THE HEART OF THE ANTARCTIC 



the blizzards blowing them away. We then lashed 

 to the tins a short bamboo flag-pole, carrying one of our 

 black depot flags, and securely fastened to its base one 

 of our empty air-tight milk tins, in which we placed our 

 letters. In these letters for Lieutenant Shackleton 

 and R. E. Priestley, respectively, I stated that in 

 consequence of our late start from Cape Royds, and 

 also on account of the comparative slowness of our 

 progress thence to Butter Point, it was obvious that 

 we could not return to Butter Point until January 12, 

 at the earliest, instead of the first week of January, 

 as was originally anticipated. We ascertained months 

 later that this little depot survived the blizzards, 

 and that Armytage, Priestley and Brocklehurt had 

 no difficulty in finding it, and that they read our 

 letters. 



Leaving the depot about 9 a.m. on October 14, we 

 started sledging across New Harbour in the direction 

 of Cape Bernacchi. In the afternoon a light southerly 

 wind sprang up bringing a little snow with it, the fall 

 lasting from about 12.30 to 2.30 p.m. We steered in 

 the direction of what appeared to us to be an uncharted 

 island. On arriving at it, however, we discovered that 

 it was a true iceberg, formed of hard blue glacier ice 

 with a conspicuous black band near its summit formed 

 of fine dark gravel. The iceberg was about a quarter of 

 a mile in length, and thirty to forty feet high. In addi- 

 tion to the coarser bands of gravel there was a great 

 quantity of dust, and fine dust bands, near the surface 

 of the berg. This dust absorbing the heat of the sun 

 had thawed its way deep down into the berg, thus forming 

 numerous dust wells and dust grooves. There were 

 several large cracks in the sea ice in the neighbour- 

 hood of this iceberg, and having taken the bearing of 



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