i9l THE 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 (i4th) 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 (i6th) it was very thick. 

 Large ' Fluff-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 



