CHRISTMAS ON A GLACIER 



breakfast they had hoosh, sardines in tomato sauce and 

 raisins; for lunch Garibaldi biscuits and jelly; and for 

 dinner potted boneless chicken and a small plum 

 pudding. Armytage picked up a piece of sandstone 

 with fernlike markings, but Priestley was not hopeful 

 of finding fossils in the greatly altered sandstone. The 

 day was spent in geological work. " We lose the sun 

 here about 9.30 p.m.," noted Priestley in his diary, " and 

 it is curious to observe the sudden change from bright 

 light to darkness in the tent, while outside the thin 

 surface of ice covering the thaw-water round the rocks 

 immediately contracts with reports like a succession of 

 pistol-shots, and sometimes breaks up and flies about 

 in all directions, making a noise hke broken glass. 

 This is the effect of the quick cooHng of the ice by the 

 cold plateau wind immediately the sun's influence is 

 withdrawn. The plum pudding was 'top hole.' Must 

 remember to give one of the pot-holed sandstones to 

 Wild for the New Zealand girl who gave him the plum 

 pudding." 



On December 27 the men proceeded down the glacier 

 again in order to see whether the Northern Party had 

 arrived at Butter Point. Priestley studied the moraines 

 on the way down, and made an extensive collection of 

 specimens, and on January 1 they arrived at the depot. 

 They had constant trouble with crevasses and " pot- 

 holes " on the way down the glacier, but met with no 

 serious accident. The snow-bridges many times let them 

 through up to their knees or waists, but never broke away 

 entirely. The weather was unpleasantly warm for the 

 sort of work they were undertaking, since the snow was 

 thawing, and they were constantly wet. 



They found no sign of the Northern Party at Butter 

 Point, and after waiting there until the 6th they pro- 

 ceeded to the " stranded moraines," a day's trek to the 



Vol. n.-5 65 



