1911] THE ROOF GOES 33 
ting a lotin Birdie’s corner. The only possible thing to do for the 
roof would have been lashings over it outside, and in that wind 
that was out of the question. Our position, with the tent gone, 
was bad. ] 
We could not understand quite how the tent had been blown 
away, for we had taken extra precautions in setting it, and had 
got as nearly perfect a spread as possible. Moreover, it was in 
the lee of the hut, and we had buried the valance not only with 
heaps of snow, but with 4 or 5 rocks on the snow in each bay, 
and to make things quite secure, the last thing before turning in 
Bowers and I had hoisted the heavy canvas tank, full of gear, 
almost more than one could lift alone, on to the weather skirt. 
We could only think that the same sucking action which lifted 
our roof also lifted the tent, or that it was twisted off its legs by 
getting caught sideways by a squall which came partly round the 
end of the hut corner. Anyhow, as it was gone, we decided to 
take the earliest opportunity of any light to go and look for it. 
Other things happened before this opportunity arrived. 
Sunday, July 23, 1911.—Bowers estimated the wind at force 
11 and noted it as blowing with almost continuous storm force, 
with very slight lulls followed by squalls of great violence. 
About noon the canvas roof of the hut was carried away, and 
the storm continued unabated all day, but latterly without much 
drift. 
It happened that this was my birthday—and we spent it lying 
in our bags without a roof or a meal, wishing the wind would 
drop, while the snow drifted over us. 
The roof went as follows. We saw, as soon as light showed 
through the canvas in the early morning, that the snow blocks 
on the top had all been blown off, and that the upward strain was 
now as bad as ever, with a greater tendency to flap at the lee 
end wall. And where the canvas was fixed in over the door it 
began to work on the heavy stones which held it down, jerking 
and shaking them so that it threatened to throw them down. 
Bowers was trying all he could to jam them tight with pyjama 
jackets and bamboos, and in this I was helping him when the 
canvas suddenly ripped, and in a moment I saw about six rents 
all along the lee wall top, and in another moment we were under 
the open sky with the greater part of the roof flapped to shreds. 
The noise was terrific, and rocks began to tumble in off the walls 
VOL. H—3 
