8 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' |Nov. 



about 5 P.M. we made this out to be our supporting party; we 

 caught them up just as they were rounding the corner of White 

 Island, and learnt that they had had very bad weather which 

 had confined them to their tents. Relieving them of some of 

 their loads, we camped, whilst they pushed on to get the 

 advantage of a night march.' 



^ November 2,' — ... At 2 p.m. we came up with Barne's 

 people. They are doing their best, but making very slow 

 progress. The difficulty is the slipperiness of the wind-swept 

 snow, the surface being particularly hard amongst the sastrugi 

 opposite the gullies of the island. They can get no hold with 

 their fur boots, and find their leather ski boots dreadfully cold 

 for the feet ; the result is that they scarcely cover a mile an 

 hour. The only thing is for us to take life easy whilst they go 

 on in the best manner possible ; we have relieved them of 

 over 150 lbs. of weight, so that they now only help us to the 

 extent of 500 lbs. I have told Barne to go on quite indepen- 

 dently of us.' 



In this manner we journeyed slowly to the south outside 

 the White Island, the parties constantly passing and repassing ; 

 it was impossible at this part to keep together, as men and 

 dogs took the march at quite a different pace. To add to the 

 slowness of our journey, the weather proved very unpropitious, 

 for the wind constantly sprang up and obliged us to camp, and 

 we were forced to lie up during the greater part of the 8th and 

 9th, whilst a heavy blizzard passed over us. 



On the 9th I wrote : ' The wind still blows with exasperat- 

 ing persistence, though the sun has been peeping out all day ; 

 it adds to the trying nature of this inactivity to watch the sun 

 pass pole after pole of our tent and to know that the support- 

 ing party are cut off from their slow daily progress. We are 

 now south of the Bluff, and cannot be more than eight miles 

 from the depot. To-night the wind is dying ; the cloud mantle 

 on the Bluff has vanished, and for the first time for many days 

 one can catch a view of the western lands. 



* On our outward track we have kept rather too close to the 

 White Island, and consequently have had to traverse a good 



