260 SCOTT’S LAST EXPEDITION [FEBRUARY 
The time, however, was not wasted: whenever in a workable 
depth, with steam up, Lillie had his trawl out and so got six or 
seven trawls. Rennick got a number of soundings, though of 
necessity not in any particular line, and there were several oppor- 
tunities for swinging ship and observing variation on fast ice, 
while an interesting series of Giant Petrels was obtained, rang- 
ing from white to the comparatively dark varieties. 
Mather, who had taken great trouble in New Zealand to 
perfect his taxidermy, skinned all the ship’s specimens. 
At last, on February 4, the ship was secured alongside fast 
ice off Cape Barne. Atkinson came off with a dog team and re- 
ported all well, and was shortly followed by Meares and Simp- 
son. They informed us that the ice was bad between the ship 
and shore, and consequently did not stay long, but took the mails 
with them when they left. 
During the next two days two miles of ice went out in a gale, 
and in the first watch of the 6th the ship was at last 
eae secured alongside fast ice, with safe ice between her 
Cape Evans. 2nd Cape Evans. 
The dogs went ashore at once, the mules were 
hoisted out early the next morning, and soon were safely ashore, 
after being on board fifty-four days. It says much for Dennis- 
toun’s care of them that they landed in such good condition. 
Sledging the stores on shore was commenced at once; but it 
was two and three-quarter miles to Cape Evans (i.e. five and a 
half miles on the round trip), so that the work was necessarily 
slow. 
The unloading continued steadily till the 14th, with a break 
in the middle when a gale took another mile of ice out and so 
made work much quicker; but on the 14th the ice started breaking 
up and yet did not go out; nothing could be done, and as after 
a day no change took place the ship crossed over the Sound to 
Butter Point to see conditions in that direction. There were still 
nineteen tons of stores, including some coal, to be landed, but all 
the essentials were ashore. 
At Butter Point a note from Taylor (in charge of the geo- 
logical party) was found, saying that his party had camped there 
and gone on the previous day. Following the coast 
south, this party was observed on the Blue Glacier, 
Feb. 15, 1912. ¥ i 
McMizdo | 2nd they were soon on board, all well. It was for- 
Sound. tunate that Taylor had realised early the impossibility 
