THE NORDENSKIOLD 113 



October 16. I suppose every now and then we swallow a 

 bit of bad meat, and whether from that reason or some other, 

 I was very bad last night with cramp and pains in the stomach, 

 and this morning I am feeling cold and sick. Levick gave me 

 some medicine that put new life into me. We have had a weari- 

 some day of relaying, with frequent upsets, and have been cut- 

 ting a path through high and heavy pressure ice, half hidden 

 under a soft snow into which we fell and floundered about. 



At 5.30 the light was so bad that I camped. Distance per- 

 haps 3 miles, but it is impossible to gauge accurately with this 

 sort of travelling. 



October 17. Turned out at 5.15 to find snow falling, and 

 by the time we had finished breakfast a southerly gale was blow- 

 ing, with heavy drift, and it was impossible to march, so we 

 turned in and spent the day in our bags. 



October 18. The wind dropped in the night and the sky 

 cleared about 6, leaving a fine day. We have had another heavy 

 day's work relaying over bad pressure, but yesterday's rest has 

 done us all a lot of good and we went at it quite fresh. We saw 

 the Nordenskiold ice tongue ahead miraged up and looking quite 

 close. About 5 P.M. we came to the end of this infernal pres- 

 sure, and saw smooth surface between us and the tongue end, and 

 by 6.30 camped on the smooth ice. I had noticed a seal up about 

 a mile west of us as we were relaying over the last of the pres- 

 sure, so after we had camped I went away on ski to look for him. 



After going about 2 miles I struck his tracks and followed 

 them till they disappeared down a hole. Through the seal hole 

 I tried to feel the lower edge of the ice but was unable to do so. 

 I take it therefore that the ice must be at least 3 feet thick. This 

 smooth surface we are on must be due, I think, to the current 

 coming up under the Nordenskiold, causing this part of the sea 

 to freeze over late in the season. 



A cold evening with slight snow. Approximate distance 6 

 miles. 



October 19. A fine morning but colder. We turned out at 

 3.30, and after breakfast Levick, Abbott, and Browning went to 

 the seal hole while we packed and started the sledges. They 

 were successful this time and caught the seal asleep by the hole, 

 and soon had him cut up and packed on one of the sledges. At 

 10 we stopped for lunch. The day was lovely for marching, 



VOL. II 8 



