1870 LIEUT. GIFFARD PARTS COMPANY. 13 



We could trace snow ten to eleven feet down, a great 

 deal of which was probably drift.' 



On the 25th Giffard and his crew, after completing 

 the other sledge to forty-four days' provisions, parted 

 company, to return to the ' Alert.' On the last clay of 

 their advance Aldrich writes : — 



' No improvement in the travelling, and the sledge 

 came to a dead stop over and over again in the deep 

 soft snow, and this notwithstanding the desire of all to 

 get as far as possible, before parting company. Had 

 anyone been in the neighbourhood, and unacquainted 

 with the method of progression in this detestable 

 travelling, they would very probably have been as- 

 tonished at the constant shouts of " One, two, three, 

 haul ! " varied by " Main topsail, haul ! " etc., to relieve 

 the monotony of the same " old yarn." However, we 

 had the whole country to ourselves, and were at 

 perfect liberty to expend as much of our breath in 

 shouting as we could spare, without fear of awakening 

 or frightening anybody. Halted for luncheon at noon, 

 up to which time we had been steering inshore to find 

 a place to leave the depot. The whole of the land 

 was covered in snow, without the slightest sign of a 

 brow or other convenient spot, and we therefore altered 

 our course parallel to the coast. 



c After lunch we proceeded till 4.30 p.m., and then 

 left the " Poppie's " cook behind to make tea ready for 

 his sledgemates by their return. Halted a little after 

 5 p.m., when, after an exchange of hearty cheers and 

 good wishes, Lieutenant Giffard and his party took 

 their departure, and left us to our solitary journey.' 



For the next seven days, when Cape Columbia 



