A TRIP TO THE WEST 265 



Under the weight of the constantly increasing mass, the 

 roofs of most of the rooms were pressed so far in that 

 there was just enough space to crawl on hands and 

 knees. In the Crystal Palace and the Clothing Store 

 we kept all our skin clothing, besides a good deal of 

 outfit, which it was intended to take on board the Fram 

 when she and the southern party arrived. If the sinking 

 continued, it would be a long business digging these 

 things out again, and in order to have everything ready 

 we made up our minds to devote a few days to this 

 work at once. We hauled the snow up from these two 

 rooms through a well twelve feet deep by means of 

 tackles. It was a long job, but when we had finished 

 this part of the labyrinth was as good as ever. We had 

 no time to deal with the vapour-bath or the carpenter's 

 shop just then. There still remained the survey of the 

 south-western corner of the Bay of Whales and its 

 surroundings. On an eight days' sledge journey, start- 

 ing at the New Year, we ranged about this district, 

 where we were surprised to find the solid Barrier divided 

 into small islands, separated by comparatively broad 

 sounds. These isolated masses of ice could not possiblj'' 

 be afloat, although the depth in one or two places, where 

 we had a chance of making soundings, proved to be as 

 much as 200 fathoms. The only rational explanation 

 we could think of was that there must be a group of 

 low-lying islands here, or in any case shoals. These 

 *' ice islands," if one may call them so, had a height of 

 VOL. II. 43 



