274 CONQUERING THE ARCTIC ICE 



Wednesday, May 8. We were off at 6.30 A.M. and made good 

 progress during the earlier part of the day, but at 10 A.M. we 

 again came into rubble ice. It was very hard work, and, except 

 when we crossed a couple of small floes of old ice, the remainder 

 of the day was spent in trying to make headway between the 

 ridges and rubble, rougher than any we had gone through yet. 

 The snow, of course, was soft, which did not improve our 

 travelling, while the continuous thick weather which we have 

 had for the last week also obstructs progress, as we cannot see 

 clearly enough to pick a secure footing ; nor can we see far 

 enough to pick out the best ice in the neighbourhood, but have 

 to trust to our luck to bring us to it. Still, in spite of our 

 many grievances, we made a little more than six miles before 

 4 P.M., when we camped, very tired and worn out. 



Temperature 5'5 C. Wind E.N.E., fifteen to twenty- 

 five miles an hour. 



Thursday, May 9. To-day everything has been fine, or almost 

 fine ; the surface was so good that we could advance almost a 

 mile an hour, and brilliant sunshine succeeded the thick gloomy 

 weather of the preceding days. The only drawback was a 

 nasty east wind, which, however, increased as the day wore 

 on. At 2 P.M. we struck ice which looked like lagoon ice, and 

 we could have made fine progress over it but for the wind, which 

 was blowing into our faces and raising a snowdrift so strong 

 that we could not see two hundred yards before us. Camped 

 at 3 P.M*. Made about nine miles. 



Temperature 9 C. Wind E.N.E., fifteen to twenty- 

 five miles. 



Friday, May 10. There was a strong blizzard blowing to-day, 

 so we could do nothing but lie still. We amused ourselves 

 by frying and eating bear steak, reading Hamlet or King 

 Lear, talking, and sleeping. Mr. Leffingwell is complaining 

 that his eyes are bad ; they are red, and he has probably got an 

 attack of snow-blindness. 



Saturday, May u. The gale abated during the night, and we 

 were off as early as possible, about 6 A.M. Mr. Leffingwell is 

 having a hard time with his eyes to-day ; he had to bandage 

 them before leaving the tent, and they hurt him very much. 

 Luckily the ice was almost perfectly smooth, and he could walk 

 with care by steadying himself against the sledge, as the dogs 



