ingly at a
great pace, and one heard a crunching noise as the hoofs of the ponies
trod down the snow crust, but one could not hear the footfalls of the
men. One exchanged a "Hallo" with the leading man and passed on until a
much bigger white shape loomed up in the obscurity of the noon-twilight,
the going underfoot changed and skis fetched up against a great lump of
ice which was scarcely discernible in the confusing darkness, and one
realised that what little light there was to the northward had been
blotted out by one of the big grounded icebergs. Directly one realised
which berg it was a new course would be shaped, say to the end of the
Barne Glacier; the cliffs of this reached, one proceeded homeward a
league to the hut. This could not be missed on the darkest day if the
coast-line was followed, and, at last, when stomach cried out like a
striking clock, one realised that it was 2 p.m. or so, and a little glow
indicated the whereabouts of the hut. Approaching it, one saw the tall
chimney silhouetted against the sky, then the black shapes which oddly
proclaimed themselves to be motor-sledges, store heaps or fodder dumps,
and finally the hut itself. One stumbled over the tide-crack and up on to
the much trodden snow which covered the Cape Evans's beach. Six or seven
pairs of skis stuck in the snow near the hut door indicated that most
people had come in to lunch, so there was need to haste. Off came one's
own skis, and with a lusty stab in they went heel downwards into the snow
alongside the other ones, so that when a new fall came they would stand
up vertically and be easily found again.

The sticks one took into the hut, because even in our well-appointed
family there were pirates who borrowed them and forgot to replace them.
Entering the hut after kicking much snow from boots one passed first
through the acetylene smelling porch--Handy Andy's pride--as we called
Day's gas plant, then in to the seamen's quarters, where the smell of
cooking delighted and the sight of those great, hefty sailors scoffing
the midday meal hustled one still more.

In the officers' half of the hut most people were already busy with their
knives and forks, two or three perhaps just sitting down, the night
watch-man probably sitting up on the edge of his bunk putting on his
slippers, and cheerfully accepting the friendly insults from his pals at
table who told him the date and year--down went ski-sticks on the bed,
room would be made at the