ing at once into wind-proof
clothing, we rushed out and were horrified to see Harrisson in his bag
on the snow. He quickly assured us that he was all right. After carrying
him, bag and all, into our tent, he emerged quite undamaged, but very
hungry.

Jones and Moyes now had to be rescued; they were in a most uncomfortable
position under the fallen tent. It appears that the tent had blown down
on the previous morning at ten o'clock, and for thirty-six hours they
had had nothing to eat. We did not take long to dig them out.

The wind dropped to a moderate breeze, and, through the falling snow,
I could make out a "water-sky" to the west. The three unfortunates said
that they felt fit to travel, so we got under way. The surface was soft
and the pulling very heavy, and I soon saw that the strain was largely
due to the weakness of the three who had been without food. Calling a
halt, I asked Jones if it would do to go on; he assured me that they
could manage to go on with an effort, and the march was resumed.

Not long after, Dovers sighted the wireless mast, and a quarter of an
hour later we were safely in the hut, much to the surprise of Kennedy
and Watson, who did not expect us to be travelling in such weather, and
greatly to our own relief. According to the sledge-meter, the last camp
had only been two miles one hundred yards from home, and if anything had
been visible on the night of April 4, we could have got in easily.

I was very pleased with the way all the party had shaped. They had
worked splendidly and were always cheerful, although conditions had been
exceptionally trying during this journey. No one was any the worse for
the hardships, except for a few blistered fingers from frost-bites. The
party lost weight at the average of two and a half pounds; Harrisson
was the greatest loser, being reduced six pounds. Out of the twenty-five
days we were away, it was only possible to sledge on twelve days. The
total distance covered, including relay work, was nearly one hundred
and twenty-two miles, and the greatest elevation reached on the southern
mainland was two thousand six hundred feet above sea-level.

Kennedy and Watson had been very busy during our absence. In a few days
they had trained five of the dogs to pull in harness, and transported
the remainder of the stores from the landing-place, arranging them in
piles round the hut. The weather at the Base had been quite as bad as
that experienced by us on the land