BAD LIGHT 243 



some and rightly dreaded complaint was a thing that we 

 had hitherto succeeded in keeping off by a judicious use 

 of our excellent snow-goggles. Among my duties as 

 forerunner was that of maintaining the direction, and 

 this, at times, involved a very severe strain on the eyes. 

 In thick weather it is only too easy to yield to the 

 temptation of throwing off the protective goggles, 

 with the idea that one can see better without them. 

 Although I knew perfectly well what the consequence 

 would be, I had that afternoon broken the command- 

 ment of prudence. The trifling smart I felt in my eyes 

 was cured by keeping the goggles on for a couple of 

 hours after we were in the tent. Like all other ills, 

 snow-blindness may easily be dispelled by taking it in 

 time. 



Next morning the sun's disc could just be made out 

 through a veil of thin stratus clouds, and then the light 

 was more or less normal again. As soon as we could 

 see what our surroundings were, it was clear enough 

 that we had done right in stopping the game of blind 

 man's buff we had been playing on the previous day. 

 It might otherwise have had an unpleasant ending. 

 Right across our line of route and about 500 yards 

 from our camp the surface was so broken up that it 

 was more hke a sieve than anything else. In the back- 

 ground the masses of snow were piled in huge drifts 

 down a steep slope on the north-west side of the two 

 mountains. It was impossible to take the sledges any 



