ANOTHER BLIZZARD 



of a mile distant. On reaching the top of the mound 

 we cut trenches with our ice-axes in which to embed 

 the runners of the sledge, fixed the runners in these 

 grooves, piled the chipped ice on top, then lashed to 

 the sledge, very carefully, the flag-pole about six feet 

 high, with the black flag displayed on the top of it. 

 The wind blew keenly ofl* the plateau before our labours 

 were completed. We all felt quite sorry and downcast 

 at parting with this sledge, which by this time seemed 

 to us hke a bit of home. We then returned to camp. 

 Just previous to depoting this sledge, Mackay fixed 

 another smaU depot flag close to the open sea a few 

 yards back from the edge of the ice cliff". 



Soon after we had turned into our sleeping-bag, a 

 gentle blizzard started to blow from west by south. 

 This continued all night, increasing in intensity in the 

 morning. We were able to see great whale-backed 

 clouds, very much Hke those with which we had been 

 familiar over Mount Erebus, forming over Mount 

 Nansen. As this blizzard wind was blowing partly 

 against us, we decided that we would wait until it had 

 either slackened off* or decreased in force. 



The whole of the next day, unfortunately, the 

 blizzard continued. The sun was very hot, and as the 

 result of its heat we were to-day for the first time 

 subject to a new trouble. The blizzard, of course, 

 drifted snow all over our tent; and a strong thaw set 

 in on the side of it which faced the sun. The wind, 

 flapping the canvas of the tent against the tent-poles, 

 brought the thaw water through on to the poles facing 

 the sun. Inside the tent, however, the temperature was 

 just below freezing-point, and as the water started to 

 trickle down the poles it froze. With the flapping of 

 the tent backwards and forwards against the tent- 

 poles, the small ridge of ice on the upper surface of each 



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