1875 RAWSON'S JOURNEY. 167 



gale of the 7th in comparative comfort. The only draw- 

 back was the heat inside the hut, which rose from 15° 

 outside to 45° inside, and naturally melted the roof. 

 Although the door and a ventilating hole in the upper 

 part of the dome were both open, the drip from within 

 could not be stopped. 



1 So soft and deep was the snow, that on the return 

 journey the party were obliged to cut a road for the 

 greater part of the distance, and only travelled about 

 one mile a-day with a nearly empty sledge. On two 

 different occasions Eawson while travelling in Eobe- 

 son Channel experienced strong southerly winds, while 

 at the more protected position near Floeberg Beach, 

 only a few miles distant from where he was, the 

 weather was nearly calm. 



4 13th. — Again a beautiful clear calm day without 

 a cloud in the sky. Walked to Cape Sheridan with 

 Feilden in the hope of meeting the travellers, but we 

 were disappointed. The snow-clad United States Eange, 

 tinted a pink colour by the sun, looked very grand. 



' The strong wind on the 7th having blown away 

 the snow-blanket covering the sloppy floe, the cold 

 weather has at last been able to exert its power. The 

 wind on the 12th removed what dry snow remained, 

 and to-day we have a hard frozen surface of ice, at 

 which everyone rejoices. The upper surface of the ice 

 which was originally formed by the sea freezing, is now, 

 by measurement, buried ten inches below the surface of 

 the present floe ; the salt water which oozed up through 

 the weighted ice produced on mixing with the snow, 

 salt sludge ; this by freezing has added a stratum of 

 salt or brackish ice above the original upper surface. 



