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the place, and the lake was evidently formed in the hollow of the 

 extinct crater. The place did not appeal to them as a site for the 

 winter station, and, as further journeys revealed another island on 

 the other side of Seymour Island, where there was a beach which 

 appeared to be sheltered from the southward, the point whence the 

 most violent winds blew, it was decided to build the hut there. 



The "Antarctica" anchored in the bay opposite the beach and 

 rapidly unloaded the camp equipment. When everything was 

 almost landed, a movement in the ice at the mouth of the bay com- 

 pelled the ship to stand out into open water, so the party of six, who 

 were to spend the winter on the island, hastened ashore, where they 

 had their hut to build and all preparations to make without the help, 

 which had been counted upon, of the crew of the vessel. But this 

 did not weigh heavily upon them, and they set to work with a will. 

 In the course of a week, the "Antarctica" was able to get into the 

 bay again and to land the remaining stores; but by that time the 

 hut was up and the adventurous six were almost settled down to 

 their routine work. 



A day or so after landing, Nordenskiold discovered that the 

 island they were on named by them Snow Hill Island was pecu- 

 liarly interesting from a geological point of view, for he found 

 fossils of ammonites, a token of ancient life of the region which 

 alone would have made the expedition memorable. 



The position proved to be badly chosen, as it was exposed to 

 gales of great violence, the wind at one time being strong enough 

 to lift a whale-boat, carry it over a second one, and dash it against 

 an ice cliff, twenty-one yards away, with such violence that its side 

 was smashed in. As winter approached, the storms obscured the 

 sky and the sun was not often seen. They were not far enough 

 south to lose it altogether, and all through the winter they had the 

 benefit of its presence, though not for many hours at a time. When 

 it did come, however, it came with great magnificence. After a 

 series of storms they saw it rise one morning, and the spectacle is 

 described as gorgeous and beautiful. 



