1870 NORTHERN SLEDGE JOURNEY. 367 



streams of hummocks from ten to fifty yards in 

 breadth. Across these we are compelled to cut a 

 road ; our chief difficulty, however, is in getting the 

 sledges from off the floe on to our road, and then up 

 again on to the next floe, so steep and abrupt is the 

 ascent and descent. Our tents were pitched on the 

 northern extreme of one of these ponderous floes, with 

 an apparently impassable sea of hummocks extending 

 north, east, and west as far as the eye could range. It 

 looked like the ' end of all things.' Distance marched 

 six and-a-half miles ; made good one and three- 

 quarters. The thermometer when exposed to the sun 

 this afternoon rose to 7°. 



4 21th. — Parr, with half-a-dozen road-makers, 

 started to make a road through the hummocks, leaving 

 the remainder of the party to strike the tents, pack the 

 sledges, and drag them on- one by one. By lunch-time 

 we had advanced a quarter of a mile. At noon the 

 latitude was 83° 6' 41" N. Our invalids exhibit no 

 signs of improvement. Hawkins had to be relieved as 

 much as possible from the drag ropes, and Pearce 

 suffers from stiff ankles, although he makes a show of 

 dragging. Both shovels, from constant use, have come 

 to grief, breaking short off at the handles, but we suc- 

 ceeded in ' fishing ' them, thus making them service- 

 able again. At 9.30 halted for the night; Men 

 thoroughly fatigued. Distance marched seven and- 

 a-half miles ; made good one and-a-quarter. Tem- 

 perature minus 9°. 



' 28th. — A dull cloudy day and snow falling, but 

 with, for the first time, a temperature above zero. 

 Heavy hummocks, deep snow, and thick weather 



