THE HEART OF THE ANTARCTIC 



We all thoroughly enjoyed this meal after our exhausting 

 march. 



On January 2 we noticed that the sastrugi were 

 gradually swinging round into a direction a little north 

 of west. The snow was frequently soft in large patches, 

 which made sledging very heavy. We ascended 

 altogether about 290 ft., but we crossed a large number 

 of broad undulations, the troughs of which were from 

 thirty to forty feet below their crests. These un- 

 dulations considerably increased the work of sledging, 

 and the loose patches of snow were so very soft and 

 powdery that the runners of our sledge sunk deeply 

 into them, so that it was only with our utmost efforts 

 that we were able that day to finish our usual ten miles. 

 Again we were much exhausted when the time came 

 for camping. We were beginning to suffer, too, from 

 hunger, and would have liked more to drink if we could 

 have afforded it. We talked of what we would have 

 drunk if we had had the chance. Mackay said he would 

 have liked to drink a gallon of buttermilk straight off ; 

 Mawson would have preferred a big basin of cream; 

 while I would have chosen several pots of the best coffee 

 with plenty of hot milk. 



We were still climbing on January 3, having as- 

 cended another 500 ft. It proved the heaviest day's 

 sledging since we reached the plateau. The snow 

 was still softer than on the previous day, and the sur- 

 face was more undulating than ever, the troughs of the 

 undulations being about fifty feet below the crests. 

 The sastrugi themselves were from two to three feet in 

 height. The crests of the large undulations were 

 usually formed of hard snow, the strong winds having 

 blown any loose material off them. This loose material 

 had accumulated to some depth in the troughs, and 

 hence made the wide patches of soft snow which made 



1Y2 



