2i 4 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [April 



cumulus clouds with black under-shadows ; there must be a 

 great deal of open water in this direction. The various sky 

 effects are very beautiful. 



'■April 13. — The ice has broken away enough to show open 

 water around Hut Point ahead of the ship ; it has been snowing 

 all day, the snow falling in large, soft flakes, with a temperature 

 of +17 . This afternoon we had several strong gusts from 

 the south, and later the wind became more constant from the 

 same direction and gradually increased to a full gale, when it 

 shifted slowly to the S.E. with a rapidly falling temperature. 

 Unfortunately, the windmill was left running after dinner, when 

 it should have been feathered to the wind. The result is that 

 some of the fans are badly twisted. I am rapidly losing faith 

 in this unfortunate device, but I don't think that it had a fair 

 chance to-day, and I shall suggest to the engine-room staff that 

 it ought to be repaired if it is not too far gone.' For days 

 after this the windmill was under repair, all the bent fans were 

 taken down and carefully straightened below, but the task of 

 replacing them was anything but pleasant, and hour after hour 

 our excellent engine-room people spent aloft in the bitter wind, 

 seated on cold metal, clinging to cold metal, and often obliged 

 to handle their cold metal tools with bared fingers. Nothing 

 would persuade them to give up, however, until the work was 

 completed and the windmill once more revolving merrily. 



' April 17. — All our former ski runs are now impossibles- 

 most of the snow-slopes are covered with hard high sastrugi 

 raised by the late winds. Everywhere the snow is packed by 

 the same cause, and the surface is so hard that it is impossible 

 to climb the steeper inclines even in boots. Some of the men 

 are out occasionally with a football, but the wind interferes 

 sadly with all forms of sport, and in anything like calm weather 

 most of us prefer to take walks to spy out the land. There 

 are such a number of old volcanic craters close about us that 

 it will be long before we become thoroughly acquainted with 

 all the folds and valleys between, and for many a month yet 

 we may hope to find new features in our neighbourhood and 

 some fresh interest in our daily exercise. 



