ed for a
long spell in the shelter.

On skis one could push up the first slopes of the glacier for a long
distance. Soft snow had settled two feet thick even on the steep icy
downfalls. The sea to the north was frozen into large cakes between
which ran a network of dark water "leads." With glasses we could make
out in the near distance five seals and two tall solitary figures which
were doubtless Emperor penguins. During the whole day nimbus clouds had
hung heavily from the sky, and snow had fallen in grains and star-like
crystals. Gradually the nimbus lightened, a rift appeared overhead,
and,the edges of the billowy cumulus were burnished in the light of the
low sun. The sea-horizon came sharply into sight through fading mist.
Bergs and islands, from being ghostly images, rose into sharp-featured
reality. The masts and Hut, with a dark riband of smoke floating from
the chimney, lay just below, and two of the men were walking out to the
harbour-ice where a seal had just landed, while round them scampered the
dogs in high spirits. That was sufficient to set us sliding downhill,
ploughing deep furrows through the soft drift and reaching the Hut in
quick time.

During August we were able to do more work outside, thus enlarging our
sphere of interest. Bage, who had been busy up till August 8 with his
daily magnetograph records, ran short of bromide papers and now had to
be contented with taking "quick runs" at intervals, especially when
the aurora was active. His astronomical observations had been very
disappointing owing to the continuous wind and drift. Still, in
September, which was marked by periods of fine weather, a few good star
observations were possible. Shafts were sunk in the sea-ice and up on
the glacier, just above the zone where the ice was loaded with stones
and debris--the lower moraine. The glacier shaft was dug to a depth of
twenty-four feet, and several erratics were met with embedded in the
ice. In this particular part the crystalline structure of the ice
resembled that of a gneiss, showing that it had flowed under pressure.
I was able to make measurements of ablation on the glacier, to take
observations of the temperature and salinity of the sea-water, and to
estimate the forward movement of the seaward cliffs of the ice-cap.

Geological collecting now became quite a popular diversion. With
a slight smattering of "gneiss," "felspar," "weathered limestone,"
"garnets," and "glacial markings" the amateu