156 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [Sept. 



below zero without accident or injury ; a tent and a sleeping- 

 bag have never protected men under such conditions before. 



' Whilst we have been away there seems to have been a 

 cold snap throughout our region. Barne with his party got 

 the worst of it, as they were away out on the barrier, where 

 conditions are always most severe. He was absent for eight 

 days, and succeeded in laying out a depot to the S.E. of White 

 Island. His party consisted of Mulock, Quartley, Smythe, 

 Crean, and Joyce ; all have tales to tell of their adventures, 

 and agree that it was pretty " parky." The temperature was 

 well below —40° when they left the ship ; it dropped to —50° 

 as they reached the corner of White Island, and a little way 

 beyond to —60°; but even at this it did not stop, but con- 

 tinued falling until it had reached and passed —65°. At 

 — 677° the spirit-column of the thermometer broke, and they 

 found it impossible to get it to unite again ; we shall never 

 know exactly, therefore, what degree of cold this party actually 

 faced, but Barne, allowing for the broken column, is sure that 

 it was below —70°. 



* Joyce was the only one who suffered seriously from these 

 terribly severe conditions. After his features had been frost- 

 bitten several times individually, they all went together, and he 

 was seen with his whole face quite white. Though, of course, 

 it is in a very bad state now, the circulation was restored in it 

 at the time without much difficulty ; but worse was to follow, 

 for on the march he announced that one of his feet was gone, 

 and, having pitched the tents, Barne examined it, and found 

 that it was white to the ankle. It was quite an hour before 

 they could get any signs of life in it, and this was only accom- 

 plished by the officers taking it in turns to nurse the frozen 

 member in their breasts. 



' All the party, and especially the owner of the frozen foot, 

 seem to regard this incident as an excellent jest ; but for my 

 part I should be slow to see a joke when I had a frost-bitten 

 foot myself, or even when I had to undo my garments in a 

 temperature of —70° to nurse someone else's. It appears that 

 those who were giving the warmth found that they could keep 



