THE HEART OF THE ANTARCTIC 



this spot we left our tent and sledge, and reconnoitred 

 ahead, taking with us the Alpine rope and our ice-axes. 

 We found a way of crossing this valley, but could see 

 that the ice-surface ahead of us was apparently worse 

 than ever. We returned to our tent and sledge, and 

 put up the tent, and chopped lumps of ice off the glacier 

 with which to load the skirt, as no snow was available 

 at the time. It was just commencing to snow, and 

 wind was freshening from the south-west. We were 

 now in a perfect labyrinth of crevasses and pressure 

 ridges. Snow continued falling heavily accompanied 

 by a blizzard wind for the rest of that day and the whole 

 of the succeeding night. Inside the tent we experienced 

 some discomfort through the dripping of water caused by 

 the thawing snow. As usual during a blizzard the 

 temperature rose, and although the sun's heat rays 

 were partly intercepted by the falling snow quite suffi- 

 cient warmth reached the side of the tent nearest the 

 sun to produce this thaw. Pools of water lodged 

 on the foot of our sleeping-bag, but we were able to keep 

 the head of it fairly dry by fixing up our Burberry 

 blouses and trousers across the poles on the inside of 

 the tent so as to make a temporary waterproof lining 

 just above our heads. We were all thoroughly ex- 

 hausted, and slept until about 7 a.m. the following 

 day, December 20. By that time the snow cleared off. 



About six inches of snow had fallen, and was lying 

 deeply drifted in places. We dug away the drift 

 snow from around the sledges, and after the morning 

 hoosh held a council of war. The question was whether 

 we should continue pulling on in the direction of the 

 nunatak rising from the Mount Nansen Glacier, or 

 whether we should retreat and try some other way which 

 might lead us to the plateau. Mackay was in favour 

 of hauling ahead over the Mount Nansen Glacier, while 



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