but looked good. Rest of the day, read in turns with Andy from the "Golden Treasury"; there when he "turned in" I marked a draught board on the bottom of my crayon box, and cut some rough little men from a small piece of bamboo. Wind freshened up to a hard gale again towards evening & hard & squally, and, I think, snowing too. Had no lunch, but a good dinner at 6 p.m. so saved a meal. Floor of tent very wet, bag pretty well wet through. Wish this wretched weather would clear. Squall eased off at dark.
Barometer rising
November 23 Saturday
Morning dull, snowing a little. We woke, wondering what the time was, finally, hungry, decided to call it 7 a.m. so turned out & had breakfast. Heard others a little later found time then 8.15 so we were not much out. Andy outside, fed dogs, &c. Very bad light, fresh wind, a little falling snow. He and I played 3 games of draughts I lost all after having practically won one. Afternoon improved, & we turned out. Still looking "furry" to windward, but the snow had stopped, blue sky showing. Loaded up, & dragged a couple of miles towards the great rock bluff. Surface good, most of the soft snow swept away. After passing pressure ridges seamed with crevasses, we camped, until decided which way we go. My week of cooking commenced on Wed. Cooked for the party tonight. After dinner (about 7 pm) we started for the bluff, roped together. Sky fairly clear but light not too good. 1 ½ miles, then up a great snow slope to the huge rock then abruptly came on a great gulchway, 50 or 60 ft deep, swept out by the wind round the foot of the rock, the snow side perpendicular or overhanging - & at a short distance cannot see a trace of this great fosse. Above us was a hollow between & bluffs of the rock the "bergschrund" did not go past this. The snow slope continued right up into the valley of the rock the "gulchway" swept away on either side, cut out by the wind swilling round this obstacle. Up the steeply sloping rock, over a rubble grave, snow, & boulders; then across a small glacier between the 3 peaks, on to the highest point, climbing over great boulders at the last. With the binoculars, studied with great interest, the barrier to our further progress. From a slight hollow in the high sweep of the Ice-Cap, came that great river of broken ice; shattered to the very sky-line (even when viewed from that height of 700 ft) and beyond against the sky, tops of what looked like ice-cliffs, or immense pressure. Down swept that line of broken ice past us in the thin line of the "bergschrund" (East) and stretched away N as far as eye could see! The thinnest place, the only smooth place was just opposite, where we had made for first. And then, hidden from our sight in the depth of the glacier, was that great chasm, 300ft deep! A little further along, it turned slightly in towards this island - & there was a mighty smash! First, cliffs of ice, tilted, the top of it, towards us, parting into blocks; the great face of it sloping down into the bergschrund. There must be a magnificent picture there, if one only had the time to get it. From there, away to the N. horizon in a broad stream its like unto a tide race, tost by a gale! Shattered, heaped, crevassed. On the very sky line in the N.E., pressure and cliff faces are standing up. We could see that broken stream of ice for a lenght of 60 miles at least. Beyond, to the Eastward, the glacier is heaved in great "billows". Beyond the great bergschrund is a second line of very broken stuff. I could trace the cliff edge of opening that must be "chasms" rather than crevasses; miles long; but they, at least do not appear to be continuous. Very broken & heaved up between bergschrund and island, but light compared to what is beyond. Through all this hell of torn riven ice, we are to attempt a way, for the S. offers nothing but an "inland trip," and slow progress up that high Ice-Cap. Northward, we may get thro., and reach the further land. If we cannot, we can even then push up onto the Ice-Cap. The land lay in the light of the setting sun, stretching far, and coming well N. of E. Many large outcrops of rock. One huge reef, or low island, must be miles long. So near yet will we get thro? Appearances of an island or two, half hidden there. Looked for, but could not see sign of any island in the glacier to the Northward. We had come prepared to kill any birds we could, for the starving dogs, but only saw a couple of snow petrels at a distance. On the way back a skua flew around u s but sheered off from a shower of ice-axes, dodged the flying axes a second time then left us, visiting the camp & dogs. Evening looks fine, clearing. Some cirrus about still "Sweethearts & Wives" sung. Late, after 11 p.m. now; but broad day light
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November 24 Sunday
We slept rather late, nearly 7 a.m. before call to breakfast. A beautiful morning light fleecy cumulus clouds, with the blue showing thro. - & what a blue it is down here! Seen near a high white snowslope, between light clouds, its of wonderful depth and purity. Struck camp & over to N-ward of the bluff. Ice rolled high between bergschrund & the island, sweeps down & 100 ft here then a fairly clear surface, with a line of great fracture along N shore of island. the great stream from the bergschrund [indecipherable] the other side. A couple of miles then we camped below N side of Delta Bluff, to allow Ken. to ascend it again, for "bearings" of distant points, & observations for Latitude Mr Wild as far as the first peak, to take bearings for crossing pressure. Watson for a geological sketch I for a panoramic sketch showing the pressure stream, Wild returned to mend tent & poles - & kindly prepared lunch for me. From highest peak we [indecipherable] Light not too good, as E. sky had quantity of cloud over it. We made out sharp peak on Ice cap behind ice-falls evidently rock. But if a nunatak there or top of very distant hill could not decide. I inclined to former. Bar. showed we were nearly 900 ft above tents. This agrees with yesterday, as camp now 100 ft below yesterdays . Also saw a needle-like black point to N - might have been a rock. We returned soon as Ken had finished his work. My sketch not very effective, as view so large & distant. Passed over a fine ice slope, ½ mile long, steep, & lined just like a harrowed field in beautiful tilth, so close, so regular, and continous the light lines on it. Day hot. Had turned out, loaded sledges & thro day with bare hands. On the rock found & drank best water Ive tasted down here. & the snow quite soft with the heat. Wild found it too hot inside tent, & had cooker going outside. So, for the first time, had our lunch in the sunshine This the second fine Sunday running. Contrasted it with that bitter Sunday leading to the "Hippo" (Sept. 1st) Heard one of the fellows break thro - & looked round in time to see Andys head disappear. Ken, in his hurry to haul Watson out, slipped in too, to the waist. Andy lodged on some snow about 10 ft down deep enough to give him a violent jerk on the rope. Hauled him up, covered with snow, & resumed our way. First one to go right in. Close thro the afternoon, generally, about N & by E. ½ E. Rather heavy dragging, most of the time surface "sticky" with the heat. Faces burnt. More peeling lips & noses! About 5.30 a little W. of N. As it was of unknown breadth, we camped; too late to attempt passing thro. After dinner Wild, Andy amp; I roped & went to have a look at it. "Light" bad therefore ice looking most beautiful that soft grey-blue-green. Masses heaved up against the dark sky of soft cloud, with a small irregular "break" showing the evening glow. Took my book on the chance of getting a sketch. We went down a slope, came to a shallow "tide crack" sort of place, & to our unbounded astonishment, saw Water! Feeling way down carefully Wild tasted it. Salt water, right enough! Salt water, where no sea was in sight, & we supposed we were hundreds of feet above sea-level, on the glacier! Few things possible there, could have astonished no more than this. I had noticed, & remarked to Wild, that the ice at the bottom of the great bergschrund looked as if discoloured with sea-water but dismissed it as too improbable. It was an irregular narrow ditch, under & between blocks of ice, blue tinted & snow covered. We explored cautiously amongst the broken ice, & found several such cracks with water. Climbed thro broken upheaved ice, treacherous with its spotless mantle of snow hiding its rottenness, over great level block; & reached a very high massive block, & climbed up amongst its peaks & hollows, with the aid of our ice-axes. From height of about 100 ft looked ahead. Way, tho rough, looked reassuring. Were mightily cheered by the water & that look, & believe now that we will get thro without the trouble & great risk that we anticipated. How beautiful that ice was that peep at the Delta Bluff between great masses of blue ice! I longed to sketch it Late back to camp. Sun, behind a cloud, nearly setting, but a most vivid "mock sun" showing in a clearer part. But that the one side was tinted red, would swear that the sun was there! A few flakes of snow fell as we got back Everything nice & dry to night. Thermometer plus 28 ° - had been up to 30 ° Had slight head ache to day. Distance 6 miles 330 yds.
November 25 Monday
Another fine morning, nearly as warm, & clearer sky than yesterday a record for I havent had mits of any kind on all thro the day. Away in fairly good time; N for nearly a mile Then from high piece of pressure marked possible way over lines of pressure & the "Lead" that blocked us last night. The rest of the day winding about from NW to E & S, worming our way thro the heavy pressure, but general direction about N.E. The Pressure (?) proved very large masses of old looking, weather worn ice, that reminded me of the W. glacier just behind the tilted berg. (See Oct) great slopes of snow or neve leading up one to 200 ft - & from that ascent, we would go rushing down, sometimes hanging on to the sledge on one occasion, lowering the loaded sledges down a steep neve wall with the Alpine rope. Stopping to climb an ice-hill to see the road ahead, or in the more difficult places going ahead to pick out a possible way . Mr Wild & I on such occasions, generally tied together by our "tails" the drag rope of our sledge harness. Slow & difficult work. Not as bad as expected, but even in this more open part, hills of ice 200 ft high, ridges too steep to be ascended; lines of cliffs (along "Leads") 60 or 80 ft high; immense masses of ice, shattered or solid, sometimes over 100 ft high. This we take to be the wreckage of the great bergschrund solidified somewhat, as its bourne along on the ice-current. And amongst it, are long rents, like tile cracks in the floe, with water showing at the bottom sometimes bounded by cliffs. Crevasses are not wanting, but nothing like as bad as where the 2 currents came into conflict. Great amusement this morning, passing over some ice, & a crevasse2 or 3 ft wide thro it. "Zip", trod on the lid & vanished! sledge ran on to the crevasse I looked down it was a nice clean cut, straight walled "blue Devil" - & there was poor Zip, turning round at the end of his rope about 10 ft down, looked to the blue depths below then up to me. I hauled him up hand over hand - & he trotted on in a matter- of- fact way. I went into one in the afternoon My own fault was looking round at the scenery instead of where I was going suddenly dropped to the elbows, but scrambled out none the worse. It was no wonder progress was slow as far as mileage went; but we worked thro the stormy stream, that, seen from the Bluff, most of us doubted ever getting across. Now, to night, we are camped in whats practically is whats left of the bergschrund & apparently only one of those open waterways to cross & we will be on the other side. All tired, for it was a trying day sun hot; without sweater from breakfast until after dinner to night But the faces! all diver shades of crimson brown; Noses lips fore-heads smarting & burnt! I remarked at dinner "heat & burnt faces probably last thing our folks at home wold expect us to be talking of!" Ther. in shade almost up to freezing point, snow quite "slushy." Camped about 5 p.m. Pitched tent, then ahead to prospect a road across this last waterway. Other 2 soon returned dead tired. Wild & I went on thro magnificent pressure. Heaved, shattered, crushed Masses tumbling into pillars & obelisks jagged teeth. Great pieces 70 or 80 ft high & more than that in lenght & breadth, all shattered as glass would splinter up under stress of slow pressure. And get on to a height, & see this stretching for miles, as thick as it can crowd! & flanked by the heavy, more solid masses or by lenghts of cliffs. Oh one could wander around, photographing for a month! It cannot be described! And thro a vista of this, miles to the S., we see the end of a great bergschrund chasm, cliffs of ice & towering pressure. The way we are to try & take the sledges tomorrow, is a succession of weirdly beautiful defiles all splintered ice or crushed masses spotless now slopes picked out in blue or green, & adorned with long icicles. A road as rough as its beautiful! Once across the "Lead", the "going" looked much better Dipped water from a pool 6 in. deep (thaw water) for dinner. After the meal, took sketch book & back to sketch piece of weatherworn pressure, like ruins of old temple; height from bottom of its little bergschrund about 80ft. Difficult with the sunset behind. Oh for grey sky of last night! Last 2 days strenous dragging thro day sketching writing up "log" until nearly midnight.
In the sky this morning thin cumulus, light "fleecy" "foamy" - & within them, sun sometimes surrounded with the most delicate irridescent, opalescent colours I have seen; nearly as bright as the rainbow, but far more delicate; soft melting into one another, yet distant & seen thro amber-tinted goggles counting outward from the sun Silver, gold, mauve, reddish purple, yellow, green, purple. Then suddenly the gold turned into most exquisite soft rose! Two Wilson Petrels flew over us this evening
Distance to-day, 6 miles, 350 yds
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November 26 Tuesday
Not a breath of wind all evening & most of the night. Morning clear, bright, sunny; with some cirrus about. We loaded up, while Wild & Ken looked for a better passage. Runners of sledges have to be scraped now ice forms on them. Better passage found more Northerly so away we went. Between great fantastic pressure thro narrow defiles running down steep narrow snow-banks, & hauling up others more steep than the average roof of house! Often only just room for the sledge to pass between the ice masses piled in every fantastic form, or in solid blocks & cliff faces, to 100 feet high. Here rifts & crevices of lovely blue there fringed with icicles, sometimes a yd long. In one place cut a bit of a road along the sloping face. And so, taking first one sledge then the other got them to the "Lead". This was really about 60 ft wide, but so filled with blocks of ice & snow that only a couple of yards showed, & that generally bridged with cakes of floe. Here the Alpine rope was brought into use, the sledge hauled thro a narrow jagged way dodged this way amp; that thro the smashed up pressure ice; amp; hauled across the "lead" on the floating cakes. Ice rotten & unsubstantial nor could we see which was solid or which flimsy under that thin covering of snow. But both sledges hauled over without accident - & we were across the line of the great bergschrund! "Smoke oh" called on a slope on the other side. I got under the lee of an ice-cliff, out of the sun, & hastily did a pencil sketch. It was beautiful far beyond discription! This main line of seperation following the widening of the bergschrund, was simply a mass of ragged ice. White too vivid for a dream, it looked too weird & fantastic to be real! The lenght of crust torn, split, splintered pressure, stretching around far as we could see. Great masses that looked partly torn to pieces, crush, & heaved up 50 or 60 ft: jagged teeth & points, blocks & rounded masses, solid hills of ice (I can call them nothing else) ranges of cliffs with glimpses of snow slopes between. All jumbled & crowded together! Opposite rose pillars as of some Druids temple - & breaking the crowded piles of ice were the distant cliffs of the bergschrund. How beautiful it would have looked had the day been dull, & all the ice would have come out soft & blue How wonderfully beautiful even in the glare of the sunshine, was this "fairyland of the bergschrund pressure! I could have filled my sketch book there! No one that have not seen ice can possibly picture the beauty, magnitude, nor grandeur of it! While others on a "reconnaissance" I did a second little pencil sketch. It gives but a faint idea of the weirdness, still less of the beauty! Up a slope; rushing down a long steep bank then along a great razor back snow ridge, so narrow in the middle that the sledge was wide & had to be held on while the sides sloped down 20 or 30 ft at an angle of 75 °. Just after, camped for lunch. A morning of hard work - & one mile on the sledge-meter! In the afternoon pulled up 150 ft on to a good surface, & (at first) free of crevasses. Then we struck that "second line" visible from the Delta Bluff. Neve fairly seemed with great partly filled crevasses line after line of them; & 50 or 60 ft broad. Followed S.E. between 2 of them, watching for a bridge to cross by, until stopped by a cross crevasse. Picked the best place, & lowered sledge down on to snow bridge, with the Alpine rope. I had a look at the other side the weather edge always the weakest - & advised rope. Crawling across fastened to Alpine rope when it gave & I pitched about 12 ft down, bringing up on snow Was able to climb out somewhat covered with snow. Sledges & others got across safely with aid of rope. This was but the first for the rest of the afternoon we were mainly prospecting a possible way, trying crevasse lids, & crossing from one strip of neve to another. Only got N. & S. or N.W. & S.E. , but crossed by others, or continually running in to one another. Sometimes partly open, sometimes filled with snow; Steep banks to rush down on the one side with a desperate jump to clear the weak "weather edge": & a hard up up again to the neve. Andy went in on one edge - & the sledge was on him Mr Wild went in to the waist on another, & the bow of the sledge pinned him against the ice-edge a nasty jam. The narrow cross-crevasses were simply "blue devils" with lids only an inch or two thick sheer ice-walls to blue depths the eye could not fathom. Leaping one, the weak edge broke from the force of my "take off" & went "tinkling" down. Wild & I looked at each other "Glad Im not going down in front of that! "said I; yet still could we hear the falling neve tinkling in some depths below! In places, it seemed as if there was little more neve surface than gaping crevasse! Reaching a hollow of about Ό mile across we camped, after zig zagging over dozens of crevasses tired, sunburnt, hungry. Distance for day, 3 miles, 1056 yds & at what labour! Faces red-brown to crimson noses & lips blistered, skin burning clouds came up as we camped, threatening snow. Dinner over & primus filled, went for a stroll to look for a suitable crevasse to sketch tomorrow, if light too bad for travelling. Had not far to go before finding a suitable one; partly fallen in depth of blue showing under an archway of ice all lovely snow encrustations. Ahead, still the same great crevasses so thick that it looks like a line of blocks against the skyline. Very still evening. A few snowflakes falling but looks fine enough. Very mild sweater off from breakfast until after dinner
November 27 Wednesday
Another fine morning, bright, clear, warm. Slept with my head out of the bag all night. After 11 pm when I turned in, did not inclined to turn out to cook but my last morning. Following up hollow on snow, lines of crevasses on either hand. It must have been some of these ridges, split to pieces by crevasses, that looked like continous chasms, from the Bluff. Soon came to cross ridges, similarly split to pieces - & the old game recommenced! Crevasse after crevasse, some narrow, more large & open. Halt called, & Mr Wild & I went on some distance scouting about for passable road. Lowering the sledges with Alpine rope on to another low bridge, & a desperate dash up the opposite side, to "keep her going". Winding about, to take advantage of bridges, level or sunken; or where crevasses "pinched out". Long drags up heavy slopes, then down sideling neve slopes, 2 hanging on to the sledges while the others pulled. Hard work for small progress - & risky too Allways wondered if the bridge was going to bear or break with the whole load of us on it! Some of them frail enough too. Crossing one, saw right under (thro a hole) to the other side Bridge could only have been a few ft thick at the thickest part. Narrow ones often have frail bridges that will not bear a dog In places, the open chasms occupied 1/3 of the surface! A doz. large, more or less parallel, & generally open chasms, from 10 to 50ft broad here & there bridges fringed with icicles icicles occasionally as thick as my body, & yds long. Blue ice white snow! In one place a pure white snow bridge arching over, either end upon buttresses of ice that jutted from the ice walls; icicles beneath. At lenght dragged into a long "valley" , running S. for some miles; between such ridges, chopped to pieces by chasms. Across this, even more broken We wormed our way for another ½ mile; twisting about round crevasse end & over bridges, making long "hairpin" tracks. Thro one bridge our feet broke occasionally - & when we drew them out, we could see no bottom in the blue depths below - & the only bridge there! Then camped in a little basin, or valley, with a snow floor. Tired, burnt, hungry we welcomed the rest. We were entirely surrounded by can I call them crevasses - by the fractured glacier. Whichever way we looked, saw nothing but the sq. tops of heaved & tilted ice; lines of cliffs, & open facers; gleaming white in the sunlight, or in dark lines of shadow. Not a single opening the skyline around nothing but a confused mass of tumbled blocks of ice! After lunch, along one of the solid piers, between chasms increasing in depth from 20 to almost a 100 ft down to the bridging snow the pier ended in a confused line of broken blocks. But we had gained a height sufficient to see ahead. & great our disappointment miles & miles of the same chaos! Even worse than what we had crossed fairly split & bi-sected not even a bridge! Dwindling in the distance until the chasms could no longer be made out; but those fatal white streaks across the far surface show they are still there. What a view it was one could scarcely imagine a glacier being so broken. Imagine it of glass, picked up bodily & dropped upon an uneven rocky bottom - & you might fancy how it looked from here. It was magnificent tho those lines of ice cliffs picked out with blue, hanging icicles, chasms, snow slopes jumbled up, - but the extent & grandeur of it one must see to understand. Mr Wild on previous Expeditions, had never seen anything like it. And this was SE between us & the distant land there was absolutely no road. If only a mile or so of it might have used ropes, lowering the sledges on one side, & hoisting them up the other but to do this at every 50 yds for an unknown number of miles ! There was a bit of a "valley" running N. Wild, with Andy, followed it in the vain hope or rather to assure himself there was no way there We did not expect one. This seems to run into the bergschrund smash - & then Hell! From the Delta Bluff we saw how far these "white streaks" went we know now they were the summits of these shattered ridge. Tomorrow, if fine enough, we retrace our steps, & go S. up on to the Ice-Cap. We scarcely hope to get round that way, but will see more of this great ice-stream. Going N would apparently be only following the broken stream to the glacier-edge Very disappointing. Theres land & great rocks visible to the E., but we cannot win thro - & its death to the dogs. While others away N. I made sketch of "end of the road". Then helped pitch camp when Wild returned. Ken taking observations. Terribly hot in the sun; our faces burnt & very painful Kens especially bad. He has had to take to veil made of muslin bag brought to dry sennegras in. Beautiful evening, but looks windy. Bar. falling. Hard luck if it blows & blot out our sledge marks they would help us so, getting out of this. Now, 9 p.m., Im going out to try & get another sketch xxxxx Retraced steps along sledge-marks, & sketched ice bridge over one of the crevasses crossed. Very pretty colour down below there in the shadow the ice of a greenish blue, more "transparent" than "luminous" appearance with great icicles hanging from it. Got quite cold doing it, almost frost bitten! Beautiful horizon, with dark whisps of cloud. Saw 2 Wilson Petrels to day one in the morning another in the afternoon. Latter flew round me several times, then away S. This was to have been limit of my time out; as "supporting party." Poor Moyes he will be feeling very anxious, & thinking something has happened to me. Wish I could let him know that I was all right.
Distance to-day 3 miles 220 yds and hard work too!ard luck if it blows & blot out Ha
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November 28 Thursday
Morning dull, thick; a little falling snow. "Light" vile. Breakfast early then as nothing could be done, I returned to my sleeping bag. To make up for 3 or 4 late nights. Slept all the morning, waking enough to kick off socks, & pull off jacket & pajama trousers. So slept again with only combinations & singlet on. Rather different to the "Minus" days! Very close and hot at mid-day, under that blanket of cloud. While having lunch in the other tent with the primus going & all of us in there, thermometer rose from 39 ° on the snow to 67 ° while hanging on the tent-pole. Snow very soft, & our floor cloth very wet. After lunch, took sketch book & went up long pier of ice again but the "light" was undecided half sunlight - & the ice covered with the soft snow of the mornings fall. So did not sketch. Unfortunately have nearly used up all my white chalk. At starting, had no idea, of course, that I was in for a 12 weeks trip instead of 4 or would have brought my whole supply. Sky showing large dark patch in the East. "Water sky". Mr Wild said it would be over the large black reef there. I had an idea it was too large & too far N. but thats merely surmise - & after all, scarcely probable such a large irregular basin of open water in the glacier for sky did not seem to indicate open sea to N or E-ward. Others had a game of cards which I joined upon my return. Evening quiet, thick, snowey-looking. Its dangerous enough travelling, this, in a good light. In this "bad light" can see nothing until upon it. If the evening improves, we are to travel thro. the night; but its looking worse now. If we could only follow our tracks as far as the bergschrund, at least, it would save much delay and risk. Dog biscuits have run out skipper has decided to keep the dogs alive upon plasmon biscuits, if possible, until we reach the Delta Bluff again; where we hope to get birds for them. After that, they must "go under", poor brutes. "Chucklehead" not the dog now that he used to be. Hard work and hard living has knocked him out badly. We have not eaten "full wack" of biscuits, so should be able to spare a few. Its hard luck, stopped like this, and the land stretching away there probably birds & seals beyond. From the higher cliffs to-day, saw the sun gleaming on part of the glacier far away N. and it showed as badly broken as this the hills are the only course for us now.
November 29 Friday
Called for breakfast about 8 a.m. Same vile light with a little falling snow. I had looked out between 2 & 3 a.m; the skipper at other times thro the night; in the hope of a better light. Snow falling lightly thro. the day, and fairly thickly in the evening. Not the fine Antarctic snow, but great soft flakes like our Tasmanian snow, melting on tents, & food bags on the sledges even dripping from the tents to our great discomfort. Snow beneath, soft and wet. Revised notes, &c, and a rest thro the morning. Joined others in "whiskey poker" thro afternoon nothing else to do. It at least wiles away the time. My face very sunburnt, skin on nose cracked; forehead, as well as nose skinning. Lips touched too. Others skinning too even Wild, who has sailed every sea! He says that it was never as bad as this down in the Ross Sea. Many days in the tent then all day exposed to that fierce glare from sun and snow. I had not "skinned" on the "Aurora" coming down, but here faces most painful! Wild & I had fine brown-read "tanning" before peeling, but Ken. was a colour between a well burnt brick and a boiled lobster. Freckled, blistered, burnt, he had a bad time before "taking the veil". Short "wack" of biscuits at lunch to help feed the dogs.
ard work and hard living haas knocked him out
ad HHa
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November 30 Saturday
Still this same wretched weather! A little worse than yesterday snowing lightly all the day. Above, below, around one white blur, with a few dimly seen faint streaks of blue, the edges of crevasses. Some inches of soft light snow under foot. All our sledge-marks will be obliterated, & I doubt if we will be able to re trace our steps by the same road, through the maze of crevasses to the bergschrund. Unfortunately snow we are camped upon soft and wet. Heat & weight of our bodies compress it into hollows; so Ken. & I brought in snow from outside, & trod & hammered it down to a level again. Did not turn out for breakfast until 10 a.m. Then only a glaxo biscuit and cup of tea for lunch; full "whack" for dinner to-night. In this way saved a meal; for were "well in" for glaxos. "No work, no dinner" Spent most of the day playing "whisky poker". I lost 6 matches! its a poor game, but helps to pass the time. Pity we had not a Bridge or whist quartette. Also a little sewing, talking, telling yarns. A concert in the evening, Wild, Andy, Ken. singing, with the usual "Sweethearts & wives!" Theres one good thing about this sledging; Time goes rapidly. Tonight ends Nov! Davis is coming S., with letters from home and loved ones Those letters that we have so often talked about, so anxiously look for! Davis is coming, to battle his way thro the great "pack" to us, and take us back again to those who have waited and prayed for us, all the long year! How often we speculate upon the chances of the floe or "pack" shutting out the "Aurora". But we have great faith in Davis or Mawson battling thro, by sea, or over the glacier to us Only 2 more months, & we may look for them, & it will go quickly if please God, we meet with no mishap amongst the icy solitudes. Regret that circumstances have prevented me doing more work in my own line, biological & artistic, but suppose sledging most important.
December 1 Sunday
Just such another day as yesterday, - thick, snowing, but little wind. Warm. We eating our "tucker, & the days going by. Its most exasperating ! Floor we trod down yesterday is an improvement; & this morning we took advantage of the snow holding off a bit, to put tent cloths, & split food-bags (that we now have under our sleeping bags) outside, over "depot" bamboos &c. to dry. And so drying is this air, that they were quite dry in a couple of hours. My berberry blouse dried over an ice axe out in the falling snow. Also took advantage of the snow stopping, to do a sketch of the camp in a "bad light" - but light then, of course, not as bad as it often is. Its looking back towards where I took the sketches of Wednesday, so shows crevasse that is in the foreground of that sketch. Camp quite picturesque, with tent clothes out drying, &c. Late breakfast, as yesterday, so saved another meal, and more biscuits for the dogs. I spent most of my day touching up sketches, &c. and sewing. Lost a finskoo tie, so made another; getting leather for under the foot from end of one of the sledge straps. Combinations wearing out cut leg off one at the knee & there from made a little shade or veil, to hang from goggles, & protect nose and lips from the sun They have now nearly finished peeling, so first hot day would skin them again. In fact, most of the skin has come off my face! Wild has fitted a bit of tissue paper on his goggles for the same purpose. So mild was it to day, that I washed not only my hands, but face also in snow a process that would have ended in frost-bite only a month or so back!
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December 2 Monday
Yet another day of this monotonous weather; dull, snowing, light breeze Tents occasionally dripping. Everything, snow & ice alike, covered with about 6 inches of soft snow. Cards, sewing; & when outside after breakfast & dinner, a little snow-balling. Sure sign the weather is mild when one can snowball with impunity They "caught Ken. bending" between 2 fires, & he had a bad time. To night a couple of breaks in the sky, so we hope to get away in the early hrs of the morning. We will be at every disadvantage bad surface, tracks obliterated, small crevasses hidden, & holes in the bridges covered. Will be glad to get clear of this dangerous place. Made 2 meals again today, with the glaxo biscuit & cup of tea for lunch, so practically saved another. Wild talks of killing "Switzerland" tomorrow, if we cannot travel.
The 2nd of Dec! The year out tonight. How quickly this year has gone, how much have we seen, crowded into that 12 months All the wonders, the fairy scenes the weird beauty & utter dead desolation of the vast solitudes that we have intruded upon solitudes, where step of man has never been before! And yet how long it seems looking back the twelve month, to that afternoon when I left wife & children; & from the "Auroras "decks, gazed so sadly at the little cottage that held all most dear to me. The days speed by quickly enough in this healthy life & freedom from worry; but how I long to see the dearly loved faces again to hear again from her. Patience! Davis is coming South!
December 3 Tuesday
Did not sleep well too long shut up, I suppose. Heard the cook called at 3.30 a.m. & sun shining sky rather smeary with thin cloud. Naturally we were some time getting away. Sledge runners coated with ice, straps, &c. wet & frozen tents loaded with ice under the snow on their flaps. Trouble with the dogs at starting I put on Zips harness first, & left him loose while I put on Switzs. Ammundson" raised a protesting yelp, & as if obeying the command of his master, Switz, immediately I let him go, flew at Zip, & savagely pinned him down, while Chucklehead could just reach, & fastened on to one of Zips feet. Switz held on tho Wild & I each seizing an ice-axe, "laid into him" vigourously. Zip, whining crept back to his snow bed, Switzerland growled & crouched in abject terror of another beating such as he got at the "Depot" was promptly fastened to the sledge - while Chuckles ran round as usual, scavenging. But it was Chucklehead who got into trouble just after we started, amp; were doubling back round the end of a crevasse. The old fool tried to "cut corners" amp; dropped thro the lid hanging with only his head above the surface. When hauled out, he growled at the other dogs as if asking "what are you grinning at?" but was careful to keep in the tracks of the leading sledge. Going very heavy. There has been about 1 ½ ft of snow, not hard enough to bear. We went from ankle deep, to half way to the knees Surface perfectly smooth, the smoothest I have seen down here. Sledges drag heavily this afternoon especially, was piling the snow beneath & between the runners to the beams, & was dragging all that load with her. It was a little better in the morning, the surface crisp after the nights cold. We hauled the sledges over all those wretched bridges again; we doubled back round when crevasses pinched out," In one place made a couple of long "hair-pins" - & from one parallel sledge mark, to the fourth, was only about 50 yds across! We seem to have followed the only track. When we had prospected a possible road, would recognise bridge as turn as one we negociated on the 27th Nov., showing that we could not find a better going out to-day. Even had to cross that bridge with the holes in it, & the bottomless blue below for there was no other way. Large & open crevases, of course we saw. We found most of the hidden ones! First one then another would pitch forward as the snow suddenly gave under his foot. I went in once to the shoulder Wild, in the lead, repeatedly fell. sometimes with arms & legs breaking thro, he would crawl over the weak part of a bridge then we would haul the sledge up to give us slack rope, leap that weak part, & rush the sledges over. When we came to the second shattered ridge, we could not pick a way thro. the blocks & of crevasse cliffs. So Wild, Andy, & I roped up & went to reconnoitre. Had gone about 50 yds, when I heard a "plunk" & the rope suddenly snatched at my waist Swung round Andy had vanished only a hole a little over 2 ft sq. in the snow, & the ice-axe sticking in the edge. the taut rope slowly cutting thro the snow towards me. I bore back against the strain. Wild had part of it, so it was not heavy. Right beneath my feet, as it seemed, I heard the "tinkle-tinkle" of falling ice thought the whole bridge was going! Called Andy no answer. Tried to take in the rope & get back to the hole but could not hold the weight so knew Watson was on! Wild called Ken, who brought the other Alpine rope. He threw me the end which I tied round my waist also, holding to it, Ken. crawled across - & we were relieved to hear him speaking down the hole to Watson. Watson down about 15 ft, dangling in a crevasse over a dozen ft broad & showing the usual blue depths beneath shelves of snow. Afterward said that he could not but admire the beauty of it great icicles 11 ft long, & as thick as his leg - & think how thin the rope he swung at the end of! He was the heaviest man of our band, & we had a job getting him up lowering the other rope, & pulling alternately as he put his weight on first one, then the other. Finally part of the snow-bridge heaved burst - & Andy rose thro it, "like Venus from the sea or a mushroom!" as Ken remarked. Only damage a shin "barked" against an icicle.- & delay of 20 minutes. Decided that was not the way. Next attempt more successful. Found road, & bridges crossed before. So ran down into a great hollow like the bed of some vast circular reservoir, & "relaid" up the other side. over crevasses & round crevasse ends, one sledge at a time; diagonally up a never slope like a gigantic roof, some dragging, some to leward holding the sledge. Then over the edge of a great chasm, rushing down a steep snow bank on the bridge 12 ft below the sledge plunging into the soft snow on the other side as on boat "ships" a sea then a desperate pull up to the level again. Oh it was hard work! In the afternoon could not get on at all if we stopped for breath, the snow softened by the sun froze to the runners, & we could not move her until they was scraped. Finally Mr Wild drew up & we camped shovelled away or tramped down soft snow had dinner now, 6 pm going to sleep to turn one in early here. Distance just under 2 miles.
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December 4 Wednesday
Slept well. Woke before mid-night to pull on sweater. Called at 2.30 pm Beautiful clear bright morning. Quite sharp suffered from cold fingers loading the sledges! Away at 4 am. The "night travelling" is the thing for this soft surface there was a crust on it, & the runners went over it twice as well as they did yesterday altho that is not saying much! There was a freshness & beauty about the early morning too; had not to shield the face until 9 or 10 am, & without goggles until about 8 a.m. Dragged down a mile long valley or depression between the shattered ridges here nearly E. & W. to our camp of Nov.26th. There the ridge seemed with crevasses, fronted us., as shattered, as it was on both sides of us. Knew about where we had come down, but every mark was gone. So Wild Ken & I roped up to find a road. Were very little out in our reckonings. Found sledge marks on the neve edge of three of the crevasses so knew the way was passable. Then dragged up the sledges to the edge gather a little slack leap the weak edge, & rush the sledges over. Once, as we went over, the bridge fell "plunk" behind us, leaving a gaping blue depth 3 ft broad the dogs dancing about in great excitement on the further side, but refusing to jump it. I went back & helped Andy haul the "Eucalypt"over, while the dogs dodged round the opening, 60 yds further, came on a wide brute. As usual, halted on the edge to drag the sledges up before leaping, & rushing her over. I was just in the act of turning, when "plunk" & to my astonishment, found myself dangling at the lenght of my drag rope So sudden do you drop, dont feel the fall only the jerk bringing up at the end of the rope thanks to my broad canvas belt, that jerk was not even uncomfortable! My only feeling was astonishment to find myself there. Looking up, saw I had been standing on an ice-shelf, not a ft thick, & overhanging some 3 ft. A piece had split out of this & let me down. The snow bridge sloped in towards the ice wall, only a narrow depth of blue showing close to the wall; which, as usual beautiful with icicles & snow encrusted there. Dangled a moment called for more rope then was able to get my feet on the snow & climb out. Would have liked to have sketched that bit. Three great crevasses only a few yards of ice surface between; their snow bridge, scored by our sledge marks, - further along, opening out into great chasms. Blue depths & blue ice, & mantling snow! but of course there was not time to sketch. It would have made a good cinemategraph picture too the team leaping the weak edges the sledge rushing down the steep rounded snow banks, 6 or 9 ft deep to the centre of the bridge, her bows pitching into the other bank as she "takes it," as a boats pitches into a sea, sending the snow flying like spray, high over the whole lenght of her! Then a desperate; haul up the opposite steep bank. After passing this crevasse could find no more sledge marks. Wild & I roped, went forwd; picked a way, & into the next hollow. Here we were completely at fault. I was of opinion we came in (coming) at the end. Wild & Andy that we entered on the S. side. Tracked along more than a mile, Wild, Ken & I rope together, but could not find where we had entered, nor a way out thro the maze of crevasses. Was 9 a.m when we got back, so camped & had lunch. Then Wild Andy & I rope together, resumed the search in the direction they thought we came in by; & found a path over several chasms - but could not recognise it as one travelled before. Some of the crevasses or open chasms were of great size, up to 100 ft wide, & some nearly as deep before choked with snow. Many most beautiful with ice, icicles, blue hollows, & snow bridges. One arched bridge, I saw, only a ft or 2 wide, & not more than a dozen deep, pure white snow, beautifully moulded & marked, & fringed below with icicles. Would probably have borne a man might have fallen with a cats weight - Several most beautiful bridges, I saw there, with depths of blue below. Had one very rotten brute to cross. Sun now very hot, snow softening, & sticky. Had great trouble starting our sledge; had to scrape runners, &c; & more than once I had to go back & help start the other sledge. Over that ridge we went, winding about in hairpin turns; for there some of the crevasses "pinched out." Then down to another hollow. A beautiful view of the Delta Shelf. The brown rock outcrop beyond the very jagged white lines of pressure in the bergschrund. In front the broad sloping snow surface, the edges of crevasses marking in white lines the distance. Up this hollow we dragged, heading, as we thought for the passage thro which we came out of the bergschrund smash. But was stopped by a snow cliff & deep blue pools of thaw water. So roped up again, & searched N . Broken badly - & its damnable work feeling every step of the way with ice-axes feeling the "hell holes" under this blinding layer of soft snow - & suddenly the axe shoots right thro. & you nearly fall forward! Then to have to find the way she runs, breadth & width the firm edge is - After ½ miles, sighted what must be our passage. A great bank of cloud had spoilt the light. So pitched camp. Dinner just after 2 p.m. Thick now & can hear it snowing - Only 2 ½ miles on the sledgemeter but all dead tired hard dragging, hard hauling, snowing - & weary miles of hard plodding searching out a passage.
December 5 Thursday
Camped on neve as neve & ice melts easier than snow, its a rather wet camp. We slept most of the 14 hrs before call for breakfast, I was perhaps over-tired for I did not sleep too well going over the days work in my dreams, tramping amongst crevasses, &c. Breakfast about 6 a.m. Day to our disgust thick, snowing a little, not much wind. Light vile I stepped into a narrow crevasse just outside the tent door could not see it. After feeding dogs, &c, into tent, and a little mending & alterations something generally wants attending to at every stop. Took some 4 inches off the bottom of my pajama trousers-legs. Berberry trousers get so wet round the bottom, in this soft snow & warm sun, & wet pajamas too, so shortened latter down. Of the bit that came off, Andy made a mit to replace one lost down a crevasse he fell into. In return, we have requisitioned a cambric handkerchief that he had, & of it Wild & I have made a shield against the burning sun. Him, a small curtain hanging from the goggles to shield nose & lips. In the afternoon, while Andy slept, I was cutting out a small set of chessmen from a bit of strap off the "Eucalypt." "Draughts" & "Whiskey Poker" too slow! Half whack at lunch time. If it had not been for the dogs, we would have had to relay most of the way in this difficult country. Its very disgusting bad weather coming on again. Nine days we have been now, getting in to this shattered hell of a place and getting out again thanks to the weather!
"The grand old Duke of York he had 10,000 men,
He marched them all to the top of the hill
And he marched them down again!" or as one of our fellows rendered it
"Our grand old Leader, Wild, he had three sledging men
He marched em over the lids of Hell - & hes marched em back again
It is not all lost time. Andy tells me from what hes read of Glaciers he knows nothing to be compared to this. Nor has Wild seen anything like it before! Heard a snow petrel calling this morning, & saw 3 flying in the distance yesterday. Also a Wilson Petrel flew round our tents here.
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December 6 Friday
Early morning dull, with bad light. About 8 a.m. sun broke out thro. thick [indecipherable] & we had breakfast. Thick all around, & so doubtful looking, Mr Wild decided to wait an hr. Took advantage of it to feel my way up the eastern slope, over 3 or 4 crevasses feeling every step with my ice-axe. I could not get high enough for the sketch that I wanted (the "Delta" Bluff over the pressure owing to many open crevasses but got a sketch of the pressure that we were about to enter. Thought then that the plain below was continous to the nearest high stuff afterwards found that the depression of the "Lead" lay between. & that high stuff to the right was at least a mile off. If anyone, after seeing even these sketches, says that we have been turned back easily why I would like that person to try a day of it! Hastily finished off & hurried back, as I saw them packing up. Day kept rather dull, clouds veiling the suns heat, fortunately for us; snow got soft, but now sticky. Dragged N. about ½ mile, then came to the place whence we had emerged from the bergschrund smash. Thence mostly down hill, so travelling not so bad, despite soft snow Occasionally man or dog would break thro, & pitch forward; Wild once in to the armpits; rest several times to the knees. Down a long slope between massive hills of pressure, along that razor backed ridge again, & a desperate hard pull up the steep bank beyond; & a little after 1 p.m.; camped at the "Lead" or waterway, where we crossed on Nov. 26th. Found things had altered at the "creek" Evident signs of movement in the 11 days intervening. Bridge we had crossed on broken up; & altogether different lot, or different shaped masses of snow & salt crystals jumbled up there. All the scenery looked different [indecipherable] for the ice that was piled in crushed & shattered masses there, was more or less powdered with snow, hiding most of its beautiful blue colours. Still it was wonderful, wild weird! Fairyland frozen, & hung with icicles! I spent some time looking at it while water was boiling but it was too broken, to twist across as last time. As the lightest (bar Wild) I went first, tied the rope on, & crawled across, [indecipherable] bridge the weak places with the bamboo mast & "depot" pole Across safely, hauled a shovel across on the rope, & cut a way thro the opposite bank of ice & snow. Then hauled a sledge across, Wild coming on it, leveling the higher blocks in the channel , as he came. Then hauling the sledges to - & fro with the Alpine rope We passed all the things, & other 2 fellows, over in 5 loads, Then hauled one sledge at a time up thro those lovely defiles, & camped in the same amphitheatre that we camped in on the evening of the 25th Nov. Sledgemeter read 1 mile, 1460 yds, but that of course does not express the work we have done to-day. All thankful to have got out of that treacherous shattered place over there without serious accident. Bar. high, also Ther., & sky looks fine, but as if it might blow. If fine, we are to turn out at 4 a.m. Regret that we have been thrown out of our night watches. Poor "Switzerland" "passed out" tonight in the interest of science - & the other 2 dogs. "Guts" (Chucklehead) started whining & crying for the meat, almost before the poor wretch was dead, & when thrown the still hot liver, "bolted" it almost without a bite. "Absolutely no sense of decency!" said Ken. "Zip" looked, & sniffed at his with drooping tail but hungry as he is, turned from it & laid down. "Chucklehead" growling at him, & straining at his rope to reach the neglected portion. Now I am going to try & get another sketch of the pressure but unfortunately the evening sun will be over the best of it. xxxxxx
How beautiful it was, down there in the sunset, in the "Fairy-land of the Bergschrund Pressure!" Great masses of fantastically shaped ice, Point & spires tipped with the sunlight, below, half veiled in shadow. Massive cliff across the "Lead" ablaze with sunlight, & reflected light throwing a warm [indecipherable] glow on a shadowy shelf below, Some of the shaded ice, or rather snow, seems to me to have a pink or purplish shadow. And a snow petrel sailing round the cliff. Could see sledge tracks down the great slope, best part of half a mile off. Nearer ice or much of it, greenish. I sketched a defile near the water [indecipherable] up which we had taken the sledges the cliff on the left possibly 60 ft high. Very high ragged pressure on the other. Seen 2 or 3 Snow Petrels thro the day - & the footmarks of one in the snow. Should be starting now. Surface quite crisp.
December 7 Saturday
Slept very little thro the night. Nearly mid-night when I "turned in" - & then interruptions. Chuckles sat watching the liver Zip had not touched, until he could contain himself no longer, & broke out into yaps & snarls. The little dog was sleeping, foodless, after his days work but growled back. Then we heard a couple of skuas. Watson looked out, & saw a couple of skuas sitting on the snow bank near, but they did not come to the meat. Wild tells us that skuas picked the bones of the dead pony (Shackleton Exp.) 120 miles from the sea. Shows how they rove. Nearly 9 a.m. before we got away (Chuckles first "wolfing" Zips share of the dead dog.) & dragged back over the road we came in by. Here, where the "pressure" is wider, - not a mass of crevasses or forest of fantastic shapes, we were able to remember what we had passed, & the most of the turns, & found our way back without having to reconnoitre it first. We saw that one crevasse, from whose edge I had got ice on the 25th Nov. had opened another 2 feet since that date. Day gloriously bright, only a little cumulus here & there in the deep blue sky. Every cliff & mass of ice dripping water; at the foot of many of the steep slopes, pools of deep blue thaw water, perhaps with a thin sheet of ice over them. Day warmed up so, snow softened, so as weather looked fine, Mr Wild decided to camp about 11.30 a.m. & get into the "night watches" again. On the snow softened by the mid-day sun, its extra work & slower progress. Row amongst the dogs. We were watching curious to see effect of Switzs death. First time Andy hit Chuckles for not doing as he was told; Chuckles, as usual, flew at Zip & bit him. Zip as usual, yelled. Always makes a great fuss if he thinks hes hurt. Then it suddenly seemed to strike him that they were now upon equal terms he stopped yelping flew at Chucks "downed" the "king" - & held him down by the throat. Chuckles doubled up cowed, & when released, shook himself, growled threatenly at the little black dog, but did not offer to renew the fight. The stupid old fool would not take a better road round an ice mass than we had taken Andy, loosing patience, dragged the sledge over himself, unconsciously carrying old Chucklehead, who, as usual, was in the way, helplessly doubled up over the trace, like a sheep; whining, but too stupid to tumble over. We laugh occasionally, at the great respect the Quarantine Keeper at Nubeena showed for "these savage dogs." It would astonish some of the Australian folks to see how they are treated down here. Kindly, on the whole but if one even growls at us, hes promptly cuffed, or "booted". So while they like being with us, jealous & eager for our notice, they stand in abject fear of us. The only safe way to treat them, for they seem to know no medium between biting and cringing. After lunch Ken to observation & taking "bearings." I away with my sketch-book to a high point, feeling my way with the ice-axe. We were camped upon a high part; split on several sides by "leads" or flat-bottomed often cliff lined what? Valleys? chasms? A strange weird place, these great chasms running up, with floe-like floors, but broken & heaved; points of tumbled ice & high pressure. Sketch shows opening pressure thinning to the W. with outcrops on Delta island & the Hippo in the far distance. Clear, warm hot sun - so hot, made me feel quite sick, on my back, while sketching. Ken in trouble his theodolite legs melting in to the ice & upsetting level. Distance to-day 2 ½ miles.
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December 8 Sunday
Camped again under the "Delta Bluff!" Just 2 weeks since we left it, to try and go thro to the N. & E. Nobody slept well yesterday evening. I slept the early part, was [indecipherable] awake most of the time after 9 p.m. Called at 1 a.m. Sun just clear of the ice-cap again; beautiful rosy misty light all around the horizon, turning the snow pink. 3 a.m. before we got away. Tents are always frozen to the snow now, & loaded with icy lumps, giving us much trouble. We went away N of our in-coming course & so avoided a great smash of pressure that had delayed us then. Crossed the [indecipherable] line of "Lead" & "pressure", without much trouble; altho in many places it was broken into chasms; & water showing at the bottom. Clear at last of the great N-ward flowing stream of pressure, we dragged across the low glacier for the Bluff Morning air keen; cold little breeze. Surface hard & crisp, but too smooth for good going still its great, compared with what we left across the bergschrund pressure! And; for the first time for many days, saw nearly 7 miles on the meter when we camped for lunch between 7 & 8 a.m. All ready for it too! Crossed the line of fracture near the Bluff, where the ice-cap from the Is. comes down; & to our surprise scraped out "behind the island which like the "Leads" in the Pressure to the E. must be practically at sea-level. So we crossed what would have been a nasty crevasse on floe! Found crevasse that showed here 2 weeks ago filled with snow anyway, we did not "find" them crossing. Then a long hard drag up the great slope to the higher level between Bluff & Bergschrund. Snow softening fast in sun but at last reached the Delta Bluff & encamped on the highest level, a sort of terrace close to, & about half way along the great rock. Here we can see the Snow Petrels sailing round the crags & slopes in dozens hear their harsh cries echoing from the rock. A skua came down, was lured close by a leg of poor Switzerland the other three threw ice-axes at him but missed. So Wild made a snooze with some thin fishing line I had brought; scraped a shallow hole behind the meat, & laid the snooze around it. Skua came up, hopped with snooze to get at the meat. Wild pulled the string - & hauled him in by the leg. So easy, yet effective Wild then stewed skua; we went up nearest part of the Bluff. Andy first to spot a snow petrel under a stone. I dragged it out, killed it, & got the egg. Before skua was cooked, we got 8 birds & 7 eggs. It was a beastly job, killing those beautiful harmless birds, but it was in the interest of the Expedition. Dogs will save relay, & we have done little enough, foiled as we have been so far, in all attempts to get E-ward. Skua broth was excellent flavoured & thickened with Emergency rations. & pemmican. Flesh dark & a little tough but a most enjoyable change. Then up the Bluff for birds & eggs. Wild & Watson elected to go to the crags N., Ken & I to work across talis slope to crags above the tents. Found the great rock swarming with the beautiful birds always stowed away in crevices, under boulders, or in holes where the skuas could not get at them easily. Sometimes the pure white birds sit amongst snow that is not more spotless, but a bit of a nest of pebbles or gravel under them. They are not particular. One had nested on remains of a dead bird. But they do not appear to make any regular "nest" We "worked" up a great talis slope, searching under the boulders. The birds often betray their nests by calling out When molested, they ejected a stream of oily liquid to distance of nearly 1 yd. At first pink, not unlike the "gravy" of tinned salmon; then darker, greener, disagreeble liquid appear to have a great supply. We "drew fire" often by touching them first with the ice axe but my bare arm was pink & green to the shoulder! Lumps of hard greasy whitish matter hanging from rocks round nest, appear to be of this ejection consolidated. Lay one large white egg just about size of a White Leghorns or other light breed of fowl. Arm bare to the shoulder, I went at the disagreable job. From greater experience & less respect for petrels power of defence, got 3 times as much as my mate. Some were in such good shelter, could not be got at even with the ice axe a few dodged us & escaped; but we soon had 5 doz. birds & 29 eggs. Went over [indecipherable] of Bluff then & hailed the other 2. They too, were sick of killing, so we stopped slaughter. Have nearly 5 doz birds should keep the dogs alive for 2 weeks. & as many [indecipherable] a great help to our provisions & surety against scurvy, Mr Wild says. I have a small boil on my arm, which may be from want of fresh food, after 3 months sledging. Got some fine litchens, & what pleased me most, a little moss in seed. Had heard that Moss had not been got in Antarctica. Grows in dense lumps to the size of my arm, & is quite green now. When we got back with our load were ready for something to eat so had eggs [indecipherable] Good altho a flavour about them that reminded me of mussels. Blew some & succeeded in getting 11 into an empty tea-tin. 6 p.m. before finishing that Distance today 9 miles [indecipherable]
December 9 Monday
Morning dull, light bad, snowing a little. Going on for 9 a.m. before called for breakfast. We did not waste even contents of eggs that I have put by for specimens food is too precious on sledging trips! I blew them into a mug, & Wild put it into the hoosh nearly a pint contents of upwards of a doz eggs. It was excellent much like scrambled eggs - & a pannikin of it very satisfying. Our Leader had a look round after breakfast. Light bad; little sign of clearing. We have only about 2 miles to go crevassed surface too, before reaching badly broken pressure crossed on 17th Nov. There we must have a good light. So did not appear advisable starting. So-
"Theres rest for you, gallant sledgers, with eggs in your tummy turn turn!"
sang Wild slightly (?) changing words of an old song, I took sketching book & to the Bluff again, near where the ice slope covers it to the N. As Wild & Watson saw a couple of Wilson Petrels there yesterday. Could not find a trace of these, but it was delightful climbing over those great steep boulder slopes almost cliffs; peeping in at the beautiful birds nesting there, & be able to assure the little tremblers that I was not going to harm them. Some get into splendid shelter, secure from that pirate skua. Some in wider crevices, more open holes, where broken eggs show that the nest has been plundered; sometimes, apparently, the petrel killed too sometimes apparently escaping themselves by creeping back into the narrower part of the crevice , & when I saw them, sitting disconsolately with the broken shell near. One or two I saw sitting so, with shells of 2 eggs. As its so early in the season, I think other bird or birds must have tenanted the nest before present occupant, & been robbed. Most of the eggs we got were fresh, - & many birds have not laid yet. Mating pairs very noisy. Saw many couples but no eggs under them. Altogether think the skuas get a good toll of birds & eggs. Probably hardened matter formed on rock outside most nests, have been ejected at the skuas in previous season. Some make semblance of nest saucer-like depression in pebbles, a few feathers, & even down. Sometimes in, or with snow all around. Others no attempt at nest scarcely even a depression even if pebbly floor so you find eggs that have rolled away into cracks. I sketch 2, both with wide entrance. First, skua had robbed in the other 2 birds mating but no egg. A third Snow-Petrel was in this hole when I came up had apparently had a hostile reception [from a more favoured wooer?) from the stream of pink crossing its spotless plumage. They appear to flying away NE from here there must the open sea lay. Wild Ken & Andy round for a walk thro the morning. Had finished lunch when I got back & Andy the 3 petrel eggs & the tea warm, so had enjoyable meal. The whitest of the eggs are not as white, & are more transparent than hens eggs; & they have a slight flavour of mussel (Mytilus) Are a little tough but did we not enjoy them! Such a change after months of "hoosh". After lunch, I climbed to the topmost peak of the Bluff, but could not see much, the snow showers too thick. Birds flew into crevices & ledges for shelter. Sun came out in gleams, & the heavy pressure of the bergschrund looked more like ruins of a city than ever in that soft light. Lit by a stray sunbeam amidst the snow-mist, whole lenghts of fallen ramparts & battlements, blocks of sunken buildings in lavish confusion. But how beautiful; on how grand a scale it all was ! And N. to N.W., the level apparently endless line of the glacier. What a torrent of ice that must be, bearing down there from the ice-cap; to shatter this great glacier so! I scraped from the rock a white matter that Andy thinks could not have oozed forth. I will not own it as vegetable. Took back ½ doz birds & eggs think we should use food at hand. Wild, [indecipherable] got 2 skuas with the snooze. They were shy, but could not resist meat. He stewed them for dinner tonight instead of usual "hoosh". The broth excellent meat good, but rather tough. With biscuit & cocoa, made an enjoyable meal. Another layer of soft snow now an inch or 2 at least, & so thick tonight that I got primus, &c into our tent.
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December 10 Tuesday
Morning thick & snowey when Mr Wild looked out at 6 a.m. but after a couple of hours, clouds breaking & sun shone out. Breakfast was started, as the outlook seemed promising; camp broken, & we got away about 10 a.m. Left the old Bluff with regret, for the 2 days there were very interesting. Wild heard a heavy fall of rock, & a great screaming of birds about midnight Not surprising for the shattered rock & boulders are piled on the all most precipitous sides; or piled in the ravines between the crags. At the top of the cliffs, where they jut out like buttresses. This time of the year, too, with the thawing & the freezing going on, there must be considerable stress. The snowfall of yesterday & last night, has put from 2 to 6 inches over the glacier, spoiling the improving surface again. Soft, smooth it was a heavy drag, the sledge a dead weight Once she choked up underneath. We went in half mile "spells" & found that very tiring. Passed close to the S. end of the bluff, with its immense wind swept hollow or bergschrund; thaw water or thaw water ice at the bottom, as at the N. end. From this huge ditch. the rock rises in cliffs, or very steep slope here, until overlaid again by ice cap of the island. Found by our meter that the Delta Bluff of rock was a little over ½ mile long. Day not improving, so much cirrus & cumulus sweeping over the sun so much cloud spoiled the light; & when we got amongst crevasses, could not see them. Here & there an open trap showed; lines of other silted over and almost hidden by the smooth pall of snow masking them, ran across our way. We would not see them until right upon them, or a gleam of sunlight would reveal, in passing, a slightly sunken line. Our course a little W. of S., heading slightly up the Delta Channel, to cross the pressure before it got heavy. After many halts, Mr Wild camped for lunch. Three petrel eggs, boiled, then a glaxo biscuit Ύ of a plasmon biscuit & mug of tea, with 8 lumps of sugar. I return my share at lunch occasionally as I do not use it in tea, or share some of it with the others. Delayed over meal, chatting &c, but the day got very thick, light bad. Could see little of the surface except a hole a little head. So Mr Wild decided to camp & turn out early. Wind rising now. About 4 p.m. when we turned in. My eyes badly strained on Sunday, & bad to day. Nose burnt too, & skinning even dogs noses burnt!
December 11 Wednesday
Night very quite; day thick cloudy, no sunlight. Not called for breakfast until 7 a.m. About 16 hours in the bags, so were hungry saved a meal! While at our breakfast, a skua visited us. "Switzerland" leg was thrown out, & noose set. After 2 or 3 attempts, and a little judicious manouvering him round the leg, he was secured [indecipherable] the lot seen here have done so much service for the Snow Petrels. Light vile Mr Wild decided to stay & make a start about 7 p.m., when, if the light was still bad, the surface would be better. Others did not sleep well, so turned in again. I knew there was no chance of sleeping this morning So at 9 a.m. started to follow sledge tracks back to the Bluff. Followed them in all their windings, but so bad the light, could not see the crevasses those turnings avoided. Indeed could scarcely see the deep cut sledge marks altho yesterday, in the gleams of sunlight, they showed for a mile behind! Went up S.E. end of Bluff, but found very few nests Got a quantity of green algae. Worked down the talis slope that we plundered on Sunday, as I wished to see if the nests had been appropriated by other birds. The majority were still empty; but I got about a doz. nice fresh eggs there so those must have been new comers. Right down the talis slope, & at the foot of the crags, below the level of the great snow bergschrund, I found nests, & mostly fresh eggs. Found 2 or 3 fresh eggs cold & apparently deserted probably birds had been killed by skua. Tried one of these. It was quite fresh; so crumbled a lump of sugar into it & drank it very refreshing. One bird I noticed, had made a nest on a dead petrel Merely plundering was not half as bad at the slaughter of the innocents. In many cases turned the birds off with the ice-axe but many refused to go, & I got covered with oil to the elbows again. Some so well sheltered, could scarcely even see the bird, & could not rake egg out even with ice-axe. They remained unmolested. Brought back 2 doz. & 11 eggs No mean addition to our larder. Have "blown" another 11, & will stow these in the little pot until empty tea-tin is available. Will have egg hoosh with the [indecipherable] to-night. So have not wasted much! Only 2 or 3 have been rejected as too far gone to eat. Some have certainly been in a condition calculated to get a tradesman selling them into trouble with his customers; but as we want to get as far as we can on this trip, we cannot be too particular about fresh food. & even they, like the curates famous egg, were "excellent in parts" Its most aggravating to see all those great outcrops to the Eastward, where possible other species of birds are nesting and be unable to reach them! This still, snowey weather is deadly! Snowed a little as I returned, & as thick as ever. Tiring walking thro snow. Reached tents as they were finishing lunch 2 p.m. only 3 eggs out of the 3 doz. broken, tho I had them in my fur mits. only one badly enough to loose contents. I enjoyed lunch especially that big mug of tea. Blew eggs, saw to specimens litchens, &c; now try for an hr or so of sleep. This weeks out today, & still within 30 miles of the "Hippo", - we expected to be 300 miles to the E-ward. Roughly totting up distance travelled, makes it about 171 miles without counting relay. About 20 days laid up. Alas for the party from which so much was expected! But the journey has been of great interest; as far as we know, there is no known place to compare with this great glacier, bergschrund & torrent of flowing ice. ............................................
Slept for an hr & a half awoke, hearing Ken. starting the primus. Clouds had broken, & were clearing well. Dinner (?) breakfast (?) over, packed & away a little after 8 p.m., sky fairly clear, sun shining. Could now see crevasses all around us, lids fallen in some places. Lines of blue openings along the edge, suggestive of weak lids in others. They occasionally "pinched out;" & Wild wound about, avoiding them as much as possible. Had to cross 2 or 3. Some were nearly one hundred feet broad, & slightly sunken lids general direction much the same as we were travelling. For some distance they were thick then better "going" out in the channel away from the Ice-Cap of the island. And after doing nearly 5 miles, we reached the "Coastal Pressure" along the other shore. Fortunate enough to get a good place. Crossing without trouble. Ran down the sloping neve & snow, over a few crevasses, & dragged up on to the slope of the Ice-Cap. Had come a good way up Channel, near where we crossed the Pressure the first time. (Nov. 16) Sun had gone down behind the ice-cap before we got across. View just before, of that great N-ward stream of broken ice lit with the setting sun, while where we were, & all between in purple grey shadow, was most striking. 3 Wilson Petrels seen near midnight, flying S
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December 12 Thursday
Half-hour after midnight we camped for lunch. We did not half fancy the night travelling! When the sun went down & bitter little wind sprang up, it seemed to us that we should sleep instead of marching. Even Zip was yawning prodigiously! Altho the sun was down, there was really no night; I could not distinguish a single star in the heavens; & the rosy light of sunset lingered around, behind purple clouds; awaiting for the sun rise; some very beautiful effects. When we turned out after lunch, the sun was shining upon the Pressure again; bringing out well, the white blocks & shadows between; crevasses, pits & winding lines of it, beautifully clear, & yet how soft. We, under the ice-cap, were still in shadow We dragged the rest of the 2 miles E-ward, along the low shore, round the point, & headed S, passing by where we turned back on the 17th Nov. The low sun was right over the cascades of broken ice; they rose high as the hill behind, & in that uncertain light, looked something like several great stacks of road metal, awaiting removal. Stack upon stack in the distance the even high sweep of the Ice-Cap scarcely showing on the other side. Fairly heavy "going" as it was slightly up hill. Clouds cleared off & a glorious morning. Others feeling the night work. Ken. dropped off to sleep in one halt. Mr Wild not feeling well. Halted on the E. side of this supposed island. Hope to get thro the pressure in the channel between it & the mainland to the S. tomorrow. All tired when the time came to camp. Dinner (?) or breakfast (?) at 7 a.m. then into bags for a sleep. Surface much improved, but smooth, crisp enough to bear the sledge, but crunching under our feet. Distance 11 miles, 750 yds...................................
Slept until after one p.m. only dozed after. So warm lay on top of my bag instead of getting inside. At 5 p.m. turned out & went some distance up the Ice Cap to sketch cascade of ice blocks. It shows first cascade, & part of second line; with the very white line that can be compared to the foam at the foot of a great water fall. Its all great blocks of ice; streaming away N, to the pressure that we have lately been wandering in. Its like a sea tost by a strong tide rip, breaking so heavily that nothing but the foam-crests can be seen! A great white line of glaring white! Its a great sight! You realize the distances off, the size & extent of it as you stand there looking round on the wide spread landscape. A sketch does not do it that justice. Soft as the sketch is, its not softer than the fall, in nature; - & how much greater in extent the real thing is! Finished just as they called to dinner (?) breakfast (?) I will call it the latter. Away about 8 p.m. surface hardening then. Sun was warm. It has been melting the fat in the pemmican thro the food bags! Everything dry, except our floor cloth that is [indecipherable]Both tent flaps loaded with ice that we cannot get off. Dragged along the shore between the land slope; & the crevasses of the pressure, getting fair going Fortunate, for the glacier outside of us was pitted with ugly holes & pressure like steam irruptions; with short the short curving crevasses of " [indecipherable] Occasional crevasse swept right up to where we were travelling. Came round to S.W. & by S. ½ S., following the shore, before we got past pressure of this part of flow back up by great stream across the way eddies from it, as it were. Looked fairly good after 5 Ύ miles, so round we swept, heading about S. The sun sank down to the long level rim of the Ice-Cap ahead, & dragged along it for nearly an hr; showing in all sorts of odd shapes Club shaped; pear shaped; straight line; 2 or 3 dots; almost disappeared; then suddenly lifted by refraction as if rising again. Bets freely made on his succeeding in scraping along hill without setting. Suddenly he collapsed dropped entirely out of sight Andy won 2 matches! 3 minutes later, he bobbed up again serenely, & hung on for another 10 minutes then disappeared for half an hr All this time the E. was flooded with beautiful deep rose, & clouds there rose purple to cold blue.
December 13 Friday
That faded for half hr, leaving the pink above; very dark cold purple below; then all the warm colour returned with the rising sun! I felt tired & hungry, awake most of previous afternoon. Stopped at 1 a.m. for lunch wasnt it cold plus 7 °. When we turned out, very beautiful in the early morning sunlight. Dark bank of clouds in front of the sun, but the light was falling on the land S. of us, bringing out crevasses & slopes, in light & shade, most beautifully; & tinged it all with pink. It now appeared, that the supposed island that we had just left, is a headland or Promontory, & that the bay, glacier-filled, sweeps round 7 or 10 miles further than we went; then its high Ice-Cap connects with the mainland Ice-Cap to the S. Therefore the great valley beyond this, spoken of on 15th & 16th Nov. must be really a valley, not a channel as we afterwards thought. We have done 7 miles across this bay, but have not reached opposite shore & nunatuk that we are making for. Just a little pressure & meets crevasses. Avoided all we conveniently could, the others bore all right. All tired and Wild not too well, so we stopped a little earlier than yesterday morning. Snow very hard, difficult getting "bricks" to load tents with apparently crystallised by suns heat. Dinner & writing over by 8 a.m. glad there was nothing to sketch to-day Ill get full rest time! Distance travelled, 12 miles, 1200 yds ....................................................
Very quite day, scarcely a breath of wind. Had we but we but known would have left snow off tent flap, & allowed it to dry its in a chronic state of frozen stiff now. I slept most of the day, waking to pull off sweater, & crawl out of my bag as the temp increased then got in again, as it fell towards evening. When we got away it was a fine warm evening; I was in the lead & had a fair number of crevasses to take, long, sunken, well marked; generally; most of them filled, but occasionally open brutes. There was a great trough like depression before coming to the land; further along very badly crevassed. The current flowing along here from a valley in the end of the bay, keeping up the ice against the glacier As usual in such stress of conflicting currents, cracked in curving short pointed round pressure. Had not much trouble crossing; then diagonally up the great slope opposite very hard dragging to the nearest & smallest of the 2 rocks 3 miles good. Scarcely larger than a small cottage rounded boulder-like masses, & some loose stone. "Archean," as the others that we have seen, Gneiss; very thickly studded with garnets fairly speckled with the red spots Not large enough for "life-bearing", beyond a little burnt up litchen. Mr Wild decided to leave a "depot" there. Sun had gone behind a bank of clouds, (10.30 p.m.) a bitter little breeze blowing. The tent was hastily pitched. 5 days provisions put in a food bag with specimens, & everything that could be spared in the way of clothing sail, depot bamboo, & other equipment. Bag placed in a rift of the rock & covered we built stones up all around, & roofed it with large flat stones, to keep off heat of the sun. That, now, is strong enough to melt fat out of the pemmican. 2 tins of oil also left, for we have more than we expect to use. Have made each gallon tin do considerably more than the 10 days. Altogether, sledges lightened by over 70 lbs for climbing the hill. Then, altho early, we went into tent for shelter, while Ken boiled water (dipped from holes in rock) Lunch & a good mug of hot tea. We are now on slope not far from W. end of the great falls of which, only the top of a stream of broken ice can be seen; the point of this bay (that we rounded Thursday morning) bearing a little W of N, nearly 20 miles. Distance from here to W. end of bay, where it curves round behind Promontory, must be nearly as far. Connection neck of Promontory does not look wide & only 600 or 700 ft high. The bay, shut in by the great ice-stream looks like a basin. Shore to the S., broken, crevassed, bold
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December 14 Saturday
When we turned out after lunch, found that the whole sky had clouded over, thick; & light bad. Scarcely see the land around, or distinguish it from the clouds. Our way was straight up hill, a little E of S., over ice & neve, mostly covered with snow; but patches of blue ice base. What a glorious blue it is, when you see a small piece set in a sheet of white snow deep clear unsullied blue! Lightening the sledge made a difference, still it was heavy dragging altho surface was good. But then the grade was fairly steep; 1 in 18 at first; & we have rises about 800 ft in the 4 miles, by barometer readings, taken every ½ mile. It was good solid ground quite a treat to get "going" where you had not to dodge pitfalls every few minutes! We camped early, all tired with the up hill work: especially Mr Wild, who has not been well. Light bad so we trod round for a hard site, then held tent cloths over the surface, to make a shadow to pick a smooth spot. Looks a little better hope that there will be no snow to spoil our surface. We have now 4 weeks provisions - & naturally anxious to get as far as that will take us. We even hope to get round this smash, & back to the coast where all those rock outcrops are. While dragging up the Ice Cap this morning, a Cape Pigeon flew past to our great surprise. We are now inside the line of coastal outcrops, where birds would be nesting so know not what it would be doing here on the Ice Cap. Flying rather erratic, as if "out of its reckonings" Distance, 7 miles 540 yds
............................................................
Day cleared somewhat; sun out in the afternoon. I crawled out of my bag & slept on the top of it. We were 2 hrs later turning out, as wish to work round to the day travelling again: at this height, sun does not appear to have much effect on the snow - & its too dashed cold facing the night breezes. Nature will not accept day for night we do not sleep as well get hungry, &c. So primus started at 8 p.m. Sun descended behind a great bank of clouds, & a regular fog came down over the hills; we were soon walking in a wet mist, that hid everything 20 yds away; & froze on every thread of our Sweaters, & on Zips black coat, until he too was white! The little dog, by-the-bye, not well to-day, but plugged along steadily. Perhaps too many feathers are interfering with his digestion! After the march gave him some dog-meat for a change, which he ate readily enough. Would not touch his bird this morning, so Chucklehead "wolfed" it. "Going not too good, got into softer sow, where our feet broke through the crust & we sank more than ankle deep with occasional hard going & large rough sastrugi.
December 15 Sunday
The sun was behind the ice-cap the sky overcast, but breaks in the clouds; fog clearing; all around, misty, indistinct: on our right & in front, the even grey sweep of the Ice-Cap; on our left, beyond the sweeping surface, the great broken stream of ice, purple blue, & not clearly seen. Then breaks of roseate light right ahead of us the long stream of ice came out stronger; a gleam of pink above it in the distance showed where the sun was shining on the glacier far to the N., Dark indistinct lines of hills to the S & W., a hollow in the billowey surface of the bay beneath us dark purple. Then soft pink light caught the higher parts of the long stream of broken purple ice, bringing out clearly, but beautifully soft, the shadows between its masses; while the far end of the stream was still veiled in the rising purple mist. How beautiful it was that softest of rosy glows; those delicate shadows where the falls swept steeply down. The great distance yet absence of anything to show how fat it was, accounts for much of the softness of shadows & colouring. The light grew brighter, until the whole lenght of the ice cascade was lighted up; the mist lifted, showing the "Delta" Bluff, & other rocks there; even some of the pressure. Then the sun topped the Ice-Cap, & its level rays came down to me, with the other sledge & the 3 men dark against it! At every pause of the dog-team, I was turning to admire that view spread below! We hoped for a fine day, but the clouds closed down, the wind came bitter cold; moustaches & beards loaded with ice, & hand numbed. Glad we were to pitch tent at 3 a.m. - & especially enjoyed the pint & half of hot tea into which we had scraped part of our Glaxo biscuit almost as good as milk; & the plasmon in it too. I had found it hard dragging with the 2 dogs. It was no easier in the lead with the other sledge after lunch. Clouds spread all over the sky, the wind bitter cold the "light" vile; the uphill dragging solid. Could not see where we were putting our feet would suddenly find ourselves on the steep sides of a high sastrugi, slippery as ice sprawling in all directions! Then have to sheer off & go round it. Cold forced us to change ski-boots for finskoos at lunch time. All scenery blotted out. From misty appearance of Delta Bluff it was snowing down there, but kept off up here. A hard drag it was, plodding along straight up hill. All glad when the nights work was done camped on a patch of hard smooth snow & how I enjoyed hoosh & cocoa. Distance, 9 miles, 850 yds, with a rise of 1200 feet of misty line ahead the blue line of the ice-stream; the far slope of the land beyond, is all that can be seen. Are not to move tonight, unless light good enough to see where we are. Have now come 13 miles straight up Ice-Cap; & have risen over 2000 ft. So nunatak ahead should be in sight or we should see what we are heading for.............................
Awoke about 4 p.m., & seeing sun shining, went out for a look round. Anything but clear; still the Delta Bluff could be seen, bearing about N. ½ W., & must be over 30 miles away. Large reef, or rocky island, N-Easterly, with several large rocks running westward from it. The ice-stream not very distant, but still flowing down a line of block of broken ice; vanishing behind the slope we are ascending, on our left. Over this, a ridge, high, snow covered, that appears to rise from an ice slope, & higher than we are here. Ahead, & to our left, the even run of the ice-slope. Westerly, nothing clear. Searched with the glasses in vain for the nunatak ahead. It must be at a great height, & will prove a large one. Got fairly cold, so back to the bag, read & slept. Ken called at 9 p.m. & we had breakfast. It was clouding over, thick, & bitterly cold would be the same stumbling over sastrugi &c, Mr Wild decided to wait for the morning. Night no time for travelling at this height! Even now, in my bag, feet aching with the cold, tho. temp. only down to plus 13 ° - but then we have got used to milder weather lately!aeH
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December 16 Monday
Cold down to plus 4 ° in the morning hrs. didnt sleep well after the day in yesterday. Sun rose brightly, & we had hopes of a fine day. Turned out at 6 a.m. Clouds over the; & by time breakfast was ready, light was bad. Could see very little in any direction. Very hard dragging, for the snow is getting softer as we rise. Sun, apparently has little effect on surface at this height; & there has been no strong wind lately. Could feel that we were going up a steep grade, but could not even see clearly what we were treading on. Large sastrugi would loom up ahead thro the greyness, like heavy pressure; & our course was altered almost Westerly, partly to avoid such a line, taken at first to be pressure & "crevassed" surface; partly to bring the "back bearings" to the Bluff right. Heavy work - & snow soon began falling; beautiful starry little crystals flying thickly. After doing 1 Ύ miles, & ascending 300 ft, Mr Wild called halt on a hard bit of surface. Were apparently on the top of the rise, but could not see if the nunatak was in sight. Could not see if it was magnified sastrugi or pressure looming up ahead: or to take bearings. So a tent was pitched then as weather looked worse, the other tent was put up, but the things not taken inside yet. Fight between the 2 dogs as we stopped. Zip got in the way; & was tumbled over against Chuckles. Latter resenting this flew at Zip. The little dog "went" for his former master, & old Chucks looked rather sorry that he had provoked the fight. It was the first time that he had ventured to bite Zip, since latter turned on him the morning after Switzs death! All that time, have had to take the whip without biting anyone - & does not like the position. He the absolute monarch had lost his body guard, had been forced into the position of a very limited monarch by his subject - & old Chucklehead doesnt like that! Zip actually dares, now, to forage round after scraps when the tents come down & infringes on old Chucks privileges in all manner of ways. Chucklehead the king is finding the inconveniences that follow eating his body guard! They are both looking very much better upon the meat & bird diet. Dawdled about thro the day, playing "whiskey poker" & "casino" which appear to be only games Ken knows. About 6 p.m. snow stopped, sun came out & all bright to the W. still thick in the E. nothing to be seen of the Nunatak, but the bearings from the bluff taken, & directions marked for tomorrow if it is thick. Powder of soft snow over surface. Had a peep thro the binoculars at dinner time, over the glacier below, before it was hidden again in mist. That great stream of gigantic pressure flowing down past us then to the E-ward, could be traced away to the far horizon; its Eastern flank apparently almost as heavy & as broken as the Western that we penetrated! Its a great sight to sweep the glasses along that 60 or 70 miles of tumbled ice blocks; that look as thickly & as roughly strewn as metal upon a road. The breadth of the stream, E. & W., from broken line to broken line, - at the Delta bluff (where distance from bluff to bergschrund is known) can we guessed more or less accurately as well over 20 miles, probably 30. Further N it spreads out, not so heavy, but wider. Where it descends Ice Cap it is much narrower but up here apparently broadening. For dinner, Ken stewed skua captured last, that had been waiting an "off day" Primus out of order - & I cannot record language heard from that tent during the cooking. Clouds & mist all around but looks finer. Plus 4 ° at 8 p.m.
December 17 Tuesday
Snowing & thick; each time I woke in the morning the sun was obscured. Therefore breakfast was not early. Only tents, dogs, &c, could be seen then, no distance, no surface. Incautiously went over without mits or jacket & got so cold, turned in after breakfast & slept most of the morning. Cold appears to make one sleep. Mr Wild also turned in. Woke, just in time for lunch. Wild, stepped out of the tent, - & exclaimed in astonishment " Why heres a -----skua!" There the skua was, sure enough, calmly sitting on the snow about 5 yds from the tent. Right up here on the Ice-Cap shows how they wander. One of Switzs legs was thrown out, & the fatal noose spread - & before lunch was half over, the bird was hauled in, caught by both legs! Its such a simple yet effective way of catching them. After lunch, we "cut" who should skin it. I, of course, lost the toss. In its stomach, I found the end of a snow petrels wing all the long primary feathers, swollowed butt first. As the marks of its foot prints were all around, it had probably picked this up from where one of the dogs had eaten the bird this morning - & there would not be much meat on it! Nothing else in stomach. The Ice-Cap is not a land for skuas, even! Weather breaking, snow stopped, horizon around came out. Wild had a look round & gave the word for packing up, away about 3 p.m. Surface bad; from ankles to half way to the knee in soft snow. Sledge came a heavy dead weight All quite ready for a spell at the end of the half mile! Fortunately, we had just reached the top of the steep rise when we stopped yesterday morning and the grade was much easier. When we came to ever so little increased rise, did we not know it! At last, about 5 p.m. the looked for nunatak hove in sight. Less than a point on our left (course nearly S) & now is in full view It may be 10 miles away, or 30 so difficult is it to distinguish distance where there is nothing to gage it by. Its a large thing, sloping steeply up from the E., with rock showing; goes almost flat for a distance, then sloping gently down to the W. Slope beyond slope can be seen, stretching away S-ward. Intervening space rising, but did not appear as if any steep pinches fortunately. This nunatak is to be called after Captain Davis. From this on the S., right round westward, to the Delta Channel Point (where we left the first Depot) about N.W., is the even sweep of the Ice-Cap. Eastward, the broken stream of ice blocks of the descending glacier. Over that a high steep rise, with a peak of rock showing surface looks very broken. From this nunatak ahead, the first break that we have seen in the great Ice-Cap, we should get a fine view, & some idea what is ahead. - & if there is any way to get E.ward. Camped on a raised hard strip of snow, sweeping off the layer of newly fallen snow. Distances 2 miles, 1000 yds; rise, 270 feet. Mr Wild worked out "mean barometer", making our present height above the Glacier we have left, 2870 ft. Direct readings from Depot rock, & its height above glacier agrees to about 100 ft. Fairly fine to-night, but cloudy to the East.
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December 18 Wednesday
Another dull cheerless morning, but not snowing: a streak of rock on the nunatak ahead, showing - & that was about all to be distinguished. Away in fair time, plodding on thro the snow. It was deadly! Got more uniformly soft as we advanced, the hard patches only very occasional. Sinking in at every step, dragging out the foot again; the soft snow getting thrown up against the berberries trouser legs, sticking melting, or freezing on. & how heavily the sledges go along. Have had bad luck with our travelling this trip; - soft snow continually hampers us. This up hill grade makes it much heavier, of course. Sledge meter [indecipherable] thro the morning; & altho she went round after a little coaxing, it was soon found that she was only recording half what she should. So went then by one of us counting the paces (2 paces to a yd as our tracks in the soft snow showed that we were doing that) & at the 800 double pace, "halt" for a breathing spell. & not before we wanted it. Just trod down the snow for the lunch tent site; & had a slightly longer spell than usual. A little clearer then; could make out the far Delta Bluff the nunatak ahead coming up large; an immense snow-slope, with a long snow ridge running many miles to the W; a shorter slope down to the E. Comparatively a very small tier of rock showing, & that on the up slope; probably more further along. It will deserve the title of "Mount" the first we have seen in the generally uniform sweep of the Ice-Cap. The great stream of descending ice lost to sight. Whether the valley to the E. of us is deep enough to hide it, or that its not so broken now, will show when we get a look round from Mr. Davis E-ward from the Valley, the land rises high & much broken. Three or 4 small Nunataks show on the top. One, almost overridden by the ice, somewhat like the head of a dog showing in its kennel, & has been named "Little Towser". At the foot of this high land, in the valley, steep falls & ice-cliffs; & a larger nunatak, showing a steep face of dark rock to the N.E. but masked with snow on this side. These cliffs & nunatak would be what we saw behind the Ice stream from the Delta Bluff. Clouded thickly over as the afternoon advanced, everything blotted out, but the line of dark rock in the Mt. & part of the Eastern land, where the sun was still shining. That vague hazy whiteness over all again, & snow began to fall; & is falling slightly still. Stopped a little after 5 p.m. All very tired, & sick of the heavy dead drag for so little progress. Dug something over a foot of snow away, & a fairly hard surface then for camping upon. Commenced my week of cooking, at noon today. 7 weeks out, & we once expected to be 300 miles to the E. ward by this date and now turning back! & with this surface & continual snow, we will not get far inland, while getting further to the East is hopeless that high land over there is very broken, - we have neither the time nor provisions for attempting it.
Still this Mt that we are approaching, may be the fore-runner of Mountain ranges, or something of interest - & importance. Distance to-day, 4 Ύ miles. Ascent; 390 ft making us 3260 ft high. Bar. reading this afternoon 25.73 the lowest barometer that I have ever seen! Ther. not low owing to blanket of clouds. About plus 30 ° this afternoon.
December 19 Thursday
Snowing thro night & early morning, so breakfast late. Cleared while having the meal, so packed and away just before 9 a.m. Same monotonous plodding on as yesterday: thro uniformly soft snow: a long heavy drag of Ό or ½ mile & then a rest, everyone exhausted, & legs aching with the strain. It was no better when with the dogs, perhaps harder such a desperate tug to get the sledge moving again after each rest. Morning much brighter; cumulus clouds breaking & gradually clearing off, - each space of blue between of that lovely deep, almost violet blue of the Antarctic the contrast of deep colour where everything else is colourless Mt Davis ahead in light & shade; rock showing in thin lines on the ridges of the peaks, & one thin line of outcrop down the side of the first peak. All tired & halted early for lunch. Our "trail", ploughed deeply in the soft snow, could be seen right back to the nights camp, 2 ½ miles away. Then Mr Wild repaired tent poles, which had all worked loose; Andy & Ken repaired some rents in the flap; while I did a crayon sketch of the Mt, with the lights & shades of the clearing afternoon on it as careful of my chalk as possible. Were then about 2 miles from nearest peak (showing on outcrop) Got very cold, for temp. only plus 13. Took the dogs again when we started & sketched other team in when they got well ahead. Just as I finished, they turned more to the left, & went down over crest of rise had but known they would have looked much better then in sketch! Dogs were desperate at seeing other team disappearance thought that they had been left behind this time! And desperate hard pulling to catch up with other team having first to careen sledge & scrape ice off runner before I could make any way. Long high ridge of snow running off somewhere about N.W. from the Mt; another lower one N. Passing over the rise, we dragged down into a hollow, and are now encamped close under latter ridge, which rises dark & steep to the W. of us. Apparently of ice, with thin layer of snow over it. The snow slopes goes up S. of us steeply to the first peak, perhaps a mile off. From the Mt. the Ice-Cap slopes steeply down to the deep valley on our left (East) in rounded spurs. Beyond the valley, the Eastern land goes up high & steep Very broken along most of its lenght; showing rock outcrops at intervals; falls & ice-cliffs. This must extend for a great distance, for the shadow of a bank of cumulus hanging over it was upon the land this afternoon, altho the sun was, of course upon our other hand in the W. along the bottom of the valley two lines of broken ice, shattered into blocks suggests a mighty river of ice, flowing down to the falls below, its two sides torn by the friction of the Ice-Cap coming in. Hoping for a clear day tomorrow, and a clear view around from the Mount. Dug away over a foot of snow: and reasonable hard floor for tents. As it was early, changed into dry foot gear &c; then a good dinner & feel all right after a short day of hard work. Distance, 3 ½ miles: rise 120 ft, and down 80 ft again Chucklehead in disgrace. The 2 dogs were fastened to the sledge this morning before the tents came down (no scraps) Chuckles very much annoyed then surreptitiously abstracted a sock from the sledge and started to eat it. Detected, & kicked. Sat looking the picture of misery until we started, & out of temper all day. This evening, when, as usual, as petrel was thrown to him, he made such a bound that he snapped the handle of the ice-axe that he was fastened to. It was Kens. Ken, naturally very wroth. Good for Chuckles that his time has not come yet! Ken could have murdered him there and then!
Temp. much lower, up here 3000 ft above the Glacier. I have had to get right inside sleeping bag again, instead of, as for the last few weeks, sleeping with my head out. Ice on beard and moustaches thro the day, Even now, in the tent, moustaches loaded with moisture. Fingers & toes aching occasionally still, nothing like as bad as spring work, nor things as wet.
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December 20 Friday
Fresh breeze thro the night, & snow drifting. I spent a restless night, folds of bag coming down on my head. Get a little "full up" of sleeping bags & hard couch. Will be a treat to get into bunk again between blankets, after these months of almost continual sledging & sleeping in my clothes. Morning dull, thick, light very bad, still a breeze not much but so light & soft this snow, that it does not take much to move it. Breakfast after 8; then, as it was no use climbing the Mt. when nothing could be seen, the others turned in again. I touched up & cleaned sketches where rubbed. Cut out a couple of Kings for the little leather set of chess men. Then lunch. Wind dropped thro the afternoon, bright & fairly clear. Mr Wild thought it scarcely worth going up the Mt. then, as would be only time to get to nearest peak no time for "taking angles"; nor for going along Mt. Trudge up thro a mile of soft snow not inviting enough, when we would have to go again tomorrow. Afternoon with cards very slow, for I had a headache. Evening looks nice & fine, only thin cumulus about. Has been cold in the tents, down to plus 3 ° at 3 a.m., plus 8 ° at breakfast time. One advantage of the cold, tent cloth & bags keep dry. Down on the glacier last week, tent cloth was wet thro. every morning. But one hands & feet suffer! Sometimes I think of the hot Tasmanian weather, of the fruit all ripe at home; all the cornfields. & then it seems incredible, looking round at this dead frozen Ice-Cap, that no summer can warm into life! Yet with all the cold, my nose is peeling badly, & cracked; the effect of that hot Sunday at the Delta Bluff, hunting petrels. And doesnt the icy breeze touch up the newly skinned face! Others, too, are burnt and peeling. Hoping for a fine day tomorrow, that Mr Wild may decide upon our future course.
December 21 Saturday
Another dull morning; breezey; a little drift. Mr Wild, at 6 am., finding that it was not a good morning, slept again, & did not wake until nearly 9 a m., so breakfast late. Talked, & played game, then, as the sun was coming out, had early lunch, (noon) then away up Mt Davis. Day brightening, but too much cumulus cloud for a good light, cold breeze. We plodded thro the soft snow, carrying in turns Kens dip circle, & the legs belonging to it. Also an Alpine rope, & our ice axes. It must be more than a mile to the top of the peak, & hard "going"; the breeze of the last day or two only putting a slight crust on the surface. As we neared the top, fell in with patches of old hard surface, sometimes treading unawares, upon the hard smooth ridge of a buried sastrugi, and come floundering off it into the deep soft snow. Very little rock exposed but am sure, when, from Promontary Point, we first saw this peak in the distance that there was much more rock surface bare. Up there now, on the top, the old ice surface could be felt from 1 to 3 ft below. Passing up a stretch of stones & rubble came to the first peak. The inevitable "ridge beyond", prevented anything being seen ahead; so tramped on, thro the snow, to that. This high snow ridge runs away W., but unbroken by outcrop. Topping it saw that the Ice-Cap very high to the W., in the usual free bold sweeps, that looks, & [indecipherable], go into a distance where miles look scarcely more than yards. High to the S., & rising. About S of us & possible 10 to 15 miles off, a fine bold bluff with rounded peaks, slopes & cliffs of rock, largely overlaid with snow. Nearer, a fine large nunatak, high, wedge-like; with a lower ridge running out from the N. end. Between this & Mr Davis, the Ice-Cap goes down in long, rather steep sweeps to the great valley. We could see the Delta Bluff, faint & far. We could see the great stream of shattered ice flowing down the Ice-Cap even the pressure between that and the Delta Bluff, & outward to the horizon. And could trace back that great stream, less broken there like a broad smooth river, flowing more quietly past us in the valley below. Its breadth there difficult to estimate perhaps more than 20 miles perhaps much less. And turning could see it coming past the rock bluff to the South of us never seen by man before this day) foaming past the bluff again, its near edge at least in blocks of ice. The valley could be still followed for a distance, going about S.W. after passing that bluff. Steep slopes, ice-cliffs, & one or 2 outcrops showing its course. Beyond, inland, high rising apparently more uneven & broken surface (as to E-ward) A very distant outcrop visible (comparing it with Delta Bluff & might be 50 miles off, or more) & snow ridges but nothing like distant mountains. E-ward, same as before. So vast and distant that the extra height of Mt Davis made practically no difference. Bar. gave height of highest peak 750 ft above camp, just over 4000 ft above Glacier we have left. Rocks have puzzled Andy. Amongst the much altered gneiss, apparently basalt. One peak tho, is a mass of quartzite rock, smooth with the friction of the ice passing over it. Down in the rubble & stones I found a few litchens, & one or 2 tints of vivid green, which I conclude to be an algae. Appears to be low forms. A bright yellow one, found on rocks below, seems to be quite luxuriant. Also that white incrustation that appears more like something given out by rock. Much of the litchen under or between stones, down in the sand and grit, apparently for the sake of shelter. Ken decided to leave "bearings" for tomorrow, light not too good. Andy & I fossicking amongst stones, found Wild & Ken. back before us, had put the latest caught skua on primus Very good. We have been on reduced "whack" of plasmon biscuits for the last week or more. Ken. rigged up Andys geological hammer as a stilyard for weighing biscuits or rather the fragments of broken biscuits. I brought back some pebbles to night, & at the second pick, found one to weigh 1/3 of a biscuit. Tying this to the tray end of the stilyards, can now weigh out our reduced whack of 2/3, instead of as before, weighing out 3 whacks, & dividing it into 4 one shutting his eyes & saying to whom each whack goes, as the cook points in turn. Mr Wild has decided to make an attempt tomorrow to get on to this bluff to the S., taking only one sledge. So they have turned in early for a hard days work.
Fresh breeze now & drift. I wished to get a sketch of "the mid-night sun" on this, the longest day The sun has gone behind Mt Davis - & I am not going to climb the Mt & sketch it this bitter night!
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December 22 Sunday
Breezey thro the night, & drifting a little. Too cold for Ken. to go up the Mt early for his observations, so had not breakfast until 9 am. Mr Wild then announced that he had decided not to go on further; but to return to the Base, visiting all outcrops & points of interest en route. This soft snow makes progress difficult & slow; and hard work too. Would, in all probability take us 3 days to reach next bluff. Then have not had a "blow" for so long. Bar. falling now, & ill-omened cirrus streaking the sky. We do not want another "Hells Hollow" experience (of Autumn trip) with provisions almost exhausted. So Mt Davis is to be our "Ultima Thule", & we return. Personally think our Leader is right. Can see much further than we could get now. Regret not being able to reach the bluff; am sure that it would have made a fine picture, standing there so boldly, with the river of ice breaking against its foot. Its possible too, that more varieties of litchens might have been found in hollows of its sunny side. I thought of walking, but general opinion that its not less than 10 miles off a distance out of the question for wading in soft snow. After breakfast, up Mt Davis again. Ken. to take "bearings" to the different points & observations for latitude. Mr Wild with Ken, & Andy to try for photos. I left them, & with my sketch book, went along to the Quartzite peak, hoping I might get a little shelter there. Day gloriously bright. Thin yellow cirrus, beautifully light & airy, sweeping in graceful wind blown curves; lightly touched, & sweeping delicately, the ends softened right away. Or in short stronger touches; sometimes crossed, the soft blue showing through giving a depth of atmosphere, & a beauty difficult to describe. "Light" not too good for detail or rather all was so distant, & so little contrast, that not much could be clearly made out. And oh what a cold wind from the S! bearing a thin drift along the surface. Ice on the moustaches & hanging over the mouth, despite the clear sunshine. I was warm after walking up thro the soft snow, & took care to keep my hands very warm with armlets & fur mits; so was able to do a rough sketch of the Southern Bluff & Nunatak. But what a trial it was! One of my precious little bits of chalk not much larger than a wheat-grain, was blown away twice, & I had a hunt for it in the snow. Crayon box blown over once. Hands began to freeze; drift covering book, &c. & you cannot keep it off. Its no use bending & trying to shield your book with your body the drift eddies right back, - in everywhere. A "lee" here, is simply a place for the drift to fill. It was a "trying" morning, & I used some strong language. Then, turning, took outline of view to N., - sketching in horizon, & the Quartzite peak for a foreground. Then freezing & wrathful, tramped back to the first peak, reaching it as the others left. Ken. too, had a bad time taking his observations. More out crop there; an acre or two of stones & pebbles, with snow amongst them. Out of drift there, & a little out of wind, as this slope faced N. Sketch in Delta Bluff (which Kens observations makes 50 miles off) & the lines of the great pressure the Glacier flowing from the valley below Mr Davis, down over 2000 ft, torn & broken, spreading below, fan-wise, to the N. horizon. Which from 4000 ft, should be 80 miles away! & some huge pressure seen with naked eye on that far horizon, but of course all very faint. Have now interesting series sketches of this great ice-stream. (1) Its first appearance round Southern Bluff (2) from the valley here to the N. horizon, 90 miles away, showing width of pressure. (3) falling in cascades from the ice-cap. (4) Flow N, with the huge pressure, past the Delta Bluff Had to leave white foreground of 2 done to-day until I get more chalk. Back to lunch. Mr Wild decided not to move this afternoon. Looks windy blizzard sky Ken. Worked out Lat. of Mt Davis 67 °. 10. I walked to ice-slope near us Mostly neve. Large crevasses, mostly filled. Brought ice for cooker. Sketched in "blizzard cirrus" to view N that I did to-day. Then dinner & to our bags. Evening quite now & very little wind but all signs of a blow "Noahs ark," parkelion & halo, but not bright now. Hope that it will be fine to let us get off this God forsaken Ice-Cap chief interest of
[along margin of page] trip gone now We cannot get further so I want to get back to my biological & artistic work at the hut and relieved poor Moyes loneliness & anxiety.
December 23 Monday
Morning dull, thick, snowing slightly. Light vile. All the signs last night were for wind, which we would have preferred to this deadly quiet snowing weather: Had breakfast; then waited developements. Wind did not come, nor snow increase; so lunch, and underway. Took some time digging the sledges & tents out, for there was a couple of feet of drift piled up around them. I was in the lead, & a rotten job it was! Could see the white line of the horizon against the sky, but not a mark of any kind to head for. Behind, & on the left (W) it was simply a white blurr, with, high up behind like brown pencillings, the thin lines of stone outcrop on the ridges of Mt Davis. I had only the dimly seen wind ripples on the snow could scarcely call them sastrugi to guide me; & the darker line of the valley round on the right so course not too straight. It was heavy wading thro the snow; crunching deeply thro, the thin crust these breezes have put on it; the sledges, lightened as they were, not heavy, but the "going" hard. Once or thrice getting on a hard ridge, the sledge sudden "came" as if someone had given it a push; showing how easy it would be with a decent surface. Temp. stood at plus 23 ° at 3 p.m., & the very light breeze astern, so very hot work too the beastly goggles kept "fogging" with the heat, & I had them off occasionally . Made better progress than we did last week, sledges came along more on the surface, & it was nearly all down hill. So got 4 miles of the return done, but fairly tired of it, when we stopped. Shovelled away soft snow, as usual. I changed snowey finskoo & wet berberry trousers before cooking. This gives the others a chance to get the outside work done, & ready to retire to their tents after dinner which Wild & I appreciate but, I fear, finds little favour in the boys eyes. They seem to like cooking straight off & get finished with it, - for the cook attends only to the cooking, - except in an immergency. Now the snow is falling thickly, Neither in the large "Tasmanian" flakes, the ordinary "sago grains", nor the exquisite little "star crystals", but a combination of the two latter, looking like thistle seed. Loose soft white down, with a round of white centre. Most beautiful but, in our position, most objectionable! Its all a vague whiteness around; nothing but the tents, the sledges, & the dogs to be seen; a soft gentle patter audible on the tents. Its hard enough now, travelling thro, it we do not want another snowfall without wind. Its curious, this complete change from blizzards to quiet heavy snowfalls. Would appear as if main fall here was in the summer. We wonder how Dr Mawson will get on, in his magnetic pole journey; if he meets this soft stuff he will have a bad time. Wonder if the "Aurora" is thro the pack yet? Dogs had a couple of brushes this afternoon. Chuckles went down each time, backed down abjectly to Zip. The little black & white dog has a long score against Chucklehead for the bad time he suffered thro the winter, & for many an unprovoked bite during their sledging. That parady of a "King", Chucklehead has "blown out" like a pricked bladder, now his "toady", Switzerland is dead. Its odd, the two combining for the purpose of keeping Zip down. Switz was a larger dog than Zip, & tho not as large as Chuckles, was a better made dog & might have been king, had he but the courage. It has been decided that instead of Zip eating Chuckles, we are to go to the Delta Bluff again to lay in another supply of petrels to take both dogs home. Last time, I was first in the slaughter, for it was in the interests of the Expedition but not this time. I do not intend to kill both the mothers & chicks in the interest of the filthiest old hound that I have ever seen! He has worked hard under the whip certainly, - its his only merit.
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December 24 Tuesday
Its always the unexpected in this strange land! Morning fine; light cumulus with cirrus behind; sun bright & so hot that found it uncomfortaly warm cooking breakfast. Surface covered with an inch or two of very light thin snow. Had been more back on the higher level, for nearly all the rock outcrop of Mt Davis covered. Rather late starting, for the skipper did not wake until 7 am, & altho, I was awake, I had not a watch. Dragging, at first, not worse than yesterday, the little extra depth not counting. But there was not breeze, & the sun hot enough to make the brown berberry trousers feel warm to the hands, after sitting in the sun. So, of course, the light, newly fallen snow soon got soft, one would think, feeling the strenght of the sun on such a day as this, that there would be a general thaw; but what are a few occasional hours of it to the intense cold & depth of this Ice-Cap! It had one effect, the usual trouble of ice forming on the runners & snow sticking to them. After a hard half mile thro the deep soft snow, & a 10 minute "spell", our united efforts would not be equal to moving the sledge, or only by a foot or two. So after each halt, she had to be tilted first on one runner, then on the other, & the ice scraped off with a sheathe knife. Can imagine how we cursed it! When I took charge of the dog sledge, I found that even a few minutes stoppage, to allow other team to get ahead, after catching it up made my sledge immovable. So there after, let them get such a lead that we could not catch up until the half mile spell called much to the dogs disgust! How hot we were perspiration running off us; sun blazing between the cloud rifts. Wore a shade over our faces; I have a small piece of Andys handkerchief hung to my goggles which shelters nose & lips. Even the 2 dogs show sun burnt & peeling noses! Yet, hot as the sun was, snow was falling! Looking up at the sun on the edge of the fleecy clouds, could get a glimpse of those lovely opalescent colours; & see tiny specks of fine snow falling; see it thicker & finer as I gazed into the blue void above, until it seemed to be falling from infinite distance! So small & delicate the crystals, that I could not catch any; they melted, even as they touched my sleeve. Little to be seen around. The stream of the downward flowing glacier on our right partly hidden by mist. All welcomed the lunch hour, & a mug & half of tea. Delayed an hour, mending tents & tent-poles the latter are very weak arrangement for this rough work. Surface got much better in the afternoon, the soft snow thinner, the descent steeper occasional hard patches thinly covered with snow. The choked up sledge-meter began to work; & we made good progress, 4 miles for the short afternoon. Going over the brow, where the steeper descent begins, brought the stream of the shattered glacier into sight. Most beautiful purple shaded under the shadow of low cumulus that was rising like mist. Along side of us in the morning, the edges were only broken, as a pavement would be, if the ground beneath backed up into a ridge But from at least 2000 or 2500 feet, the pressure downwards, where the descent is steep, the pressure must be gigantic So great that the stream is much higher in the middle than at the "banks that it runs between. The "up-heaved pavement" gives no idea of it there A stream of ice blocks broke into great squares, crushed in places into jagged points; tight packed, crowded, not a smooth space between spreading, like a vast fan, as it forces its way thro the main glacier below! There we could trace it still 2 lines of shattered ice, at the Delta Bluff, over 20 miles apart; & sweeping wider, as they go N. - & all between thro broken almost as badly, just now, as I was examining it with the binoculars in the light of the low sun, it made a blazing white scar on the plain below; all the mass of broken straight sides showing whiter than the smooth level part. It was a great sight! And far off, 60 or 70 miles off, at least, was a mass of ice, all spires, pinnacles, & broken sides, that was far larger than anything between, & which we had previously seen from Mt Davis, - Was like a ruined ice-berg frozen in the glacier! & lines like upheaved cliffs, & large black rocks far out in the glacier E-ward, Alas! & we cannot reach there Camped on a hard piece of snow after sweeping off soft stuff. Christmas Eve! Wild singing some carols as he turns in Christmas Eve - & this dead dreary hopeless Ice-Cap - & the clouds rolling up again from the E. How different
[in margin] at home! God bless them all there; & may it be well with them as happy a Christmas as may be for they will be thinking of us wandering on the Ice-Cap Distance today 7 miles 500 yds
December 25 Christmas Day
"Christian, awake, salute the happy morn Whereon the Saviour of Mankind was born!" Sang Wild, as a call to me to get breakfast ready. Morning quiet not so warm; a few flecks of snow falling. Clouds began to break as we finished our meal, & it came out a glorious day. I had awakened early, & lay thinking of the 2 little mites at home, opening the presents "Father Christmas had brought them; & how their Mother & I had watched their delighted faces the last Xmas I was at home. & last Xmas, at that time, I was standing at the wheel of the old "Aurora" holding her nose for the S. What an age it seems since I last saw the dear home faces! Well, we were away in good time, & had a couple of miles done by 9 a m, for the nights cold had put a crust upon the surface that carried the sledges; & our way was down hill; often so steep that Ken rode upon the dog sledge. I also, when later I took them in hand, for the ice-cap was falling in the usual gentle terrace formation & the sledges light. Old Chucklehead was done up again, so Zip had all the pulling to do, & looked quite pleased with himself. Chuckles is not nearly such a good "doer" as Zip. He starves upon what Zip will live & work upon. Possibly the cold on this Ice-cap has tried him too. Morning got very warm. A thin high layer of cumulus veiled the sun, but the heat seemed to strike thro, as from an oven. Faces veiled, & goggles on. Dragging light, but the walking rather heavy; so it was rather tiring. Still, we had 9 miles on our meter by lunch time. Usual fare for lunch as for breakfast, but as it was "Cheese day" we had that much change. The dogs had ½ mug pemmican each, for their Xmas dinner. Resumed march again, sun out, little breeze, gloriously bright & fine. The white masses of the cascades partly hidden by the slope upon our right. On our left a valley, apparently running down from the W. of Mt Davis, a sort of basin, with considerable pressure where it breaks over the brow also in the valley. Slope we are on very free from crevasses; but the opposite one, across this valley, very broken. At last picked up old sledge-tracks, & soon had Depot rock in sight. Evidently has not been snowing down here! On the last slope, where it was mostly neve, sledges ran on their own account. Andy came along in style, riding upon the dog sledge, Zip pulling to guide it, Chucklehead slinking alongside. Mr Wild jumped upon it too, Ken & I in the harness, raced them with the other sledge, so ended the days work with a gallop & good laugh Even little Zip, for he put up his nose & "How-wow-wod" mightily well pleased with himself, doing all the work! Levelled off the half thawed snow & pitched tent, then Andy started cooking Christmas Dinner! I just outside door of tent sketched interior "The sledgers Xmas Dinner! Perspective not good, of course, jammed right up against door of tent. First we had our "hoosh". Then a mug of cocoa. Andy had the plum pudding that Morton had slipped into the bag at starting, boiling on the little pot on the other primus half of that was served round next. Speedily disposed of, & unanimously decided that we could manage other half too which we did - & the 2 lb pudding disappeared! And we did not forget poor old Morton, having his lonely Xmas dinner. Then the little bottle with the "tot" of whiskey, & a "nip" of hot toddy shared round. "Heres to all absent friends!" said Wild. "Heres to all absent friends - & the good wife in Tasmania!" I answered and between each course I worked away at my crayon sketch. Imagine what a warm beautiful evening it was, when I could sit outside the door, without a sweater on, having dinner, & sketching - So our Christmas dinner was over, bar some piece of biscuit that I ate afterwards, Then the English & Australian ensigns were fixed to bamboos on the rock, and Mr Wild formally took possession of the land in the name of King George naming it "King George V Land!" We all cheered. Looking round upon the desolate Ice-Cap, I remarked "We have" set the bounds of Empire wider" - & much good may it do her!" Camera rigged up & photo of group taken (with a string to the camera) Pools of thaw-water in the pockets of the rock, had some for dinner - & Wild washed his socks in another pool. Depot found all right, & loaded on to the sledges. Our gallon of kerosene had been going 14 or 15 days instead of the regulation 10 So having more than we required some was emptied into hollows in the rock, & set afire the first flames this dead land has seen! Then sleeping bags unrolled & tired sledgers turned in. Distance to-day, 15 miles, 180 yds, descending over 2000 feet.
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December 26 Thursday
Slept well, after hard day & good dinner. A little snow thro, the night. Just enough to see in the morning. Cloudy, but the sun soon broke thro & we found it warm enough dragging I soon shed heavy cap & sweater. There is a considerable flow from the round cup like valley, where the fall from the Ice-Cap comes down to the S. The great glacial stream in the mouth of the big bay doubtlessly obstructs the passage of this smaller glacier & accounts for considerable unevenness in the level of the bay. Just below "Possession Rock" to the valley is a long trough, then a steep rise, which Barometer shows to be 150 ft to level above. This trough is like a current, broken into short "choppy " seas, mostly pointed; & is badly crevassed. We slipped thro, as before, where pressure thins out somewhat & before another line commenced. One long crevasse, a foot wide, & a hundred or two in lenght, clean-cut & deep, had opened up since we had crossed on the evening of the 13th inst: Most of the crevasses in the depression were short, curving, & widening as they descended. A space only wide enough to slip the hands in, would open out feet wide & show great depths of blue. On the rise, to the level of the bay, large & long crevasses bridged with snow but fallen-in, often showed great "Hell Holes, - apparently bottomless caverns. The morning looked wild long high featherly "mares tails" of light cirrus; beautiful short delicate curving whisps, fleecy thin flakes of cirrus stratus or light cumulus; & a thick bank of cumulus over the Peninsula or Promontary ahead of us, & the Delta Bluff. When in the former sun showed most exquisite opalescent colours, sometimes gold would predominate sometimes successive but not sharply defined bands of clearly defined colours [seen thro pale amber goggles] Gold, rose, purple, green; Once, predominating colour a most lovely deep rose, 2 broad bands of it, with purple between; & clear bright green beyond. When the mares tails were thick enough, they would be flooded with these lovely colours, but not banded. In the light thickly plated flakes or scales of the fleecey cloud, it was strikingly like an opal stone. In the thick clouds, a halo. In fact all signs forboding wind or worse, snow. Still it looks finer now, the barometer low 21.62. Surface at first fairly good. A brittle flakey surface; little ice-glazed flakes, or an inch or so, standing up, & the sun eating away the softer snow beneath to depth or an inch or so. One of the early stages of neve. This got soft & "slushy" as heat increased; & dragging therefore harder. Passed mid-day camp of 13th inst. Our meter recording same distance from rock plus 200 yds as we made it that night. As we were winding amongst crevasses so close an agreement in over 3 miles speaks for accuracy of sledge [indecipherable] At 5 miles, 1400 yds, camped. Dragging getting so hard, Mr Wild decided to turn in, & make another start at midnight. I had to repair holes in tent, that had been chafed on sledge, before other tent could be [indecipherable] Now writing with sweater off very warm "swung" thermometer at 31 ° It may sound like "swank" speaking of "very warm" at 1 ½ ° below freezing point, but that is the shade temperature the swung thermometer to get the breeze but not the sun. On the sledge, thermometer showed over 70 ° that is warm enough after hardening to stand the "minus." Ther. always swung after the commencement of summer. Then theres such a glare. No "white" faces we are all red or bronze burnt deeply looking more as from the tropics than the icy poles. And all looking well. Old Chucklehead doing very little work. He got loose last night & poked into holes where kerosene burnt & has a very black eye! Ugly before hes a caricature of a [indecipherable]
December 27 Friday
Afternoon warm, evening very quiet, until late, then a fresh breeze. Do not think sun set for I was awake most of the mid-night hours, & he was shining every time I looked from the bag. Call for cook, a little after 1 am. Breakfast over command to pack up; but the breeze got so strong & drift showing so thickly on the hills as wind did not increase, & drift only occasional, we packed up & away. Half hoist sail with a "traveller" on the mast, & in the strong wind it made a surprising difference. She came along with the wind on her starboard quarter, as fast as we could walk; in the squalls we had to run. Only now & then pulling strongly. Motion of the sledge under sail oddly like that of a boat. She surged over a sastrugi, came slowly up the next; yawed about, had to be kept straight by pulling on her traces, & up to her course, for she was inclined to carry a "lee helm". It was a beautiful bright morning, only a little cirrus in the sky; bar. rising. Wind increased strong puffs. Drift also increased as we got across the bay. Was blowing from the ice-falls so not much drift to come from there, nor from surface we were on. Still at times could not well see opposite shore. Chucklehead pulling a bit today anxious to keep up with the sledge that carries the "tucker" & surface hard & crisp with the nights freezing. So dogsledge came along easily too. At half time, wind had dropped somewhat. Made full sail. Not making as much of a curve as in crossing before shorter but kept us amongst crevasses many in-fallen, showing depths of blue caverns under the lid as we passed the ends thereof. But all we crossed bore (altho some feet of the lid of one fell in as sledge cleared it) so had not much trouble. This saved us a mile, & such good progress with the sail, that we arrived at the camp site of 12th inst. by 9 a.m. [Started at 4 a.m.] with 9 miles on the meter. Old site much as we left it old tea leaves eaten a deep hole in snow. Footprints & sledge tracks visible. Evidently little or no snow-fall down here, & we had been wading in it nearly knee keep up on that wretched ice. Lunch & tea very welcome. After lunch with help of a fair but now light breeze, we dragged up & over the low Promontary Point instead of going round it as before. This saved us another 2 miles. Ken too around of "bearing" from the top of the point. Fine view, this beautiful clear day, of the great ice-fall. On each side, as the main stream pours down the slope of the ice-cap the edges of that Ice-cap appears to break down into it or be torn off in falls of perhaps some hundreds of feet in height, giving it that "cascade" appearance. I should think that this side-falls, & the main stream together were from 5 to 10 miles across; but very difficult to estimate the distance. Smaller glaciers appears to flow down, broken [indecipherable] further to the E-ward. Then we left the shut-in bay behind the Promontory, and those majestic falls of ice for ever, I presume. Selecting what looked a smooth place in the coastal pressure below, on the Delta Channel, ran our sledges down the long steep slope leading from what would be the cliff edge, to the pressure. Ken & I on the large sledge, after taking in sail; other 2 with the dog sledge. They simply raced down, sitting on sledge, Chucklehead could not run, fast enough to keep ahead of sledge - to Zips great annoyance! Then thro the pressure into the Delta Channel, again amongst the crevasses; twisting deep brutes then the long pull up out of the "trough" to the level of the heaped current of the Channel. Here large crevasses. Had to cross many, showing great depths of blue thro the cracks; one, did not like the look of, could see great cavity below, & as much of the bridge as we could see under, looked thin. Could not see a better place so I led on to it. It bore. Just afterwards, camped; tired & very hot . Wind had died down, ther. in the sun stood at 80 ° Kens face especially, very burnt, both lips swollen & blistered badly. 13 miles, 1600 yds to our credit. Surface after lunch very soft & sodden Mt Davis seen from Promontary over 40 miles by our course & that not so far from straight line. Tired but not sleepy. I went back to put a crevasse in the corner of unfinished sketch of Dec 7th. Followed sledge track but my foot went thro one crevasse lid fortunately had not full weight on it so did not fall there was a great cavity beneath, but not very deep; a great ice-column a couple of feet thro, supporting the lid. Had a look into that blue devil that we did not like crossing. A chasm there capable of holding a couple of small cottages, one on the other. Some 6 feet of the lid, at least on either side of the hole that I enlarged, was not more than Ό inches thick. So I did not stay breaking it in too long. Broke thro & peeped down a little further long. A huge clean chasm there, some 80ft of sheer ice wall visible, & as I could not see bottom, or if the side I was on was solid, did not stay there peeping. Sketched in crevasse. Saw skua pass. Back to bag. Tent very hot. Bluff only about 6 miles off.
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December 28th Saturday
Turned in probably about 4 p.m. & slept until sun gone behind Ice-Cap nearly mid night. Awoke then to put on a pair of socks & sweater. Called a little after 1 a.m. & away. Fine morning but cold wind only half as stiff as yesterday, but reduced weight of pulling by half. On down grades (over crevasses) she ran herself - & twice ran down Andy. Succession of long wide crevasses to cross with sunken lids, 20 or 30 ft broad stretching a mile-long. Lids much more solid than those met on the up-slope yesterday. sledge took them finely (under sail, see her leap bank, shoot the 1 or 2 ft drop to the lid, glide across with the way on", & up the opposite bank without much exertion from us. Passed at distance, camp site of 10th-11th inst. amongst thick lines of crevasses. Then the pull up the long gradual slope, heaped up to the Bluff. Wind swept round Bluff strong & chilly wind we gained top of rise so instead of camping near Bergschrund went on to hollow N. of Bluff, under point of island, & camped in more sheltered place, nearly ½ mile off. Surface, as all across Channel, half neve, half & solid stuff. We have had a practical lesson in the formation of neve in the last few weeks. The surface melted out in flakes inclined N. at angle of 50 ° or 60 ° - not vertical, & surface crystalized Digging "bricks" for the tent found sodden ice below, & holes filled with water, evidently draining down from the great rock bluff. Lunch, when all finished. Discussion about getting birds. Wild said that it would require about 4 doz. One dozen each. I said, that of the 2 jobs I would rather kill the dog & have done with it. But Wild has an odd liking for the brute - & is his only friend. Certainly Chucklehead, altho a great "loafer" at first, has worked hard very hard, under the lash that is his only recommendation unless its the whimsical reason for liking him that Wild gives only "He is so utterly filthy ugly & stupid", He is! of his stupidity altho harnessed to a sledge for the last 4 months, he has not learned to lift his leg over the trace, but drags on if it gets between his legs - until hes bleeding A doz. times a day it has been lifted over for him! So for Wilds sake, who has always been nice to us not for Chuckleheads I made no further demur about getting my share of the birds, - resolving that I would take only those without young. So we all went for the great Bluff the other chaps taking the 2 dogs to eat the chicks. But the petrels had not hatched However Chuckles & Zip got the eggs Zip would only eat half a doz. so Chuckles got the rest. Meanwhile I went on to the top of the Bluff, & had a look thro the binoculars for it was a beautiful clear day Could not trace our road into pressure (NNE.) theres such a bewildering maze of it! Far as I could see over the glacier to the N. were scattered pieces of very high pressure for "pressure" it must be although so high & large. To the E-ward over the broken stream numbers of large rocks in the Glacier, & apparently 2 or more low islands of considerable interest & ice-capped, besides the large bare island or reef. Possible other varieties of birds nesting on some of them could we but have reached them! Touched up my panoramic skeleton of the pressure but it does not show size well nor get extent of the smash. Then hunted round one of the central peaks for birds. Was fortunate enough to get the required dozen petrels within a radius of 100 yds & without much trouble Had them almost as soon as the others had theirs for they had hunted the slopes ransacked before. Some of the birds I got, had not eggs Others sitting on well incubated eggs. Also 2 or 3 eggs in deserted nests birds perhaps killed by skua They are such beautiful little things I cursed old Chuckles as I killed them . Saw nothing fresh in the way of moss or lichen nor any moss bearing seed. Nor any other species of birds. Other fellows saw a dead Wilson Petrel. When Mr Wild went out after dinner (mid-day) there was a skua sitting on them snow. So remaining small portion of Switzerland (kept for the purpose) was thrown out & snoose set. Skua walked straight in, but the string slipped under his feet & he would not come again. Wild got tired of waiting & turned in. I continued trying eggs I had brought down only 3 would blow - & not good specimens. Skua could not resist sight of meat - & I had him! Cook turned in, declined to turn out so I skinned bird. "Guts" greatly exercised - a bundle of snow petrels, a piece of meat, & a skua all in sight - & he had but had his usual days "whack" of 2 petrels, plus over a dozen of petrel eggs - & Zip got my petrel eggs & the skuas head & entrails! Chucklehead for half an hour, expressed his jealous wrath in snaps & snarls. Its safe to do so, when the other dog is tied up 20 ft away! Now to sleep. Start again after midnight for first Depot, via N coast of Delta Island. then on to hut to relieve poor old Morton. Can do nothing more here of importance I now wish to get back to biological & artistic work Distance to-day 5 miles, 1000 yds
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December 29th Sunday
Called at usual time; & a little before 3 a.m. away on the march. Morning dull thick, snowey clouds along horizon E. & S., a yellow haze, thro which the sun when he had surmounted the cloud bank could throw but a very feeble light. Ragged whisps of dark cloud across this. The huge pressure of the bergschrund smash looked quite close. This the weather that suits it - but the sun & snow without wind, has generally spoilt the effect the ice masses are whitened, & do not show the blue or blue-green so marked & so beautiful earlier in the year. Dogs started the day with a bit of a "scrap". Zip was eating the skuas wing & I, thinking the feathers would do him no good, was dragging him away, when Chuckles took advantage of the opportunity to snatch the wing. Zip went for him headlong, - & a "rough & tumble" resulted in neither getting the advantage they were separated & tied up to the sledge Wish I could have had a snap shot of greedy old Chuckles; sitting watching the tents come down & unable to rush round after possible scraps. The most woe-begone cariacture of a dog that I have ever seen! In these fights he has advantage of size & teeth - but lacks pluck. Zips teeth worn, do not seem to pierce Chuckles rhinocerous hide. We followed along foot of the island ice-cap, fairly level at first. It commenced to curl into a great ridge of pressure. Further along, huge fragments up to half a mile long were torn off by the pull of the passing glacier & tilted back to show cliff-faces, 30 to 50 feet high. This extended all along N shore, to a more or less degree A large rent, or shallow chasm, of considerable width, seperating the ice-cap from the glacier. Passed 2 or 3 outcrops. Andy had the dogs, so could visit them while our team kept on; tho he had great trouble with the dogs. Zip would try to dash back to join us, while Chuckles would lie down & whine. We had to go further up the sideling slope of the island, & above some of the out-crops, so had a hard steady pull all the morning sail helping a little. All glad of lunch & tea. When we came from the tent again, found clouds had broken & swept away gloriously bright, with clear blue sky for the rest of the day [This was 9 a.m. our "midday"] course now lay up a long slope past the "triplets" rocks on the N.W. corner of the island. Breeze died down & very warm We stripped off berberries & sweaters dragging in our underwear. Topping the ridge at the S. end of the "Triplets", stopped for a run over the rocks, while Ken took a round of "bearings" for we had in sight the homeward road the familiar old places Depot Point, Delay Point, the Hippo low before us - & far off, the "Bay of the Winds", the Alligator, New Is. ("Beta"). Unfortunately the "back bearings" the Delta Bluff, &c, were all hidden behind the sweeping ice-caps of the island. Triplets, granite, with large crystals of felspar shining like florins in the sun. Had I but the time, might have got good specimens. Andy got one beauty Were only there about 15 minutes. I had a look round with glasses then gathered what litchens I could see. They seem to have a bad time on this rock, alternating between baking & freezing. Moss there, but dried up and no good. Glacier crevassed & considerable pressure off this point. Then about SSW, dragging down & along the island slope, over some crevasses, diagonally down into the deep "trough" along the shore; then up the mile long pull to the top of the great flow of ice thro the Channel missing a line of the usual short twisting crevasse pits between the flows. All this dragging very heavy. Surface usual crystallized snow, getting very sodden under the noonday sun. So now encamped in the N.W. entrance of the Delta Channel. View to S.W. very pretty the line of outcrops & the shore beneath a clear blue sky & bright sun, the level line of the glacier, & the Hippo in the distance. Altho tired, I sketched it after dinner despite a fresh little W. wind that had come up, & gave me much trouble; chilling fingers; blowing away my precious bits of chalk. Now reduced to one bit the size of half a white pea; another as large in diameter, but thin as a wafer; & a third bit about size of a radish seed. After doing sketch, had to do up & put away litchens, get bag & things ready for turning in; put crayons right in box, write this, &c. So late turning in. Meter "struck" & refused work again to-day. Estimate distance at 10 miles. No birds on rocks we passed, but saw Wilson Petrel & skua
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Feather
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December 30th Monday
Called just before 1 a.m. Morning grey, Mist veiling the slopes of the island. Cold little breeze. Dragged on for Depot Point, over undulations of the great Ice-stream pouring out of the Delta Channel. A stream higher in the middle, with well marked sides, that could be followed out, in a gradually lowering ridge, for miles. The depot flag, in the other trough could not be seen until within Ό mile of it. A few crevasses, mostly filled, seemed very mild, after the miles of treacherous surface crossed further E. A couple of Wilson Petrel, or the same one returning after ½ hr. Fled round us with their peculiar fluttering hesitating way that reminds one of a butterfly. Found Depot bag much as we had left it; snow mound melted a little, but the bag held alright. With Depot bag on sledge, continued our journey, steering for moraine off Delay Point. All the neve has been covered with a thin layer of snow, which in turn is being converted into neve, & now very rough, all sharp points. Large pools of thaw water frozen over, stretched along for 50 or 100 yds. Andy in the lead must needs walk over these when he could - atlast one broke, & let him into the ankles. With my lighter weight, escaped getting wet. Pitched tent & had lunch at first morain heap, 7 a.m. having done about 10 miles. Wind was now stiff & very bleak; sky overcast, sun dimly visible. Very beautiful along coast, with the rock outcrops; great hills of ice, torn & rent as by collapsing over rocky ledges & slopes beneath. The fractured blue ice mantled or interspersed with great pure white snow slopes ; the level glacier, & long broad ribbons of blue thaw water ice. The lunch camp would have made a beautiful picture, bold & effective. The square brown rock masses of Delay Point, partly covered with the great snow - such a ribbon or two of ice & the water; with the cliffs & snow patches reflected there-in; the heap of moranic stones & boulders in the foreground & nearer, the patch of white snow, with the sledges & dogs thereon. I looked longingly at it. Had it been a passable day, would have given up my lunch for it but with such a bitter cold wind it was no use trying. Fingers would have been frozen , crayons blown away, book perhaps torn. Yet that wild cold sky added extra beauty. Sun breaking out after lunch, & sky clearing. Coast not nearly so pretty, as the sun light takes all the colour out of the ice leaving all dead white. "Going" fairly fast, but heavy. For about 3 miles, between Point & Hippo, the surface is heaped into billows, & hard dragging up their steep sides. Remains of old camp visible. Surface getting moist, & ice on water thawing. We broke thro ankle deep in some of the water-rotten neve, & in one or 2 pools, getting water in to our boots. Ken, with dogs, went out past moranic boulder, & got specimen left there by Andy, on the outward journey. Had great difficulty with the dogs, - the fools will not drag, unless other sledge in front. We came to a regular river of thaw water, a strong current flowing in towards the cliffs; 6 in. or a foot deep, & there about 2 ft wide, going down hollow where moranic boulder lay. We bridged it at that narrow part with the sledge, & so crossed rotten banks of neve. Further along, Ken had trouble crossing it. Sent dogs first, to try it. They broke the ice, Chuckles frightened, lay down on a patch of rotten neve. It broke under him, & he fell in. Further, we all crossed another creek; then camped on a patch of snow, very soft with the heat. About 1 ½ miles N of Avalanche Cliffs. Had a bit to eat at noon dinner when we camped here. Others then went over to cliffs to take photos. For the first time, I "jibbed." It was 3.30 p.m. I had been up since 1 a.m.; had been dragging a sledge for over 15 miles & did not feel fit for sketching. Had been up 3 hrs yesterday, while others sleeping, sketching, doing up specimens, &c. I was really tired. We have been going continuously too, since leaving Mt Davis. On this trip I have got the sketches as I could In sleeping hours in lunch hours - Have had to pass fine picture to camp in hollows where nothing could be seen or nothing worth spending my short supply of chalk on. A sketch of the Avalanche Cliffs was one thing that induced one to go on this trip but now we are here, am too tired to do justice to it so have not tried. Must stop behind with the dog-sledge & try it in the morning if not too late.
[side of page] Others just returned, tired & wet footed - & I hear the crash of an "avalanche".
December 31 Tuesday
Stiff breeze thro the night almost a gale in the morning. Drift upon the Land, not much drift here. Turned out just after 3 a.m. & amp; breakfast. Beautiful, clear, bright; but cold with the strong wind. Mr Wild decided to wait awhile. It may blow still harder yet Even with the wind then blowing, sledges would have taken charge of us upon the icy surface here. So we turned in again. Andy, here, & others in their bags asleep not sleepy myself, so sat up & cut chessmen from the strap, finishing off my "fighting line", & cut "discs" of strap to fit them into. Then, feeling lazy, lay down for awhile. Lunch 11 a.m.; & chatting afterwards. Day gloriously bright; & fine except for the strong gusty wind. Debated going in to the Avalanche Cliffs. Did not appear any hope of a sketch in such a breeze yet was I loth to loose possible chance. So put on sleeping jacket, & berberries, too book & ice-axe & walked in over a mile along neve, & thaw water-ice- filled depressions. Crossing one crack, could hear water in a strong stream flowing thro it, but out of sight. Wind cold especially on my skinning nose! Gusts still hard, but moderating. To my delight, found it was quite sheltered upon great slope W of the cliffs so promptly got to work. Nearly froze to the ice-block that I was sitting upon, - having inadvertently moved off the fur-mit was using for a cushion. Otherwise not cold at all. The noonday sunlight was full upon the cliffs, unfortunately for the sketch so blue ice does not show much2. Sketch gives a good idea of the cliffs; but not of the grandeur of the scene, for of course it cannot show the vast snow-slopes 600 or 600ft high on either side the shattered tops & sides of some of them. I chose this view as it gives a "distance" shows 2/3 of cliffs; but unfortunately the great slope beyond is hidden by the buttress of the cliff. My sky very blue, but comparing it afterwards with the deep vault above those white craggs, it looked pale! The reality looked a deeper & greener shade of blue. How much more beautiful those craggs were last time we passed, blue-green-gray under the cloudy sky still finer under that wild wintry sky of Sept! Sketch shoes the hole where our "dug-out" was, & the slope that we had such trouble to cross in the blizzard. Still traces of that camp. Have been great falls of ice - & blocks of ice scattered far beyond our campsite. Must be strewn out for upwards of ½ a mile. Must be considerable movement in the Ice-cap there, judging from the way it appears to have cracked since we were here last. All the time that I was there the ice was rending, - reports loud as small carronades, but not so full & deep. Here, 1 ½ miles away, we hear the crash of the small falls. Wild tells me (for I did not go round that side) that all the pretty thin ridges of pressure have melted, & a pond of water there. Any amount of thaw-water about on the ice here. Just in front of our tents is a lagoon about Ό mile long, & at the widest , about 150 ft. It would make a nice little sketch with its depth of blue, the camp, & the Hippo beyond. But alas! chalk now reduced to about size of 2 wheat grains! Upon return, found others having a game. Wind now N.W. nice breeze, afternoon hot. Instead of starting this afternoon, our Leader had decided to have tea (5 pm) turn in; & rouse out at mid-night, when the thaw water would be frozen over, & the rotten patches of neve bear; & better "going" all round. After 8 days continuous work, a day off very acceptable The walk gave me an appetite, & think that I will sleep now. On full allowance of biscuit again - & full appetites too! Rest will do the dogs good too, they are chafing with the dragging, & eyes suffering from the glare. Our eyes suffer too altho we wear goggles & noses continually peeling. Kens lips very bad, has put sticking plaster on.
New Year Eve! 1912 is passing! Passing here in a blaze of sunlight, unshaded by the "wings of night"! It has been a wonderful year to me, and to those with me here. A revelation of start solitudes, and utter dead dreariness of wondrous beauty of Fairyland Wild, weird, unearthly! Lavish in its frozen wonders, its delicate beauty! A year such as few of the millions of Earth are given - & I have appreciated being with the first to whom these hitherto unseen wilds have been revealed. But a new year comes With its hopes & fears promising us the delight of meeting those we love those who love us, & have prayed & watched anxiously all the long year. Are they well? Is Davis at Adelie Land?
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Australian Antarctic Expedition drawing of the S.Y. "Aurora" and list of members
Lat. 65 ° 17 S.
Lon. 151 ° 30 E.
New Years Day, 1912
Douglas Mawson
Frank Wild
H. Dyce Murphy
[indecipherable] 1st Party
J.G. Hunter 1st Party
[indecipherable] 111 Party
Xavier Hertz 1st Party
B.E.S. Ninnis 3rd Party
Leslie [indecipherable] 11 Party
Frank L. Stillwell 3rd "
C. Arch Hoadley 11 "
[indecipherable] Watson 11 "
R. Bage 1 "
George Doves 2nd "
John H. close 3rd"
Percy E. Correll 1st "
[Page 244]
Alfred J. Hodgeman 1st Party
[indecipherable] 1st Party
A.L. Kennedy 3rd Party
Chas. F. Laseron 2nd Party
C.S. Madigan 1st Party
W. [indecipherable] 1st Party
Morton H. Moyes. 3rd Party
Eric N. Webb 1st Party
J. H. Bickerton 1 Party
Chas H. Harrison, 3rd Party
Drawing on board ship
S.Y. AURORA, R.T.T.Y.C.
580 TONS
AUSTRALIAN ANTARCTIC EXPEDITION 1911
John King Davis
NC Toutcher
Percival Gray
C. de la Motte
F.J. Gillies
H. Corner
P. Mc Arthur
[Transcribed by Robin Mathews for the State Library of New South Wales]