I902] PARTIES LEAVE THE SHIP 379 



distance, but it is rather amusing to think that this deHberately 

 wipes out the only result of our autumn trip. This party 

 camped at the depot last night and dragged it right in to-day. 

 It is only about eight or nine miles, but I calculate they must 

 have been dragging nearly 280 lbs. per man, and they are all 

 terribly out of condition. As a result, when they arrived at 

 the ship they were positively cooked, and to-night they are 

 fighting their battles over again, and the conversation is highly 

 entertaining. They all agree that if sledging is always going 

 to be like this, there will be reason deeply to deplore the fact 

 that they ever left a comfortable home and came to sea.' 



*■ Septcmhe7- 10. — Royds and Koettlitz started away to-day 

 v.ith Evans, Quartley, Lashly, and Wild. The party looked 

 very workmanlike, and one could see at a glance the vast im- 

 provement that has been made since last year. The sledges 

 were uniformly packed. Everything was in its right place and 

 ready to hand, and all looked neat and business-like. One 

 shudders now to think of the slovenly manner in which we 

 conducted things last autumn ; at any rate, here is a first result 

 of the care and attention of the winter. 



'To-night it has been bright and clear, and we saw in 

 more perfect form a phenomenon which we have occasionally 

 witnessed before. High in the northern sky were some light, 

 wavy cirrus clouds, carrying the most perfect prismatic colour- 

 ing. They seemed like twisted fragments of a rainbow, and 

 were very beautiful against the pale blue sky; we watched 

 until the lights paled with the dying sun.' 



' September 1 1 . — This morning Armitage left for the west. 

 He takes one other officer, Ferrar, and four men. Cross, Scott, 

 Walker, and Heald. The party introduced the novelty of 

 systematically pulling on ski, at which they have been practis- 

 ing lately, much to the amusement of the onlookers. There 

 is not much difficulty in the pulling after the first start ; the 

 great thing is to swing together and keep in perfect time. I 

 am inclined to reserve my opinion of the innovation. The 

 " Terror " trip may have proved their use in soft snow, but a 

 hard surface is a different matter. The men seem rather in 



