240 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [May 



up or down suddenly, starting from one end of the bay and 

 running quickly through to the other with the sound of a 

 miniature cannonading. The western sky was very beautiful 

 this afternoon when I went for my walk after tea ; the hills in 

 deep shadow were sharply outlined against a background of 

 crimson, fading through saffron to pale green, which merged 

 into the slaty blue of a greater altitude. As the light failed 

 the stars shone forth wonderfully bright and clear. . . . 



"■May 13. — For a wonder another fine day, temperature 

 down to —43°, the lowest we have had in winter quarters. It 

 is not the low temperatures that annoy, but the wind and foul 

 weather, and we should suffer few inconveniences if we had 

 not the latter to face so constantly. A party of four of us 

 went round to Seal Bay to examine the ice-ridges, where the 

 temperature was evidently much lower, though we had no 

 thermometer. Beyond the necessity of occasionally warming 

 our noses and cheeks, however, we were quite warm and 

 comfortable. We passed a seal blow-hole at which the owner 

 remained placidly breathing under a dome-shaped covering of 

 snow, even when the dogs barked and scratched the snow 

 down on his nose. There is not much light now, even at 

 noon, and by two it is quite dark. Can one hope that the last 

 few days of calmer weather are an earnest of better conditions 

 to come ? ' 



'■May 16. — Wind blowing harder than yesterday — in fact, 

 over forty miles an hour — with temperature down to —35°. 

 There is happily no sign of the ice breaking up again, but this 

 is scarcely in keeping with the more settled conditions hoped 

 for. Nobody is very anxious to be out : the wind cuts like 

 a knife at this temperature. Poor Bernacchi had a very bad 

 night, as it was his term-day, and he had to make several visits 

 to the hut, and got frost-bitten in consequence. 



'■May 17. — . . . Had an alarming evening. The wind 

 having lulled this afternoon, the boatswain and second engineer 

 started off at 2.30 for a walk round Castle Rock, without giving 

 warning of their intention except by a few casual remarks 

 dropped in their mess. Later it came on to blow hard with 



