i 9 o2] MISHAP TO OUR BOATS 271 



the bay, chose to be specially generous with it in the neigh- 

 bourhood of our boats, so that afterwards they were found to 

 be buried three or four feet beneath the new surface. Although 

 we had noted with interest the manner in which the extra 

 weight of snow in other places was pressing down the surface 

 of the original ice, and were even taking measurements of the 

 effects thus produced, we remained fatuously blind to the risks 

 our boats ran under such conditions. It was from no feeling 

 of anxiety, but rather to provide occupation, that I directed 

 that the snow on top of them should be removed, and it was 

 not until we had dug down to the first boat that the true state 

 of affairs dawned on us. She was found lying in a mass of 

 slushy ice, with which also she was nearly filled. For the 

 moment we had a wild hope that she could be pulled up, but 

 by the time we could rig shears the air temperature had con- 

 verted the slush into hardened ice, and she was found to be 

 stuck fast. At present there is no hope of recovering any of 

 the boats : as fast as one could dig out the sodden ice, more 

 sea-water would flow in and freeze. The only hope is to 

 prevent bad going to worse before the summer brings more 

 hopeful conditions. The danger is that fresh gales bringing 

 more snow will sink them so far beneath the surface that we 

 shall be unable to recover them at all. Stuck solid in the floe 

 they must go down with it, and every effort must be devoted 

 to preventing the floe from sinking. At present all hands are 

 removing the snow on top of the boats and for a distance of 

 ten yards around, and are forming a snow-wall on the outskirts 

 of this area. It is a long job, and will probably have to be 

 repeated after every gale. Meanwhile our stupidity has landed 

 us in a pretty bad hole, for we may have to leave this spot 

 without a single boat in the ship.' 



From this time we had a hard fight for our boats. Day 

 after day parties were digging away at their snow covering, and 

 in the course of months many tons must have been removed. 

 After each gale our hearts sank, as to all appearance we were 

 forced to begin all over again ; but we knew that, although 

 there was so little to show for our labours, our work must tell 



