a central pole coming down
between them, and the floor-cloth made in one piece with the tent. For
three men a three-man sleeping-bag: e.g. for such a journey as our
Winter Journey. He would not brush rime, formed upon the tent by the
steam from the cooker and breath, from the inside of tent before striking
camp. The more of it the warmer. He considers that two- or three-men
sleeping-bags are infinitely warmer than single bags: objections of
discomfort are overcome, for you are so tired you go to sleep anyway. I
would, however, recommend the explorer to read Scott's remarks upon the
same subject before making up his mind.[285]

FOOTNOTES:

[280] My own diary.

[281] My own diary.

[282] My own diary.

[283] See Amundsen, _The South Pole_, vol. i. p. 264.

[284] Ibid. vol. i. p. 119.

[285] Scott, _Voyage of the Discovery_, vol. i. pp. 480-487.

CHAPTER XV

ANOTHER SPRING

O to dream, O to awake and wander
There, and with delight to take and render,
Through the trance of silence,
Quiet breath;
Lo! for there among the flowers and grasses,
Only the mightier movement sounds and passes;
Only winds and rivers,
Life and death.

The flowers were of snow, the rivers of ice, and if Stevenson had been to
the Antarctic he would have made them so.

God sent His daylight to scatter the nightmares of the darkness. I can
remember now the joy of an August day when the sun looked over the rim of
the Barne Glacier, and my shadow lay clear-cut upon the snow. It was
wonderful what a friendly thing that ice-slope became. We put the first
trace upon the sunshine recorder; there was talk of expeditions to Cape
Royds and Hut Point, and survey parties; and we ate our luncheon by the
daylight which shone through the newly cleared window.

The coming Search Journey was organized to reach the Upper Glacier Depot,
and the plans were modelled upon the Polar Journey of the year before.
But now we had no extensive depots on the Barrier. It was intended that
the dogs should run two trips out to Corner Camp during this spring. It
was hoped that two parties of four men each might be able to ascend the
Beardmore, one of them remaining about half-way up and doing geological
and other scientific work while the other went up to the top.

In our inmost thoughts we were full of doubts and fears. "I had a long
talk with Lashly, who asked me what I candidly thought had happened to
the