THE HEART OF THE ANTARCTIC 



view of Larsen. The distance travelled was sixteen 

 miles. We were now only about forty miles from our 

 Mount Larsen Depot. 



January 28. — We turned out of the sleeping-bag to- 

 day at about 6.30 a.m. A blizzard was blowing, and 

 after breakfast we had much difficulty in the cold wind 

 in getting up the mast and sail. Mackay, who usually 

 did the greater part of this work, got his hands rather 

 badly frost-bitten before our preparations were com- 

 pleted. We used the thick green canvas floorcloth as a 

 sail; the tent-poles served us for a mast, and a piece of 

 bamboo did duty as a yard. 



The wind was blowing at, perhaps, about twenty- 

 five miles an hour, and as soon as we started the sledge, 

 it began to travel at such a hot pace that Mackay and 

 Mawson, with their long legs, were kept walking at the 

 top of their speed, while I, with my shorter ones, was 

 kept on a jog trot. Occasionally, in an extra strong 

 puff of wind, the sledge took charge. On one of these 

 occasions it suddenly charged into me from behind, 

 knocked my legs from under me, and nearly jugger- 

 nauted me. I was quickly rescued from this undignified 

 position under the sledge runners by Mawson and 

 Mackay. We had now arrived at a part of the plateau 

 where the monotonous level or gently undulating surface 

 gave place to sharp descents. It was necessary in these 

 cases for one of us to untoggle from the front of the 

 sledge and to toggle on behind, so as to steer and steady 

 it. About noon, when we were in full career, the bow 

 of the sledge struck one of the high sastrugi obliquely 

 and the sledge was capsized heavily, but fortunately 

 nothing was broken. After righting the sledge we 

 camped for lunch. 



At lunch, with a faint hope of softening the stern 

 heart of our messman for the week — Mackay — and in- 



190 



