Page:Aurora Australis.djvu/38

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AURORA AUSTRALIS.

top of Erebus. Between nine and ten p. m., it began to blow hard, and when we awoke the following morning, we found a strong blizzard rushing over us from the south east. It increased in fury as the day wore on, and swept with terrible force down the rocky ravine where we were camped. So dense was the whirling snow, and so loud the roaring of the wind, that although our two parties were only about ten yards apart we could neither see nor hear each other. Neither of the two tents were set up, as we had no poles with us, but they were just doubled over the top ends of our sleeping bags, so as to protect their closely toggled slits from the drifting snow. Nevertheless a great deal of fine snow found its way into the bags.

In the afternoon Brocklehurst emerged from the three-man sleeping-bag, and instantly a fierce gust whirled away his wolf-skin mit; he dashed after it, and the force of the wind swept him some way down the ravine. Adams, who had left the bag at the same time as Brocklehurst, saw the latter vanish suddenly, and in endeavouring to return to the bag to fetch Marshall to help him to find Brocklehurst, was blown down by the force of the wind. Meanwhile Marshall, the only remaining occupant of the bag, had much ado to keep himself from being blown, sleeping-bag and