A MONTH IN THE OLD DISCOVERY HUT 



While we had been engaged on the western journey, Scott 

 had made his depot at One-Ton Camp, and had returned 

 north to Ross Island, a fortnight before we arrived. During 

 February the sea-ice had broken away far to the south of 

 Glacier Tongue — which marked the water's edge in January 

 — and it was now impossible to return to Cape Evans by the 

 route they had marched south. 



Moreover, the icy slopes of Erebus were seamed with 

 crevasses, and many ice-falls lay at the root of Glacier Tongue, 

 so that an overland journey was out of the question also. 

 Luckily the old Discovery Hut had been placed on the long 

 rocky southern promontory of Ross Island named Cape Armi- 

 tage, and even under present conditions, with the water reach- 

 ing to Pram Point, it was possible to get to this hut from the 

 Barrier surface — as, indeed, the last chapter has shown. 



A queer little hut indeed is this, compared with our palace 

 on Cape Evans ! It is square in plan, and rises to a central 

 peak. All around is a sort of verandah, with outer walls 

 reaching halfway to the ground. This was designed to hold 

 stores and protect them from the blizzard snows. But the 

 hut was hardly used at all by the 1902 expedition. When 

 we first saw it in January, 191 1, it was filled with snow and 

 ice to within a few feet of the ceiling, and did not look by 

 any means an attractive place of abode. 



During February, Dr. Atkinson and Crean had spent a 

 large portion of their time excavating the hut, and had ulti- 

 mately cleared it completely of ice. A great heap of ice blocks 

 and chips marked the extent of their labours. They had piled 

 up the boxes of captain biscuits into a barrier enclosing the 

 north portion of the hut, and in this dark retreat the western 

 party found the depot party on the 1 5th March. 



We reached our refuge about 7 p.m. It was almost dark 



189 



