174 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [Mar. 



be done on board we did not attempt to face the inclement 

 conditions outside, but sat down in comfort to our tasks with 

 an occasional thought for our fellows who were less happily 

 circumstanced. On the previous evening a report had been 

 brought in from the hilltop that a spot had been seen in the 

 distance, which was thought to be our sledge party returning. 

 Though we considered it rather soon for them to appear, we 

 did not imagine that anything could be wrong, and only 

 lamented for their sakes that they should be obliged to sup- 

 port this weather in a tent rather than with our own comfort- 

 able surroundings. At the worst no one suspected that they 

 could be anything but weather-bound and uncomfortable. It 

 was not until half-past eight, when it was quite dusk without, 

 that our tranquillity was rudely shaken by a report that four 

 men were walking towards the ship. The sense of trouble 

 was immediate, and all hastened on deck ; we could scarcely 

 recognise the newcomers as they climbed over the side in the 

 thick whirling drift, but the first disjointed sentences were 

 enough to show that all was amiss, and we hurried them below. 

 As they emerged from their thick coverings we recognised them 

 as Wild, Weller, Heald, and Plumley, and it was evident that 

 though thoroughly exhausted they were labouring under strong 

 excitement. In such circumstances, and from so many mouths, 

 it was almost impossible to get a connected tale, and it was 

 not until I had selected Wild, as obviously the most cool and 

 collected of the party, and had called him aside, that I was 

 able to get an idea of what had happened ; and even then I 

 could only get a meagre outline such as follows : 



They had been sent back, he said, a party of nine, in 

 charge of Mr. Barne, and early in the day had reached the 

 crest of the hills somewhere by Castle Rock ; besides the 

 three with him now, there had been Mr. Barne, Quartley, 

 Evans, Hare, and Vince ; they had thought they were quite 

 close to the ship, and when the blizzard came on they had 

 left their tents and walked towards her supposed position. 

 They found themselves on a steep slope ; couldn't see any- 

 thing, but tried to keep close together ; suddenly Hare had 



