274 SCOTT'S LAST EXPEDITION [August 



the ambassador half demented: and Meares, who speaks many 

 languages, is begged by ambassador and escort to accompany the 

 party. He is obliged to miss this chance of a lifetime. 



This is the meagrest outline of the tale which Meares 

 adorned with a hundred incidental facts — for instance, he told 

 us of the Lolo trade in green waxfly — the insect is propagated 

 seasonally by thousands of Chinese who subsist on the sale of 

 the wax produced, but all insects die between seasons. At the 

 commencement of each season there is a market to which the 

 wild hill Lolos bring countless tiny bamboo boxes, each containing 

 a male and female insect, the breeding of which is their share 

 in the industry. 



We are all adventurers here, I suppose, and wild doings in 

 wild countries appeal to us as nothing else could do. It is good 

 to know that there reraain wild corners of this dreadfully civilised 

 world. 



We have had a bright fine day. This morning a balloon 

 was sent up without thread and with the flag device to which 

 I have alluded. It went slowly but steadily to the north and 

 so over the Barne Glacier. It was difficult to follow with 

 glasses frequently clouding with the breath, but we saw the instru- 

 ment detached when the slow match burned out. I'm afraid 

 there is no doubt it fell on the glacier and there is little hope 

 of recovering it. We hav^e now decided to use a thread again, 

 but to send the bobbin up with the balloon, so that it unwinds 

 from that end and there will be no friction where it touches the 

 snow or rock. 



This investigation of upper air conditions is proving a very 

 difficult matter, but we are not beaten yet. 



Wednesday, August 30. — Fine bright day. The thread of 

 the balloon sent up to-day broke very short off through some 

 fault in the cage holding the bobbin. By good luck the instru- 

 ment was found in the North Bay, and held a record. 



This is the fifth record showing a constant inversion of 

 temperature for a few hundred feet and then a gradual fall, 

 so that the temperature of the surface is not reached again for 

 2000 or 3000 feet. The establishment of this fact repays much 

 of the trouble caused by the ascents. 



Thursday, August 31. — Went round about the Domain and 

 Ramp with Wilson. We are now pretty well decided as to 



