250 THE EASTERN SLEDGE JOURNEY 



tioned in the same connection that we found the 

 remains of birds' nests in many places among the rocks. 

 Possibly the occupants of these nests may have been 

 instrumental in the conveyance of the moss. 



Otherwise, the signs of bird life were very few. One 

 or two solitary snowy petrels circled round the summit 

 while we were there ; that was all. 



It was highly important to obtain some successful 

 photographs from this spot, and I was setting about 

 the necessary preparations, when one of my companions 

 made a remark about the changed appearance of the 

 sky. Busy with other things, I had entirely neglected 

 to keep an eye on the weather, an omission for which, 

 as will be seen, we might have had to pay dearly. 

 Fortunately, another had been more watchful than I, 

 and the warning came in time. A glance was enough 

 to convince me of the imminent approach of a snow- 

 storm; the fiery red sky and the heavy ring round the 

 sun spoke a language that was only too clear. We had 

 a good hour's march to the tent, and the possibility of 

 being surprised by the storm before we arrived was 

 practically equivalent to never arriving at all. 



We very soon put our things together, and came 

 down the nunatak even more quickly. On the steep 

 slopes leading up to the plateau on which the tent 

 stood the pace was a good deal slower, though we made 

 every possible effort to hurry. There was no need to 

 trouble about the course; we had only to follow the 



