14 VOYAGE TO THE POLAR SEA. April 



was readied, Aldrich's sledge being fully laden, the 

 daily advance was very slow, as usual in similar 

 journeys, and the soft snow entailed very severe labour 

 on the crew. Two days afterwards when passing Cape 

 James Good, named after the petty officer, captain of 

 the sledge, Aldrich remarks : — 



' The men are all very much done up, the fact 

 being that, light loads or heavy loads, this thick snow 

 takes it out of one tremendously, and the constant 

 standing pulls shake one to pieces. 



' The double journeys are most discouraging to the 

 men, and their looks of disappointment when, after 

 nine hours' labour, they find themselves only two and 

 a-half to three miles from where they started, show 

 how much more they would do if they could. The 

 air is very cold, and the sun very warm. The ther- 

 mometer hanging on my chest registered minus 12° ; 

 when on my back, minus 30°. 



4 Half our daily journey is necessarily done with 

 the sun in our faces, causing a few slight cases of 

 snow-blindness.' 



The 29th was the last day on the outward journey 

 that they were obliged to advance with half-loads at a 

 time ; they were then a few miles east of Cape Columbia. 



Aldrich observes : — 



' A great deal of mirage to the north-west ; its 

 effects in some places led us to think there were very 

 extensive pools of water out on the heavy floes. It 

 required careful watching for some minutes to dispel 

 the illusion. The line of hummocks is visible three 

 and-a-half to four miles distant. I dug down through 

 the snow, which I found to be exactly four feet deep, 



