1911] Pre BLIZZARD 155 
I note that we immediately rushed the cook, and that the 
menu consisted of soup, rissoles and fruit tart, of which I had 
three extra helps and still felt hungry! 
Debenham’s leg had not improved much, but we decided to 
start with him on Tuesday (14th) and Nelson (and Anton) 
again volunteered to help us along, and if necessary they could 
fetch Debenham back. 
It blizzed till 3 p.m. on Tuesday. We could then just see 
the Western Mountains and it seemed useless to wait longer. 
There was a great barrier of stranded bergs off the Cape, and 
in the lee of these several miles of clear ice—swept by the bliz- 
zards—appeared. The wind blew so strongly behind us that 
Debenham was able to ease his leg by sitting on the sledge. We 
managed six miles before night. Next day we were half-way 
across the Sound. On Thursday (16th) it was very thick. 
Large ‘ Flufi-balls’ of snow were falling, but there was little 
wind. I felt justified in pushing off and trying to steer by the 
compass, for we could only see about 200 yards ahead. Deben- 
ham walked behind the sledge with the compass as near S. 65° 
(mag.) as he could keep it. Forde and Nelson glanced back 
to see his signals, and I tried to sight bits of ice pinnacle in our 
line ahead. It was eerie work. No sound, no sight, just gray- 
white mist enveloping us. Behind, Debenham’s black figure— 
in front a sheet of white with a few dark patches, which might 
be a small lump of ice ten yards off or a huge pressure ridge 
200 yards away! 
After several miles of this blindfold work, we were wonder- 
ing how we were getting on—for the compass is by no means 
reliable so near the magnetic pole. Suddenly we realised 
Crusoe’s sensations more closely than ever before. We were 
over twenty miles from the hut and there for the first time saw 
our footprints of the previous week! Nelson offered a reward 
of his raisins for the man who saw the depot first and Anton 
soon won them. We reached our sledge at 2 P.M. and all six 
lunched merrily in our tent. Anton enlivened the meal by giv- 
ing us a Russian groom’s opinions on marriage in very broken 
English. 
The passing of this blizzard was a beautiful sight. Gradu- 
ally the solid billows of gloomy cloud drifted to the north, leaving 
a brilliant blue sky. The straight edge of the storm nimbus 
