ern end of the Hangar, and the sledge with its long
curved runners was hauled forth triumphantly on the 25th. From that
time onwards Bickerton continued to experiment and to improve the
contrivance.

On October 21 there was a marked thaw inside the Hut. The frost
along all the cracks dissolved into water and ran down the walls over
pictures, on to book-shelves and bunks. The thick caking of ice on the
windows dripped continually, coming away in layers at lunch-time and
scattering among the diners at both ends of the table. Every available
bucket and tub was in use, and small tin-gutters hooked under each
window had to be emptied at frequent intervals.

Stillwell came in during the afternoon bearing an albino penguin with
a prettily mottled head; a curious freak of which the biologists
immediately took possession. The penguins now swarmed along the
foreshores, those not settling down in the rookeries wandering about
in small crowds, occasionally visiting the Hut and exploring among the
rocks or up the slippery glacier. Murphy was heard, at this time, to
advance a theory accounting for the fact that Adelie penguins never made
their nests on a scale more elaborate than a collection of stones.
He submitted that anything else would be blown away. To support the
contention, he stated that as soon as the female lays her egg, she
places a stone on top to weight it down. The biologists kept a dignified
silence during the discussion.

On the 21st an Emperor penguin landed on the harbour ice, and, early in
November, two more were captured. These imperial birds are very rare
on the coasts of Adelie Land, owing to the fact that their winter
breeding-grounds in Antarctica are selected in spots where climatic
conditions are comparatively good.

October closed with an average wind velocity of 56.9 miles per hour.
Yet the possibility of summer sledging was no longer remote. The sun
was high, spells of calm were longer and more frequent, and, with the
certain knowledge that we should be on the plateau in November, the
sledging parties were chosen, schemes of exploration were discussed, and
the last details for an extensive campaign completed.

CHAPTER XII ACROSS KING GEORGE V LAND

We yearned beyond the skyline.--Kipling

October had passed without offering any opportunities for sledging, and
we resolved that in defiance of all but the worst weather a start would
be made in November. The 'Aurora' was due to arrive e