384 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [Se*t. 



'As we clung on in this horrid position the skirt would 

 gradually pull out beneath us and suddenly fly out, flapping 

 wildly again, and we were forced to get a fresh hold and lever 

 ourselves over it once more. Without exception this was the 

 most miserable day I have ever spent ; our sleeping-bags 

 became more and more snow-filled until we were lying in 

 masses of chilling slush; our mits were filled in a similar 

 manner, the slippery canvas would pull through their grasp, 

 one was obliged to bare one's fingers to haul it in again, and 

 one could not possibly get through such a job without having 

 some of them frost-bitten. 



' Thus we remained for hour after hour, grimly hanging on 

 and warning each other of frost-bitten features. We waited 

 longingly for a lull, but the first did not come until midday. 

 Then we made a desperate effort to get to the sledges ; my 

 companions ventured out whilst I clung to the canvas ; they 

 succeeded in getting hold of two provision bags, and returned 

 with a rush. Their absence was certainly not longer than two 

 minutes, yet both faces were quite white with frost-bite when 

 they came in, and it was several moments before they regained 

 their natural colour. 



' In the afternoon we were beginning to feel a bit spent, 

 and realising that something more must be done, we waited 

 for a lull and again ventured out. This time we managed to 

 get hold of two heavy bags of biscuit. It was not until 6 p.m. 

 that by continued exertions we had so far conquered matters 

 as to have no further need to hold the tent exeept with the 

 weight of our sleeping-bags, and for the first time our arms 

 were released for other purposes. An inspection of hands 

 showed that we had all been pretty badly frost-bitten, but the 

 worst was poor Barne, whose fingers have never recovered 

 from the accident of last year, when he so nearly lost them. 

 To have hung on to the tent through all those hours must have 

 been positive agony to him, yet he never uttered a word of 

 complaint. 



' We were now able to wriggle down a little further into our 

 wretchedly wet bags and to eat some cold pemmican and 



