274 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [Aug. 



everything. The boat clearance is covered. The only thing 

 is to go on steadily digging away at it ; but if the snowfall 

 continues in the spring it will mean a lot of work. Still, by 

 hook or by crook the boats must be kept above water. We 

 now feel a great drawback in the scarcity of picks and shovels. 

 It is wonderful what has been done already with the mere 

 dozen which were supplied, considering that they have been in 

 use every day and all day ; but a good many are now hope- 

 lessly broken, and the remainder are not very efficient. We 

 shall have to rely on the engine-room department once more, 

 but although they can make shovels, I doubt if they will be 

 able to cope with the picks for want of materials. The 

 temperature since the gale has been extraordinarily high. 

 To-day it has been above zero, and light snow is falling. The 

 daylight is coming on apace ; at noon, when it is cloudless, the 

 details of the land can be seen very clearly on all sides, and it 

 is pleasant to be out when the snow is not driving. 



1 Bernacchi and Skelton are just completing a set of pen- 

 dulum observations in the main hut, and last night when the 

 gale was rising with blinding drift they had an adventure from 

 which they were extremely lucky to escape unscathed. In the 

 evening the hut was fully occupied, Bernacchi and Skelton 

 being at work in the smaller compartment, whilst Royds was 

 busily rehearsing his nigger minstrel troupe in the larger one ; 

 but shortly after the rehearsal began, either because it proved 

 a somewhat disturbing element or because their work was 

 finished, the two scientific workers left to return to the ship. 

 It was fully an hour and a half after this that, the rehearsal 

 being finished, Royds and his party, numbering more than 

 a dozen, started back. They found that the gale had increased, 

 and that in the whirling snow they could see nothing ; but, 

 being in such numbers, they were able to join hands and 

 sweep along until they caught the guide rope leading to the 

 gangway. As they travelled along it, they heard feeble shouts 

 wafted on the storm, and again extending their line they swept 

 on in a chain and suddenly fell on Bernacchi and Skelton, who, 

 although they had left the hut an hour and a half before, had 



