THE HEART OF THE ANTARCTIC 



not turning up, and decided that we ought to attempt 

 to sledge overland to Hut Point, keeping ourselves alive 

 on the way, as best we might, with seal meat. It must 

 be admitted that the prospect of tackHng two hundred 

 miles of coast, formed largely of steep rocky foreshores, 

 alternating with heavily crevassed glacier ice, was not 

 a very bright one. We also discussed the date at which 

 we ought to start trekking southwards. Mackay thought 

 we ought to commence making our preparations at once, 

 and that unless the Nimrod arrived within a few days 

 we ought to start down the coast with our sledge, tent, 

 sleeping-bag, cooker and seal meat, leaving a note at 

 the depot for the Nimrod^ in case she should arrive later 

 asking her to look out for us along the coast, and if she 

 couldn't sight us, to lay depots of food and oil for us 

 at certain specified spots. He considered that by this 

 method we could make sure of beginning the long 

 journey in a sound state of health, and, if fortunate, 

 might reach Hut Point before the beginning of the 

 equinoctial gales in March. Mawson and I, on the 

 other hand, thought that we ought to wait on at our 

 present camp until late in February. 



From whatever point of view we looked at it, our 

 present lot was not a happy one. The possibility of a 

 long wait in the gloomy region of the Drygalski Glacier, 

 with its frequent heavy snows at this season of the 

 year, and leaden sky vaulted over the dark sea, was 

 not pleasing to contemplate. Still less cheerful was 

 the prospect of a long, tedious and dangerous sledge 

 journey towards Hut Point. Even the diet of seal and 

 penguin, just for the moment so nice, largely because 

 novel, would soon savour of tou jours yerdricc. 



Dispirited by forebodings of much toil and trouble, 

 we were just preparing to set our weary limbs in motion 

 to pack up our belongings for the short trek up to the 



210 



