3o6 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [Sept. 



consider all our sledge journeys as pioneer efforts. It is 

 perhaps as well to indicate these differences here; they are 

 essentially climatic and geographical. 



In regard to climate, the conditions in the South are more 

 severe than those in the North ; the spring temperatures are 

 lower, and the summer temperatures far lower. The early 

 spring travellers in the North have rarely recorded a tempera- 

 ture below —50°, whereas with our early parties the ther- 

 mometer frequently fell below — 60°, and at its lowest stood 

 at —68'^ ; in the Arctic summer travellers have experienced 

 temperatures of -f4o'^ and even -f 50°, whilst in the height of 

 our Southern summer the thermometer rarely rose above 

 freezing-point, even on the great snow-plains adjacent to the 

 sea-level ; and when we were forced to explore at great 

 altitudes, we were fortunate if it showed higher than —10° at 

 this season. 



The effect of these generally low temperatures was naturally 

 to increase the hardships to which the sledge-travellers were 

 exposed, and of which so much has been written, while it is 

 doubtful whether we could have so well withstood this greater 

 intensity of cold had we not been possessed of those improve- 

 ments to the sledging outfit which have been added in the 

 years that have elapsed since the great English journeys of 

 1850. But the low summer temperature has one advantage, 

 although we were not fated to gain greatly by it, in that the 

 snowy surface of the sea-ice never gets into that sodden, slushy 

 condition which obtains in the latter part of the Northern 

 summer, and which prevents sledging operations being under- 

 taken after the month of June in the Arctic Regions. Except 

 in a few places where dust or grit has been blown on to it, the 

 surface of the Southern sea-ice remains hard throughout the 

 summer ; and as there are many places where it does not 

 break up until the latter part of February, it is quite possible 

 to conceive sledging being carried on over its surface 

 until that month, which corresponds with the Northern 

 August. 



A circumstance, however, that is far more objectionable to 



