i 9 i2] HARD WORK ON THE SUMMIT 365 



ski, &c. The plateau is now very flat, but we are still ascending 

 slowly. The sastrugi are getting more confused, predominant 

 from the S.E. I wonder what is in store for us. At present 

 everything seems to be going with extraordinary smoothness, and 

 one can scarcely believe that obstacles will not present themselves 

 to make our task more difficult. Perhaps the surface will be the 

 element to trouble us. 



Friday, January 5. Camp 58. Height: morning, 10,430; 

 night, 10,320. T. - 14-8. Obs. 87 57', 159 13'. Minimum 

 T. -23-5; T. -21 . A dreadfully trying day. Light wind 

 from the N.N.W. bringing detached cloud and constant fall of 

 ice crystals. The surface, in consequence, as bad as could be 

 after the first hour. We started at 8.15, marched solidly till 

 1. 1 5, covering 7-4 miles (geo.), and again in the afternoon we 

 plugged on; by 7 p.m. we had done 123^ miles (geo.), the 

 hardest we have yet done on the plateau. The sastrugi seemed 

 to increase as we advanced and they have changed direction from 

 S.W. to S. by W. In the afternoon a good deal of confusing 

 cross sastrugi, and to-night a very rough surface with evidences 

 of hard southerly wind. Luckily the sledge shows no signs of 

 capisizing yet. We sigh for a breeze to sweep the hard snow, 

 but to-night the outlook is not promising better things. How- 

 ever, we are very close to the 88th parallel, little more than 120 

 miles from the Pole, only a march from Shackleton's final camp, 

 and in a general way 'getting on.' 



We go little over a mile and a quarter an hour now it is a 

 big strain as the shadows creep slowly round from our right 

 through ahead to our left. What lots of things we think of on 

 these monotonous marches ! What castles one builds now hope- 

 fully that the Pole is ours. Bowers took sights to-day and will 

 take them every third day. We feel the cold very little, the 

 great comfort of our situation is the excellent drying effect of 

 the sun. Our socks and finnesko are almost dry each morning. 

 Cooking for five takes a seriously longer time than cooking for 

 four; perhaps half an hour on the whole day. It is an item I 

 had not considered when re-organising. 



Saturday, January 6. Height 10,470. T.-22-3. Obsta- 

 cles arising last night we got amongst sastrugi they increased 

 in height this morning and now we are in the midst of a sea of 

 fish-hook waves well remembered from our Northern experience. 



