1 66 WITH SCOTT: THE SILVER LINING 



two feet, and impeding the sledges, while pot-holes (due to 

 the sun eating round black silt) caught one's boots. 



"Lunched in this mullock about two and a half miles 

 from the coast. Then on practically straight, making fair 

 progress with Evans and C. S. W. at the sledge, lifting while 

 we pulled. We had several upsets, and the rucksack was 

 jerked off, but the fossil fish has survived so far. 



" After a final dash up over steep silt bank between pin- 

 nacle ridges (where the sledge balanced rockingly !) we reached 

 a broad avenue between moraines and Stonehenge pinnacles 

 of ice. I went back for my brogans, and fell a frightful 

 c cropper,' getting a spike in my fifth rib. 



" After half an hour or so we plugged on steadily up a 

 beautiful surface for two and a half miles. The moraines 

 were getting bigger and wider, and were now about three 

 hundred yards across. We finally reached a fifty-feet silt 

 c col,' and had to portage the sledge. It was mighty heavy, 

 and flattened our crampons. Later we reached a cul-de-sac 

 among the moraines, and after a survey I decided to make a 

 final camp, as we were now favourably situated to explore 

 1 Snow Valley ' and Heald's Island. I don't understand the 

 ice-slabs or the promontory on the 1902 map. I guess it is 

 wrong. 



"The sun clouded and snow began. We put the tent 

 in a sandy dell. It was so small that we had the tent like an 

 old sock at the side ! However, we are on earth again, and 

 not on cold wet ice, even if one post of the tent is on a huge 

 stone. 



"I cooked my last meal. Raisins in excess ( X 2), sugar- 

 dust about right, cocoa X 2, chocolate short f, cornflour three 

 portions left, cheese short |, biscuits right, and pemmican two 

 feeds left. Butter short owing to seal-liver feast. We had a 

 good hoosh and drank thick chocolate. 



" My week's cooking done, Praise Be ! 9.20, snowing 

 now and pretty cool." 



Next morning was devoted to a " make and mend." All 

 our sleeping-bags and finnesko were wet with the sloppy ice- 

 floors of the last week — for we had not been able to find any 

 snow-drifts on which to camp. They are much warmer and 

 drier than ice. 



Behind the tent to the north were slopes about 1000 feet 



