310 LEAVE THE ISLAND. \JutlC, 



riod, the " Cloud Islands" were occasionally hinted at, I 

 must confess I was surprised ; but as no one at that 

 period ventured or wished to look through the telescope, 

 the vision was not to them revealed. 



The fatigue on this occasion prepared me for sleep, 

 and for obvious reasons I was not disturbed until I was 

 ready for chocolate, a term very significant in military 

 life : indeed I believe that by general consent it was 

 deemed convenient to make the most of this delay. 

 About eight P.M. we struck our tent, and extricated our- 

 selves from the surrounding pack, bidding an eternal 

 adieu to this interesting group. Our last floe station, 

 previous to landing on this island, had been marked by 

 a large snow pyramid, surmounted by a bine flag : to- 

 wards this our course was directed, and on reaching it 

 we pitched for the day. At noon, although the thermo- 

 meter in the shade showed 34, and it was dead calm, 

 the heat was oppressive to our feelings, but not the slight- 

 est action could be detected on the floe : the only change 

 noticed was that the covering snow, instead of exhibit- 

 ing a flocculent light character, was found to consist of 

 minute, spherical, transparent globules, like fine hail. At 

 this time probably the floe was undergoing the internal 

 change which renders it " rotten ;" and the vapour result- 

 ing assists, with the sun's rays, in converting the snow 

 into the globules described. One circumstance was fre- 

 quently remarked, that the soft, heavy-travelling snow 

 of the day generally changed after six P.M., when the 

 temperature fell, to a compact solid bed ; sustaining in a 

 more satisfactory degree the men and sledges, affording 

 a firmer footing, and very considerably facilitating travel. 



