THE HEART OF THE ANTARCTIC 



February 4, 1909, 10 a.m. — Pack-ice stretching 

 east and west to northward — turned back to try 

 coast again to the southward. Fresh southerly wind, 

 force 6 — clear and fine, barometer 28.86, thermometer 

 17°. . . . Proceeding again along Drygalski Barrier; 

 3 P.M. sighted two flags on Barrier edge and a Httle 

 back of it — small inlet developing. (The third officer, 

 Mr. A. Harbord, first sighted these flags, and came 

 to the captain and said, ' I think, sir, I see a flag,' 

 and then Armytage, bringing his powerful deer-stalking 

 telescope to bear on the object, said to the captain, 

 ' It's a dead sitter, sir.' T.W.E.D.) 3.40 p.m. arrived 

 at upper end of inlet — picked up Professor David, 

 Mawson and Mackay, just arrived back from Magnetic 

 Pole; 5 P.M. killed first Ross seal; 2 p.m. great 

 depression, 4 p.m. great elation. ... At 3.30 p.m., 

 upon sighting the top of the Northern Party's tent, 

 we fire a distress double detonator. Upon hearing 

 this in the tent we learn that they all jumped up, and 

 upset each other, and everything, including the tin 

 of seal blubber and blood which they were drinking, 

 and which Professor David pronounces good when you 

 get used to it, and rushed out, Mawson first, who almost 

 immediately went down a crevasse, from which Mr, 

 Davis and a party from the ship soon pulled him up. 

 A great meeting — a tremendous relief." 



After afternoon tea came the joy of reading the home 

 letters, and finding that the news was good. Later we 

 all three had a novel experience, the first real wash for 

 over four months. After much dihgent work with 

 hot water, soap and towel some of the outer casing of 

 dirt was removed, and bits of our real selves began 

 to show through the covering of seal oil and soot. 

 Dinner followed at 6 p.m. and it is scarcely necessary 

 to add that with our raging appetites, and all the new 



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