Two of our four bags of clothing had been placed under the bilge of the 'James Caird', and before we realized the danger a wave had lifted the boat and carried the two bags back into the surf.

We had no chance of recovering them.
This accident did not complete the tale of the night's misfortunes.
The big eight-man tent was blown to pieces in the early morning.

Some of the men who had occupied it took refuge in other tents, but several remained in their sleeping-bags under the fragments of cloth until it was time to turn out.
A southerly gale was blowing on the morning of April 18 and the drifting snow was covering everything.

The outlook was cheerless indeed, but much work had to be done and we could not yield to the desire to remain in the sleeping-bags.

Some sea-elephants were lying about the beach above high-water mark, and we killed several of the younger ones for their meat and blubber.