TRIALS OF HAZY WEATHER 215 



a light like this it is a bad thing to be the forerunner; 

 he does not see the inequalities of the ground until 

 too late until he is right on them. This often ends 

 in a fall, or in desperate efforts to keep on his feet. 

 It is better for the drivers, they can steady themselves 

 with a hand on the sledge. But they also have to be 

 on the lookout for inequalities, and see that the sledges 

 do not capsize. This light is also very trying to the 

 eyes, and one often hears of snow-blindness after such a 

 day. The cause of this is not only that one strains one's 

 eyes continually ; it is also brought about by carelessness. 

 One is very apt to push one's snow-goggles up on to one's 

 forehead, especially if they are fitted with dark glasses. 

 However, we always came through it very well; only a 

 few of us had a little touch of this unpleasant complaint. 

 Curiously enough, snow-blindness has something in 

 common with seasickness. If you ask a man whether 

 he is seasick, in nine cases out of ten he will answer: 

 " No, not at all only a little queer in the stomach." 

 It is the same, in a slightly different way, with snow- 

 blindness. If a man comes into the tent in the evening 

 with an inflamed eye and you ask him whether he is 

 snow-blind, you may be sure he will be almost offended. 

 " Snow-blind? Is it likely? No, not at all, only a 

 little queer about the eye." 



We did seventeen miles* that day without exertion. 



* Unless otherwise stated, " miles " means English statute miles. 

 TR. 



