I9II] FEAST DAYS 257 
ready to tackle the hinterland. We celebrated the day 
in a manner worthy of the occasion. Forde rigged up 
all our sledge-flags : Gran's, which was given to him by 
Queen Maud of Norway, Debenham's and mine with 
Australian and Cambridge emblems^ while Forde, not to 
be outdone, cut out a white harp from a linen specimen- 
bag and sewed it on some green burberry ! We had a 
fine lunch. Twenty-seven skua eggs had been collected, 
and Forde took the precaution of cracking them first. 
The first shewed considerable development — but he went 
into the fry, much to Gran's disgust. Then about four 
fair ones and then eight bad ones ; and finally we had 
two each — a thirty per cent, success ! We opened the 
Christmas bag ; a slice of pudding each, with ginger 
and caramels. An epicurean feast I warrant you. 
A dense sea fog rolled in that night and enveloped 
everything, and next morning all of us (except Gran, 
whom nothing harmed) had rheumatic pains. Luckily 
this wore off later. It was Debenham's birthday, so we 
finished the box of chocolates, and Gran gave him a long- 
treasured box of cigarettes. 
At noon of the 27th we once more reached the Flat 
Iron. I was at first of the opinion that the New Glacier 
would be the easier route, but the others favoured the 
Flat Iron, and their arguments decided me to try that 
route. We found it much easier than the glacier would 
have been. However, it was no joke reaching the snow 
plateau behind the Flat Iron. We had to climb one 
thousand feet of rough granite-strewn slopes carrying 
the sledge and fourteen days' provisions on our backs. 
VOL. II. ^ 
