ls separately, digging down at intervals to let us know the state
of the weather. It was not pleasant for us, congested as we were in the
Cave, to have visitors sliding down through the opening with a small
avalanche of snow in their train. Further, to increase their own
discomfort, they arrived covered in snow, and what they were unable
to shake off thawed and wet them, subsequently freezing again to the
consistency of a starched collar.

The opening was, therefore, kept partly closed with a food-tank. The
result was that a good deal of snow came in, while the hole diminished
in size. For a man to try to crawl out in stiff burberrys appeared as
futile as for a porcupine to try to go backwards up a canvas hose.

The day passed slowly in our impatience. We took turns at reading 'The
Virginian', warmed by a primus stove which in a land of plenty we could
afford to keep going. Later in the afternoon the smokers found that a
match would not strike, and the primus went out. Then the man reading
said that he felt unwell and could not see the words. Soon several
others commented on feeling "queer," and two in the sleeping-bags had
fallen into a drowsy slumber. On this evidence even the famous Watson
would have "dropped to it," but it was some time before it dawned on us
that the oxygen had given out. Then there was a rush for shovels.
The snow, ice and food-tank were tightly wedged, at the mouth of the
entrance, and it took some exertion to perforate through to the outside
air with an ice-axe. At once every one speedily recovered. Later,
another party had a worse experience, not forgetting to leave a warning
note behind them. We should have done the same.

The weather was no better by the evening, and during the night the
minimum thermometer registered -12 degrees F.

At six o'clock on Sunday morning, November 10, McLean dug down to us
with the news that the wind had abated to thirty miles per hour with
light surface drift.

We hurried through breakfast, rolled up the bags and started packing the
sledge. Three 100-lb. food-tanks, one 50-lb. bag opened for ready use,
and four gallons of kerosene were selected. Stillwell took for us a
50-lb. food-tank, a 56-lb. tin of wholemeal biscuits, and a gallon
of kerosene. With the 850 lbs. of food, 45 lbs. of kerosene, three
sleeping-bags of 10 lbs. each, a tent of 40 lbs., 86 lbs. of clothing
and personal gear for three men, a cooker, primus, pick, shovel,
ice-axe, alpine rope, dip