THE HEART OF THE ANTARCTIC 



that the number of men available was so small that every 

 one, in addition to his own work, had to take a share in 

 the routine duties. 



Joyce devoted what spare time he could find to the 

 completion of the volumes of the " Aurora Australis." 

 Practice had made him more skilful in the handling of 

 type, and he was able to make a good deal of progress, 

 Day assisting with the preparation of the Venesta 

 boards in which the volumes were to be bound. Some 

 of the contributions towards the literary part of the work 

 had come in late, so that there was plenty of work left 

 to do. Marston went on with the lithographing for the 

 illustrations. 



Instructions had been left for a geological recon- 

 naisance to be made towards the northern slopes of 

 Mount Erebus, to examine, if possible, some parasitic 

 cones and the oldest main crater of the mountain. 

 Threatening weather prevented the carrying out of 

 this plan for some time, yet for nearly a fortnight after 

 the return of the southern supporting-party the expected 

 blizzard did not come, while the weather was not pro- 

 pitious for the journey. At length no further delay was 

 possible if the trip was to be made, as Priestly, the geol- 

 ogist, had to leave for the western mountains, so on 

 November 23 the trip was begun, though with misgivings 

 as to the long overdue blizzard. 



The party consisted of Priestley, Marston, Joyce, 

 Murray and Brocklehurst, and they took seventy pounds 

 of food — a week's supply on the ordinary basis of thirty- 

 two ounces per day for each man — ^but carried only one 

 tent, intended to hold three men, their idea being that one 

 or two men could sleep in the bags outside the tent. The 

 weather was fine when they left the hut, but in the 

 afternoon a strong southerly wind sprang up, and they 

 had to march through low drift. They camped for the 



28 



