370 VOYAGE TO THE POLAR SEA. May 



but with a sharp north-westerly wind blowing ; a thick 

 mist hanging over the land entirely concealing it from 

 view. So rough was our road and deep the snow- 

 drifts that we barely advanced half-a-mile before 

 lunch. The travelling was no better during the latter 

 part of the day, and we encamped on a small iloe 

 amidst a pile of hummocks, thoroughly fatigued and 

 weary. Towards night the temperature fell as low as 

 minus 17°. Distance marched seven and-a-half miles ; 

 made good one and-a-quarter. 



' 3nZ. — A dull foggy day. The hummocks do not 

 appear to be massed so close together as those we have 

 been lately struggling with, although they are equally 

 large and heavy. The snow-drifts are surprisingly 

 deep, making the dragging very distressing. On one 

 occasion the drift was so deep that the boat-sledge was 

 completely buried in it whilst being pulled through, 

 and we were forced to unload before we succeeded in 

 extricating it. 



1 A dense fog, but not sufficiently thick to retard 

 our progress altogether, that has persistently hung 

 over us all day, materially increased our labour by 

 adding to the difficulties of selecting a good route 

 through the hummocks. Pitched our tents on the 

 edge of a floe, not of any great extent, but to arrive 

 on which we had to make a considerable detour to the 

 eastward. Distance marched seven and-a-half miles ; 

 made good one and-a-quarter. 



' 4th. — Snow falling thick and fast. Invalids the 

 reverse of improving. Francombe so bad that he is 

 obliged to be put on a sledge. More of the men are 

 complaining of stiffness and pain in their legs, which, 



