I9H] GOOD MARCHES 351 



Camp 41. Things are looking up. Started on good surface, 

 soon came to very annoying criss-cross cracks. I fell into two 

 and have bad bruises on knee and thigh, but we got along all 

 the time until we reached an admirable smooth ice surface excel- 

 lent for travelling. The last mile, neve predominating and there- 

 fore the pulling a trifle harder, we have risen into the upper basin 

 of the glacier. Seemingly close about us are the various land 

 masses which adjoin the summit: it looks as though we might 

 have difficulties in the last narrows. We are having a long lunch 

 hour for angles, photographs, and sketches. The slight south- 

 westerly wind came down the glacier as we started, and the sky, 

 which was overcast, has rapidly cleared in consequence. 



Night. Height about 5800. Camp 41. We stepped off this 

 afternoon at the rate of 2 miles or more an hour, with the very 

 satisfactory result of 17 (stat. ) miles to the good for the day. 

 It has not been a strain, except perhaps for me with my wounds 

 received early in the day. The wind has kept us cool on the 

 march, which has in consequence been very much pleasanter; 

 we are not wet in our clothes to-night, and have not suffered 

 from the same overpowering thirst as on previous days. (T. 

 ii.) (Min. 5 .) Evans and Bowers are busy taking 

 angles; as they have been all day, we shall have material for 

 an excellent chart. Days like this put heart in one. 



Wednesday, December 20. Camp 42. 6500 feet about. 

 Just got off our last best half march 10 miles 11 50 yards 

 (geo.), over 12 miles stat. With an afternoon to follow we 

 should do well to-day; the wind has been coming up the valley. 

 Turning this book * seems to have brought luck. We marched 

 on till nearly 7 o'clock after a long lunch halt, and covered 19^2 

 geo. miles, nearly 23 (stat), rising 800 feet. This morning 

 we came over a considerable extent of hard snow, then got to 

 hard ice with patches of snow; a state of affairs which has 

 continued all day. Pulling the sledges in crampons is no diffi- 

 culty at all. At lunch Wilson and Bowers walked back 2 miles 

 or so to try and find Bowers' broken sledgemeter, without result. 

 During their absence a fog spread about us, carried up the 

 valleys by easterly wind. We started the afternoon march in 



* In the pocket journal, only one side of each page had been written on. Coming 

 to the end of it, Scott reversed the book, and continued his entries on the empty backs 

 of the pages. 



