1911] THE HUT ROOFED IN 23 
and all led to further impasses until the daylight was two-thirds 
gone, and we found ourselves faced in a large snow hollow by 
a chaotic pile of ice blocks and snowdrifts standing almost ver- 
tically in our path and all round us, to a height of some sixty feet, 
and completely stopping all chance of progress forward [a great 
cul-de-sac which probably formed the end of the two ridges, 
where they butted on to the sea ice]. Here we had the mortifica- 
tion of hearing the cries of Emperor penguins echoed to us by 
the rock cliffs on our left. We were still, however, out of sight 
of the rookery and we had still a quarter of a mile of chaotic 
pressure to cross [to be caught in the night there was a horrible 
idea |, so we reluctantly gave up the attempt for the day and with 
great caution and much difficulty owing to the failing light re- 
traced the steps it had taken us about three hours to make. We 
had been roped together the whole time and had used the sledge 
continually over soft and rotten-looking snow bridges. It was 
dark by the time we reached safe ground after clambering about 
five hours to no purpose. [Birdie was very good at picking the 
tracks up again. At last we lost them altogether and settled we 
must go ahead. As a matter of fact we picked them up again, 
and by then were out of the worst: but we were glad to see the 
tent again. | 
During the day a light southerly breeze had been blowing 
with a clear sky. The temp. had varied from — 30° with south- 
westerly wind of force 2 at 4 P.M. to — 37°, which had been the 
“ minimum in the early morning between 3 A.M. and 9.30 A.M. 
There was again some frost smoke over the sea ice under the 
Cape Cliffs and a small shining open lead of water in the offing. 
Thursday, July 20, 1911.—We turned out at 3 A.M. in order 
to get our hut roof fixed on and made safe in calm weather, and 
we had decided to make another attempt when day came at 9.30 
A.M. to reach the Emperor rookery and get the blubber which we 
now really began to need. We got the roof on the hut and made 
it all safe. [Little did we think what that roof had in store for 
us as we packed it in with snow blocks, stretching it over our sec- 
ond 8-ft. sledge which we put athwartships in the middle of the 
wall. The windward end came right down to the ground, and we 
tied it down securely to rocks before packing it in. To do this 
we had a good two feet or more of slack all round, and in every 
case we tied it to rocks by lanyards at intervals of every two feet. 
