I 7 6 SCOTT'S LAST EXPEDITION PECEMBER 



not to be outdone, cut out a white harp from a linen specimen- 

 bag and sewed it on some green burberry! We had a fine lunch. 

 Twenty-seven skua eggs had been collected, and Forde took the 

 precaution of cracking them first. The first showed considerable 

 development but he went into the fry, much to Gran's disgust. 

 Then about four fair ones and then eight bad ones; and finally 

 we had two each a thirty per cent, success! We opened the 

 Christmas bag; a slice of pudding each, with ginger and caramels. 

 An epicurean feast I warrant you. 



A dense sea fog rolled in that night and enveloped every- 

 thing, and next morning all of us (except Gran whom nothing 

 harmed) had rheumatic pains. Luckily this wore off later. It 

 was Debenham's birthday so we finished the box of chocolates, 

 and Gran gave him a long-treasured box of cigarettes. 



At noon of the 2yth we once more reached the Flat Iron. 

 I was at first of the opinion that the New Glacier would be the 

 easier route, but the others favoured the Flat Iron, and their 

 arguments decided me to try that route. We found it much 

 easier than the glacier would have been. However, it was no 

 joke reaching the snow plateau behind the Flat Iron. We had 

 to climb one thousand feet of rough granite-strewn slopes carry- 

 ing the sledge and fourteen days' provisions on our backs. 



Gran and Forde managed the thirteen-foot sledge, while 

 Debenham and I transported gear, but it took a long time and 

 many traverses to get everything up to our camp on the snow. 

 Luckily my disabled hand did not prevent sledge-hauling or pack- 

 ing, but it was now a long time since I had been able to sketch, 

 photograph, or use the theodolite. 



From the camp we could see open water, but it was a long 

 way off ; so that I wrote : ' It must go out a mile a day, or Pen- 

 nell will have trouble to meet us.' I remember we spent that 

 evening discussing a proposed sledge trip in Norway over the 

 little ice-cap of Justedals Brae. 



We left our snug gravelly camp after breakfast and pushed 

 off up the great glacier. We were well knotted to the sledge and 

 I went on a longer line so as to prospect for crevasses. It was 

 comforting to think that though I couldn't help to pull any- 

 one else out, the other three would have no difficulty in dragging 

 me up. We zigzagged down from the Flat Iron on to the snow 

 plateau. This was about ten miles wide and seven miles long. 



