STORES SAVED 



of brandy was thrown on to the ice from the ship, and 

 half its contents were poured down Chinaman's throat. 

 The ship was now turning round with the object of going 

 bow on to the floe, in order to push it ashore, so that 

 the ponies might cross on to the fast ice, and presently, 

 with the engine at full speed, the floe was slowly but 

 surely moved back against the fast ice. Directly the 

 floe was hard up against the unbroken ice, the ponies 

 were rushed across and taken straight ashore, and the 

 men who were on the different floes took advantage of 

 the temporary closing of the crack to get themselves and 

 the stores into safety. I decided, after this narrow 

 escape, not to risk the ponies on the sea ice again. The 

 ship was now backed out, and the loose floes began to 

 drift away to the west. 



By 1 p.m. most of the ice had cleared out, and the 

 ship came in to the edge of the fast ice, which was now 

 abreast of Back Door Bay. Hardly were the ice-anchors 

 made fast before new cracks appeared, and within a 

 quarter of an hour the ship was adrift again. As it 

 was impossible to discharge under these conditions, the 

 Nimrod stood off. We had now practically the whole of 

 the wintering party ashore, so when lunch was over, the 

 main party went on with the work at Derrick Point, 

 refreshed by the hot tea and meat, which they hastily 

 swallowed. 



I organised that afternoon a small party to shift the 

 main stores into safety. We had not been long at work 

 before I saw that it would need the utmost despatch and 

 our most strenuous endeavours to save the valuable 

 cases; for the crack previously observed opened more 

 each hour. Perspiration poured down our faces and 

 bodies as we toiled in the hot sun. After two hours' 

 work we had shifted into a place of safety all our cases 

 of scientific instruments, and a large quantity of fodder, 



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