WESTERN PARTY PICKED UP 



very close to the fast ice, probably not more than two 

 hundred yards away. I ran back as fast as I could, 

 deciding that there was a prospect of an attempt to 

 get ashore proving successful, and gave the other two 

 men a shout. They struck the camp and loaded up 

 within a very few minutes, while I went back to the 

 edge of the floe at the spot towards which chance had 

 first directed my steps. Just as the sledge got up to 

 me, I felt the floe bump the fast ice. Not more than 

 six feet of the edge touched, but we were just at that 

 spot, and we rushed over the bridge thus formed. We 

 had only just got over when the floe moved away again, 

 and this time it went north to the open sea. The only 

 place at which it touched the fast ice was that to which 

 I had gone when I left the tent, and had I happened to 

 go to any other spot we would not have escaped. We 

 made our way to Butter Point, and at about three 

 o'clock in the morning camped and had a good meal. 

 Then we turned in and slept. When we got up for 

 breakfast, there was open water where we had been 

 drifting on the floe, and I sighted the Nimrod under 

 sail, ten or twelve miles out. We laid the heliograph 

 on to the vessel, and after flashing for about an hour 

 got a reply. The Nimrod came alongside the fast ice 

 at three o'clock in the afternoon of January 26, and we 

 went on board with our equipment and specimens. We 

 left a depot of provisions and oil at Butter Point in case 

 the Northern Party should reach that point after our 

 departure." 



On January 22 and 23 a fresh wind blew from the 

 south and commenced to break up the ice-sheet in the 

 neighbourhood of Cape Royds, compelling the ship to re- 

 fasten further to the southward. From this point Davis 

 took a sledge-party to Hut Point with despatches that 



69 



