A HEAVY SWELL 



find the immense amount of stores that had been placed 

 in safety by the efforts of the Derrick Point party, and 

 by one a.m. on February 13 all the stores landed were in 

 safety. About a ton of flour in cases remained to be 

 hauled up, but as we already had enough ashore to last 

 us for a year, and knowing that at Hut Point there were 

 large quantities of biscuit left by the last expedition, 

 which would be available if needed, we just rolled the 

 cases on the ice-foot into a hollow at the foot of the cliff, 

 where they were in comparative safety, as the ice there 

 would not be likely to break away immediately. We 

 retrieved these after the ship left. 



As I stated in the chapter on the equipment of the 

 expedition, I tried to get the bulk of the stores into cases 

 of uniform size and weight, averaging fifty to sixty 

 pounds gross, and thus allow of more easy handling 

 than would have been the case if the stores were packed 

 in the usual way. The goods packed in Venesta cases 

 could withstand the roughest treatment without breakage 

 or damage to the contents. These Venesta cases are made 

 of three thin layers of wood, fastened together by a patent 

 process; the material is much tougher than ordinary 

 wood, weighs much less than a case of the same size made 

 of the usual deal, and, being thinner, takes up much less 

 room, a consideration of great moment to a Polar ex- 

 pedition. The wood could not be broken by the direct 

 blow of a heavy hammer, and the empty cases could be 

 used for the making of the hundred and one odds and 

 ends that have to be contrived to meet requirements in 

 such an expedition as this. 



At 1 a.m. on the morning of February 13 I signalled 

 the ship to come in to take off the crew, and a boat 

 was sent ashore. There was a slight breeze blowing, and 

 it took them some time to pull off to the Nimrod, 

 which lay a long way out. We on shore turned in, and 



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