PROFESSOR DAVID'S NARRATIVE (Continued) 



^T^HE following day, December 25, was Christmas Day. 



When I awoke, I noticed a pile of snow on top of 

 the sleeping-bag close to my head. At first, before 

 I was fully awake, I imagined that it was the moisture 

 condensed from Mawson's breath. Then I heard the 

 gentle patter of snow-flakes, and, on turning my head 

 in the direction in which the rustling proceeded, saw 

 that the wind had undermined the skirt of our tent, and 

 was blowing the snow in through a small opening it had 

 made. Accordingly, I slipped out and snowed up the 

 skirt again, trampling the snow down firmly. A plateau 

 wind was now blowing with almost blizzard force. 



About two hours later we got up, and, after some 

 trouble with the Primus lamp on account of the wind, 

 had our breakfast, but, as the wind was blowing dead 

 against us, we turned into the sleeping-bag for a short 

 time. It was nearly noon before the wind died down, and 

 we started off with our sledge, still relaying with half 

 loads, the day being now beautifully clear and sunny. 

 At the 1300 ft. level we started our sledge meter again, 

 having lifted it off the ice while we were going up the 

 steep slope. A little further on we were able to put 

 the whole of our load again on to the sledge and so 

 dispense with further relay work. This, too, was a great 

 blessing. 



When we arrived at our spot for camping that 

 night we had the satisfaction of finding that we were 

 over 2000 ft. above sea-level, and that we had, in 



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