-ponies Monday--all subject to maintenance of good weather
of course.

_Friday, April_ 7.--Went north over ice with Atkinson, Bowers, Taylor,
Cherry-Garrard; found the thickness nearly 5 inches everywhere except
in open water leads, which remain open in many places. As we got away
from the land we got on an interesting surface of small pancakes,
much capped and pressed up, a sort of mosaic. This is the ice which
was built up from lee side of the Strait, spreading across to windward
against the strong winds of Monday and Tuesday.

Another point of interest was the manner in which the overriding ice
sheets had scraped the under floes.

Taylor fell in when rather foolishly trying to cross a thinly covered
lead--he had a very scared face for a moment or two whilst we hurried
to the rescue, but hauled himself out with his ice axe without our
help and walked back with Cherry.

The remainder of us went on till abreast of the sulphur cones under
Castle Rock, when we made for the shore, and with a little mutual
help climbed the cliff and returned by land.

As far as one can see all should be well for our return to-morrow,
but the sky is clouding to-night and a change of weather seems
imminent. Three successive fine days seem near the limit in this
region.

We have picked up quite a number of fish frozen in the ice--the larger
ones about the size of a herring and the smaller of a minnow. We
imagined both had been driven into the slushy ice by seals, but
to-day Gran found a large fish frozen in the act of swallowing a
small one. It looks as though both small and large are caught when
one is chasing the other.

We have achieved such great comfort here that one is half sorry to
leave--it is a fine healthy existence with many hours spent in the
open and generally some interesting object for our walks abroad. The
hill climbing gives excellent exercise--we shall miss much of it at
Cape Evans. But I am anxious to get back and see that all is well at
the latter, as for a long time I have been wondering how our beach
has withstood the shocks of northerly winds. The thought that the hut
may have been damaged by the sea in one of the heavy storms will not
be banished.

A Sketch of the Life at Hut Point

We gather around the fire seated on packing-cases to receive them
with a hunk of butter and a steaming pannikin of tea, and life is well
worth living. After lunch we are out and about again; there is little
to tempt a long sta