THE WINTER JOURNEY 297 



links with decent civilization which we could still keep 

 going. I'll swear there was still a grace about us when we 

 staggered in. And we kept our tempers — even with God. 



We might reach Hut Point to-night : we were burning 

 more oil now, that one-gallon tin had lasted us well : and 

 burning more candle too ; at one time we feared they 

 would give out. A hell of a morning we had : — 57° in our 

 present state. But it was calm, and the Barrier edge could 

 not be much farther now. The surface was getting harder: 

 there were a few wind-blown furrows, the crust was coming 

 up to us. The sledge was dragging easier : we always sus- 

 pected the Barrier sloped downwards hereabouts. Now 

 the hard snow was on the surface, peeping out like great 

 inverted basins on which we slipped, and our feet became 

 warmer for not sinking into soft snow. Suddenly we saw 

 a gleam of light in a line of darkness running across our 

 course. It was the Barrier edge : we were all right now. 



We ran the sledge off a snow-drift on to the sea-ice, 

 with the same cold stream of air flowing down it which 

 wrecked my hands five weeks ago : pushed out of this, 

 camped and had a meal : the temperature had already 

 risen to — 43 '. We could almost feel it getting warmer as 

 we went round Cape Armitage on the last three miles. We 

 managed to haul our sledge up the ice foot, and dug the 

 drift away from the door. The old hut struck us as fairly 

 warm. 



Bill was convinced that we ought not to go into the 

 warm hut at Cape Evans when we arrived there — to- 

 morrow night 1 We ought to get back to warmth gradu- 

 ally, live in a tent outside, or in the annexe for a day or two. 

 But I'm sure we never meant to do it. Just now Hut Point 

 did not prejudice us in favour of such abstinence. It was 

 just as we had left it: there was nothing sent down for us 

 there — no sleeping-bags, nor sugar : but there was plenty 

 of oil. Inside the hut we pitched a dry tent left there since 

 Depot Journey days, set two primuses going in it ; sat doz- 

 ing on our bags ; and drank cocoa without sugar so thick 

 that next morning we were gorged with it. We were very 

 happy, falling asleep between each mouthful, and after 



