198 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [Mar. 



ness, in spite of the strong breezes of the week which 

 followed. 



For instance, on March 27 I write: 'Blowing with 



— 10° temperature during forenoon, but quite fine in afternoon 

 and evening. Our ice, having held during the late wind, may 

 fairly be considered to have come to stay. At 4.30 a party of 

 us went over the hill through the " Gap " to investigate the 

 chance of getting sledges down by that route. We found the 

 sea frozen over, and evidently, from the snowfall on it, the ice 

 has been formed for several days. It looks firm and hard, but 

 there is a drop of eleven feet from the ice-foot, which will be a 

 difficulty for the sledges, but will save the necessity of going 

 round by the seal crack. Nothing could exceed the beauty of 

 the scene this afternoon ; the snow was bathed in rosy light, 

 gorgeous shafts of gold sprang up from the sun, and the sky 

 was blood-red behind the hills in its wake. The moon was 

 up, a vast yellow disc to the east. It will be a companion for 

 at least the first part of our journey. Now and again, as we 

 trod on the snow-covered slopes of the hillsides, the icy crust 

 cracked with a sharp report like a pistol-shot. Evidently it 

 is in high tension from the recent cold.' 



^ March 28 {Good Friday). — The day has been beautifully 

 calm and bright, though the temperature has not risen above 



— 4°. After service our people spent the day wandering over 

 the hills; it was quite pleasant to see little parties dotted about 

 here and there, with a dog or two for company. The sea is at 

 last frozen over, and if this weather lasts the ice should become 

 firm enough to withstand future gales. We have completed 

 the packing of our sledges, though I cannot say I am pleased 

 with their appearance ; the packing is not neat enough, and we 

 haven't yet got anything like a system. To-morrow, if the 

 weather holds, we take our sledges across to the other side, so 

 as to make a fair start on Monday.' 



^ March 30 {Easter Sunday). — Like yesterday, a fine day, 

 with a light northerly breeze. This is a season of flowers, and 

 behold ! they have sprung up about us as by magic : very 

 beautiful ice-flowers, waxen white in the shadow, but radiant 



