THE HEART OF THE ANTARCTIC 



noon, and reached the ice-edge at 3 p.m. There was no 

 sign of the ship, and the sea was freezing over. We 

 waited until 5 p.m., and then found that it was possible 

 to strike land at Pram Point. The weather was coming 

 on bad, clouding up from the south-east, and Marshall 

 was suffering from renewed dysentery, the result of 

 the heavy marching. We therefore abandoned one tent 

 and one sledge at the ice-edge, taking on only the 

 sleeping-bags and the specimens. We climbed up by 

 Crater Hill, leaving everything but the sleeping-bags, 

 for the weather was getting worse, and at 9.35 p.m. 

 commenced to slide down towards Hut Point. We 

 reached the winter- quarters at 9.50, and Marshall was 

 put to bed. Mackay and I lighted a carbide flare on 

 the hill by Vince's cross, and after dinner all hands 

 turned in except Mackay and myself. A short time after 

 Mackay saw the ship appear. It was now blowing a hard 

 blizzard, but Mackintosh had seen our flare from a 

 distance of nine miles. Adams and I went on board the 

 Nimrod, and Adams, after surviving all the dangers of 

 the interior of the Antarctic continent, was nearly lost 

 within sight of safety. He slipped at the ice-edge, owing 

 to the fact that he was wearing new finnesko, and 

 only just saved himself from going over. He managed to 

 hang on until rescued by a party from the ship. 



A boat went back for Marshall and the others, and 

 we were all safe on board at 1 a.m. on March 4. 



Note. Subsequent calculations have shown that the distances 

 given in my diary of the Southern journey were not always quite accu- 

 rate. The calculations were made under circumstances of special 

 difficulty, and were not checked until after my return to civilisation. 

 The reader will notice that some of the distances are given in statute 

 miles and others in geographical miles. After the last meridian alti- 

 tude was taken at the plateau depot and until the return to the same 

 depot the distances were noted in geographical miles. I have thought 

 it best to let the diary figures stand, but in the construction of the map 

 certain corrections have been made, and at the end of the book will 

 be found a table showing the actual distances travelled day by day. 



