194 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [Mar. 



immaterial whether it was reached now or after the coming 

 winter ; the assurance that it could be reached was the com- 

 forting fact that this party discovered, and in any case a spring 

 expedition would have been necessary to bring the news up to 

 date. 



No sooner had the party turned towards the ship than the 

 wind fell, and with it the temperature. It was something to 

 know that the wind which had swept past this corner through- 

 out their stay was not perpetual, but the rapid fall of the 

 thermometer found them ill prepared. It had not occurred to 

 anyone that within such a short distance of the ship there 

 might be any large difference of temperature, and as the 

 summer was barely over, the officers had provided themselves 

 with a light wolf-skin fur suit only, for night wear. They had 

 found this clothing all too meagre when the thermometer 

 stood at — io° or — 15°, but on the night of the i6th sleep 

 proved impossible, and for the first time they found themselves 

 subjected to uncontrollable paroxysms of shivering. Huddle 

 together as they might, they could get no warmth, and on 

 creeping out to consult the thermometer they found it had 

 fallen to — 42°. They were luckily able to boil some cocoa, 

 and thus to get some warmth into their chilled bodies, but as 

 the long sleepless hours crept by they had ample opportunities 

 of learning the value of adequate clothing, and the wisdom of 

 being prepared for the unexpected rigours of a fickle climate. 



With the morning the cold snap ended, and three days 

 later they reached the ship without further adventure. 



On comparing notes with this party we realised for the first 

 time what a difference there might be in the weather conditions 

 of places within easy reach of the ship. It was not only in 

 the matter of temperatures, as I have already described, but 

 also in the force and direction of the wind. On the 17 th at 

 the ship we had had a very strong blow from the south, at one 

 time rising in force to a full gale, but the party only some 

 twelve miles to the eastward had felt nothing of this ; with 

 them the day had been calm, though overcast. This difference 

 of weather conditions could be observed throughout the 



