LANDING PLACE INACCESSIBLE 



more than once we had to shift the ship away from the 

 landing-place because of the heavy floes and hummocky 

 ice which pressed up against the bay ice. One large 

 berg sailed in from the north and grounded about a mile 

 to the south of Cape Royds, and later another about the 

 same height, not less than one hundred and fifty feet, 

 did the same, and these two bergs were frozen in when 

 they grounded and remained in that position through the 

 winter. The hummocky pack that came in and out with 

 the tide was over fifteen feet in height, and, being of much 

 greater depth below water, had ample power and force 

 to damage the ship if a breeze sprang up. 



When we turned to after lunch, and before the first 

 sledge -load reached the main landing-place, we found 

 that it would be impossible to continue working there 

 any longer, for the small floe which we had anchored to the 

 ice had dragged out the anchor and was being carried 

 to sea by the ebbing tide. Some three hundred and fifty 

 yards further along the shore of the bay was a much 

 steeper ice- foot at the foot of the cliffs, and a snow slope 

 narrower than the one on which we had been landing the 

 provisions. This was the nearest available spot at which 

 to continue discharging. We hoped that when the ship 

 had left we could hoist the stores up over the cliff ; they 

 would then be within a hundred yards of the hut, and, after 

 being carried for a short distance they could be rolled 

 down the steep snow slope at the head of the valley where 

 it was being built. All this time the hut-party were 

 working day and night, and the building was rapidly 

 assuming an appearance of solidity. The uprights were 

 in, and the brace ties were fastened together, so that 

 if it came on to blow there was no fear of the structure 

 being destroyed. 



The stores had now to be dragged a distance of nearly 

 three hundred yards from the ship to the landing-place, 



105 



