THE HEART OF THE ANTARCTIC 



such a supply might prove of the greatest value to 

 some future expedition. The hut was locked up and 

 the key hung up outside where it would be easily found, 

 and we readjusted the lashing of the hut so that it 

 might be able to withstand the attacks of the blizzards 

 during the years to come. Inside the hut I left a letter 

 stating what had been accomplished by the expedition, 

 and giving some other information that might be useful 

 to a future party of explorers. The stores left in the 

 hut included oil, flour, jams, dried vegetables, biscuits, 

 pemmican, plasmon, matches and various tinned meats, 

 as well as tea, cocoa, and necessary articles of equipment. 

 If any party has to make use of our hut in the future, it 

 will find there everything that it requires. 



The wind was still freshening as we went south 

 under steam and sail on March 4, and it was fortunate 

 for us that this was so, for the ice that had formed on 

 the sea water in the sound was thickening rapidly, 

 assisted by the old pack, of which a large amount lay 

 across our course. I was anxious to pick up a depot 

 of geological specimens on Depot Island, left there 

 by the Northern Party, and with this end in view the 

 Nimrod was taken on a more westerly course than would 

 otherwise have been the case. The wind, however, 

 was freshening to a gale, and we were passing through 

 streams of ice, which seemed to thicken as we neared 

 the shore. I decided that it would be too risky to 

 send a party off for the specimens, as there was no 

 proper lee to this small island, and the consequences 

 of even a short delay might be serious. I therefore 

 gave instructions that the course should be altered 

 to due north. The following wind helped us, and on 

 the morning of March 6 we were off Cape Adare. I 

 wanted to push between the Balleny Islands and the 

 mainland, and make an attempt to follow the coast- 



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