354 



WITH SCOTT: THE SILVER LINING 



they used Icelandic terms for their new words, much as we do 

 Greek. I think this term might be introduced into our 

 nomenclature, at any rate we used it thereafter. 



Meanwhile Debenham had found an excellent spot for our 

 permanent camp. We were very satisfied with the outlook. 

 One reads of the advantage of a " gravel subsoil." Here 

 between some large boulders was a patch of gravel. To be 

 sure it was full of irregular blocks of granite and half covered 

 with snow ; but by hand-picking it and raking it over and 

 over we rid ourselves of the " feathers in the bed," and also 

 got our tent-site ultimately fairly dry. The small elevated 



Sno^ 



Cooler 



Spa.de 





plain was going to give us a bountiful water supply when the 

 weather got warmer. In fact, Debenham entered into a 

 disquisition on " hydraulic grades " and the " origin of 

 springs," to show that we should have water laid on past 

 our tent ! The snow never melted sufficiently for running 

 water, but Forde evolved a fine reservoir in a few days He 

 cleaned out a hollow in a huge granite tor, and the sun's 

 heat acting on a snow dam at one side usually gave us a 

 sufficient supply. Great blocks of bay-ice driven up in a 

 previous summer formed our cool storage. Just off the 

 Bluff was fuel and food in the shape of seals. Buttresses of 



