wintp:iiing in mcmurdo sound 
over the next day and made a thorough examination of the 
stores there. They found outside the hut a pile of cases contain- 
ing meats, flour, dried vegetables, and sundries, at least a year's 
supply for a party of six. They found no iiew clothing, but 
made a collection of worn garments, which could be mended 
and made serviceable. Carryuig loads of their spoils, they set 
out for Cape Evans on the morning of August 15 across the 
sea-ice. Very weak ice barred the way and they had to travel 
round the coast. They got back to Cape Evans in two hours. 
During their absence Wild and Gaze had chmbed Inaccessible 
Island, Gaze having an ear badly frost-bitten on the journey. 
The tobacco was divided among the members of the party. A 
blizzard was raging the next day, and Mackintosh congratulated 
himself on having chosen the time for his trip fortunately. 
The record of the remaining part of August is not eventful. 
All hands were making preparations for the sledging, ajid were 
rejoicing in the increasing daylight. The party tried the special 
sledging ration prepared uader my o\vn direction, and all 
agreed it was excellent both in bulk and taste." Three emperor 
penguins, the first seen since the landing, were caught on 
August 19. By that time the returning sun was touching with 
gold the peaks of the Western Mountains and throwing into 
bold relief the massive form of Erebus. The volcano was 
emitting a great deal of smoke, and the glow of its internal 
fires showed occasionally against the smoke-clouds above the 
crater. Stevens, Spencer-Smith, and Cope went to Cape Royds 
on the 20th, and were still there when the sun made its first 
appearance over Erebus on the 26th. Preceding days had been 
cloudy, and the sun, although above the horizon, had not been 
visible. " The morning broke clear and fine," wrote Mackin- 
tosh. Over Erebus the sun's rays peeped through the massed 
cumulus and produced the most gorgeous cloud eifects. The 
light made us all blink and at the same time caused the greatest 
exuberance of spirits. We felt like men released from prison. 
I stood outside the hut and looked at the truly wonderful 
scenery all round. The West Mountains were superb in their 
wild grandeur. The whole outline of peaks, some eighty or ninety 
miles distant, showed up, stencilled in delicate contrast to the 
2T1 
