236 SCOTT'S LAST EXPEDITION Quly 



P.O. Evans was away first with Crean, Keohane, and 

 Demetri, a light sledge, a sleeping-bag, and a flask of brandy. 

 His orders were to search the edge of the land and glacier 

 through the sweep of the Bay to the Barne Glacier and to Cape 

 Barne beyond, then to turn east along an open crack and follow 

 it to Inaccessible Island. Evans (Lieut.), with Nelson, Forde, 

 and Hooper, left shortly after, similarly equipped, to follow 

 the shore of the South Bay in similar fashion, then turn out to 

 the Razor Back and search there. Next Wright, Gran, and 

 Lashly set out for the bergs to look thoroughly about them and 

 from thence pass round and examine Inaccessible Island. After 

 these parties got away, Meares and Debenham started with a 

 lantern to search to and fro over the surface of our promontory. 

 Simpson and Oates went out in a direct line over the Northern 

 floe to the ' Archibald ' thermometer, whilst Ponting and Taylor 

 re-examined the tide crack towards the Barne Glacier. Mean- 

 while Day went to and fro Wind Vane Hill to light at intervals 

 upon its crest bundles of tow well soaked in petrol. At length 

 Clissold and I were left alone in the hut, and as the hours went 

 by I grew ever more alarmed. It was impossible for me to con- 

 ceive how an able man could have failed to return to the hut 

 before this or by any means found shelter in such clothing in 

 such weather. Atkinson had started for a point a little more 

 than a mile away; at 10.30 he had been five hours away; what 

 conclusion could be drawn? And yet I felt it most difficult to 

 imagine an accident on open floe with no worse pitfall than a 

 shallow crack or steep-sided snow drift. At least I could feel 

 that every spot which was likely to be the scene of such an 

 accident would be searched. Thus 1 1 o'clock came without 

 change, then 11.30 with its 6 hours of absence. But at 11.4^ I 

 heard voices from the Cape, and presently the adventure ended 

 to my extreme relief when Meares and Debenham led our wan- 

 derer home. He was badly frostbitten in the hand and less seri- 

 ously on the face, and though a good deal confused, as men 

 always are on such occasions, he was otherwise well. 



His tale is confused, but as far as one can gather he did 

 not go more than a quarter of a mile in the direction of the 

 thermometer screen before he decided to turn back. He then 

 tried to walk with the wind a little on one side on the bearing 

 he had originally observed, and after some time stumbled on 



