Monday, March 20.—­On Saturday night it blew hard from the south, thick overhead, low stratus and drift.  The sea spray again came over the ice foot and flung up almost to the dogs; by Sunday morning the wind had veered to the S.E., and all yesterday it blew with great violence and temperature down to -11 deg. and -12 deg..

We were confined to the hut and its immediate environs.  Last night the wind dropped, and for a few hours this morning we had light airs only, the temperature rising to -2 deg..

The continuous bad weather is very serious for the dogs.  We have strained every nerve to get them comfortable, but the changes of wind made it impossible to afford shelter in all directions.  Some five or six dogs are running loose, but we dare not allow the stronger animals such liberty.  They suffer much from the cold, but they don’t get worse.

The small white dog which fell into the crevasse on our home journey died yesterday.  Under the best circumstances I doubt if it could have lived, as there had evidently been internal injury and an external sore had grown gangrenous.  Three other animals are in a poor way, but may pull through with luck.

We had a stroke of luck to-day.  The young ice pressed up off Hut Point has remained fast—­a small convenient platform jutting out from the point.  We found two seals on it to-day and killed them—­thus getting a good supply of meat for the dogs and some more blubber for our fire.  Other seals came up as the first two were being skinned, so that one may now hope to keep up all future supplies on this side of the ridge.

As I write the wind is blowing up again and looks like returning to the south.  The only comfort is that these strong cold winds with no sun must go far to cool the waters of the Sound.

The continuous bad weather is trying to the spirits, but we are fairly comfortable in the hut and only suffer from lack of exercise to work off the heavy meals our appetites demand.

Tuesday, March 21.—­The wind returned to the south at 8 last night.  It gradually increased in force until 2 A.M., when it was blowing from the S.S.W., force 9 to 10.  The sea was breaking constantly and heavily on the ice foot.  The spray carried right over the Point—­covering all things and raining on the roof of the hut.  Poor Vince’s cross, some 30 feet above the water, was enveloped in it.

Of course the dogs had a very poor time, and we went and released two or three, getting covered in spray during the operation—­our wind clothes very wet.

This is the third gale from the south since our arrival here.  Any one of these would have rendered the Bay impossible for a ship, and therefore it is extraordinary that we should have entirely escaped such a blow when the Discovery was in it in 1902.

The effects of this gale are evident and show that it is a most unusual occurrence.  The rippled snow surface of the ice foot is furrowed in all directions and covered with briny deposit—­a condition we have never seen before.  The ice foot at the S.W. corner of the bay is broken down, bare rock appearing for the first time.