SOUTH 
came tlie boat, the faces of tlie men showing white in the glare 
of the fire. Wild ran her on the beach with the swell, and 
w^ithin a couple of minutes we had dragged her to a place of 
safety. I was waiting Wild's report with keen anxiety, and 
niy relief was great when he told me that he had discovered a 
sandy spit seven miles to the west, about 200 yds. long, running 
out at right angles to the coast and terminating at the seaward 
end in a mass of rock. A long snow-slope joined the spit at 
the shore end, and it seemed possible that a " dugout " could 
be made in the snow. The spit, in any case, would be a great 
improvement on our narrow beach. Wild added that the place 
he described was the only possible camping-ground he had 
seen. Beyond, to the west and south-west, lay a frowning line 
of cliffs and glaciers, sheer to the water's edge. He thought 
that in very heavy gales either from the south-west or east 
the spit would be spray-blown, but that the seas would not 
actually break over it. The boats could be run up on a shelving 
beach. 
After hearing this good news I was eager to get away from 
the beach camp. The wind when blowing was favourable for 
the run along the coast. The weather had been fine for two 
days and a change might come at any hour. I told all hands 
that we would make a start early on the following morning. 
A newly killed seal provided a luxurious supper of steak and 
blubber, and then we slept comfortably till the dawn. 
The morning of April 17 came fine and clear. The sea 
was smooth, but in the offing we could see a line of pack, which 
seemed to be approaching. We had noticed already pack and 
bergs being driven by the current to the east and then some- 
times coming back with a rush to the west. The current ran 
as fast as five miles an hour, and it was a set of this kind that 
had delayed Wild on his return from the spit. The rise and 
fall of the tide was only about five feet at this time, but the 
moon was making for full and the tides were increasing. The 
appearance of ice emphasized the importance of getting away 
promptly. It would be a serious matter to be prisoned on the 
beach by the pack. The boats were soon afloat in the shallows, 
and after a hurried breakfast all hands worked hard getting 
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