ged. There was a tremendous
snowfall accompanied by a gale of wind, and, after the second day, the
snow was piled four feet high round the tent, completely burying the
sledges and by its pressure greatly reducing the space inside the tent.
On the 23rd, the fourth day, we dug out the floor, lowering the level
of the tent about two feet, and this made things more comfortable. While
digging, a crack in the ice was disclosed running across the floor,
and from this came a considerable draught. By midday the weather had
improved sufficiently to allow us to move.

The sledge and tent were excavated from beneath a great mass of soft
snow; the new level of the snow's surface being four to five feet above
that on which the camp had been made four days earlier. The wind having
fallen, we went ahead with the sledges. While crossing the ridge of ice
which led into the valley below, one man hauled the sledges while the
other two prevented them from sliding sideways downhill into the open
crevasse. That afternoon we noticed very fine iridescent colouring in
cirro-cumulus clouds as they crossed the sun.

The next day gave us a pleasant surprise, there being a strong
breeze dead aft, while the travelling surface ahead looked distinctly
favourable. Sail was hoisted and the two sledges were coupled together.
The course for a short distance was downhill, and we had to run to keep
up with the sledges. The slopes on the far side of the valley we had
entered on the previous afternoon were not so formidable as they had
looked, for by lunch time six and a half miles had been covered. The
surface was good, with occasional long undulations. After lunch a turn
to the north was made for a short distance in order to come in touch
with the coastline. Then the march west was resumed by travelling
parallel to the shore at a distance of five to ten miles. At
halting-time the extreme western edge of Helen Glacier was passed, and
below lay young floe-ice, studded with numerous bergs.

In the morning, Dovers called attention to what appeared to be an
ice-covered island lying to the north-north-west, thirty to forty miles
away. We watched this carefully during the day, but found its form to
be constant. Through binoculars, icy patches and bluff points at the
eastern and western ends were distinguishable.**

** This was examined in detail from the 'Aurora' in January 1913 and
found to be an island, which was named Drygalski Island, for it is
evide