294 



WITH SCOTT : THE SILVER LINING 



from the bottom, where it seemed to have frozen in. Then 

 dropping the " earth " wire of his telephone circuit into the 

 water I rang up Simpson in the hut, and heard him with great 

 ease through the bare aluminium surface wire. 



Debenham and I climbed Inaccessible Isle to try and see 

 the sun first. We went up by the usual route, but had to 

 kick steps in the thick snow which now covered the gravel 

 slopes. There is a magnificent windblown gravel ridge on the 

 lee side of Inaccessible Isle. The blizzards shoot up the 

 southern face and drop their dust contents beyond the central 

 notch on the northern slope in the form of a long ridge 

 about fifty feet high. 



We obtained a fine view of the western cwm valleys below 

 Mount Lister from this elevation (520 feet). To the north 

 we could see a bright glow over the Barne Glacier and good 



Jhe wind-r*idge on Inaccessible Isle , 



wil-h tracks 21-e-M 



sun shadows on Mount Lister, the first time for four months ! 

 But we did not see the sun's disc at all. 



The sun was due on August 22, so it was natural that 

 a blizzard should spoil all chances of seeing him ! We took 

 him on trust to the extent of champagne at lunch, when Scott 

 toasted Lieutenant Campbell's birthday also. 



" A snorting blizzard'; never saw such thick drift. It wet 

 one, so that one's hands froze in no time. None went out- 

 side the hut." 



The table resembled a grocer's shop from now on, for 

 Birdie started bagging provisions for the sledge journeys. 

 Pemmican was taken out of the tins, broken up, and bagged 

 first, and then cocoa, butter, sugar, in fact everything but 

 biscuit, which was left in the 40-lb. tins as sent to us. 



" 2.30 a.m. on the 24th. — It is now my night-watch, and 



