i9i i] WILSON SNOW BLIND 349 



cross the waves in places 30 feet from crest to hollow, and 

 we did it by sitting on the sledge and letting her go. Thus 

 we went down with a rush and our impetus carried us some way 

 up the other side; then followed a fearfully tough drag to rise 

 the next crest. After two hours of this I saw a larger wave, 

 the crest of which continued hard ice up the glacier; we reached 

 this and got excellent travelling for 2 miles on it, then rose on 

 a steep gradient, and so topped the pressure ridge. The smooth 

 ice is again lost and we have patches of hard and soft snow 

 with ice peeping out in places, cracks in all directions, and 

 legs very frequently down. We have done very nearly 5 miles 

 (geo.). 



Evening. (Temp. - 12 .) Height about 3500 above Bar- 

 rier. After lunch decided to take the risk of sticking to the 

 centre of the glacier, with good result. We travelled on up the 

 more or less rounded ridge which I had selected in the morning, 

 and camped at 6.30 with 12^2 stat. miles made good. This has 

 put Mount Hope in the background and shows us more of the 

 upper reaches. If we can keep up the pace, we gain on Shackle- 

 ton, and I don't see any reason why we shouldn't, except that 

 more pressure is showing up ahead. For once one can say ' suffi- 

 cient for the day is the good thereof.' Our luck may be on the 

 turn I think we deserve it. In spite of the hard work every- 

 one is very fit and very cheerful, feeling well fed and eager for 

 more toil. Eyes are much better except poor Wilson's; he has 

 caught a very bad attack. Remembering his trouble on our last 

 Southern journey, I fear he is in for a very bad time. 



We got fearfully hot this morning and marched in singlets, 

 which became wringing wet; thus uncovered the sun gets at 

 one's skin, and then the wind, which makes it horribly uncom- 

 fortable. 



Our lips are very sore. We cover them with the soft silk 

 plaster which seems about the best thing for the purpose. 



I'm inclined to think that the summit trouble will be mostly 

 due to the chill falling on sunburned skins. Even now one feels 

 the cold strike directly one stops. We get fearfully thirsty and 

 chip up ice on the march, as well as drinking a great deal of 

 water on halting. Our fuel only just does it, but that is all we 

 want, and we have a bit in hand for the summit. 



The pulling this afternoon was fairly pleasant; at first over 



