THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [Mar. 



CHAPTER Vn 



PREPARING FOR WINTER 



Delay in Freezing-up of the Ship — Dog Troubles — Return of Royds — 

 Local Weather Conditions — Last Sledging Effort of the Season — 

 Advantage of Experience — Preparing for Winter — Winter Arriving — 

 Meteorological Screen — Tidal Observations — Magnetic Huts — 

 Capturing Crab-eaters — Emperor Penguin Hunt — Departure of the 

 Sun. 



Experience be a jewel that we have 

 Purchased at an infinite rate. — Shakespeare. 



Of late the temperature had crept steadily down and the 

 young ice seemed more and more reluctant to yield to the 

 blustering winds and quit the surface of the strait. Our short 

 voyage to ' Danger Slope ' was made through patches of 

 sludgy, sodden ice which were even then increasing in thick- 

 ness. As we dropped our anchors again in our small bay we 

 felt that it was for the last time before the winter closed in on 

 us, and that soon further movement would be impossible ; 

 indeed, the only wonder was that such conditions had not 

 come long before. But now the wind alone kept the water 

 open, and in the short intervals of calm the icy crust formed 

 with great rapidity. I was anxious to be frozen in with our 

 bow pointing out to sea, and with the ship at such a distance 

 from the ice-foot that she should run no chance of being 

 pressed against it ; but as the wind always blew out of the 

 bay, this was not easily accomplished, and we had to content 

 ourselves with being ready to turn her at the critical moment. 

 For this purpose anchors were bedded on the ice-foot, and 



