FIRST WESTERN EXPEDITION 185 



[N.B. — 13th and 14th written later in Hut.] 



"Monday, March 13. — Pretty miserable all day. Stayed 

 in bags till 10 or so. Tent flapping wildly. There had been 

 a lull in the night ; slight shift to south-west at times set the 

 door swinging. Couldn't get going at all. Had lunch at 12 

 (no breakfast). I didn't like the idea of Barrier edge being 

 only one mile away, and we are on a bad crack ; but as thirty 

 feet cliff, probably ice is eighty feet thick. Couldn't see the 

 sun all day till late in the p.m. Evans told yarns as usual. 

 We had supper about 5 p.m., after trying a melancholy game 

 of Rickety Kate, in which we couldn't deal in mits, and got 

 frost-bitten if we took them off. I managed to read a bit of 

 "The Great Plot." C. S. W. cursed baccy, and Deb lay 

 low and felt cold. We turned into the bags very early, 

 though the sun appeared about 5 p.m., and could get a sight 

 of land above the drift. 



" Evans said curious wind never to south-west, and so not 

 a real blizzard.* 



" Tuesday, March 14, — Another night nearly as bad as the 

 previous, with sore backache added, for everything damp. 

 Used to put head and all inside bag for ten minutes and hot 

 up bag. Then open nose hole to get oxygenated again ! 



" We got up at 7 a.m. and had early breakfast, but it 

 came on very badly about ten, and as we knew directions we 

 decided to make for Castle Rock anyway within half an hour. 

 We dug out sledges and the tent flap. A long lee snow slope 

 lay a hundred feet to north of sledges. Instrument boxes 

 and tank full of drifts of snow, of course. 



" Bags thrice proper weight. Mine worse split than ever, 

 so I have no hood now. We marched on rather difficultly, 

 but wind helped us considerably over small sastrugi and drifts. 

 Helmets tight over head, but under chin f (i.e. not coldest). 

 All our duds on — a mistake as one gets so sweaty and it is 

 tiring. Went on and on. Could see ice bluff on left, passed 

 it and approaching slopes. Wondering if we'd have trouble 

 at the tide cracks, which Evans described. All lost to sight in 

 fog about 1.30. Plugged on steadily, had hallucination of 

 hawthorn trees just behind one. (Why ?) Told C. S. W. 



* His meteorology was incorrect. 



t In the coldest weather the helmet covers the chin and a nose-nip 

 protects the nose. 



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