ADRIFT ON A FLOE 



Cape Royds I came across several patches. At the 

 head of one of the aluvial mudflats, about two feet 

 above the present level of the sea-water, I secured many 

 dried bodies of a small amphipod and a dried fish an 

 inch long. The whole of the moraines so far as I have 

 been are covered with seal bones, and I have seen two 

 whole dried bodies, with the skin still on. One was a 

 crabeater. Among several rock specimens secured 

 was one of Beacon sandstone with the same curious 

 markings as were found on two specimens secured by 

 Army t age at Knob Head. The impression in the 

 original stone w^as exactly as if the body of a wasp-like 

 wingless insect several inches long had been pressed 

 into clay." 



They went back to the depot on the 14th, and in 

 accordance with the orders I had left, pitched camp in 

 order to wait for the Northern Party until the 25th, 

 when they were to make their way back to winter 

 quarters, or signal for the ship by means of the helio- 

 graph. On January 24-25 this party had a very 

 narrow escape from disaster. They were camped on 

 the sea-ice at the foot of Butter Point, intending to 

 move off on the return journey early on the morning of 

 the 25th. Their position was apparently one of safety. 

 Armytagehad examined the tide-crack along the shore, 

 and had found no sign of more than ordinary movement, 

 and the ice in the neighborhood seemed to be quite 

 fast. At 7 A.M. on the 24th Priestley was first out 

 of the tent, and a few minutes later he came running back 

 to his companions to tell them that the ice they were on 

 had broken away and was drifting away north to the 

 open sea. The other two men turned out promptly, 

 and found that his statement was only too true. There 

 were two miles of open water between the floe and the 

 shore, and they were apparently moving steadily out to 



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