234 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [Jan. 



the ice between the cuts could not be detached, and in some 

 places it seemed to have frozen across again. I started the 

 saws to see how matters had been going, and was astonished at 

 the small result of the work. The ice was between six and seven 

 feet thick, and each stroke only advanced the saw a fraction of 

 an inch. The plain Rule of Three sum before us was, as 

 150 yards is to 12 days, so is 20 miles to x; and we did not 

 have to work this sum out to appreciate the futility of further 

 operations. I therefore directed that everything except the 

 large tent should be taken back to the ship. The men will 

 attempt to make a cut round Hut Point, so as to ease matters 

 at the end if the ice breaks up, and the officers will be freed 

 for their usual scientific work. Our sawing efforts have been 

 an experience, but I'm afraid nothing more. 



' I have been much struck by the way in which everyone 

 has cheerfully carried on this hopeless work until the order 

 came to halt. There could have been no officer or man 

 amongst them who did not see from the first how utterly useless 

 it was, and yet there has been no faltering or complaint, simply 

 because all have felt that, as the sailor expresses it, " Them's 

 the orders." ' 



^Ja7iuary 3. — Most of our company went back to the ship 

 yesterday afternoon; some officers remain in the large tent, 

 Hodgson to do some fishing and Ferrar some rock searching. 

 Twenty miles of ice hangs heavy upon me, and I have decided 

 we must be prepared for another winter. We have fifty tons of 

 coal left and an ample stock of provisions ; also we can now 

 take advantage of every resource that our region provides, for 

 there are evidently a large number of penguins to the north 

 which will make a most grateful addition to our usual seal-meat. 

 I have therefore told off four of the men — Lashly, Evans, 

 Handsley, and Clarke — to fix their headquarters in the large 

 tent, and to make such raids on the penguins as will assure us 

 a winter stock. 



'This afternoon, after making these arrangements, I started 

 away to the north with Wilson. We are off on a real picnic ; 

 there is to be no hard marching, and we have made ample pro- 



