187G GREENLAND SLEDGE JOURNEY. 101 



In the meantime the men had been struggling on as 

 best they could, sometimes dragging the sledge on 

 their hands and knees to relieve their aching legs, or 

 hauling her ahead with a long rope and standing pulls. 

 When we encamped we had hardly done two miles, 

 and Jones was added to the list of stiff-legged ones. 



' The next march, May 19th, they could hardly bend 

 their legs. We tried every kind of expedient. We 

 made a road for the men to walk in, and tracked the 

 sledge. Then we tried a broader one for both sledge 

 and men, but all to no purpose ; and at last went back 

 to the usual way, and tugged and gasped on, resting 

 at every ten or twelve yards. In my journal I find 

 this entry for the day : " Nobody will ever believe 

 what hard work this becomes on the fourth day ; but 

 this may give them some idea of it. When halted for 

 lunch, two of the men crawled for 200 yards on their 

 hands and knees, rather than walk unnecessarily 

 through this awful snow ; but although tired, stiff, and 

 sore, there is not a word of complaint ; they are 

 cheerful, hopeful, and determined. Since twelve 

 o'clock it has been my birthday ; but I can safely say 

 I never spent one so before, and I don't want to be 

 wished any happy returns of it." That march we did 

 not make much over a mile. Everyone was very 

 tired with the unusual exertions of the last few days, 

 and the work was pain and grief to those with stiff legs. 

 Matters did not look promising at all. I had started 

 across the channel first to see down past Cape But- 

 tress, and after reaching Eeef Island the northern shore 

 looked so near that I came to the conclusion that we 

 had better push on, reach the land, and coast along to 



